Emotional highs and lows of a hand

[Andy]  This one is just an amusing story, from the second day of the Platinums.  You pick up:

♠ 10 8 7 6 5
♥ -
♦ Q J 10 7 5 3
♣ 10 8

The auction starts a strong 2♣ on your left, 2NT by partner showing 2 nontouching suits, double on your right.  Gee, I wonder what suits partner has.

I concluded that it must be right to play in diamonds rather than clubs -- I should be able to take some tricks in that suit, and maybe partner will supply a few tricks in high cards.  So I redoubled, which in our agreement says that I have my own suit that I want to play in.

When LHO inquired, partner incorrectly explained the redouble as preferring his higher suit (an agreement we play in certain other situations).  Uh-oh.

Partner might have remembered in time, but LHO came to the rescue, bidding 3♥!  Whew!  Then, to my surprise, the auction proceeded 3♠ - 4♠ - 5♥.  They just bid to the five level in the suit partner has!

Partner leads the CA as dummy tables ♠ A J 9 ♥ 9 7 2 ♦ 8 4 2 ♣ Q J 6 3.  Partner cashes the K of clubs.  RHO half-jokingly says "I hope he doesn't have clubs and hearts!"  I just stare at him.

Two seconds later, declarer claims for what turns out to essentially be a flat board.  Partner held: ♠ 2 ♥ 8 6 5 4 3 ♦ 9 6 ♣ A K 9 7 5

Note the importance of having some agreement to get out in a separate suit after a two suited bid -- 3♦ easily goes for less than their game, while anything else is a disaster.


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Trivia question answer

Last week in this post I posed a trivia question. If you haven't seen it yet, go check it now. There's a hint below the fold of the original post, and further hints in the comments.

Now for some final hints, with the answer below the fold.

1. As suggested by the lead and some strange features of the play (most notably North signaling with the ♣7), this deal was played at Whist.

2. The character's initials were H.H.



Answer: Horatio Hornblower, in _Beat to Quarters_. For what it's worth, I'm a huge fan of the whole series.

http://www.amazon.com/Hornblower-Beat-Quarters-C-S-Forester/dp/0316289329

[I get nothing if you buy the book, just posting for convenience]
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Trivia question

I read this deal in a book novel. The exact spade-diamond shape in the North hand is not certain:

♠	x x x
♥	Q x x
♦	x x x
♣	K J 7 x
♠	x
♥	A K x x x
♦	A K Q x x
♣	A x

Here's how the play went:
♥K led to the first trick, then ♦K, ♥A (everyone following), heart to the ♥Q, diamond to the ♦Q, running diamonds, North pitched ♣7 at his first opportunity, then (after all the diamonds), ♣A, club to the ♣J (winning), ♣K at which point South pitched a spade and claimed the last 2.

What book novel is this from? A hint is below the fold.

The book's protagonist, North, shares initials with a well-known fictional bridge player.

UPDATE: There is an additional hint in the comments.

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Constructing double-dummy problems

A while back I posted this double-dummy problem. At the time, I promised some follow-ups.

At some point, I offered the hand to Hugh Darwen, author of a great book and website on double dummy problems, both called Bridge Magic. I constructed the hand to demonstrate an interesting squeeze ending, but was interested to learn that to a problem connoisseur that was not enough: it lacks precision. He identified 2 problems:

1. There's some freedom to the order in which early major suit winners may be cashed.

2. More importantly, when North pitches a diamond on the 3rd heart the play becomes significantly more precise and interesting (i.e. wouldn't it be nice for the problem to be forced down this line).

Given this feedback, I tried to modify the problem somewhat, but was unable to address both issues at once. Of the 3 constructions (the original linked to above, and 2 below respectively addressing the above comments), I think the last one below is the most interesting.

In all cases, you're to make 6NT after the ♦Q opening lead.

		♠	A K 8 2
		♥	A K
		♦	3 2
		♣	A 8 4 3 2
♠	J 9 7 6 5 4			♠
♥	J			♥	10 9 8 7 6
♦	Q J			♦	10 8 7 6 5 4
♣	10 9 7 6			♣	Q J
		♠	Q 10 3
		♥	Q 5 4 3 2
		♦	A K 9
		♣	K 5

On a non-diamond lead, there's a red suit squeeze (duck a club). On a diamond lead, declarer must win, play ♠10, ♥A, ♥K, ♠Q, ♥Q. However, either a club or a diamond may be pitched on the last heart, and the diamond pitch is more interesting.

