Mid-point Round of 8 Results

With 60 of 120 boards complete the scores are quite close in all of the matches.  The number 1 seed Diamond has a 2 imp lead over 8th seed Deutsch in the closest of the matches.  In all other matches the lower seed is leading.  Is this a trend?

Bathurst, perhaps the youngest team is leading Nickell 161 to 125.

Wolfson is leading Aker 128 to 93

Welland leads Jacobs 135 to 103

Sometimes it seems like all I talk about is disasters and here is another one in the Nickell match. But as I look at the deal I conclude that maybe most of the result was caused by the difference in the systems played at each table.  Let’s sit in Meckstroth’s seat”

West ♠ KQ962 ♥ A973 ♦ A ♣ K84

With everybody vulnerable partner passes and South (Lall) opens 4♥ .  You are in the Master Solver’s Club.  What do you decide?  The choices I see are:

a) pass b) double c) 4♠

No choice is perfect.  A couple of thoughts that come to me.   The other two players don’t have many hearts.  This suggests that anywhere you play it things will not split.  This makes bidding a spade game risky.   While partner can have “stuff” partner is a passed hand.  Rodwell is not afraid to open the bidding.  But if partner has some spades and a few high cards you might still make four spades.  A game in clubs or diamonds seems unlikely.  But with things not splitting and North likely to hold some cards there is a lot of risk in bidding too.

How much is a double of 4♥ for penalty and how much is it for takeout?  I went to a talk given by Larry Cohen a while ago that suggested it should be mostly penalty.  If you play it like that then double seems more attractive to me.

Pick a bid now before reading on and see how you would have done.

Meckstroth doubled, North passed and Rodwell had a tough bid.

Meckstroth ♠ KQ962 ♥ A973 ♦ A ♣ K84

Rodwell ♠ 1087 ♥ 5 ♦ KQ875 ♣ J532

East hand presents another master solver’s club decision.  One choice is to pass.  This is way too risky for me.  North could easily have a bunch of hearts.  Another is to bid 5♦ You would normally expect partner to have a tolerance for both minors and you do have five good ones.  Rodwell found the best bid on the cards.  He bid 4♠ .  Not that this was going to be easy to play but it is the best place to be.  But Rodwell had one more decision to make.  North doubled the spade game when the bidding came back to him.    It did present Rodwell with a chance to let partner pick his better minor.  So he bid 4NT.  In the end 5♣ doubled went for 1100.

Things were easier for East-West at the other table.  In the Closed Room Zia’s 3NT bid showed a major suit preempt.  The flaw in this approach is that it gave East-West more space.  Wooldrigge with the West hand doubled and Hamman bid 4♣ , possibly lead directing as much as anything.  East, Hurd, got to show his diamond suit and now when Wooldridge bid 4♠ and it was doubled it was easy to pass him.   But from the West side things work out quite well for West who can get out for one down -200.  Even if Rodwell passes out 4♠ doubled it will still be a bad result.  Here is the whole deal.

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ AJ53 ♥ – ♦ J632 ♣ AQ1096
West ♠ KQ962 ♥ A973 ♦ A ♣ K84		East ♠ 1087 ♥ 5 ♦ KQ875 ♣ J532
	South ♠ 4 ♥ KQJ108642 ♦ 1094 ♣ 7

Played by East, if South leads a club then the defense starts off with two club tricks and a ruff.  Now South plays a top heart and North can ruff that.  So we have four tricks in with two more trump tricks to come.  Down 3.  Played by West, the best I can see for the defense is to start with the ♣ A and another club ruffed and then the ♥ K ruffed.  This leads to two down (and it is impossible to find that lead anyway).  What happens if Meckstroth passes out 4♥ ?  The diamond suit is blocked and South can take a club finesse to pitch a diamond loser.  It does look like a winner.  So the winning call by West is 4♠.  Did you pick that one?  I wouldn’t have.  Congratulations – you push the board.

Pass is second best.  You lose 620 for a net of 420.  9 imps away.  (This was my pick).  Once West doubles the minus gets bigger.  If Rodwell passes 4♠ doubled you would lose 11 (but that is not going to happen).  If Rodwell sits for 4♠ doubled than he goes for 800.  12 imps.  And the table result of 5♣ doubled down 4 ,-1100 for a net of -900 is 14 imps.

Some days things just don’t work out for you.  I would be interested in your comments on this deal.