Category Archives: Interesting Hands

Interesting and Fun Hand

Posted on by • 0 comment

Here is a fun, freak one (at least from my side’s perspective). I was sitting South:

freak

I opened preemptive 2 diamonds in 2nd seat. That may be a bit too conservative, but the vulnerability worried me. West overcalled two spades. Partner jumped to five diamonds at her 1st turn. East bid five spades  My hand was suddenly much improved because of the fit, so I furthered my own preempt by bidding six diamonds. West doubled, ending the auction.

Check our partner’s hand on opening lead!

freak1

The play went quickly. I won the second trick, drew trump in two rounds, and claimed for plus 1540.

West may have been too undisciplined with her two spades overcall. Here was her hand:

freak2

 

 

Category: Interesting Hands | Tags: ,

Good Bridge Puzzles from Long Ago

Posted on by • 4 comments

I have been dipping into an old book by George S. Coffin, Sure Tricks (2nd edition, 1950). Our copy once belonged to H. Kunimura (any of you recall that name?). Somehow the club obtained it over the years. I googled and was surprised to find the book listed at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sure-tricks-George-S-COFFIN/dp/B000M8HNSC

It contains lots of fun double dummy puzzles. Also play problems in which you are challenged to make your contract by visualizing the worst possible lie of opponents’ cards (thus the title of the book: Sure Tricks).

Here is a sample of his double dummy puzzles:

coffin1

You are South in 6NT.  Lead is the queen of Hearts*. How are you going to make your contract against any defense?

*Typo: Lead corrected to queen of hearts rather than queen of diamonds 6/9/20.

Here is the solution if you give up: Coffin1 Solution

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Interesting Hands | Tags: , , ,

The Sometimes Curse of 3NT

Posted on by • 0 comment

We are always reluctant to go past 3NT in the bidding, particularly when rebidding a minor suit after partner bids of 3NT. Here is a hand I held as South recently where I faced that dilemma:

Wimp1

My hand values at 20 points after partner rebids her clubs (the club queen will fill in her suit). I jump to three diamonds at my second turn, forcing to game and showing slam interest. Do you agree with my action so far? What would you do after partner bids 3NT?

I chose to pass. That was a mistake in retrospect. By rebidding four diamonds, we can reach a minor suit slam in diamonds or clubs. My hand to too unbalanced to sit for 3NT.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Another Competitive Auction

Posted on by • 0 comment

comp4

comp5

comp6

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , , , ,

My Lucky Day

Posted on by • 0 comment

On Wednesday I picked up a rare hand. How rare? A hand with such strength that its probability of occuring is only one time in seven million hands!

Are you ready?   Here it is:

 

crummyest

Sorry if I made you envious. One seven spot and the other 12 lower — wow! I’ve played roughly 20 thousand bridge hands over the last 30 years, and already I’ve had a hand like this.

BTW, my partner landed in a heart contract and was able to ruff a spade in my hand.

Category: Interesting Hands

Fun Hand

Posted on by • 0 comment

fun hand

fun hand1

Category: Exercises: Defensive Play, Interesting Hands | Tags:

Your Best Chance for an Overtrick?

Posted on by • 0 comment

 

overtrick1

overtrick2

overtrick4

overtrick5

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Do You Have a Slam?

Posted on by • 0 comment

 

slamish1

slamish2

Looks like you will have to successfully locate the king of spades or the queen of hearts, although partner may have the queen of hearts. Even if king of spades is on side you may not be able to drop it. Other posssibilities are ruffing out the queen of hearts or setting up a trick in one of partner’s minor suits. Slam is no sure thing, but it’s probably a little better than 50 percent. I would bid six.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , , ,

Preempted by Partner

Posted on by • 0 comment

 

preempt2

 

preempt3

preempt4

preempt5

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , , , ,

Opening Bid?

