30 October 2011

Overcalling at IMPs

Overcalling is a contentious subject but to me there's five factors:

  1. Preemption
  2. Lead direction
  3. Playing strength
  4. Finding a sacrifice
  5. Risk

When deciding whether to overcall you balance the first four positives against the last one and decide whether it's worth it.

For example at favourable vulnerability:
5
A T
T 9 8 7 6 5 2
T 9 5

Pass - (1) - ?

This is a great time to stick a spanner in the works. 3 is disruptive and may make it difficult for the opponents to find the right game or level. You're never getting doubled at these colours and with a passed partner you have free reign. You'd love partner raising to 5.


This time red against green:
A Q 2
Q J
K 8 6
K 6 4 3 2

(Pass) - Pass - (1) - ?


Not this time. If there's a game available here partner will reopen and you have no suit worth bidding. You risk spending 500 points on a part score board or more against a game.


What about this one (nil vul)?
Q
A 9 7
7 6 5 3
A K T 6 5

(1) - Pass - (1) - ?

This time you have a nice suit in a reasonable hand; there's definitely a lead direction element here. But you don't have many tricks opposite a weak dummy. The only realistic game is 4 and if partner can't bid at the one level that's not happening. There's no pre-emptive value and the risk of bidding in a live auction might be more than you think.


T 5 3
J 5 4 2
9 4 2
7 4 3
A
K 8
A K J T 8
Q J 9 8 2
K J 9 8 7 6 4 2
Q T 6 3
Q
-
Q
A 9 7
7 6 5 3
A K T 6 5

At the table opener is about to make a strong jump in clubs. They won't double you on this hand but I hope it demonstrates a point.


Would you (vul against not)?:
Q T 6 5 3
Q
K 4 2
K 8 5 4

(1) - ?


What could go wrong at the 1 level? I've seen a couple of 1100s given out at the 1 level, lets not pretend there's no risk. There's definitely no pre-emption, no chance of a sacrifice at these colours and the lead direction very shaky.

The most likely contract is hearts to which you're on lead and into 3NT partner leading QT9x in a minor is likely to be much better than say 8x in spades.


Finally here's a hand from the Bowl (favourable vul):

9 8 3
6 5 4
T 9
A K T 9 4

Pass - (1) - ?


The risks shrink at this vul and the lead direction cannot be denied but the other virtues are questionable.

However, overcalling 2 minor over 1 minor can be devastating. Catch the opponents with a 54 major shape (do you double or bid the 5 card?) or a good pre-empt from partner and the auction gets very high before your opponents can evaluate their majors.

Linda Lee of bridge blogging has written up this particular hand here.

27 October 2011

Nice bidding team mates

Playing in a teams match recently this board proved to be a trap:


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


N/S hold a combined 25 highs yet there's no game available. It's a great demonstration of the weakness of the 4333 shape.

At our table our opponents went through an invitational auction avoiding 4 in favour of 3NT. I led the 7 and though declarer dropped one of the club honours it wasn't enough, down 1.

Our friends at the other table starting with South had the auction:

1 - 1 - 2 - Pass

The 1 is a transfer and promised 4+ hearts, the 2 showed four hearts in a weak NT. A nicely judged pass by North saw a plus on both score sheets and 6 imps to the good guys.

25 October 2011

Just stop it!

Here's something that really gets to me. You're defending a contract, lets say it's 3 and you have a trump holding like Q52.

Declarer is quite clearly in a nine card fit. Maybe they opened in spades and caught a four card raise from their partner.

Dummy's spades are KJ43.

Declarer wins your well considered lead in hand, cashes the A and leads a small spade towards dummy. You follow nicely in tempo but then play stops.

For a full minute.

Or two.

Stop it! Make some discovery play, think about what you're going to do in advance and then just do it. Leading towards a finesse then spending three minutes trying to read the defence as they desperately stare out the window is not bridge.

20 October 2011

Swinging the axe?

Playing imps you hold:
T 3 2
A T 8 3
K Q T 9 6
8

All vulnerable you listen to this:

SouthWestNorthEast
1 1 1 21
2NT Pass 3 Pass
3 Pass 4 Pass
Pass ?

  1. 3 card support, could be very weak

How many tricks do you think they're making?

