23 December 2010

Myxomatised

For those who haven't come across it myxomatosis is a viral disease that kills rabbits and a bridge system designed by some devious Australians. If you're interested in the system there's a pretty good run down by bridge guys.

For the purposes of this story though lets say that the 2 opening shows either:
1) a weak two in hearts
2) weak 5-5 in spades and clubs
3) a strong two in diamonds
4) some big balanced option (maybe 21-22)

This is exactly the kind of system you need to prepare a defence for. Fortunately my partner and I had seen similar before so we had it all sorted: "Treat it as a transfer to hearts". This means that double shows diamonds, 2 is a takeout double and everything else natural. What could go wrong?

Well I picked up this:

K Q 5 x
x x
A K x x
x x x

Thats not very exciting in itself but starting with my left hand opponent here's what happened:
(2)Myxomatosis as explained above
Must show diamonds hooray for system!
(2)Don't know what their agreements were but
probably just to string out the auction.
3 If my partner has diamonds I'd really like to know about
a heart stop or 4 card spade. This is a cue now right?
(/) Hoping the damage has been done.
5 Diamonds and clubs I guess.
(/) Opponents are taking awhile... yawn.
5 When partner shows two suits I give preference!
(/) Auctions getting awful high
6 What is that!! Does he think I've got hearts?
Oh no. what does that mean the rest of the auction was...
(/) This must be the wrong contract.
6NT Can't say I'm optimistic but 6 sure ain't making.
(/) You mean we're not playing in hearts?
/ Shrug at least I'm not playing it.
(//) Lead on!
Can't say it's an auction I'm happy with. Happy or not the dummies coming down and I'm going to have to play 6NT on a small diamond lead looking at this:

x
A J x x
J
A K Q T x x x



K Q 5 x
x x
A K x x
x x x
Now I thought that when we'd said that 2 was a takeout double then to "double and bid" you'd bid 2 then correct to your suit. My partner clearly had a different view. Not exactly a disaster though, if the J holds and they mess up and give me an entry to hand I'm only a trick short! The J didn't hold so I won the Ace.

Plan plan plan, need a plan. Right here goes. If West has KQxxxx in hearts as he probably should have then I can run the clubs pitching a spade, heart and two diamonds. Cash the A removing Easts only heart then lead up to the spades. If East is careless on the clubs and bares his A then he'll have to put me in hand in diamonds. So I ran off the clubs as quickly as possible trying to look like a guy who makes 6NT all the time and it worked! This was the layout:

x
A J x x
J
A K Q T x x x
A x x
K x x x x
x x x x
x
J x x x x
Q x
Q x x x
x x
K Q 5 x
x x
A K x x
x x x
Wait. That's not what I was hoping for. East and West threw spades which was according to plan and I cashed the A which all went well but then when I led the spade up West won the trick. Before cashing his heart trick he thought it might be best to give his partner the K. Now you understand why I showed the 5 in the hand. It was my friends, trick 12.

21 December 2010

Christmas parties and fun bridge

My club like I suspect every other in the Christmas celebrating world is in the process of recognizing the festive season. The party starts with prize giving then moves on to playing about 16 boards of 'fun bridge' in place of the normal 26 boards of 'not fun bridge'. Finally the plates of food brought by all are consumed. Often the extroverted club members dress up as Santa or an elf to keep the mood up.

If 'not fun bridge' sounds wrong well it should. Bridge is fun. That's why we turn up week after week and match our brains against the cards and the opponents. I enjoy playing clubs as the highest suit, 3 minutes per board, aces low, individual competitions etc... They are fun but so is the game we know. Call it 'silly bridge' or 'crazy bridge' or name it by its deviation from the standard rules, just steer away from names that imply that the game we love isn't fun.

19 December 2010

Getting let off

The biggest difference between playing on a weak club night compared to an important tournament is the defense. On the club night you get away with contract after contract, it affects your bidding after a while. In a tournament you look at a hand, think "yea this is ok, I've got nine tricks and if this or that I'll get 10 maybe even 11" and end up with eight.
Here's a hand that demonstrates both my love of bidding (that's the nicest way I can put it) and me getting let off by the defense.

