Teaching

I have been resting for a while, a bit under the weather, but today I feel great.  I have been working with a student, Cora and we had some interesting hands.  One of the things about working with a student is that I you can always find both good things to say and new ideas or suggestions.  Today Cora worried that she had made a lot of mistakes.  I had already pointed out quite a number of good things she had done.  So I added that if I couldn’t find some things to point out she would need a new teacher.  

I love to talk about bridge (Ray would say I love to talk about anything).  Our discussions are far ranging.  Cora is a great student to teach because she is interested in everything and wants to learn everything.  

Here is an example,  With nobody vulnerable she passed in first chair.  It went 1  by East and sitting South I held

Linda AKJ543 54 64 K95

I weighed the merits of  1 and 2.  Later we had a long discussion about each bid.  Which one do you like?  A lot of the time I would bid 2 but here I bid 1.  Cora hated 2.  I explained how it might work well since you have some defense if they got too high.  Besides it is seldom wrong to take away two levels of bidding.  I don’t know if I convinced her but I like these bidding discussions.  Anyway the auction went

West	Cora	East	Linda
		1	1
2	pass	3	pass
4	all pass

 

Cora held this hand:

7
1062
J108752
Q108

Mark Horton who is visiting now would look at her hand and joke, it’s almost enough to double on.    The stiff spade is a terrific card and she led it.   Anyway she saw this dummy.

Dummy Q102 K83 Q9 AJ764

 

I played three rounds of spades as everybody followed.  The interesting thing is the order I played my spades and how she played her diamonds.  (I told you that this is an exceptional student.  I don’t have this kind of talk with some of my “serious” partners.)  After winning the J I played the K.  I think that should suggest I have something in clubs as opposed to diamonds or perhaps neither.  I think the A should show a diamond card. 

Cora played the 5 and then the 8.  What happened to the 2 and 3?  As it turns out it doesn’t much matter what I think.  Declarer who is 3-5-3-2 has an inevitable club loser.  Cora was trying to show me both nothing in diamonds and no desire for a club lead at the same time.  Interesting and not a bad idea.    A pair would have to be pretty deep into their carding discussions to work all of this out.  Now isn’t she awesome!

	Dummy Q102 K83 Q9 AJ764
Cora 7 1062 J108752 Q108		Linda AKJ543 54 64 K95
	Declarer 986 AQJ97 AK3 32