		♠	Q J 10 3 2
		♥	A K
		♦	2
		♣	A 8 4 3 2
♠	9 8 7 6 5 4			♠
♥	Q			♥	J 10 9 8 7 6
♦	Q J			♦	10 8 7 6 5 4
♣	10 9 7 6			♣	Q J
		♠	A K
		♥	5 4 3 2
		♦	A K 9 4 3
		♣	K 5

On a non diamond lead, there's a nice delayed-duck squeeze in the red suits. On a diamond lead, declarer must win, ♠A, ♠K, ♥A. Now, major suit winners can be cashed in any order so long as the last heart comes before the last spade (imprecise). This serves to make the play a little more interesting when East unguards hearts (♣A, ♣K, heart). Also, the diamond menace against West is a little more interesting, requiring a throw-in to give it full force.

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More fun with K-10 doubleton

A while back I read this post by Jonathan (don't miss the story about Kantar in the comments). So when this hand rolled around (LM Pairs Fri eve #5), I was ready:

		♠	8 7 2
		♥	A 10
		♦	A K 5
		♣	A Q 9 7 2
♠	Q J 10 9 5
♥	Q 9 8 6
♦	7 4
♣	K 10

I led the ♠Q against 3NT. Partner won ♠A and continued the suit, declarer winning the 3rd round with the king. Hoping he had ♣J-8-x I was ready with the ♣K should he lead one. Sure enough he had that holding, and sure enough he led a club... the jack!

Later in the tournament in a team match our opponent found himself facing this club position against a high-level doubled contract:

	J x
A Q x x x x x		K 10
	x x

A club spot was led, he inserted the 10 and held the trick. Working out what happened, he found partner's void and it was automatic for another club to come back to the king for a 2nd ruff and 500.

This is only a small gain since a suit preference signal should solve the defenders' problem, but declarer could have made it harder by playing the jack from dummy at trick 1.

So if you're worried about K-10 doubleton, play the jack.




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Pointless squeeze (from Nat'l Swiss)

For the first time in a long time I went to basically all of nationals, playing about 17 sessions. In the final session, I mis-sorted a hand for the first time I can remember (it was really freaky seeing diamonds turn into hearts, particularly when my hand went from 5323 to 5503 after I had mis-bid and mis-defended). And there was also this example:

♠	J 9 8 3
♥	Q 10 8
♦	K Q 5 2
♣	6 4
♠	5 4
♥	A K 9 3 2
♦	10 7
♣	A J 10 2

Me	LHO	CHO	RHO
1♥	2♠	3♥	All Pass

2♠ was 4 spades and a 5 card minor, 11-15 points.

The defense led a low diamond to the K and Ace. A diamond was ruffed, then a high spade and a spade to the 9 and K. Another diamond was played: I ruffed 9, which held, then played ♣10 to LHO who won and played a trump, ♥10 holding in dummy.

Anyway, after winning the ♥10 I was in this position:

♠	J 9
♥	Q 8
♦	Q
♣	6
♠	-
♥	A K 3
♦	-
♣	A J 2

I'm already down 1, but want the rest of the tricks. So I ruffed a spade high, and ♥K, ♥Q, ♦Q squeezed LHO in the black suits.

Of course, ♥K successfully drew all outstanding trumps, so for this squeeze I had to "rectify" the count by compressing my trump winners. I could have just ruffed a club.

So after 500 hands I can still spot a squeeze, but ruffing in dummy is beyond me.

I'm not sure if the ♣10 was a good play or not. I could have always drawn trumps in 2 rounds and set about losing and ruffing and pitching my 3 club losers. But, on that layout ♣10 was safe, and if LHO had been 4216 and defended the same way I would still have made. I don't see a way to cater to both possibilities, so maybe ♣10 was best (other than leading ♥10 from dummy, except you're not in dummy).

