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Hartman's Law: Repealed!
Aug. 23rd, 2007 04:17 pmGoogle shows this for Hartman's Law of Prescriptivist Retaliation: "any article or statement about correct grammar, punctuation, or spelling is bound to contain at least one eror". In the context of bridge, Kent Hartman has a different law: 4D doubled always makes. Last summer, at the NABC in Chicago, I told him I was dummy in 4DX against Meckwell in the LM pairs semifinal. +710. He was pretty happy.
This summer, at the NABC in Nashville, well, it didn't go so well. Pard (not Kent) was in 2nd seat, both, holding:
J2 KQ 8732 KJ874
1C-P-1H-X, 3H-?
He tried 4D. He got doubled. He went down.
TWO THOUSAND.
Ok, that seems extreme. Maybe he might have played it better. Maybe I should have put down a better dummy (I stretched, but it wasn't a psych. I had K964 of diamonds, too.). But unless he took an extra SEVEN tricks, Kent was on the way out.
Another interesting hand from the same session. 2nd, neither, holding:
AQ6 Q92 KJ AQ432
P-P-1C-2N, P-4H-?
Pard passed and went +50, when 4S and 5C make our way. Double dummy, anyway. I'm sure I'd pick up the stiff spade king offside...
Ok, here are a few more hands from Nashville, all matchpoints:
4) 1st, both
Q8762 K2 A84 Q64
P-P-1S-2H, ?
Pard bid 4S, down one. That seems excessive, particularly over a third seat opener.
8) 1st, none
AKQ753 QT4 9 JT9
1S-2N-X-3C, P-P-X-P, P-P
It seemed obvious to double 3C, but maybe I'm a resulter. Anyway, pard passed, I doubled, and he led...not the CJ! I don't even remember what he led, but trump seems obvious, particularly with that holding. It was the difference between 300 and 500. Since we make 4S (or 5N!) that's a big swing.
3) Our opps are the stars, for a change. In the final session of the LM pairs they dealt, favorable.
T7643 A52 K3 K86
AK52 J97 AQ764 2
1D-(2C)-X, 3C-3N, 4S-5S, P
5S went down one. You be the judge.
BTW, at the table I asked if 3C was Western and dummy said it requested of a description of his hand. I guess he didn't feel that showing a five card major was a good description. In the post mortem he asserted pard should pass 3N since he had asked for (!) a stopper and found it, while his pard thought he might have shown spades at some point below the five level.
I think the south hand was tough to bid. 3C seems a little too strong, but 3S would be forcing too, since pard hasn't guaranteed spades. 3C lets pard bid 3H and then 3N over 3S if he just has hearts and a club stop. Seems like a reasonable gamble.
8) 1st, none
A KQT8 T96 KQ642
1C-2D-3C-P, ?
1C may be as short as two. What's your call? My pard tried 3H and got to 3N, down one. My hand was:
Q863 AJ9 K53 983, which is a very good hand for the auction (I was afraid to try a negative double after board three above) and was surprised game wasn't cold.
In the National Open Pairs:
11) 2nd, none
7 AQ63 AKJT43 65
1S-X-P-2D, 2S-3S-X-P, P-4D-P-P, 4S-P-P-X, P-P-P
I don't agree with the first double, though I do understand it. 3S sets up a force to...I'm not sure. We don't make 5D, so I guessed right to pass 4D. Then pard made a (forcing) pass of 4S and sat for the double and -590.
Should my passing 4D be allowed? Does it break the force? Was there a force, or was 3S just a strong game TRY? Should pard EVER sit for 4SX?
19) 2nd, unfavorable. And now, a legal question:
Q8764 JT7 KQ6 82
1C-P-1D-X, 2C-2S-3C-P, P-3S-X-P, P-P
-200. Oops. Although 5C makes, they were willing to play 3C. Am I resulting to think that, unfavorable, pard should have an ace or a stiff or something? Maybe...