Posted on by • 0 comment

I recommend you follow Marty Bergen’s recent articles on hand evaluation in the Bulletin. What would Marty recommend on this one?

openthismess

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Counting During the Auction

Posted on by • 0 comment

Be aware of implications uncovered during the auction. That awareness may suggest the need for an unusual action during the bidding. Here is an example.

unusual2

unusual3

Declarer made five clubs without breaking a sweat. The unusual use of unusual notrump resulted in a top board.

 

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Taking All Your Chances

Posted on by • 0 comment

Declarer can often improve her likelihood of success by recognizing all possible chances.

chances1

chances2

 

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Interesting Hands | Tags: , , , ,

Where’s that other trick?

Posted on by • 0 comment

Update below Ponder puzzle

Update:

patient east

 

Category: Interesting Hands | Tags: ,

Solve this Puzzle and Win a Prize

Posted on by • 0 comment

Tuesday I analyzed the play of a slam, concluding it had 75 percent plus chance to make.

But what if all of the relevant honors were indeed offside? In Tuesday’s hand that would place the ace of diamonds, the queen-ten third of hearts, and the king-jack of clubs offside. The deal would look like this. Update: thanks to Tor for pointing out error in the posted deal. I corrected it. Here is the corrected deal:

slamDD

Now that you see all the hands can you find a way for South to make six hearts?

First HBC member with fewer than 1,000 masterpoints to solve this double dummy problem wins a free play and recognition in the HBC Double Dummy Solvers’ Honor Roll.

If you feel adventursome, propose your solution in the comments. Otherwise email the solution to me and I will get back to you.

I am offering the same prize to two previous Double Dummy problems that are still keeping HBC members awake at night: here and here.

 

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Interesting Hands | Tags: ,

Opening the Bidding with a Big Hand

Posted on by • 0 comment

You are in 4th seat (vul vs not vul) and there are three passes to you. You have this nice hand:

nice hand

Before opening the bidding you plan your rebid. What is your opening bid?

If you open one diamond, your partner may pass with a bad hand. But you may have a good play for game if your partner holds as few as three of the seventeen missing points.

If you open two clubs, your partner will respond two diamonds. A rebid of two spades would be a big lie, promissing nine plus tricks and a long spade suit. Raising diamonds does not sound right because you don’t want your bid hand to come down as dummy.

Best in my opinion is to open two clubs, planning to rebid two notrump (22-23 points) after your partner responds two diamonds. It’s a bit of a lie because of the singleton, but here are the advantages:

  • Your partner will know within one-half point the high card point assets of your side.
  • Systems are on (transfers, Stayman). Partner will know how to get to the best strain and level (game or part score).
  • Since opener will be declarer, it is unlikely that the king of clubs will be captured on opening lead. Opponents cannot see your hand.

Have I missed something?

 

 

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: ,

Play of a Slam

Posted on by • 0 comment

See update below

You end up in six hearts (opponents are silent) and left hand opponent leads the 10 of spades. Here is what you see after the lead:

Dummy

Dummy2

 

You

You1

 

This is a good slam. What is your best chance to make it? Give it some thought and I will update a little later today.

Update: Counting your losers, you see one possible heart loser, one possible club loser and one possible diamond loser. You can avoid the club loser by pitching a low club on one of dummy’s spade winners.

One way to avoid the heart loser is to finesse for the queen of hearts, a 50 percent chance. Another way is to play the ace and king of hearts, hoping to drop the queen (a 52 percent chance missing four hearts). Playing for the drop has a little better chance of avoiding the heart loser.

Can you still make the slam if you don’t drop the heart queen? Yes, it depends on the location of the ace of diamonds. If left hand opponent has the ace of diamonds, you can finesse her for it by leading the king. If she does not cover the king with the ace, pitch a spade from dummy and hope she has the ace. If she does cover with the ace, you ruff in dummy (this is known as a ruffing finesse). If she does not have the ace you are down one. There is a 50 percent chance she has the ace.

Bottom line: This is a parcentage slam. It will make if you drop the queen of hearts or if the ruffing finesse in diamonds is successful. The likelihood of making the slam is roughly 77 percent.

