Hilo Bridge Club Updates
This is from Warren Buffett in comparing bridge to investing:
The approach and strategies are very similar in that you gather all the information you can and then keep adding to that base of information as things develop. You do whatever the probabilities indicated based on the knowledge that you have at that time, but you are always willing to modify your behavior or your approach as you get new information.
Here is an exercise in counting the hand. Whether you are declarer or defender, counting helps you solve the mystery of missing honors. For example, you need to locate the missing club honors in this hand:
Dummy
Lead 
You
Once you give me the answers to those questions, we will be able do some more counting to investigate location of the missing honors in clubs. Stay tuned.
Is from Michael Berkowitz in the November Bridge Bulletin p.65: “At the bridge table, it can be very dangerous to forget the auction once the bidding cards have been put away.”
As I watched our Swiss Teams last week, I noticed that intermediate players are not routinely giving partner count on defense. Here is one such situation when you are defending a notrump contract:
Partner has made the typical opening lead from a long suit that she would obviously like to set up. Subsequently you are in and are ready to return her suit. As you do so you would like partner to know the number of cards you presently hold in her suit. Why does that matter, and which card do you play when returning her suit?
It matters because partner wants to discern if the suit is ready to run and if there are any remaining impediments to getting all your available tricks. You can convey that information by the card you choose.
This example from a recent hand should clarify. I was in 3NT and West gets the defense off to a great start by leading the four of hearts:
I can see right away that I am going down. EW know from the bidding that I hold two or three hearts, and I know they are going to continue the suit. I know hearts are 5-4, although I cannot tell whether it is West or East who started with five hearts. EW are going to cash four hearts and the ace of clubs. My only hope is that somehow they manage to block the heart suit.
East wins the ace and is ready to return a heart. Do you see why it’s important for West to know how many hearts East has? It’s important because, as the card lie, West will need to play an honor under my king or else the heart suit it blocked. If West can discern that East is returning a heart from a present holding of four hearts, she will know it’s necessary to hold onto the seven. Otherwise she cannot get back to East’s hand, so that East can cash the last heart.
Which card should East play, so that West knows to unblock an honor? Playing a low card from you present holding shows an odd number, and playing the highest card you can reasonably afford (not the eight!) shows an even number. In this case East should return the six of hearts to let partner know she presently holds four hearts.
What happened in real life? West played the seven under my king and the hearts were blocked. I made an underserved 3NT.
You are West on lead after this auction:
Here is your hand:
What card do you choose and why? Is it best to make an attacking lead or should you go passive and lie in wait with those nice diamonds? How many spades does declarer have? How many spades does partner have? Scroll down to read my recommendation.
I would go passive and lead a spade. You are unlikely to win a spade triick unless partner has the ace. Opponents have a 8-card fit in spades. Sit back with the KJ10 of diamonds behind the big hand. Your Q9 of hearts and even the 10 of clubs may be useful to your side on defense. Make declarer do all the work.
See undate below.
Your right hand opponent opens the bidding two clubs in 3rd seat. You pass, and left hand opponent makes a waiting response of two diamonds. Right hand opponent rebids 2NT (22-23), and left hand opponent signs off at 3NT.
Now it’s you lead to 3NT holding
Your thoughts?
Start counting. Declarer has 22 to 23 and you hold 8. That leaves 9-10 between your partner and dummy. Dummy raised to game, so should have at least 3-8 points (did not make 4NT slam invitation with 9-10). Opponents showed no interest in the majors.
What do you lead and why?
Update:
I would lead the six of spades, hoping that partner has the jack or that declarer cannot tell who has the king or queen of spades. Anything else loses timing advantages on defense. Don’t even think about leading the three of clubs on that bidding.
You pass in 1st seat holding this weak hand (unfavorable vul).
LHO passes, partner opens one diamond in 3rd seat, RHO passes, and you respond one spade. LHO now overcalls two clubs, partner rebids two diamonds, and RHO bids three clubs. It’s your turn. Bidding summary:
What do you do?
You sure hate to miss a possible heart fit. But your shortness in diamonds suggests a worrisome misfit. Should you go ahead and venture a bid of three hearts? If you do partner will know that you are at least 5-4 in the majors.
You have three clubs, so inference is that partner is short in clubs. Partner has promised at least six diamonds. Holding one club and six diamonds, partner has room for six cards in the majors. With that reasonable likelihood, it’s a good idea for you to compete with three hearts.