Vul: NS
Dealer: East
 Q 8 4
 J T 6 2
 8 7 2
 J 9 8
 J 7 6
 A K 9 7 3
 K 5
 A Q T
 A
 Q 8 5 4
 Q J T 9 6 4 3
 K
 K T 9 5 3 2
 -
 A
 7 6 5 4 3 2

The East hand opened 1 playing precision. It always makes me laugh when a bid is described as could be as short as one, I wonder how many rebids it's going to take to convey the other six of them. I bid a spade, 2 from left and my well trained partner bid 2. Over 4 I bid 4 and a quick double ended the auction.

The defense predictably started with the K which I ruffed and played a club out, West rose killing his partners King and returned a big diamond. I won and beginning to see where this was going I played a spade to the Queen. I had to ruff the diamond from East then in a fit of optimism cashed the K which didn't bring in the suit like it was supposed to. Somewhat resigned I exited a club which West won:



 8
 J T 6
 8
 J
 J
 K 9 7 3
 -
 T
 -
 Q 8
 J T 9 6
 -
 T 9
 -
 -
 7 6 5 4

On winning West cashed his good spade and surveyed the dummy. I'm now down to a single trump and the clubs are blocked, if West forces with a red card I'm going to get 1 trump and 1 club -1100 but happily he let me off by finding the T.

13 December 2010

System cards

Being no stranger to playing unusual systems I've spent quite some time on writing out system cards and even more time explaining alerted bids. In some ways it's annoying because I spent all that time carefully editing the system card yet when a bid comes up many peoples first option is to ask. In other ways I understand it completely, asking is easier as you get only the information you want and nothing you don't; secondly lots of pairs don't carry systems so there's no alternative.

As we all know when there's a war that's not being won the first thing to try is escalation. So when playing Electric Ant a few weeks ago I put some thought into what might make someone read a system card and I decided to have a look at how other people deviate from normal.

Hand written on the back of a bidding slip, eminently disposable and easy. Not the sort of thing you can pre-submit to a tournament though. Even though my handwriting isn't awful it's still not as easy to read as typed text and so does little for me.

 I've seen lots of attempts like this:
It always takes me a few moments to realise it's a system and not an electronic birthday card from 1994. Plus colour printing and laminating is expensive and I'm going to lose these in rain-forest destroying quantities.

The problem with the above is that people get conditioned to a certain format. When in Australia if you don't use the ABF card everything takes just a little longer at every table you go to. In New Zealand the WBF card is becoming standard so it must be best to stick to that. Here's what I came up with, the system name is small because no-one will recognise it and the important bits are huge:


All the delightful details are on the inside but this is the front cover. It actually works, when we sat down we placed one facing each opponent and announced that we weren't playing anything they were familiar with. My partner would open, I'd alert and they'd say "Now what's that? Oh I see 12 - 14 with at least 5". Lovely.

11 December 2010

Being the expert

Every so often I go down to the club on a Friday night when there's social bridge on. It's walk in, walk out style; there's nothing run formally just some people who want to turn cards. This week when I went there were a few players reasonably new to the game. They'd obviously been playing a bit because I saw a few nice uncontested auctions confidently bid to the right spot. Anyway I'd just sat down to watch one pair when one of them asked if I could give him some advice on what to open... well sure, that's what social bridge is about. Then he showed me the hand:


A J x
 A J T x x x x x
A
 x

Umm...
Well...
He gestured at the heart suit and managed to convey "1 or 4" with some hand waving. Looks too good for 4 to me so I suggested he bid 1. Might not work but it's a bid I feel I can defend. His LHO (a friend of mine) bid 3 and his partner went into the tank. After some time she asked me what I would recommend:


 K Q x x x
 -
 9
 Q J 9 8 x x x

Umm...
Shrug...
I don't know!
You could pass 3 and be right or bid 6 and claim on the lead. I eventually managed to murmur something about this being a really good hand if and only if partner had a fit. That seemed to be the right answer as she confidently bid 3. Her partner agonised for a while then contented himself with a 4 raise.


