Fear and Loathing... at the local game.

[4sigma]

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

Suggest a line of bidding, dear reader...

AKx       xx
AQJx      Kxxx
KQx       AJxxxx
Axx       x

2 - 2* - 2NT - 3** - 4 - 4NT - 5*** - 6... making an overtrick.
* 2 is the awful hand.
** Stayman.
*** 0 or 3.

I suggest that responder not launch into Blastwood™. He should not become captain on this hand, as there are too many cards in opener's hand (AK, AQ, KQ, A) that he needs to find out about to bid the grand. As long as I'm critiquing, opener should not jump to 4 either. Yes, he's got a great hand, but partner will not pass your 3, since he's already indicated he doesn't have the awful hand. Jumping to 4 doesn't leave partner much alternative to Blastwood™ for slam exploration.

Opener can bid the grand if he can find out about the K and the six diamonds to the ace. It should be possible to show that. You will need some methods in order to make this work. 4-suit transfers might work if you start by transferring to diamonds.

2 - 2* - 2NT - 3NT** - 4*** - 4**** - 4NT*(5) -- 5*(6) -- ?

*Not an awful hand
** Transfer to diamonds. Yes, it's pointless after the 2 bid, but...
*** I like diamonds!
**** cue bid (you can cue kings when partner opens 2NT)
*(5) RKCB for diamonds.
*6) I got one

Declarer can count 13 tricks at this point assuming that responder has a 6-card diamond suit.

This may be a bit of 20/20 hindsight. If you start with Stayman, you need methods for how to show your diamonds suit next. If opener rebids 3, you could choose to follow with 4, which must be forcing. The problem is that opener will not know you have 4 hearts (you would bid the same way with 4 spades and not 4 hearts.) Maybe that means you have to jump to 5 to confirm heart support with diamonds. Maybe you splinter with 5. and partner will realize he has no club loser. Again, it depends on your methods. Not many partnerships necessarily have them, so I hope you had a fair bit of company in your small slam (though perhaps some people had enough methods to get to 6NT.)

[4sigma]

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

I thought this was reasonably cute...

xx
Qx
QJx
KJTxxx

Qxx
A9x
AKxx
A9x

Of course, I opened the lower hand 1NT 15 to 17. North hemmed and he hawwed, and he hemmed and hawwed some more, and finally invited with 2NT. I decide that even most of y'all would agree that my hand clearly merits a game response. What was the problem? (As I discovered eventually) partner was concerned that he was too good to make a minor-suit invitation of 3. I kid you not!

The 7 finds its way to the table, and I don't like that one bit*, but there's nothing for it, and I play the Queen -- which holds! Life is good, now... How do I play the clubs -- and why?

I don't care for partner's invite of 2NT. If clubs run you will make 3, and if they don't you won't make 2. Yet another reason to play 4-suit transfers, so you can find out which during the auction.

Squeezes prove problematic, and I give up trick 13.

This squeeze is particularly problematic, as West presumably guards the heart menace, and the mandatory menace against him in the North hand is missing unless he was dealt seven spades. Possible, but you might have received a spade lead.

ATxx
A8
KQ9xx
97

KJ
KQJxx
T
AJ87x

Partner opens 1, and RHLOL bids 1. 2NT might be right, but I improvise with 2, and partner -- thinking for a second that I might have responded 2/1 -- rebids 2 secure knowing that I won't take him for extra strength. 3NT wraps up the auction.

West, who has been around the block once or twice, leads a medium-low heart. I fly with the ace, and play the club 9, low, low, Queen! I mentally dance my happy dance, and hope that LHO has heard of restricted choice. LHO leads a diamond to the the King, ducked. When the spade jack later proves to be an entry (This seems to have been a practice finesse ), I take four clubs (KTxx is on my right), four hearts, one diamond and two spades.

I don't quite follow how you took 4 clubs tricks, since you cannot take the finesse a third time. Maybe it has to do with leading the 7 from dummy and then later playing it from your hand?

