2012 MSC Problems

[Len Myers]

if anyone else wants to step in, great. No guarantees on this end.

[Len Myers]

Spoiler:

A. 4 Looks like I'm playing with an intentionally difficult partner today.
B. 2
C. I used to handle this kind of problem partner with "Pass." Today I have to deal with team mates, too.
D. 1. I get worried when a problem looks like it has an obvious solution.
E. 3NT. Hope half a stopper is enough.
F. 6. Why I'm not blackwooding, I couldn't tell you.
G. 2NT.
H. S10. Dunno why.

[Len Myers]

January Administrative Post.

[oirg]

January guesses:

Spoiler:

A. 3N
B. Pass
C. Pass
D. (b) 2N
E. 4C
F. 4H
G. 3H
H. club queen

[Steve White]

January

Spoiler:

A. Pass, we might go plus and we weren't going to save many matchpoints by saving for -500 (or -800).
B. Pass. Enough values to bid, but lots of flaws any bid. If we miss a game, it's nonvul.
C. 3NT. Maybe partner wants to protect my heart Qx, and maybe LHO won't lead a high heart. Maybe we'll go down.
D. (a) One spade. Too suit-oriented for 2NT; not quite enough for 2C.
E. 4 diamonds. I have more of them than I promised. Hope it's forcing.
F. 4 spades. 4 hearts could be better; a guess.
G. 2NT.
H. Club Q. Can't bring myself to lead 4th best at matchpoints.

[Steve White]

I'll submit our answers Saturday morning. I hope we have more participation to reach a consensus.

Hey there. Steve invited me to stop by. He tells me that partnership agreements are on line somewhere, but not terribly relevant to these questions, so I haven't read them.

I take it the idea is to come up with "what would I do" without looking at anyone else's and then maybe we discuss? Here are my blind choices:

Spoiler:

A: I pass. My husband (and most regular partner) likes to double for penalties, and my hand is at least as good in support of his double as it is for anything else.
B: 3
C: 5
D: plan c, following up with 2. If partner doesn't support spades, retire to NT. That's what I would actually do, but looking at it as a bridge puzzle, I see the appeal of 2NT.
E: 4, telling partner I am not a minimum and have the club A.
F: 4 I expect to lose one or two diamonds, and 0-2 spades.
G: pass (I wouldn't be in this auction. I would have bid 2 over his 1
H: Q

[Sweet Tooth]

[spoiler]January, 2012

A) 3NT- even if partner has the 19+ count with say 4=1=4=4 pattern he is supposed to have at this scoring, there is no reason to believe he can cash 4 tricks plus your single heart winner if RHO has entry, nor is there a strong reason to believe 4D can go plus while 3NT will not. If RHO doesn’t have quick entry, you might be able to garnish 7 dummy tricks plus heart lead, plus endplay—not likely, but seemingly as good as alternatives of pass and 4D. The modern field will probably pass, ‘shocking’ us old-timers.
B) 3D- I know the field will go for the gambling eccentric 2NT or assume that 3C will solve all problems, but in the good old days J10 was good enough to raise a 2-level overcall. 3C is a good second choice though, and would be more clear if I were a passed hand.
C)4H- would partner really torture us with a second cuebid?? Since you could balance with less, and heart queen must be golden opposite a strong 6 or 7 card suit that was prepared to play at 3-level (since 2H is not passable) you might as well try for this red IMP 40% game. If he was indeed cuebidding to torture us, at least you didn’t pass and he can pick the minor.
D) a) 1S- too weak for 2C in my disciplined universe, 2NT is dead-on right on strength and I would certainly choose that with 5=3=3=2 pattern, but unnecessary. So long as partner responds at all, 1S provide better opportunities for determining the right strain. It just seem so objectively WRONG to open 2C with only one 5 card suit and no singletons and only 21HCP, albeit a 21HCP beauty. With a 6th spade you could open 2C and over the double negative (2C-2D-2S-3C) bid 3S not forcing—but that requires a 1 suiter.
E) 4C- hard for this to be completely wrong, as it is not passable and having already promised 3S, implies at least some extras and acts as a ‘free’ cuebid. Anyway, nothing else seems clearcut and a jump to 4S might miss a slam.
F) 4S- 3NT ‘seems’ wrong if partner has no entries. 4H could lose 4 minor tricks. Give partner something really horrendous, even for these colors, like K10xxxxx xx xx xx (ucch!) and you will likely lose 3 tricks in 4S, more in anything else. I was taught to raise 3-level preempts with singletons in good hands, I like 4S.
G) 2NT- what else? Even if this is ‘supposed’ to show 11-12HCP, this is surely close enough.
H) S10???- semi-educated guess. Refuse to break a red suit, and it is hard to construct a declarer hand that wouldn’t have honor fourth in clubs. BWS doesn’t play coded 10s and 9s, so spade 10 it is.
[/[spoiler]

[Been There Done That]

A) 3N
B) 3C
C) 3S
D) 2C then 2S
E) 4C
F) 4S
G) 2N
H) ST

[Numbers Nerd]

A) 3NT. 4D was second choice. I just can't fathom passing 3Hx with zero defensive tricks. I hope they don't double.
B) Pass. 3D second choice. 2NT 3rd choice. Not 3C.
C) 4D. I don't know what is going on. I'll show my shape, and pass if pard bids 4H. I would have bid 3NT with a spade stop.
D) a) 1S. If I play it here I don't feel bad.
E) 4C. Easiest problem of the set. I have six points that partner doesn't know about, so I'll make a cue-bid for now, and see how things develop.
F) 4S. Play in the weak hand's long suit. 4H could be better, but probably not 3NT, unless you know partner has the heart 9.
G) 2NT. Shows 11, which is essentially what you have.
H) Club queen. I didn't lead the top-scoring club king last month, so I'm trying to make up for that error.