Vul: EW
Dealer: North
A J x
 A J T x x x x x
 A
 x
 x x x
 Q x x
J x x
 A K x x
 T x
 K x
 K Q x x x x x x
 T
 K Q x x x
 -
 9
Q J 9 8 x x x


Phew, at least that'll make. 6 has good chances but do you really expect the spades and clubs to behave?



A couple more hands went by and then I saw this dealt:
(yes dealt, no dealing machines on a Friday)


Vul: EW
Dealer: North
T x
 -
 J x x x x
 A K Q x x x
 x x x
A K x x x
 A K x
J T
 Q x x x x
 x x
 Q x
 9 x x x
 A K J
 Q J T x x x
 T x x
 x

South opened 1 and West bid 1NT. I got called to help out North. I'm beginning to suspect these 'juniors' are organising hands to catch me out. But the books say double here is 10+ and I don't believe for a second 1NT is making so that sounded like a safe recommendation. Predictably the next hand bid 2, South passed (maybe embarrassed about the 11 point opening?) and North had another problem.

Well just as we were confident double was the correct call last time it definitely isn't now. It's unlikely we can set 2 but it's still a reasonable hand. I don't know, I suggested 3 citing something weak like "if in doubt bid your solid 6 card suit" as a reason. South bid 3NT which somehow escaped for down 1.

The thing is, when you're the expert you're expected to be right. Not only that but it's best to try to add just a tiny bit of information about why it's right so that when a similar situation might arise they are better equipped to handle it. These hands stumped me, I truly don't know what's best after 1 (3) and suggesting 3 is only a gut reaction I'm not sure I could explain why. Those who've taught bridge before will hopefully sympathise.

08 December 2010

The silly bidding season

Something about this time of year makes normally sane people silly. Normally this comes out in faster driving, faster shopping and faster drinking but when playing bridge and not even the later is possible the bidding seems to get it.

Here's the first disaster:


Vul: EW
Dealer: North
K J 7 6 3
K 9 2
T 7
K 6 3
-
A Q 6 3
J 5
J T 9 8 5 4 2
A 8 2
J T 7 4
A 9 8 4 2
A
Q T 9 5 4
8 5
K Q 6 3
Q 7
North started with 2 showing 9-12 highs and 5 or 6 spades. 3 from East is, well, 'aggressive'. I was going to bid 3 on the south cards but I thought 4 might just look like a sacrifice if I bid it quickly and confidently. West agreed and made the optimistic 5 call at which I expressed my uncertainty about a few of those 11 tricks.
Neither the defense nor the dummy play was especially noteworthy, although there's 10 tricks in hearts only 8 are available in diamonds.




Ok at least everybody had good intentions and bid suits they had. I heard a tale of stranger goings on elsewhere in the room. Imagine you're playing against a couple of young guns, lets call them John Wignall and Kris Wooles. You're West (NS are vul) with this lovely collection and find yourself staring at two passes.


7 4
-
K J T 9 5 4
A Q J 8 6

Great, 2NT you write clearly on the bidding pad. Seems like partner is asleep and has forgotten to alert; that explains a few things... No matter. The next hand bids 2 which is alerted and described as Landy. Strange. Oops! You've opened 1NT. Your partner passes, South bids 3 and desperate to catch up you double. That ends the auction and fidgeting wildly you lead the J into this:

Vul: NS
Dealer: East
A J 5 2
J T 8 3
A 8 6 2
K
7 4
-
K J T 9 5 4
A Q J 8 6
Q 9 8 3
A Q 9 5
3
5 4 3 2
K T 6
K 7 6 4 2
Q 7
T 9 7

How would you play it given the available information?

John ran the diamond round to hand, exited a club toward the king and when the covered K was ruffed exclaimed. As he put it, East has at most 2 hearts and now with only 1 diamond has 10 black cards yet can't squeak over 2! The resulting scramble left NS with 9 tricks and a very healthy number of IMPs.

06 December 2010

Never any trumps

The session I played a couple of nights ago was filled with no trump contracts. Not sure what was going on with the dealing machine but finding a major fit was like thinking of an amusing simile on a Monday morning. These are three contracts that felt like hard problems. I failed cleverly on two of them and the other my partner played quite well. Remember you're playing matchpoints so making the contract may not be enough.

