Puzzle Hands

I'm not going to give answers to the puzzles as such. I'll simply provide the hands as they were at the table and a bit of waffle to fill up the post.

Here's the first hand in full:

Vul: NS Dealer: West	9 K T x A Q x x J x x x x
- Q J x x x x x x x T x x x		K J x x x x A x K J x x x
	A Q T x x x x x x x A K Q

The answers I got for what to bid were Pass, 2S, 3D and 3NT. 2S very much depends on who you're playing with, if partner might not get this right then it's fairly dangerous. I like pass because the likely 2D or 2S contracts will probably fail and you can always bid 2S when if 2H comes back to you.

Having said that you do have 15 highs and if partner has a reasonable 10 for the double then maybe, just maybe you're making 3NT, seemed a bit hopeful to me but on the hand in question it's cold.

At my table things were very different, I opened 4H on the West cards and when South couldn't resist 4S we had +800.




I like the second problem because there's four outcomes:
1) 13 tricks
2) 12 tricks
3) 11 tricks
4) give the problem to partner.

Even better, it doesn't matter which card you lead in the suit! Only the choice of suit makes a difference.

Here's the full hand: it takes a heart lead to beat 6H or on a spade your partner can lead one. On a diamond it'll make 12 and when they led the AC (!!!) against me I made 13.

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

Puzzles

I have two puzzles for you today. Both hands came up in the session I played last night and in both cases I didn't hold the hand that I'm going to give you. This is great because if you come up with something brilliant you can't show me up =)

The first is a bidding problem, you pick up the following collection in fourth seat unfavourable:

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

Two passes are followed by a 1S on your right. Yep, 1S. You maintain calm and produce a perfect in tempo pass and the auction proceeds like this:

(/)	/	(1)	/
(/)	X	(2)	?

Wish you weren't here right now don't you?






The second problem is a lead problem, the auction proceeds like this:

N	E	S	You
(/)	/	(1)	/
(1)	/	(3)	/
(4)	/	(6)	all pass

and you have to lead from this collection:

T 9 6 5 2 K Q 5 2 A T 7 4

Scary stuff

Every single session of bridge somebody plays a no trump contract where they employ the hold up. Axx opposite xx is the standard example but there heaps and all bridge players beyond the very new do this without much thought. However the hold up play isn't just for no trumps, it can be applied with similar effect in trump contracts. The problem is if you get it wrong your Ace gets ruffed and your partner gives you the "that didn't look right" look; you know the one.

Consider the following hand playing matchpoints:

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

The auction went like this: South, my partner started with 1H, 2C was overcalled and I bid 2D. East raised to 3C, my partner doubled and when West passed I put him in game.

The play was 8S lead to the Jack and Ace, ruff a club, heart to the Ace, ruff a club, heart losing to West. West now betrayed her intelligence and attempted to cash a club leaving my partner the job of finessing the diamond for 12 tricks.

What West should have done was continue her remaining spade to her partners KQ of spades to hold declarer to 10 tricks. What South (who admitted it shortly after the hand was over) might have done was duck the opening spade. The trick is to know that West has 2 or more spades With only 1 surely East holding KQJxx would call 2S on the way to 3C. If West has 3 spades you have two losers regardless but on the chance it's a small doubleton winning the second round is the correct play.