 

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Which Slam?

Posted on by • 0 comment

Your partner opens 1NT (15-17) in second seat, and it’s hard for you to believe that you have this huge hand:

Gslam

Where do you go from here? If your partner has 16 or 17 high card points you should be in a grand slam (16 plus your 21 equals 37, minimum for a grand). But what if your partner opened with 15 HCP?

Holding 15 points, it’s possible that your partner opened missing the ace of clubs, in which case you want to sign off in the small slam (15+21+4 for the ace equals 40). You will find that out by using the Gerber convention.

Once you are assured that partner holds the ace of clubs, she must have at least 11 other high card points. That leaves the opponents with at most four high card points, which must come from these cards: spades K Q J, hearts Q, diamonds Q J, and clubs K J. Those four points will be from either a queen and both jacks, or two queens, or a king and a jack. It looks like you will have a good play for the grand with most of those possible combinations. Notice that your hand is bolstered by the 10 9 of clubs and the married J 10 of hearts.

But shouldn’t you just be conservative and settle for the small slam. No, you should go with the percentages. Thats what the good players will be doing, so making an overtrick in a small slam is likely to award fewer than 50 percent of the matchpoints.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags: , ,

Opening Lead Problem

Posted on by • 0 comment

See undate below.

South opens 1NT ins 1st seat and North raises to 3NT. You must choose a lead from this hand:

unit2

You have only 4 points, so it’s likely your partner is not broke. How best to get partner off to the right start?

thoughts

Category: Exercises: Defensive Play, Interesting Hands | Tags:

Handling Interference

Posted on by • 0 comment

Update Below

Lot’s of interesting hands in today’s Unit Game. Here is one for you:

unit1

You are in 4th seat (favorable vul), and your partner opens one diamond. RHO overcalls two spades. What is your call?

First, how good is your hand in context of the auction so far? Singleton spade is a nice feature. You have three card support for partner’s suit, including two honors. You have five clubs, including King-Queen touching honors. I suggest it’s worth 11 or 12 points. Don’t you think you should bid? If so, what’s your call?

My recommendation tomorrow.

My recommendation: This is a perfect hand for a negative double. You promise at least four hearts and have clubs. Also, you would be happy if partner rebids her diamond suit.

Category: Exercises: It's Your Call, Interesting Hands | Tags:

Play of a 1NT Contract

Posted on by • 0 comment

I often hear that 1NT contracts are especially difficult. Here is my thinking on a recent hand.

On this hand I was South in 1NT after my opening 1NT (15-17) in second seat was passed out:

1NT contract

West leads the six of spades. I play the queen and East contributes the two. Now I know who has the king of spades, and that spades are breaking 4-3. I decide to see if I can set up an extra trick in the club suit (I like the touching jack and 10 in dummy). That looks like best chance for another trick. It may work out even if clubs break 4-2.  The alternative of setting up an extra heart trick requires that hearts break 3-3 or the queen- jack is doubleton (about 38 percent chance altogether). I lead a low club toward hand, hoping that East has the ace. East plays the seven and my king wins (West playing the four). East has the ace! Two tricks are home for me.

Next I lead the five of clubs toward dummy, and West goes into a huddle. Now I know who has the queen. West plays the eight, I play the jack, and East wins the ace.

Back comes the 10 of spades and I win the ace.  Three tricks are home. Now I play the six of clubs and West wins the queen, East discarding a low diamond. I now know that West started with 4-4 shape in the black suits.

West now cashes the two top spades. I discard a heart on the 4th spade and so does East. West shifts to the jack of diamonds, East plays low, and I win the queen. Four tricks are home.

Next I lead six of hearts to the ace, both opponents following low. I cash the 10 of clubs, East discarding a diamond. Six tricks are home.

Next I go to hand to cash king of hearts and back to ace of diamonds for a total of eight tricks, making 2NT for +120.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Interesting Hands | Tags:
Older Entries →