One No Trump: In a fit of hideous hoggish contract poaching you open 1NT and get left to play there. The four of clubs is lead to the ten and Ace.

K 6 3
J T 7 6 5
A Q T 4
A
A J 5
3 2
8 6 3
J 8 7 5 2
Two No Trumps: Another simple auction that doesn't help much, 1NT - 2 - 2 - 2NT. Again a club is led (I think it was the 7) you play the nine 9 covered by the Queen and King. This time you have lots of chances to make and make extras, how best to combine them?
K 7 5 3
A 7 5
J 7
K J 8 6
A J
T 9 8 4
Q T 3 2
A T 9
Three No Trumps: The auction was predictably 1 - 1 - 3 - 3NT and you get the 6 of clubs led to the Jack. Despite my warning about matchpoints this one's going to be a fight to make. If/when you pull a diamond towards the ten South flies and plays another club.

Q 8 3 2
T 5
T 5 4
A K T 7
A K 6
K 7 6 4 3
A K 7 6
4
Outcomes:
One the first one the way to make this is to not try to make it. Whatever the defence attack will be your source of tricks. Not that you've got a convenient exit but a middle diamond works amazingly well. I figured everyone was reasonably balanced given all the passing and not wanting to abandon any tenaces pitched two hearts when they cashed the KQ of clubs. Who doesn't overcall AKQxx? -200

The second hand is a happy one, just about everything works, partner looked like a pro and we got 50% when half the room made +630 (3NT) and the other half -100 (1NT or 2NT). Wait, what?

The third isn't a pleasant hand to play. Many declarers started on hearts which was immediately fatal when AQJ8 offside revealed itself - your spots just aren't good enough. The cleverest declarers worked this one out and I gave a hint in the question; duck a diamond early, cash them (they break), cash the spades (they don't) exiting the last spade to south who started with a 4432 shape and has to give you the K for your ninth (if north has A they will have to lead to your T7 of clubs).

03 December 2010

That sort of hand

Everyone has them. That particular sort of hand that gives them a glint in their eye and forces them to bid on despite all the bridge reasons not to. The most exciting auctions happen when two or more players pick up these hands. Chaos, irritated partners and great transfer of ego ensues. Here's one where I'm not blameless.


Vul: Nil
Dealer: West
T 9 7 6 5
7 5
A K 7 6
Q J
A Q
A Q T 9 2
8 4 2
K 8 4
J 8 4 3 2
4
Q J T 9 5 3
5
K
K J 8 6 3
-
A T 9 7 6 3 2


Here's an auction that both sides regret. Starting with me sitting south (and there's a normal table at the bottom if you get lost).

1Wow! Look at this shape, it's amazing, I'm going to bid lots.
1NT  Nothing exciting here, move along.
X Haha we've got them lets double stuff!
2 1NT ain't right but I have loads of shape so
there must be lots of tricks in suits for us.
2 Another chance to bid? let me at it!
/ Wasn't expecting 2 but can't say I hate it.
2 I was going to double 2, why no flurry of red cards? *sigh*
3 Why didn't I bid spades the first time so now I could get
preference. Shrug past is past and they didn't double 2!
3 Must. Bid. More.
/ Worried my delight is becoming obvious.
5 Guess doubling is out of fashion but if
partner really has the hand he's shown....
5 Ethically ignoring his partner visibly salivating over the fate of 5.
/ Partner wanted to double 2 and 3 I suppose I could let him double 5.
/ Why me?
X You mean all this time you were building it up so I
could do it at the 5 level, aww you guys are the best.
/ Did I really just bid 5??
/ *sniff* There's no more bidding.
/ Thinking up suitable comment for putting this dummy down.

MeNot MePartnerNot Partner
11NTX2
2/23
3/55
//Xend

Can we learn anything from this? I think so. It's always good to have a plan when bidding but it's always bad to stick to it when the auction in front of you is so clearly not normal. I can't quite believe I bid 3; as a very wise man once said to me: "just pass man".