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Hands from the pair game can wait, partly because they're much less important, partly because I have hand records and won't forget.
I played in the odd-day-start bracket I ko, along with a ton of world champs, national champs, pro teams, etc.
The ko's start every day, and the top teams start right away and usually make the second day, so the ko's starting on the 2nd and 4th days of the regional are much softer (someone made LM in the finals of the day 2 ko).
We started against Meltzer (six world champions) and Oshman (three national champions) in a three way, with two surviving. We made it out, won our next match, and drew Assemi (one world champ, two national champs, and two players who made it to the semifinals of this year's Vanderbilt). And we...but why ruin the suspense.
4) 3rd, both
Jxxx Txxx Jxx Tx
1D-1S-P-2S, X
I decided I'd bid 2N scrambling over pard's X, then pull 3C to 3D, so he'd know I have four hearts but he could play 3D with 1=3=5=4 (or even 1=3=6=3). Except Lew Stansby redoubled. What would 2N be, now? I didn't want to find out, so I passed. Pard bid 3C, I corrected to 3D, and he wasn't on the same page, so he didn't pull Lew's double with his 1=4=4=4. -800. Oops.
32) 2nd, both
JTxxxx KJxx xx Q
The opps had this auction:
1D-1H, 1S-2C, 2D-2S, 3S-4S, and pard doubled (bless him).
2C was fourth suit forcing, but not forcing to game. When pard asked what 3S meant, Lew said "just three spades" and I almost fell out of my chair, but he just meant that it wasn't forcing, not that she had a three card suit.
Dummy was KQx ATxxx K 98xx
Pard led CA and, on seeing my CQ, had to guess. I think he went with the odds and took the non-winning continuation of a small club. I ruffed and led to DK. Declarer pitched CJ on HA and ruffed a heart., then played two high diamonds shaking clubs as I ruffed. Now what? This was my third day in a row of getting up at six AM, working about five hours, commuting one hour each way, playing two sessions, working another few hours at night and hardly sleeping, so I took a few seconds here. Also, the tempo at the table was nuts. We finished our fourth board about an hour after game time.
I returned ST and we were +500. She can get out for down one if I don't play a spade honor here.
[ Addendum, after several insightful comments. Doubler has already shown Hxx DJxxx CAKxxx, so his trumps are either void, stiff small, stiff J, two small, or Tx. The hands are, approximately:
Dummy: SKQ7 HTxx
RHO: SJT32 HKJ
Declarer: SA98 D432
LHO: HQT DJ Cx
Possible lines at this point:
a) win SA. If LHO shows out, declarer elopes four more trumps for down one. Otherwise, if LHO follows, declarer can play SQ and go down two, but that line is dominated by ruffing a diamond. Then:
a1) Play SK, making when LHO started with two trumps, down two otherwise.
a2) Try to cross ruff, down one when RHO has SJ, down two otherwise
b) win SQ. If LHO shows out, declarer elopes three more trumps for down two. Otherwise, if LHO follows:
b1) Play SA, ruff a diamond, ruff a heart, making when LHO follows to SA, otherwise down three
b2) Try to ruff a heart low, ruff a diamond low, cross ruff for down two if LHO has SJ, otherwise down three
b3) Try to ruff a heart low, ruff a diamond high, cross ruff for down two regardless of who has SJ
b4) Try to ruff a heart high, ruff a diamond low, cross ruff for down two if LHO has SJ otherwise down three
b5) Try to ruff a heart high, ruff a diamond high, cross ruff for down two regardless of who has SJ
Since line a1 dominates line b1, a2 dominates b2, b3, b4, and b5, we can narrow the matrix down to lines a1 and a2. Then, since the lines get the same results when LHO shows out or has singleton SJ (though why would I have led ST from remaining ST32?) we get:
Then it's just a question of risk/reward, an assessment of how likely pard was to double 4S with Jx xx Jxxx AKxxx vs. xx xx Jxxx AKxxx vs. x Hxx Jxxx AKxxx, and what you think the result was at the other table.
If you think the other table will be around -200 (it was) then it's win 14 or 15 vs. lose 7, so he can't be more than twice as likely to double with the stiff spade for it to be right to try to make (leaving psychological effects aside, especially since I can't picture Lew getting flustered). Since I think the double is pretty wacky either way, even if you somehow knew that they might bid this way on a Moysian (this is hypthetical, based on pard holding one or two spades. I think his actual double, on a void, was brilliant.) I'm not sure how to estimate the probabilities.
