Watching The Vanderbilt Day 1

Since I didn’t want to write five blogs in a day I decided to consolidate my day’s Vanderbilt blogging activities. 

Watching the first match, first quarter we have the number 16 seed facing the number 49 seed.  Not that either of these teams are pushovers.  Two of my favorites are playing on teh #16 Zimmerman team,  Helness and Helgemo.  I watched a high scoring first quarter.  One of the big swing occurred on Board 15 of 16, just when the players were starting to think about a bit of food.

In the Open Room  Gabriella Olivieri of Italy had this problem sitting east in fourth chair at favorable vulnerability.  She held

East

AKQ6
A
A962
AQ42

The auction had started 2 by South showing spades and a minor (usually 5/5 or better weak).  Her partner Jacqui Mitchell of New York New York (I always sing that name) passed and North bid 4 to play.  Okay smarty, what is your bid.  Warning mucho imps are riding on your decision.  Double seems pretty reasonable to me but it has the disadvantage that partner who is quite likely to have a minor suit on this auction may pass without many hearts and that might not be very good for you. 

Do any of you master solvers types like 4NT?  If you double do you think Mitchell should pull with

West

J102
106
KQJ1053
83

Not so easy really.

4 doubled made an uptrick as did 6.  Here is the whole hand

	North void KQJ98432 874 J6
West J102 106 KQJ1053 83		East AKQ6 A A962 AQ42
	East 987543 75 void K10975

 

I was a commentator in Round 2.  This time I was in the Closed Room watching Fleischer who was playing with Kamil.  Their partners in the Open Room were Levin and Weinstein.  They were playing the Agica team and the score after the first quarter was an amazingly low 16-10 for Fleischer.   PO. Sundelin was one of the commentators along with me and we had some interesting chats.  On this deal you have as North all not vulnerable:

KQ9
AQ106
J842
86

 

East passes and partner bids 1.  You bid 1NT forcing.  I think this hand is a game force over 1.  I don’t see anything wrong with bidding 2 on my way to supporting spades.  Anyway partner bids 4 over your 1NT.  You call? 

a) pass b) 4NT c) 5 d) 6

What would you do?  I would bid 5.  How much trouble can we be at the 5 level.  It has to say good spades, good hearts, watch out for the minors, great hand over here partner.  North McNamara passed and that passed was –11 imps.  Partner held

AJ108732
K73
A
KJ

If anybody wants to bid b) or d) that’s fine.  Just don’t pass!  P.O. didn’t seem to like 5.  I am not quite sure why.  Any thoughts?

The most interesting discussion was around Board 28.  This is the auction.  Your job … wait for it.  I give no hand here only an auction.  McNamare and Shalita are vulnerable against not.

Fleischer	McNamara	Kamil	Shalita
1	1	2	3
Dbl	4	5	pass
pass	?

Is Shalita’s pass forcing.  Several commentator. myself included thought that most people would play this as forcing.  The forcing pass situation was set up by McNamara freely jumping to game vulnerable after his partner showed some strength.  The 3 bid along was not enough.  It was the combination of both the 3 and the 4 bid.  Without a clear agreement these things can become problematic.  I understand that.  Top players should discuss these situations.  I like to have some generic rules.  One of them usually is that if we freely bid a game vulnerable and we have never preempted than we must not pass it out undoubled.  This would be the case here.

My belief is that these two players were not on the same wavelength.  But who knows.  Maybe they don’t play such things.  Here is the deal and you will see that Kamil-Fleischer stole the hand in 5 undoubled.

	McNamara A854 J1086542 3 4
Q7 Q7 A86 A109732		Kamil 93 3 KJ542 KQJ86
	Shalita KJ1062 AK9 Q1097 5

I can understand McNamara’s reluctance to double but if he believes his partner has stuff he could try 5.  Your side has at least 10 hearts and partner has some stuff.  And even though he has done a lot of bidding on five high card points if he believes that partner is showing a desire to bid on then he should.  It turns out that 5 is a fortuitous make.  The other table played 5 doubled and I can assure you that Levin did not overcall 1.  He passed at his first bid.  The match ended with Fleischer having extended their lead to 43 imps (64-21)