Visiting a great museum and thinking about mentoring

Ray and I drove down to Washington about 10 days ago staying overnight and then taking the autotrain in the early afternoon the next day.  The US Marine Corps museum is near the Amtrak station in Quantico, Virginia.  You will notice the building is designed to suggest the picture of the marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima.  The museum is quite incredible and worth a visit or two.  You can also have a virtual visit, USMC Museum.  I thought I would show you a picture of me as a latter day marine (well a very tiny one).

The museum has so much to offer but one area that fascinating me was the one about training marines.  It made me think about teaching and the responsibility it brings.  I think each of the bridge students I have been mentored have been looking for something a bit different.  Cathy and I will soon be done and her request was for me to explain exactly what I was thinking about when I bid or played a hand.  It is not as easy as it sounds.  Maybe other people have clearer ways of thinking about things when they play.  Some times I do.  But I admit that to some extent on complex hands I think it out as I gather information.  So here I was trying to explain my thinking on this deal to Cora yesterday.  (I have rotated the deal).

North ♠ 9762 ♥ K32 ♦ 103 ♣ K1063

Linda ♠ A4 ♥ AJ985 ♦ AK42 ♣ 82

Let me start with the bidding and my explanation. I opened 1♥ in fourth and Cora raised to 2♥ .  Now I guess I could make a game try, maybe you think I should.  But I really don’t need all that much.  I wasn’t sure about a useful game try I could make so I did what I usually do.  If game is possible at imps, I generally bid it.  That was my explanation.  Do you think it helps my student?

So now I had to make it.  I got the lead of the ♠ 5 and East put up the ♠ K.  Should I duck or should I win?  Generally it is right to duck if you can’t draw trump right away (and other times too).  It makes it harder for the defense to get a ruff.  The only time it would be bad is if West has the stiff ♠ 5.  But East did play the ♠ K so West probably has the ♠ Q to some length.  Besides with the KQ to six spades West would have bid in third chair.  I duck.

I have lots of losers and not all that many tricks.  To make this I am going to need the ♣ K onside or a friendly hearts and friendly distribution.  I have to lose two black winners no matter what and I have to keep the rest of my losers to one.  I have trump to deal with and two diamond losers besides a potential second loser in the club suit.  I win the continuation of the ♠ 3.  What is West’s spade holding?  He started with Hxx or Hxxx.  Placing him with the ♠ Q, he probably doesn’t have the ♠ J.  He seems more likely to hold the♠ 10 then East since with KJ10x East might well have continued with the ♠ 10.  This doesn’t seem all that important right now anyway.

So now to plan.  I could try to ruff two diamonds in dummy but for that to work I am going to need a club trick or the ♥ Q doubleton.  If the ♣ A is onside I have more options and it might help with my communication as I travel back and forth to make ruffs.  If the ♣ A is offside I am going to need a look of good things to happen but if it is onside I have some choices.  I play a club from hand.  Is this the best play?  Even now I have no idea.  It seemed okay at the time and it still does.  West won the ♣ A which was nice and continued with the ♠ Q felling East’s ♠ J.  It really does look like West started with ♠ Q10xx.

I ruff and things are looking up.  I could crossruff now.  Ruffing diamonds in dummy and black cards to hand.  When you crossruff you really need to count tricks so I have four winners outside trump and need six trump tricks.  If I get one diamond ruff through, I am pretty sure I can make a spade ruff and I still have the top two hearts.  If I can make one more ruff or even exit to West in the end game I should be able to take one more heart in hand holding the ♥ AJ9.

I can’t think of a better plan.  I really want to cash my ♣ K before anybody discards any so I do that  East surprises me by dropping the ♣ Q.  While that could be a false card with the ♣ 10 in dummy he probably either started with Qx or QJx.  More likely the former.  So if I am right East started with five black cards and eight red cards with at least three diamonds.  He won’t likely have six diamonds because West would have led a stiff one and with KJx of spades and six diamonds the QJ he would not have passed in third chair.

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ 9 ♥ K32 ♦ 103 ♣ 106
West ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣		East ♠ ♥ xxx?? ♦ xxx?? ♣
	Linda ♠ – ♥ AJ98 ♦ AK42 ♣ –

I really want to cash my ♣ K before anyone discards.  As I look at it now it seems best to cash the top diamonds and ruff a diamond.  East is going to have to follow to all of that and West probably can’t do me much harm.  West might throw away a spade though.  At the time I was more worried about getting a safe spade through so I led a spade from dummy.  East discarded a diamond and I ruffed.  I cashed the top diamonds as both followed.  West played the ♦ J on the second one.  I lead another diamond and West follows with the ♦ Q.  If East is out of diamonds he is trump tight.  He can ruff and return a heart giving me a finesse.  I don’t think he can stop me from making the rest of my trump.  So I ruff low and East follows.  Now I am home.  I lead a club from dummy and East can ruff but I overruff.  Cross to dummy by ruffing a diamond with the ♥ K and take a heart finesse to make five, a great score.

So should I have figured that all out at the beginning?  Can I explain it better?  Is any of this any use to a student?  Here is the whole hand

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ 9762 ♥ K32 ♦ 103 ♣ K1063
West ♠ Q1085 ♥ 7 ♦ QJ9 ♣ AJ954		East ♠ KJ3 ♥ Q1064 ♦ 8765 ♣ Q7
	Linda ♠ A4 ♥ AJ985 ♦ AK42 ♣ 82

This is my penultimate session with Cora.  We have one more next week.  I hope she learned as much as I did.  The folks at BIL tell me they really need some new mentors.  I urge you to go over to the BIL website and sign up.  You won’t be sorry you did.