If, for some reason, you think the other table will somehow make a game, it seems clear to to try to make via line a1.
]
And we were still stuck 10 at the half.
We had seating rights, so we changed opps, putting our (very) slow pair against JoAnna. And they finished several boards ahead of us!
The first two boards of the set were the most interesting, to me.
1) 3rd, none, x A KQ9xxx KJTxx
P-P-?
I tried 3D and went +130. On a good day I'd job them out of 4M, but pard had AJx Jxxxx Jx 9xx.
2) 2nd, unfavorable
xx Kx AKTx AKQxx
We bid, uncontested, 2N-3H, 3S-5N, 6C-6S, 6N-P. On H9 lead (2nd and 4th leads. I'm told that's standard in Poland, though neither opp was from Poland), I had to find 12 tricks.
AKQxx Qxx xxx Jx
xx Kx AKTx AKQxx
I took a long time at trick one. That's not always pleasant, but it's much better than playing the first five tricks quickly and agonizing over the next seven when you've already blown the contract.
I finally decided to play HQ, so I could rectify the count for a squeeze. Love would call it a simple squeeze played as a double (actually a non-simultaneous double squeeze). RHO returned a diamond so I hopped A, ran four clubs pitching diamonds, cashed HK, and played the last club. LHO kept the last heart, so I pitched dummy's heart and RHO, who started life with STxxx and DQJx gave up a diamond, +1440. He disagreed with LHO's apology (a spade lead and a spade continuation would set the contract [technically he'd have to underlead SJx, but they do play 2nd and 4th...]) but perhaps he was trying to make him feel better.
The bad news: As you have, no doubt, already realized, RHO's STxxx HA DQJx is way too much to guard. If I had ducked in dummy at trick one, I would have made 13 tricks on a routine progressive squeeze, as JoAnna did at the other table. Win HQ, cash five clubs pitching two diamonds and a heart, and RHO has to come down to seven cards, as I stare at my 2D, 5C, 1H, and 3S. If he pitches a pointy card that releases tricks 12 and 13. If he pitches HA I play a heart to dummy, squeezing him again.
[Editor's note: I realized right after I wrote the following paragraph that it was in error. Unfortunately, I was already away from my keyboard. In the interest of journalistic integrity I'll leave it as written, but note that the progressive squeeze does work, since you can pitch two diamonds and a heart from dummy on the clubs, and still have a diamond in dummy, since there hasn't been a diamond play on this line.]
Do you believe that? You shouldn't. Dummy would be out of diamonds, so I wouldn't be able to get back to my hand. I could still cash out 12 tricks, of course, but JoAnna's 720 was due to my teammate's spade pitch. Big deal, you say, but if I hadn't gotten to slam I would have been +690, lost one imp instead of winning 12, and tied the match! That would have been a big overtrick. A big FOURTH overtrick.
In case you're wondering why they missed slam: my other teammate psyched a STRONG NT OVERCALL!!!!
Well done. The previous session he said something like "I can't BELIEVE the opps missed that slam" and I pointed out I had semi-psyched an opening. I have to say he's a quick learner. Or something. P-1C-1N on:
Jx T9xxxx xxx xx
Wow. He's a man. A REAL man.
Also note that your grandmother would have taken 3S, 5C, 4D (double finesse and a 3-3 break) to make six or seven, depending on wehther they ducked a heart.
In the finals we played a team with, I believe, five national champions (O'Rourke, who'd just knocked off Meltzer).
She played reasonably well in the first half, and we were stuck six when she finished her play for the day.
Things didn't really go our way in either set, and we lost by 30, but tell me if it was all (or in part?) luck.
7) 4th, both
x KJxxxxxTx Jxx
1D-1S-P-?
At the other table they played 1S, for 110. I transferred to hearts and bid game when pard cue bid.
LHO cashed DA, CA, DK, and continued a diamond to her partner's jack.
AKxxx Ax Q9xx Kx
x KJxxxxx Tx Jxx
I ruffed, played HA, H and LHO popped HT. Now what?
Here's my guess of how this decision is made, by bracket.
