Problems down under

I'm on a bridge mailing list. Most of the traffic consists of someone sending out a list of problems (read: errors their partner made) and collating the responses. Fred, from Australia, always posts problems that start like this (note, this is real. At least I didn't make it up):

"Favourable vul
Partner in first seat opens 2C = 0-4HCP almost any distribution

You hold QT9642 AQ54 void 432

a) next hand doubles – what do you bid?"

Etc.


Anyway, here's a little something from the real world, where we're rightside up.

Playing in a sectional matchpoint pairs against weak opposition:

15) 1st, unfavorable
T53 KQT76 K972 9

P-1C-1N-3S, ?

It seems ridiculous to bid 3N or 4H, but pass doesn't seem right, either. I decided to double and blame pard. +300 against our red game. Should pard pull with:

AJ A95 AQJ5 JT54

or should RHO be locked up, bidding 3S with:

97642 8 64 K8632

LOVE those spots...

More From the Sectional

Three sectional matchpoint pairs deals:

25) 3rd, favorable
AK75 6543 3 7652

1D-P-1H-1S, 2H-2S-X-P, 3H-P-?

2H showed four hearts and extra values (a 15+ to 17 NT or equivalent in shape) so I thought I'd try for +200 doubling 2S. Pard pulled, so now what? I thought game should have good play, so I bid 4H and they led DA, pard tabled:

4 AKT9 QJ972 QT3
AK75 6543 3 7652

I don't think pard had a 1D opening in our system, but I rarely get a vote.

Opening leader continued DK and I ruffed. Ok, not the best defense, but I still haven't made the contract. I played HAK (they broke), ruffed a diamond, cashed SAK pitching a club, ruffed a spade, cashed DQJ, then led CQ. RHO, down to HQ and C8, staring to her right at dummy's HT and CT, drew the last trump! A fratricidal idiot squeeze! Her partner stewed and pitched his CK, so I made 4H. I guess he didn't want her to score trick 13 in case she had the long spade. 17/17.


26) 2nd, both
72 Q86543 AJ 752

Same opps bid 1S-2D, 3S-4C, 4H-5C, 6C-6S, P (2D isn't forcing to game).

What's your lead? Opps in stratified pairs don't bid slam without going through Blackwood very often, so I was afraid she had a diamond void.

And the DA went away. -1460. 2.5/17.


29) 3rd, both
K J9765 A KQ6542

P-P-1C-1D, X-P-?

Would you open 1C? What would you bid over pard's negative double. 1H is a punt. 2H shows you'd cheerfully raise a 1H response to 2H. I suppose three or four hearts would be the value bid, but my pard likes to bid a lot, so I gave her some room with a 2H call. She jumped to 4H with:

Q983 A842 K964 7

How would that play opposite a normal hand, like Kxx Jxxx Ax KQxx? With decent breaks a spade lead would probably set me two.


Deals from the sectional Sunday swiss:

32) 3rd, unfavorable
K Txxx AQ97 AK52

RHO opened 1N and played there. I led C2. Dummy tabled CQ98x and declarer played small. Pard ducked with CJx. I think I show a good suit when I lead a minor against notrump, particularly since we agreed to lead 9 from 98xx or 7 from 97xx, etc, so I think pard shouldn't have ducked. The didn't even, necessarily, cost a trick, but when declarer fired back CT I hopped king and, finally, saw pard's jack. Oops.


15) 4th, favorable
AKJxxxx ATx KJ A

1D-P-P-?

I doubled and bid 4S over pard's 1H. Seemed right at the time, though it looks a little goofy in retrospect.

Txx Jxxxx xxx Qx
AKJxxxx ATx KJ A

I got a trump lead and RHO popped SQ. Now what? It sure looks like LHO has DAQ, so I don't want RHO to get in. If hearts break 3-2, with split honors, I can always make if I guess the shape. I can draw trump with ST and lead through RHO's doubleton honor, or i can lead a small heart from hand through LHO's doubleton honor, then finesse through his partner or play for the drop, depending on whether he flies second hand. Of course he might have HKQx, but he might not.

Knowing these opps (before they match they told my partner I was the third best player in the bay area, after the two of them. I'm not sure what they meant, best at what?) I was pretty sure I had a better line available. I cashed CA, drew trump with ST, and ran CQ pitching a heart. He was "endplayed" and exited a heart that, for no particular reason, was ducked to my T. +420 for a...push. RHO and I raced to tell LHO the good news: if he'd exited HK from HKx(x) he'd have set the contract.