It looks like East is under pressure in all four suits. (Where is her overcall without the A?) Doesn't her Q drop doubleton? (her other 11 cards are presumably 5 hearts, 4 clubs and Ax.) Now you lead the T and squeeze her in three suits to make your 11th trick legitimately. Bonus points if she discards a club, establishing your extended menace, or the A, which lets the squeeze repeat.

edited to add -- I'm guessing that perhaps you took 4 clubs tricks because KTx was on your right, not KTxx. In which case overtaking attempting to drop the doubleton Q may not be such a smooth move. Instead, run your clubs squeezing her in / for 12 tricks.)

Reality may well not resemble either of these scenarios. Probably she didn't have the A and overcalled 1 on Qxx Txxxx Jx KTxx or the like. Or maybe discarded a club somehow? Am looking forward to your update.

[E. Blackadder]

2 corrections, 4sig. Correction: 3 corrections! Maybe this was a dweam, a howwible, howwible dweam.

[4sigma]

Originally Posted by E. Blackadder

2 corrections, 4sig. Correction: 3 corrections! Maybe this was a dweam, a howwible, howwible dweam.

Can we get one more? Or did both the north and south hands actually have the 7?

[E. Blackadder]

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!! No, this was one of the three. Darned Outpost Gremlins... or Pixies.

[E. Blackadder]

... but for you folks who have devoutly read The Bridge World for some time, this may be the ultimate experience of The Pain Factor. IIRC, Matt Granovetter devised (but did not provide experimental proof for) a theory that pain is inverse to the distance that one loses by.

My partnership came in second last night by

Spoiler:

... 0.01% Yes, one basis point. Having become jaded, I lost no sleep over it, which is a shame.

I think it's an accursed rounding error, too.

[E. Blackadder]

          xx
          KQxxx
          Qx
          T9xx
AKT76               Jxx
xx                  xxx
Ax                  KJxx
Kxxx                AQx
          Qxx
          Axx
          Txxxx
          Jx

East dealt at matchpoints, none vul. The uninspired, uncontested auction went...
Pass - 1 spade - 2 spades.

East/West methods include, but are not limited to Bergen raises, two-way reverse fit-showing Drury, 2/1 and forcing notrump.

Please allocate the blame, to west, east and plain, dumb luck. <---- third item can be positive or negative.

[4sigma]

While the lion's share of the blame must clearly go to East for his timid simple raise with 11 HCP, I have a lot of sympathy for his 2 call. There are few good systemic ways to handle 4-4-3-3 distribution.

[4sigma]

Assuming that East has only 3 clubs, I believe he holds a fairly textbook 1NT followed by a raise to 3. If partner opened a subminimum 1 opener, the hand will play in 1NT. Here opener should call 2 over 1NT, with a bit better than a minimum opener. Over 3 opener will go on to 4.

Playing 2/1 and a forcing NT, East's 2 raise is perhaps a bit more constructive than a Standard American 2 raise. West's 14 HCP looks to be worth about 16.5 to me (K&R says West's hand is a 17.25 count.) Lack of a Bergen raise should perhaps discourage him slightly. It's something of a judgement call, but I'd say West is probably worth a 3 game try despite East's cowardice.

I'll apportion the blame 73% East, 27% West.

I'm also assigning a 2-board procedural penalty to the previous East who fouled the board.

[Steve White]

Whatever "two-way reverse fit-showing Drury" means (distinguishing between 3 and 4 card raises, always guaranteeing at least 3, I expect, with 2S = signoff rebid; though perhaps with Bergen raises something else), starting with 2C seems right. That probably leads to 3C - 3D - 4S, or with a conservative West it might lead to 2D - 3D - 3S - P, or perhaps 2D - 2S - some developments maybe not reaching game.

65% to East, who underbid beyond any doubt. 35% to West, who was too conservative. Either player could argue for some bad luck, since either choice could work on right if partner held different cards.