Bracket III) Eight ever, nine never
Bracket II) Nine never, AND opener has most of the points and rates to have the queen
Bracket I (losing finalist) LHO has at most two hearts, so she won't open 1D with three (unless she's nuts and loved her 4=2=3=4 with DAK, but she didn't seem that imaginative/flighty). That means she has exactly four diamonds, so she's either 4=1=4=4 or she has two hearts. That leaves 4=2=4=3 or 3=2=4=4 or even 2=2=4=5. Those are way more likely, a priori. Of course she already showed 11 HCP, so if she had SQ or CQ show wouldn't have HQ (she'd have a strong NT). Decisions, decisions. Going with the theme of the day, I played for the drop and she pitched. --100 for lose 5.
Second set:
2) 1st, favorable
Pard: Axxx Axxx Ax xxx
Len: KJxx K Kxx AKJxx
We bid, uncontested, 1C-1H, 1S-3S (forcing), 4N-5D (0 or 3), 5S-6S, P
I signed off slowly in 5S, after convincing myself that pard would treat 5S as a queen ask if he had three key cards, even though we'd never discussed it. RHO called the cops when pard bid slam over my slow "signoff" but when I pointed out 5D was 0 or 3 he said "Why did you let me call the director and look like an idiot?"
6S certainly isn't cold, particularly when LHO has CQxxx, but RHO's stiff club was too attractive so he led it.
Face up.
Out of turn.
Len: Gee, mr. director, while you're here...
Matt: You have six options
Len: What's #6
Mattt: Cancel the hesitation.
Great. I called for a club lead, won my jack, and slam just got a lot better. The correct safety play is to cash SK, then lead up to dummy's A9, but since dummy didn't have the nine, LHO's SQT9x scuttled the contract. In fact, he pulled out a double card on the second round of trumps. So funny...
At the other table, they bid 1C-1H, 2N-some checkback, and got to 4S. They made exactly 420 (not "finding" the CQ, as I did). That's a 21 IMP swing.
It would have been nice to win, but it wasn't in the cards yesterday. I had fun, and we finished early (yay!) but my wife was playing pairs and I had to wait over an hour (boo!).
I played in the odd-day-start bracket I ko, along with a ton of world champs, national champs, pro teams, etc.
The ko's start every day, and the top teams start right away and usually make the second day, so the ko's starting on the 2nd and 4th days of the regional are much softer (someone made LM in the finals of the day 2 ko).
We started against Meltzer (six world champions) and Oshman (three national champions) in a three way, with two surviving. We made it out, won our next match, and drew Assemi (one world champ, two national champs, and two players who made it to the semifinals of this year's Vanderbilt). And we...but why ruin the suspense.
4) 3rd, both
Jxxx Txxx Jxx Tx
1D-1S-P-2S, X
I decided I'd bid 2N scrambling over pard's X, then pull 3C to 3D, so he'd know I have four hearts but he could play 3D with 1=3=5=4 (or even 1=3=6=3). Except Lew Stansby redoubled. What would 2N be, now? I didn't want to find out, so I passed. Pard bid 3C, I corrected to 3D, and he wasn't on the same page, so he didn't pull Lew's double with his 1=4=4=4. -800. Oops.
32) 2nd, both
JTxxxx KJxx xx Q
The opps had this auction:
1D-1H, 1S-2C, 2D-2S, 3S-4S, and pard doubled (bless him).
2C was fourth suit forcing, but not forcing to game. When pard asked what 3S meant, Lew said "just three spades" and I almost fell out of my chair, but he just meant that it wasn't forcing, not that she had a three card suit.
Dummy was KQx ATxxx K 98xx
Pard led CA and, on seeing my CQ, had to guess. I think he went with the odds and took the non-winning continuation of a small club. I ruffed and led to DK. Declarer pitched CJ on HA and ruffed a heart., then played two high diamonds shaking clubs as I ruffed. Now what? This was my third day in a row of getting up at six AM, working about five hours, commuting one hour each way, playing two sessions, working another few hours at night and hardly sleeping, so I took a few seconds here. Also, the tempo at the table was nuts. We finished our fourth board about an hour after game time.
I returned ST and we were +500. She can get out for down one if I don't play a spade honor here.