Luckily, some weird stuff happened at the other table, and we got blitzed by exactly 28. They won the event and we ended up fifth. But we got pumpkin cheesecake pie at the split.

Pwned again.


9) Unfavorable, 2nd
QJxx ATxx Ax xxx

2S-P-P-X, ?

I wanted to try Stayman with a stopper, but hearts didn't rate to be better than NT, so I just Lebensohled into 3N. As expected, pard tabled an 11 count.

xx K9x QJxx KQTx
QJxx ATxx Ax xxx

Fine. I didn't really want to play 3H anyway. Maybe I should have swung for +200. I got a diamond lead and won DQ. I won SQ and CK. So far, so good. Another spade and RHO hopped then got (too) busy with HJ from HJxx. I ended with 4H, 1S, 2D, 2C. An easy +600 for win 11.

11) None, 2nd
xx - JT9xxxx KT9x

1H-3D-X-4D, 4S-5D-6H-P, P-P

5D was...enterprising. Your lead?

Pard found a club, declarer played the hand better than expected, and I looked like a genius for not doubling with DA and HKxxx, holding the loss to 11 IMPs. Easy come, easy go.


34) 1st, favorable
Axxxx AT Qxx Axx

1N-4C, 4N-7D, P

Pard was super happy with this deal, for a few reasons:

a) He got to lead DQ off dummy, stare at his RHO's discard, shrug, play DA, and smile as LHO dropped the king. What a showman.

b) He got to lecture our teammate, who often complains Gerber is useless.
"We have this GREAT convention that got us to 7D! I bid 4C and pard shows how many aces he has...etc."


12) 3rd, favorable
AKQx AKxxx Txxx -

P-P-1H-P, 1S-2C-?

4C seems obvious, but if LHO took an unfavorable sac in 5C and we got +200 (or -750 or even -50 in 5S) I'd have a long ride home (with her and pard!). So, since pard's a passed hand and slam's unlikely, I tried 4S, showing a balanced 20 count. Pard tanked about a minute then passed.

+420.

Backlogged deals from the club

1) 3rd, none
KTxx JTxxxxx xx -

1S-X-3H-5D, P-P-P

3H was fitted, invitational or better! Was I supposed to bid 3S? 4S? By agreement, 3H does not set up a force. Pard had AJxxxx Q KT QJxx. Should she double 5D showing extra values? Should I pass that? We went +200, but +500 would have been better. Going down in 5S would have been worse.


11) 1st, none
Tx x KQJxxx T9xx

3D-3N, P

Pard had KJx Qxx Axx KQxx. Where's the feet? Even if, first seat white, I delivered the proverbial DKQJT987, where would she find another two tricks? As it happens she went down three.


19) 1st, favorable
K AQxxx AJT7 KJx

1H-1S, 2D-3C, 4N-6D, P

4N was quantitative.

Axxxx 9 Axxxx Ax
K AQxxx KJT7 KJx

I won the spade lead in hand and cashed DK. This was the first board of the night, and when pard's nemesis, on my left, showed out on the first round of trumps, I was afraid it would be a long, long session. Luckily, for the first time ever, RHO had the shape I hoped (3=3=4=3) and I eloped 12 tricks.

SK, DK, HA, H ruff, CA, CK, H ruff, SA, S ruff, C ruff, S. RHO ruffed small and I overruffed, then led a heart and won the trick (that means I played the trump ace. Somebody I know finds that unbelievably funny, though I'm not sure why), RHO underruffing, and gave RHO trick 13 with DQ. +920 for 6.5/8.


20) +1700. Enough said.

I bet you're wondering why LHO is pard's nemesis?

21) It went 1D-2C-P-? and LHO, with four clubs and an opener, jumped to 4C, for +130, leaving us a paltry 2/8 matchpoints. Sigh.



24) 4th, none
K98x Q Axx Qxxxx

1C-1H-P-1N, P-P-P

xxx AKxxx QJ87 x
K98x Q Axx Qxxxx

LHO led a club to his partner's king. He returned SQ, ducked. He played SJ-x-A-x, and LHO returned ST! Weird, but nice. I cashed my long spade, won HQ, led to DQ, cashed HAK, DA, and led to LHO's DK. He had to give me CQ at trick 13. +120.