Double Dummy – Hilo Bridge Club

Tag Archives: Double Dummy

An interesting double dummy problem

Posted on October 7, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

I was going to include this hand in my “think before you play to trick one” lessons. But I played it so badly that I cannot bear to show you my errors. I was in five diamonds and managed to go down one.

Interestingly, however, the hand can make six diamonds against any defense. It’s a fun double dummy problem. You are South in six diamonds: Here is the hand:

Your mission is to make six diamonds.

Well known bridge teacher Buck Buchanan is convinced (and I agree) that solving double dummy problems “can make you a more resourceful declarer or defender when tough hands come up”. Give this one a try.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Double Dummy, End Play

Double Dummy Puzzle from Hell

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

Update 6/6/20: I have solved the puzzle! It turns out that Bridge Composer Double Dummy app knows that West would never be so silly as to open the queen of diamonds. 12 tricks are there on opening lead of the diamond queen.

I will offer my solution after you’ve worked a bit to solve it. Here is the original post from June 5th:

Here is another one from George S. Coffin. This one seems impossible to me. I ran it thourgh my Bridge Composer double dummy software to see if that app found a solution. It did not. So, either Coffin made an editorial or compositional error or he craftily outwitted the software and me. Which do you think it is?

You are in Six No Trump with the queen of diamonds opening lead.

Coffin gave some hints as to what he had in mind:

Win the king of diamonds on opening lead and start spades with the queen. East cannot productively cover, so her hand becomes irrelevant. You must be careful to play the spade nine under the queen. When you continue with the spade eight and follow with the spade seven in hand, note West’s discard.
From there you continue spades, watching West’s discards, and you will be able to set up two additional tricks in one of the other suits. That part was easy.
Then he says you will be able to set up an additional trick in another suit as you continue the squeeze. This is what I found to be impossible. I could not squeeze West when leading from dummy, because I had to discard from hand before West chose his discard.

Maybe you can find a way around that. Good luck.

Email me or put a note in the comments when you would like the solution.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Double Dummy, End Play, Squeeze

Good Bridge Puzzles from Long Ago

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Harry • 4 comments

I have been dipping into an old book by George S. Coffin, Sure Tricks (2^nd 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:

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: Double Dummy, End Play, Squeeze, Visualizing the Opponents' Hands

How Do You Handle the Trump Suit?

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

Here is a somewhat difficult declarer problem from a recent hand I observed on BBO. You are South with the hand and bidding shown:

Opening lead is the eight of diamonds. How many losers do you have and how are you going to handle the trump suit?

You have one or two losers in clubs. After you take the ace and king of diamonds you may be able to ruff a diamond loser or two. After you win the ace of hearts you may be able to ruff a heart loser or two. Spades look like they can come in with no losers if you get the likely 3-2 break.

Since it looks like you are going to have to do some ruffing of red suit cards, maybe you should not get in a rush to draw trump.

Say you draw two rounds of trump. Now you can ruff two heart losers in hand. That would get you to 10 tricks as long as the ace of clubs is onside.

It looks best to ignore trumps from the get go. Cash the ace of hearts at trick two. Ruff a heart. Cash the king of diamonds. Ruff a diamond. Ruff a heart. Ruff a diamond. You are almost assured of 10 tricks.

The hand will make five spades against perfect defense. It’s a nice double dummy problem. Here is the entire hand if you would like to give it a try:

Declarers who drew three round of trump went down one.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, cross ruff, Double Dummy, Setting up a long suit, Think before you play to trick one, Watch your entries

Katz Play

Posted on April 11, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

Here is a hand I saw played by Ralph Katz sitting South:

Note that Katz will go down immediately if West leads a diamond. However, West chose the reasonable lead of the ace of clubs.

Katz ruffed and visualized the East hand. This is what I infer that Katz was thinking: East had opened the bidding and, after rebidding his diamonds, should hold the ace and king of diamonds. West led the ace of clubs, so presumably has the king as well. Also, it appears that an unbalanced hand with length in clubs would justify West’s aggressive bidding. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that East holds the Q J of hearts to justify his opening bid.

Assume Katz visualized a hand like the one East held, do you see how he avoided losing one heart and two diamonds? He made his doubled contract! How did Katz Play?

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Double Dummy, Remember the bidding, Think before you play to trick one, Trump Management, Visualizing the Opponents' Hands

Visualizing the Opponents’ Hands II

Posted on March 1, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

See update below with my recommendation

Update 3/2/20:

Coda:

I enjoyed discussing the possibilities of this hand with Steve Bartholomew. We discovered one situation in which the end play would not work, namely if East happened to start with all three missing spades (11 percent chance). In that case you are back to guessing who has the king of clubs.

By using a clue from the bidding to visualize East’s hand, you increased your chance of making the slam from 50 percent to 95 percent. Good concentration and nice play! Isn’t it fun when you can “see” all the hands?

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Double Dummy, End Play, Remember the bidding

Visualizing the Opponents’ Hands

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Harry • 0 comment

2/29/20 See update below

This is a good double dummy exercise involving an end play, Can you figure it out? Answer tomorrow afternoon.

Update 2/29/20:

Good concentration and nice play! Isn’t it fun when you can “see” all the hands?

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Double Dummy, End Play, Remember the bidding

Double Dummy of the Month

Posted on December 17, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

This one isn’t as hard as last month’s Double Dummy puzzle from hell. You are South in 6NT and opening lead is the queen of hearts. Take 12 tricks against any defense. Enjoy:

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play, Exercises: Defensive Play | Tags: Double Dummy, Setting up a long suit, Squeeze

Double Dummy Puzzle of the Month

Posted on November 19, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Here is one I stuggeled with a bit. You are in six hearts. Opening lead is the king of spades. Your mission is to make six hearts against any defense. Have fun!

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Double Dummy, Play of the Hand Exercise, Setting up a long suit

Double Dummy Puzzle for Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2019 by Harry • 0 comment

Here’s another one for you double dummy aficionados.

You are South in a contract of five spades. West leads the ace of hearts. That is the last error the defense will make, and they are not happy about it. It looks particularly ominous for you on Halloween Night: The ace, queen, jack, and 10 of clubs have your king trapped should West obtain the lead. Maybe you can somehow dig up an 11^th trick in the graveyard.

First club member with fewer than 1,000 MPs to send me the solution wins a free play and recognition in our Double Dummy Solvers’ Honor Roll.

Category: Exercises: Declarer Play | Tags: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Double Dummy, Unblocking

Solve this Puzzle and Win a Prize

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Harry • 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:

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: Counting Losers in a suit contract, Double Dummy