[ Addendum, after several insightful comments. Doubler has already shown Hxx DJxxx CAKxxx, so his trumps are either void, stiff small, stiff J, two small, or Tx. The hands are, approximately:
Dummy: SKQ7 HTxx
RHO: SJT32 HKJ
Declarer: SA98 D432
LHO: HQT DJ Cx
Possible lines at this point:
a) win SA. If LHO shows out, declarer elopes four more trumps for down one. Otherwise, if LHO follows, declarer can play SQ and go down two, but that line is dominated by ruffing a diamond. Then:
a1) Play SK, making when LHO started with two trumps, down two otherwise.
a2) Try to cross ruff, down one when RHO has SJ, down two otherwise
b) win SQ. If LHO shows out, declarer elopes three more trumps for down two. Otherwise, if LHO follows:
b1) Play SA, ruff a diamond, ruff a heart, making when LHO follows to SA, otherwise down three
b2) Try to ruff a heart low, ruff a diamond low, cross ruff for down two if LHO has SJ, otherwise down three
b3) Try to ruff a heart low, ruff a diamond high, cross ruff for down two regardless of who has SJ
b4) Try to ruff a heart high, ruff a diamond low, cross ruff for down two if LHO has SJ otherwise down three
b5) Try to ruff a heart high, ruff a diamond high, cross ruff for down two regardless of who has SJ
| Line | LHO Spade Void | LHO Sx | LHO SJ | LHO Sxx | LHO SJx |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a1 | -200 | -500 | -500 | +790 | +790 |
| a2 | -200 | -200 | -500 | -200 | -500 |
| b1 | -500 | -800 | -800 | +790 | +790 |
| b2 | -500 | -800 | -500 | -800 | -500 |
| b3 | -500 | -500 | -500 | -500 | -500 |
| b4 | -500 | -800 | -500 | -800 | -500 |
| b5 | -500 | -500 | -500 | -500 | -500 |
Since line a1 dominates line b1, a2 dominates b2, b3, b4, and b5, we can narrow the matrix down to lines a1 and a2. Then, since the lines get the same results when LHO shows out or has singleton SJ (though why would I have led ST from remaining ST32?) we get:
| Line | LHO Sx | LHO Sxx | LHO SJx |
|---|---|---|---|
| a1 | -500 | +790 | +790 |
| a2 | -200 | -200 | -500 |
Then it's just a question of risk/reward, an assessment of how likely pard was to double 4S with Jx xx Jxxx AKxxx vs. xx xx Jxxx AKxxx vs. x Hxx Jxxx AKxxx, and what you think the result was at the other table.
If you think the other table will be around -200 (it was) then it's win 14 or 15 vs. lose 7, so he can't be more than twice as likely to double with the stiff spade for it to be right to try to make (leaving psychological effects aside, especially since I can't picture Lew getting flustered). Since I think the double is pretty wacky either way, even if you somehow knew that they might bid this way on a Moysian (this is hypthetical, based on pard holding one or two spades. I think his actual double, on a void, was brilliant.) I'm not sure how to estimate the probabilities.
If, for some reason, you think the other table will somehow make a game, it seems clear to to try to make via line a1.
]
And we were still stuck 10 at the half.
We had seating rights, so we changed opps, putting our (very) slow pair against JoAnna. And they finished several boards ahead of us!
The first two boards of the set were the most interesting, to me.
1) 3rd, none, x A KQ9xxx KJTxx
P-P-?
I tried 3D and went +130. On a good day I'd job them out of 4M, but pard had AJx Jxxxx Jx 9xx.
2) 2nd, unfavorable
xx Kx AKTx AKQxx
We bid, uncontested, 2N-3H, 3S-5N, 6C-6S, 6N-P. On H9 lead (2nd and 4th leads. I'm told that's standard in Poland, though neither opp was from Poland), I had to find 12 tricks.
AKQxx Qxx xxx Jx
xx Kx AKTx AKQxx
I took a long time at trick one. That's not always pleasant, but it's much better than playing the first five tricks quickly and agonizing over the next seven when you've already blown the contract.
I finally decided to play HQ, so I could rectify the count for a squeeze. Love would call it a simple squeeze played as a double (actually a non-simultaneous double squeeze). RHO returned a diamond so I hopped A, ran four clubs pitching diamonds, cashed HK, and played the last club. LHO kept the last heart, so I pitched dummy's heart and RHO, who started life with STxxx and DQJx gave up a diamond, +1440. He disagreed with LHO's apology (a spade lead and a spade continuation would set the contract [technically he'd have to underlead SJx, but they do play 2nd and 4th...]) but perhaps he was trying to make him feel better.
