Linda Lee — My personal bridge blog

On To Day 2 of the Venice Cup

I would like to thank everyone who sent their good wishes.  I received several posts and emails and I really appreciate it. 

While Day 1 did not go as well for the team as we had hoped there were several encouraging components.  Foremost for me was that Pamela and I were able to play quite well together.  We have made our system as simple as we can handle (we still have more thatn 50 pages of system notes!) and we somehow find that you can bid over notrump using Landy and so on.  We did a lot of system review before we played yesterday including some quizzing and by the time we started I think we both felt that we at least had a fair understanding of what we had agreed.  Still when I was asked some questions about bids deep in the auction I think the woman from Denmark didn’t really believe me when I said more than once – not discussed.

Our first match against the Philippines was a bit of a warmup.  Pamela didn’t make one mistake or misjudgment that I noticed in the entire set.  When I told her this I think she initially thought I was being sarcastic, but I really meant it.  Our match against Denmark was much tougher.  It wasn’t really that we did so much wrong as that they seemed to land in the right spot against us a lot of the time and there really wasn’t all that much we could do about it.  The hands were mostly running the other way and the Danish ladies seemed to have a nose for smelling the very aggressive games that made.  They did however miss 2 of them so that looked like it might be some help to get things back.  The only hand I really regret is this one, the first one we played.  What do you think?

Noone is vulnerable

I held KJxxx 109xx x A10x 

Partner opens an 11-14 notrump.  In our methods I can bid 2 Stayman and over 2 I can bid 2 as a get out – bid your better major partner.  2 would be invitational.

I decided that the changes of game were remote, we were not vulnerable.and if I bid Stayman and partner responded 2 I didn’t like my choices so I just bid 2.  On Vugrpah they were playing 13-15 notrump and bid Stayman (as I would have) and then invited.  Partner of course has a fitting 14.  Here is partner’s hand. 

xx AJ87 AJxx KJx

As it is you still have a lot of work on this hand with a club guess, 2 potential losers in both hearts and spades.  So you need to have have enough go right that you cut those 5 losers down to 3. Most people didn’t get to game but I felt pretty bad about it at the time.

My biggest problem right now is sleep.  For some reason someone decided to play karoke loudly nearby at 3 in the morning, thoroughly waking me.  It feels like I haven’t slept in days.  The best thing is that so far I much less nervous than usually.  I am tense but just the right amount.

Let’s hope that the team can have a good day today.

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