Not Dull At All

The 8 Canucks (one with an American accident) met again tonight for 24 boards and quite a lot of action.  I was not concentrating on the first couple of boards.  I was busy all day yesterday and I was in a rush to make it on time to the game.  There is a lesson there.   I need to find a way to get set when playing online bridge.  I need to think about the best way to get my brain in action.  Maybe I need to go through a more deliberate checklist at each major point on the first hand.  Anyone have any suggestions or ways they “get into the game”? 

I did completely and egregiously misplay 3NT on the first board.  I am going to write it up but in the mastering bridge blog as a lesson to new players!  Since we are now featuring the Mastering Bridge blog feed on Bridge Blogging the deal in question will show up here a little later on.

Sondra and Isabelle are doing very well.  We compared with them again tonight and any time I thought we had a good result they duplicated it or even improved on it.     Let’s start with an interesting problem for East-West.  At favorable vulnerability you hold this hand fourth to speak.

♠ AQ108532

♥ —

◊ KQJ10

♣ A2

 

North opens 1♥ and South makes an irritating bid 1♠.  What is your plan?  I don’t have an answer to this question.  The choices I see at this point are pass, 2♠ (if natural), 4♠.   If you pass you might enter the auction in spades later or even somehow get diamonds into play.

Herve holding this hand bid a natural 2♠.   Pamela bid 3◊.  What now?  Herve bid a simple 5◊ which was doubled. 

At the our table the auction started the same way but Jeff passed.  I suspect that 2♠ was not natural for him.  North (me) bid 2♣ and Sylvia raised to 3♣.  It’s your turn.  Jeff bid 4♠.  I think 3♠ might have bid enough but maybe I am being too fine. 

Neither contract had much play when dummy arrived with a very disappointing hand and of course you know the spades don’t break.

Dummy is:

♠ 9

♥ AQ8753

◊ 8543

♣ 97

 

The biggest single swing was on this hand and is an opening lead problem.  Paul Thurston held

♠ —

♥ 642

◊ AQJ82

♣ J10765

 

Jeff	Linda	Paul	Sylvia
pass	1♥	2NT	4♣
5◊	6♥	all pass

 

Given as a problem I think most “panelists” would find the lead of a diamonds.  We could argue about whether the ◊J or ◊8 is better.  I like the ◊8 and that is the one Paul led to get his spade ruff.   I would also say that I liked Sylvia’s slightly pushy 4♣ splinter.  Her hand was

♠ KQ873

♥ Q975

◊ 1053

♣ Q

 

Well done to all, sigh. 

Here is a hand on which we blew the defense.

♠ K

♥ Q95

◊ A10854

♣ A542

 

The auction is:

Jeff	Linda	Paul	Sylvia
			pass
pass	1◊	1♥	1♠
2◊	pass (less than 3 spades)	2♥	3◊
pass	pass	3♥	pass
pass	?

 

Sylvia led the ◊6 and dummy has

♠ 1096

♥ AJ8

◊ Q73

♣ Q1076

 

I won the ◊A.  What is the best thing to do now?  I want to make sure that Sylvia overtakes the ♠K but how do I do it?  In retrospect I think it would have been better to cash the ♣A first.  I led the ♠K and it was game over.

♠ AQ852

♥ 10

◊ J962

♣ 983

At the other table they played 4◊.  This can be defeated on a club lead but it is nigh impossible to find.  

	Linda
	♠ K
	♥ Q95
	◊ A10854
Jeff	♣ A542	Paul
♠ 1096		♠ J543
♥ AJ8		♥ K76432
◊ Q73		◊ K
♣ Q1076	Sylvia	♣ KJ
	♠ AQ852
	♥ 10
	◊ J962
	♣ 983