Blog Archives

Weak jump shift?

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Your partner opens one club in 4th seat, right hand opponent passes, and you hold this crummy hand (vul vs not vul):

crummy hand3

It’s a bad hand, but you do have a nice heart suit. Should you bid or pass?

The danger is that your side will get too high, even in the likely event that partner has a strong hand. You might consider a weak jump shift to two hearts, if that is your partnership agreement. Weak jump shifts, including when you are not yet in a competitive auction, are becoming pretty standard these days. But don’t forget that you are vulnerable.

Most pairs chose to bid their heart suit at the one level, and the bidding got too high for your side. The best result was when partner was allowed to play one club, which made two. This was your partner’s hand:

partners hand

 

 

Accept the Invitation?

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crummy hand2

 

Category: Bridge News

Three Defensive Fundamentals

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Every card you play on defense should convey a message to your partner. With that in mind, observe three good defensive fundamentals in the play of this hand: Suit Preference Signal, Count Signal, and Uppercut.

3 fundamentals in defense

3f step1

3f step2

3f step3

Category: Bridge News

Recognizing equals in a suit

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Watch those spots:

equals

When partner opens the bidding in 3rd seat

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 It’s often difficult to determine if your partner has opened a bit light in 3rd seat. Here is a useful way to find out.

1st seat pass

reverse drury

 Much more on Reverse Drury here.

Asleep at the Switch

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Four Hearts by East

asleep

asleep2

 Please give me your assessment of the situation in comments or by email.

 

I missed the overtrick

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Here is a hand from Wednesday. I was sitting East with 12 points. Opponents were silent. My partner opened one diamond in 2nd seat, one spade by me, two diamonds by partner, three clubs by me, three hearts by partner, three notrump by me, and three passes.

missed it

South led the seven of hearts. I played low from dummy and my jack won the trick. I counted my sure tricks: two hearts, five diamonds and two clubs. At trick two I started running the diamonds, hoping that I could set up an overtrick in clubs. That was too lazy.

I forgot to remember an obvious inference for South’s heart holding from trick one. I should have made a mental note that South had to have the king, queen, nine, and perhaps one more in hearts. When I observed South discard the nine of hearts on the last diamond, I must lead the ace of hearts and out a heart to set up my 10 of hearts for a 10th trick. All the opponents can get is one heart and two spades.

BTW, I recommend that West rebid one notrump at her second turn. The two diamond rebid implies six diamonds.

Aloha, Dickie

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Best wishes, Dickie. We will miss you.

Dickie

Category: Bridge News

Suit Preference

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Your partner opens one club in 2nd seat. Right-hand opponent overcalls one diamond. You respond one heart with a nice 10 points:

You

you on lead

Left-hand opponent passes, partner rebids two clubs, and right-hand opponent rebids two diamonds. That’s where the bidding ends.

 

You lead the ace of clubs and see this dummy:

 Dummy        

dummy8

Partner encourages with the eight of clubs, so you continue with the nine of clubs to partner’s king. Now partner continues with the deuce of clubs, queen of clubs from declarer, and you ruff with the five of diamonds. What do you do next?

Larry Cohen provides some guidance on his site: https://www.larryco.com/bridge-articles/defensive-signals-signaling

 

Opening lead?

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Left-hand opponent opened one club in 1st seat. Her partner responded one heart. Opener’s rebid was one spade. Responder then closed out the auction with one notrump. Your side was silent. Here is your hand:

opening lead Dec 01

What is your opening lead against one notrump? Please give me your thoughts in the comments or by email.

 

 

It’s your call!

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You are vulnerable vs not vulnerable. Your right-hand opponent opens one club in second seat. Should you overcall one heart or make a takeout double with this nice hand?

big hand

I vote for the takeout double. You have a good 18 points and both majors. If partner happens to advance with two diamonds, you won’t be lying with these values to bid two hearts at your next turn.

If your spade holding was slightly weaker, for example K Q 9 3, I would prefer the one heart overcall. That K Q J 9 of spades you actually hold is worth more than its six points.

 

 

Plan the play

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You are end up four spades with silent opponents. Partner splintered your one spade opening with four diamonds. The opening lead is the ace of diamonds.

Dummy

dummy7

Lead: lead diamond ace

You

declarer6

You count your losers: perhaps one spade if they break 3-0, one heart, one diamond and no clubs. But do you have enough trumps in dummy to ruff two diamonds and two hearts? Assuming spades break 2-1, how can you insure 11 tricks ?

Splinter Response

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splinter1

splinter2

Look here for more on splinters.

One Spade or Two Spades?

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One or Two

Two spades

Takeout Double, Overcall or Pass?

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You are in 4th seat and the bidding goes pass, pass, one club to you. This hand looks too good to pass:

TO double

What’s your call?

Two clubs is not possible, since it would be Michaels promising 5-5 in the majors. Possibilities are a 1NT overcall, a 1 heart overcall, or a takeout double. Which choice do you think is best and why?

Counting the hand

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See update 1 below

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:

count the hand

Dummy

dummy3

Lead lead to you

You

declarer5

Questions:

questions

 

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.

Update 1: Counting your losers

loser count

Take 10 tricks

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Update below

Insure it

Your thoughts?

Update:

 

danger

Hint

 

 

Where’s that other trick?

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Update below Ponder puzzle

Update:

patient east

 

Category: Interesting Hands | Tags: ,

Hilo Bridge Club News

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  • “Live for Clubs” did not work for yesterday’s game. Please let me know if you would like a pdf copy of the hand records. My inquiry to ACBL for help to fix the software problem seems to have gone into a black hole.
  • I have scheduled STaC games for December 18th and 22nd.  Our annual Holiday Potluck will be on the 22nd.
  • We will be saying Aloha to Dickie on December 4th. Hope you can make it.
  • A Sectional for players with fewer than 500 MPs is scheduled for Saturday December 14th at the Kona club.
  • There have been recent conversations about scheduling Unit Games in Keaau. We would encourage players from Kona and Waikoloa to attend. Please give me feedback on that. They would probably be held on Sundays that don’t inferfere with Kona’s routine 2nd Sunday of the month Unit Games.

 

Quote of the Day

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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.”