20) 1st, both
J984 AQ98754 J5 -
P-3D-P-P, 3H-P-P-P
+230. Wow. Was I supposed to raise with AT53 T32 A42 AJ9 when pard couldn't open 2H or 3H?
And now, to the National Fast Pairs. Keep in mind that when you're in a HUGE rush your decisions aren't always your best, so don't take any of these deals too seriously.
12) 1st, favorable
QJ932 AKT65 2 63
1S-2D, 2H-3C, 3H-4C, 4D-4N, ?
2D was forcing to game. What is 4N? My partner decided it was RKC for diamonds. Comments?
We were not on the same page. I thought I was holding back with A QJ KQT85 AK942, and he thought I was overbidding.
27) 4th, none
AQ43 42 K863 J87
The opps bid, uncontested:
1D-4N, 5C-5H, 5N-P
4N was RKC, 5H was...intended as and read as a puppet to 5N. Your lead?
After declarer scooped up the first thirteen tricks, pard smartly noticed SA would have worked better. He pointed out it might go away, and that he wasn't resulting. The opps held:
J65 KJ7 AQJ54 62
K AQ93 T97 AKQT5
I can hold them to 5N, though I'm not sure how that scores. At least they're cold for 6D.
28) 3rd, favorable
KQ 98752 6 KQJ62
1D-1H, 1N-?
I passed, and pard made +120. Still, I can make 3H opposite his AJ7 KQ4 QT92 753. I raise on three frequently, but his dead minimum 4333 hand sure looks like a 1N bid. I didn't think my 98752 looked solid absent a raise.
31) 2nd, favorable
42 AKJT3 AT8 986
1H-1S, 1N-2D, 2H-3H, 3N-?
2D was game forcing checkback. What did the auction show? I intended 3H has a choice of games, and pard with 42 AT8 986 in the side suits chose 3N (down one) instead of 4H (making). How should I have bid with:
A7653 865 K4 AJ7
Pard bid 2H over 2D, not 2N, so he can't be stuffed in each minor, but he might have KQ xxxxx AQJ Txx and 3N would be better than 4H. How was I supposed to know he had one hundred honors in hearts?
BTW, I played in the STAC swiss last night and the VP totals were interesting:
43 (we won)
41
36
0
I'd never seen anyone with 0 VP before.
This summer, at the NABC in Nashville, well, it didn't go so well. Pard (not Kent) was in 2nd seat, both, holding:
J2 KQ 8732 KJ874
1C-P-1H-X, 3H-?
He tried 4D. He got doubled. He went down.
TWO THOUSAND.
Ok, that seems extreme. Maybe he might have played it better. Maybe I should have put down a better dummy (I stretched, but it wasn't a psych. I had K964 of diamonds, too.). But unless he took an extra SEVEN tricks, Kent was on the way out.
Another interesting hand from the same session. 2nd, neither, holding:
AQ6 Q92 KJ AQ432
P-P-1C-2N, P-4H-?
Pard passed and went +50, when 4S and 5C make our way. Double dummy, anyway. I'm sure I'd pick up the stiff spade king offside...
Ok, here are a few more hands from Nashville, all matchpoints:
4) 1st, both
Q8762 K2 A84 Q64
P-P-1S-2H, ?
Pard bid 4S, down one. That seems excessive, particularly over a third seat opener.
8) 1st, none
AKQ753 QT4 9 JT9
1S-2N-X-3C, P-P-X-P, P-P
It seemed obvious to double 3C, but maybe I'm a resulter. Anyway, pard passed, I doubled, and he led...not the CJ! I don't even remember what he led, but trump seems obvious, particularly with that holding. It was the difference between 300 and 500. Since we make 4S (or 5N!) that's a big swing.
3) Our opps are the stars, for a change. In the final session of the LM pairs they dealt, favorable.
T7643 A52 K3 K86
AK52 J97 AQ764 2
1D-(2C)-X, 3C-3N, 4S-5S, P
5S went down one. You be the judge.