The bad news: As you have, no doubt, already realized, RHO's STxxx HA DQJx is way too much to guard. If I had ducked in dummy at trick one, I would have made 13 tricks on a routine progressive squeeze, as JoAnna did at the other table. Win HQ, cash five clubs pitching two diamonds and a heart, and RHO has to come down to seven cards, as I stare at my 2D, 5C, 1H, and 3S. If he pitches a pointy card that releases tricks 12 and 13. If he pitches HA I play a heart to dummy, squeezing him again.
[Editor's note: I realized right after I wrote the following paragraph that it was in error. Unfortunately, I was already away from my keyboard. In the interest of journalistic integrity I'll leave it as written, but note that the progressive squeeze does work, since you can pitch two diamonds and a heart from dummy on the clubs, and still have a diamond in dummy, since there hasn't been a diamond play on this line.]
Do you believe that? You shouldn't. Dummy would be out of diamonds, so I wouldn't be able to get back to my hand. I could still cash out 12 tricks, of course, but JoAnna's 720 was due to my teammate's spade pitch. Big deal, you say, but if I hadn't gotten to slam I would have been +690, lost one imp instead of winning 12, and tied the match! That would have been a big overtrick. A big FOURTH overtrick.
In case you're wondering why they missed slam: my other teammate psyched a STRONG NT OVERCALL!!!!
Well done. The previous session he said something like "I can't BELIEVE the opps missed that slam" and I pointed out I had semi-psyched an opening. I have to say he's a quick learner. Or something. P-1C-1N on:
Jx T9xxxx xxx xx
Wow. He's a man. A REAL man.
Also note that your grandmother would have taken 3S, 5C, 4D (double finesse and a 3-3 break) to make six or seven, depending on wehther they ducked a heart.
In the finals we played a team with, I believe, five national champions (O'Rourke, who'd just knocked off Meltzer).
She played reasonably well in the first half, and we were stuck six when she finished her play for the day.
Things didn't really go our way in either set, and we lost by 30, but tell me if it was all (or in part?) luck.
7) 4th, both
x KJxxxxxTx Jxx
1D-1S-P-?
At the other table they played 1S, for 110. I transferred to hearts and bid game when pard cue bid.
LHO cashed DA, CA, DK, and continued a diamond to her partner's jack.
AKxxx Ax Q9xx Kx
x KJxxxxx Tx Jxx
I ruffed, played HA, H and LHO popped HT. Now what?
Here's my guess of how this decision is made, by bracket.
Bracket III) Eight ever, nine never
Bracket II) Nine never, AND opener has most of the points and rates to have the queen
Bracket I (losing finalist) LHO has at most two hearts, so she won't open 1D with three (unless she's nuts and loved her 4=2=3=4 with DAK, but she didn't seem that imaginative/flighty). That means she has exactly four diamonds, so she's either 4=1=4=4 or she has two hearts. That leaves 4=2=4=3 or 3=2=4=4 or even 2=2=4=5. Those are way more likely, a priori. Of course she already showed 11 HCP, so if she had SQ or CQ show wouldn't have HQ (she'd have a strong NT). Decisions, decisions. Going with the theme of the day, I played for the drop and she pitched. --100 for lose 5.
Second set:
2) 1st, favorable
Pard: Axxx Axxx Ax xxx
Len: KJxx K Kxx AKJxx
We bid, uncontested, 1C-1H, 1S-3S (forcing), 4N-5D (0 or 3), 5S-6S, P
I signed off slowly in 5S, after convincing myself that pard would treat 5S as a queen ask if he had three key cards, even though we'd never discussed it. RHO called the cops when pard bid slam over my slow "signoff" but when I pointed out 5D was 0 or 3 he said "Why did you let me call the director and look like an idiot?"
6S certainly isn't cold, particularly when LHO has CQxxx, but RHO's stiff club was too attractive so he led it.
Face up.
Out of turn.
Len: Gee, mr. director, while you're here...
Matt: You have six options
Len: What's #6
Mattt: Cancel the hesitation.
Great. I called for a club lead, won my jack, and slam just got a lot better. The correct safety play is to cash SK, then lead up to dummy's A9, but since dummy didn't have the nine, LHO's SQT9x scuttled the contract. In fact, he pulled out a double card on the second round of trumps. So funny...
At the other table, they bid 1C-1H, 2N-some checkback, and got to 4S. They made exactly 420 (not "finding" the CQ, as I did). That's a 21 IMP swing.
It would have been nice to win, but it wasn't in the cards yesterday. I had fun, and we finished early (yay!) but my wife was playing pairs and I had to wait over an hour (boo!).