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Names withheld to protect the innocent, part II

This is a followup to yesterday's post here.

Jonathan has the ending analysis correct in the comments. In this position, there's no harm in playing a diamond and then deciding what to do when West plays a low spade.

       A7
       -
       T
       -
?3             ?8
-              -
J              -
-              6
       QT
       -
       7
       -

In practice, RHO discarded the S8 and I played for the endplay, losing the last 2 tricks and going down.

I also concur with Jonathan's statement that East should bare the SK 1/4 of the time when he has it. He wants declarer to be indifferent between SA and S7. Since SA gains 2 tricks when right and S7 gains only 1, the odds declarer should face should be 2:1 against bare SK. A priori West has it 1/3 of the time, so the odds will be 2:1 if East only bares it 1/4 of the 2/3 of the time he's dealt it (recall that spades were 2=4).

Similarly, declarer should aim to make East indifferent between baring and not baring when he has the K. Baring risks a trick to gain a trick, so indifference is achieved if declarer goes up 50% of the time.

Of course, this analysis is for each side maximizing their expected trick taking. I think maximizing boards (or matchpoints) might lead to a slightly different optimal strategy. Perhaps I'll revisit. UPDATE: In fact it does. See next post

Also, if East knew he was working on a book, he may have had an extra incentive to bare the K. As Jonathan said (suggesting experts might prefer flashiness), this should make declarer go up more often.


In fact, this deal was written up in "The Master Reveals His Secrets, Helgemo's World of Bridge" (Review: never actually read the book, but Tim said it was good.) I was simply referred to as "declarer". A copy is below the fold...

        A742
        AQ75
        T82
        QT
J3               K865
9842             63
KQJ653           9
8                A65432
        QT9
        KJT
        A74
        KJ97

"On the next deal, where Three No-Trumps was the contract around the room, we shall see Tony and Geir cooperating well to push declarer over the edge. Both needed to be on the ball to succeed.

"Since the club ace was not with the diamond length, the contract was safe. Like every other West, Tony Forrester led the king of diamonds which declarer allowed to hold the trick. The next diamond was taken by declarer's ace as East pitched a club. South now played on clubs and Geir
let him make the first two tricks, but took the third one and cleared the suit. He had thus established a trick for himself in the suit, but apparently in vain because declarer had nine top tricks.

"It is hard to see how the defenders could give declarer a problem here. However, Forrester's creativity turned a dull board into a nightmare for declarer. West had to make three discards on the clubs and he let go his three little diamonds. Four hearts tricks followed and Geir discarded two spades. This was the position:

       A7
       -
       T
       -
J3             K8
-              -
J              -
-              6
       QT
       -
       7
       -

"Declarer call for the ten of diamonds from dummy. He had endplayed Forrester, who was known to have only one diamond left, to lead a spade. This could not have happened had Forrester not discarded so many diamonds. If the jack and king of spades were interchanged, South would have been his team's hero on this deal. But he was soon disappointed.

"Geir had not fallen asleep, and he understood what Tony was up to. On the ten of diamonds Geir discarded the eight of spades. Forrester now had to play a spade, and declarer called for dummy's seven. So East took the last two tricks with his now bare king of spades and a club. Dummy's ace of spades never took a trick, and this magic one down gave the Shugart team
the point for the board." Read more!

Names withheld to protect the innocent

From the 2nd day of the '98 Reisinger in Orlando (i.e. scoring = BAM vs strong opponents).

Sadly, I forget the auction (maybe Tim knows it), but you're declaring 3N with these hands:

 A742
 AQ75
 T82
 QT
 
 QT9
 KJT
 A74
 KJ97

To start off, you duck the DK lead and win the 2nd as RHO pitches a club. RHO wins the 3rd round of clubs and plays a 4th (LHO follows once and then pitches 3 diamonds).

I'll turn it over here. If forced to make pitches, each opponent will cling to one minor suit winner.



Say you cash your hearts and come down to this 3 card ending with the lead in dummy:

 A7
 -
 T
 -
 
 QT9
 -
 -
 -

LHO has a diamond, RHO a club, and they each have 2 spades (if you care, LHO had 4 small hearts). Now what?

More later.


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