12 October 2011

Slow start

Some auctions start at the 5 level, some never make it past the one level. Some others look like the latter then slowly spiral upwards.

Here's a hand:


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


If it looks harmless enough don't be fooled:

SouthWestNorthEast
1 Pass Pass X
1 Pass Pass 1

A desperately slow start. Two players acting, four calls and we're not past the one level.

SouthWestNorthEast
1 Pass Pass X
1 Pass Pass 1
2 2 3 3

Warming up now though. The 2 was an attempt at a cue raise in spades. Normally my cue raises show more than a 1 count.

3 looked very much like one of those "should have bid it the first time" actions. I guess it stops the opposition playing in 2. 3 must be a dollar each way, more than min but not enough to commit to game.

SouthWestNorthEast
1 Pass Pass X
1 Pass Pass 1
2 2 3 3
Pass 4 5 X

Not content with cue raising on a 1 count I then considered it a max and raised to game. North made another "should have bid it the first time" noise which prompted the chopper.

5 isn't good. On a heart lead declarer drew trumps and threw East in. East played a pointy suit back so a heart went away and there were 5 defensive tricks.

10 October 2011

Bidding problem

Your hand is:
K T 9 7 3
Q 8
K J 8 7 6
6

The auction starts off like this:

SouthWestNorthEast
1 1 1 2
Pass Pass ?

Presumably the 1 the first round isn't contentious.

Yes you play support doubles and yes partner would always make one holding three trumps.

06 October 2011

Partner punishing

It's something we all do from time to time. Make a bid or play that seems (to us) to be reasonable. A play that partner "should be able to work out". Back in the real world partner hasn't a chance of doing the right thing and you're going to grump at them when they don't.

Here's a typical example from last week:
Vul: All
Dealer: West
A Q 8 6 5 4
T 8
8 6 5
J 9
K J T 3
A 5
9 4 2
A T 8 2
7 2
Q J 9 7 4 2
-
K Q 6 4 3
9
K 6 3
A K Q J T 7 3
7 5


WestNorthEastSouth
1 1 2 ?

The auction started without issue. The Intermediate player sitting North bid 1 because they play intermediate jumps. I figured I had to start with one of my suits then the expert South came out with a wonder bid.

3

When I asked him later he explained his hope that North might bid 3NT with a club stop.

Nah.


WestNorthEastSouth
1 1 2 3
Pass 3 4 4
Pass Pass 4 X
5 Pass Pass X
Pass Pass Pass

The rest of the auction continued as you might expect. North was forced to repeat her suit. I bid at every opportunity. South found a suit to bid. Partner pulled me out of a doubled making game. To another doubled making game.

Normal stuff.

03 October 2011

Long time between sevens

The seven of diamonds is for some folk the reason they play bridge. For others it provides a lifestyle of drinking they could never have afforded otherwise. For me it never really caught on.

However, despite my indifference, occasionally the 7 manages to steal the 13th trick. Sometimes it just happens:


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


NorthEastSouthWest
- Pass 1 1
Pass 2 3 end

South (hereafter referred to as Brigadier Unilateral) made something of an unusual bid with 3. Partner led two rounds of spades declarer winning the second. A spade was ruffed then a losing trump hook put partner back on lead.

The spade attack continued forcing the brigadier who proceeded to draw all but one trump pitching diamonds off the table. Finally a losing club finesse to me left this position:


-
-
Q T
K 5
8
-
9
T 8 4
-
9
A K 7
2
-
T
J
A 9 7

Declarer might not have ruffed the second diamond, but then you wouldn't be reading this. When it was ruffed I was in the enviable position of having the only trump and the winning seven of diamonds left.

Sadly it wasn't till the beers afterwards (which incidentally partner had bought) that it was pointed out to me that I had in fact succeeded in making, if not claiming, a beer card.

02 October 2011

More ways to improve your bridge

In my travels across the wide open internet I've come across another way you can improve your bridge.

Have a read slides 2 through 12* of this presentation:

JamisBuck.org

You can use your arrow keys to go back and forth through the slide show.

*The rest of it is what I found to be a very interesting discussion on maze drawing algorithms but I suspect it will put a good chunk of the population to sleep.