BTW, at the table I asked if 3C was Western and dummy said it requested of a description of his hand. I guess he didn't feel that showing a five card major was a good description. In the post mortem he asserted pard should pass 3N since he had asked for (!) a stopper and found it, while his pard thought he might have shown spades at some point below the five level.
I think the south hand was tough to bid. 3C seems a little too strong, but 3S would be forcing too, since pard hasn't guaranteed spades. 3C lets pard bid 3H and then 3N over 3S if he just has hearts and a club stop. Seems like a reasonable gamble.
8) 1st, none
A KQT8 T96 KQ642
1C-2D-3C-P, ?
1C may be as short as two. What's your call? My pard tried 3H and got to 3N, down one. My hand was:
Q863 AJ9 K53 983, which is a very good hand for the auction (I was afraid to try a negative double after board three above) and was surprised game wasn't cold.
In the National Open Pairs:
11) 2nd, none
7 AQ63 AKJT43 65
1S-X-P-2D, 2S-3S-X-P, P-4D-P-P, 4S-P-P-X, P-P-P
I don't agree with the first double, though I do understand it. 3S sets up a force to...I'm not sure. We don't make 5D, so I guessed right to pass 4D. Then pard made a (forcing) pass of 4S and sat for the double and -590.
Should my passing 4D be allowed? Does it break the force? Was there a force, or was 3S just a strong game TRY? Should pard EVER sit for 4SX?
19) 2nd, unfavorable. And now, a legal question:
Q8764 JT7 KQ6 82
1C-P-1D-X, 2C-2S-3C-P, P-3S-X-P, P-P
-200. Oops. Although 5C makes, they were willing to play 3C. Am I resulting to think that, unfavorable, pard should have an ace or a stiff or something? Maybe...
20) 1st, both
J984 AQ98754 J5 -
P-3D-P-P, 3H-P-P-P
+230. Wow. Was I supposed to raise with AT53 T32 A42 AJ9 when pard couldn't open 2H or 3H?
And now, to the National Fast Pairs. Keep in mind that when you're in a HUGE rush your decisions aren't always your best, so don't take any of these deals too seriously.
12) 1st, favorable
QJ932 AKT65 2 63
1S-2D, 2H-3C, 3H-4C, 4D-4N, ?
2D was forcing to game. What is 4N? My partner decided it was RKC for diamonds. Comments?
We were not on the same page. I thought I was holding back with A QJ KQT85 AK942, and he thought I was overbidding.
27) 4th, none
AQ43 42 K863 J87
The opps bid, uncontested:
1D-4N, 5C-5H, 5N-P
4N was RKC, 5H was...intended as and read as a puppet to 5N. Your lead?
After declarer scooped up the first thirteen tricks, pard smartly noticed SA would have worked better. He pointed out it might go away, and that he wasn't resulting. The opps held:
J65 KJ7 AQJ54 62
K AQ93 T97 AKQT5
I can hold them to 5N, though I'm not sure how that scores. At least they're cold for 6D.
28) 3rd, favorable
KQ 98752 6 KQJ62
1D-1H, 1N-?
I passed, and pard made +120. Still, I can make 3H opposite his AJ7 KQ4 QT92 753. I raise on three frequently, but his dead minimum 4333 hand sure looks like a 1N bid. I didn't think my 98752 looked solid absent a raise.
31) 2nd, favorable
42 AKJT3 AT8 986
1H-1S, 1N-2D, 2H-3H, 3N-?
2D was game forcing checkback. What did the auction show? I intended 3H has a choice of games, and pard with 42 AT8 986 in the side suits chose 3N (down one) instead of 4H (making). How should I have bid with:
A7653 865 K4 AJ7
Pard bid 2H over 2D, not 2N, so he can't be stuffed in each minor, but he might have KQ xxxxx AQJ Txx and 3N would be better than 4H. How was I supposed to know he had one hundred honors in hearts?
BTW, I played in the STAC swiss last night and the VP totals were interesting:
43 (we won)
41
36
0
I'd never seen anyone with 0 VP before.
