BBF thread

What the **** is going on here!?

http://forums.bridgebase.com/index.php?showtopic=36061

Quicktricks 12/14

25.

Another board from the same night.



We lost this board in the bidding, our auction went

1H - 1N
3H - 4H

Yeah, I bid 4H instead of 3N because I'm stupid.

Anyway, it's interesting to see how N can make 4H. East leads a diamond. It looks like the defense can manage a trump, a spade, a club and a club ruff. Can you figure it out? I believe I have the answer below.

diamond won in dummy
heart to the Q
heart A
heart T, west wins K
CQ, DUCKED all around
diamond won in dummy
diamond ruff
CK endplaying east

If you cover the CQ, east wins and continues with the CT. Now if you cover with the J, you're obviously going down. If you duck the J, east can counter by playing a diamond, cutting you from dummy.

Quicktricks 12/14

9.

Another simple squeeze. I think this is the only squeeze I know how to execute, lol.



16.

You have JTx K94 K954 J62. LHO deals, the auction goes

p - p - 1N - p
2H - p - 2S - p
2N - p - 4S

Your lead?

The full hand:


I led a club, a heart came back, tied for bottom.

BBO 12/12

How good of a handle do you have on your overcalls? The auction up to 2H seems like a normal start.



The play is kind of interesting here. I think best is to draw trumps (they're unlikely to let you ruff a club), and go ace and a heart. There are 16 HCP outstanding, east seems like an overwhelming favorite to hold the key cards, and he's endplayed when you attack the hearts, refusing the finesse.

Palo Alto 12/9

Bad night, but there are some interesting hands.

4.



I got to this end position and failed to play off all the spades, endplaying RHO. I don't know what it is, I have a very difficult time seeing endplays in NT. I mean, I was watching the hearts, so I know they can't cash any when they get in. It doesn't cost anything to try... if the spades break really poorly, I can just cash out.

10. This feels like a "How To Read Your Opponent's Cards" problem.



You can see that I rejected trying to pick up the spade suit, because I'm not sure how many entries I have to dummy, and even then have to guess what layout to play for (Kxx, Kx, KTxx)... and basically it was too complicated.

LHO helped me by splitting her honors in hearts, and I picked up the spades on the way back. When LHO led a diamond, I decided RHO was less likely to have the ace, because that means he passed with AKK and a stiff. Wrong. Oh well. Maybe I should've played LHO to have balanced with the diamond ace if she had it. Though her hand looks like a balance as it is anyway. When you're clutching at straws...

16.



What do you think of the auction? South's initial pass? North's pass of 2S? South's pass of 2S? This one earned us a 0 for not even competing in the reds. If I had to ATB, I would assign 100% to both.

Six-five, come alive?

Unfavorable at matchpoint pairs:

Palo Alto 12/2

8. Here's a double dummy problem.



Deep Finesse says EW can't make any number of hearts! How does this happen? I'm really bewildered, don't I always get at least 6 hearts and a spade?!

9. I went a little crazy here and got lucky.

I passed in second with xx xxx Axx AKxxx (yeah yeah), it goes

p - p - 2S - p
3S

so I just stuck a double in there, and partner sat for it, +300. I still think my double is crazy though.

12.

I had KQTxx JTxx xxx J and opened 2S in third w/r. I played in 3S for down one, which tied for top.

The night also featured me playing a 2S contract thinking I was in 1N. I haven't looked up the matchpoints on that, but I'm sure it didn't score well. Another contract I played in 1N for +120 when +150 was EASILY available, and I was upset at myself. It turns out it wouldn't have mattered at all, the rest of the field is picking up huge numbers. So don't worry, you never know what's going to happen!

Little old ladies

Here is a hilarious board from a side pairs game at nationals.



I am sitting South, West opens 1NT, and the auction quickly reaches 4H. To my surprise, West is encouraged by East's mild slam try and decides to ask for...something. East responds 5H, to which West confidently sets the slam contract. I double, leaving partner to figure out where my void is.

Partner decides to ask about 5H; declarer responds that it shows two aces. Thinking 4NT is asking for keycards, partner asks "Without the queen of hearts?" at which point declarer looks at her hand and confirms "Without the queen of hearts."

Partner thinks for a few seconds, and she settles on a small club. Dummy comes down thus: JT632 of hearts, AQ of spades, A73 of diamonds, and T32 of spades in a second pile. Declarer looks at dummy for a second or two and says "play." My partner then calmly informs the opponents that dummy's spades are missorted, disguising her panic at discovering that I was actually calling for a spade lead. East apologizes to partner and collects the spades into one neat stack. Now, declarer calls for a small club again, and partner again calls attention to the club void on the board. I stare blankly throughout, trying not to laugh. I collect the two top trumps, +100.

After the session, my partner and I have a conversation something like this:

Partner: "Why did declarer bid slam off two keys?"
Me: "Because they were playing Blackwood."
Partner: "Then why did 5H deny the queen of hearts?"
Me: "Because declarer had it."

We laughed for a while, certain that this score would be a top. It turns out that it was only 7 of 11 matchpoints, as six other pairs had earned +100, and somebody ended up +300. Come on, field!

random hand

3 passes to you, you have Txxxx QJxxxx Ax --, what would you do?

I guess it depends who your opps and partner are.