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Sunday Swiss
But first, results from Monday's swiss. The deals were ridiculous, but here's the strangest distribution of matchpoints I recall:
That's 67%, an average of 5.4/8, SD of 2.9 matchpoints per board on an 8 top.
In our last round we scored 0, 0, 8. That's an SD of 4.6, the "best" you can do in a three board round. (For math geeks, I'm using the unbiased estimator for the population SD, because it's bigger and more impressive. I have no idea which population I'm estimating...)
Here are some deals from the swiss. We blitzed the winners, and needed them to lose by 17 in the last match. Or so we thought. They lost by one IMP, but finished over two minutes late, for a two VP penalty. If they had played seven IMPs worse, or three minutes slower, we would have won the event.
We spent Saturday night in Livermore, with a friend and former partner of my partner's. On the drive back to the game, she said to her "The three years we played bridge together were the worst years of my life." She wasn't blaming my partner, just making an observation about other stuff, but I think it might, possibly, not have been phrased optimally.
Then she blitzed us. And lost the rest of her matches. I'm not sure what lesson to take away.
1) 4th, none
Tx KTxxxx Kxx Qx
P-2N-P-?
2N is 19+ to 21-. My partner transferred and raised to 4H, a mild slam try in our methods. I had the full 19, so I jumped to 6H and made seven on a non-diamond lead. With some partners I play a direct 4D as the mild slam try, and RHO might well have doubled with her DQT, then if LHO underled his DA he'd have set the contract. Freaky.
11) 4th, none
KQ852 J93 52 642
P-1H-P-?
I raised to 2H, pard bid game and went down. My teammate said she liked my 2H bid (the correct statement to make at the end of the third match regardless of her true opinion) but I didn't. I wrote to Kokish about this sort of thing a while ago, and it went something like this:
a) I said "standard" is for 1H-1S, 1N-2H to show the same hand as 1H-1S, 2D-3H, normally played as a three card limit raise (with at least four spades), then asked if that makes sense.
b) He said no. He said burying a good five card spade suit isn't productive, so he plays 1H-1S, 1N-2H can be this hand.
Or course he doesn't "play" at all, so that's a bit misleading.
c) I pointed out that he bid 2H with a hand like this in the CTC in the late 70's and, cheerfully, he pointed out that some time had passed. He also granted that with a good eight count or so you can't afford to bid 1S and now you have to raise hearts directly.
I'm not convinced of much, except that I can't hope for anyone to remember the Kokish treatment, or even agree to it.
13) 2nd, both
T93 J74 63 Q9873
Pard opened 2N 19+ to 21-, and I passed, suggesting he'd take an odd number of tricks. I was right. The number was eleven, though. Weird.
14) 1st, none
T82 T8xx Axx AKx
1C-1S, 1N-2D, 2H-3N, ?
I learned from the Culbertson blue book, so I don't pass hands with three quick tricks. On the other hand, I wasn't too optimistic about taking ten tricks (I mean, sure, pard's unlimited, but if he has a ton of extras either game will make). I passed. At least that would save us from pard's delay of game penalty.
AK976 Qxx KJT xx
T82 T8xx Axx AKx
Be careful what you wish for. I wished for, in order:
a) 3N to be a better contract than 4S
b) A club lead
I got both. I SHOULD have wished that I win IMPs. Oops.
I won the first club, ran S8, and it held. Neat. I led ST-x-? I couldn't, really, afford to rise, so I ran it to RHO's J. Shoot. He played to his partner's HK, and he cleared clubs and I ran the spades, as RHO pitched three diamonds. I played LHO for the DQ but RHO had stiffed it and claimed the last three tricks, and I lost two IMPs against 4S -1! Sigh. LHO gave him a hearty "Nice defense!" but if I had any class I would have played for the red strip squeeze. Of course I could always have guessed DQ, but he made it difficult.
28) 1D-P-1S-2H, X-3D-4S-P, P-?
a) What does 3D show?
b) Did it set up a force?
In my opinion, 3D is natural. In my opinion, pard would NEVER play 3D to be natural, and he probably thought it was the same as 2S: a strong heart raise. In my opinion, that sets up a force.
Pard did think it was a cue bid, but didn't think it set up a force, so we missed our unfavorable sac, and our six IMP gain. Well, we won one IMP anyway, so...
For those paying attention, yes, we were unfavorable on board 28, since we changed directions this match. For those really paying attention, yes, we changed directions so a teammate wouldn't have to play against her father. Of course that meant I had to play against him, but that's what happens when you neglect to make yourself captain.
We went into the last match in third place, playing the second place team. Due to the spread, we knew that a loss meant third, a win meant second, a big win might mean first. So here were the first two boards:
5) 2nd, favorable
Qxx AKTx AKx xxx
(2S)-2N-3C, 3H-3S, 3N-4C, 4D-4H, P
3C was Stayman, the rest undiscussed. Pard thought 3S showed a slam try in hearts, and I suppose that's "clear". It seems pretty obvious that it's my fault we stayed out of slam.
x QJxx xxx AKQJx
Qxx AKTx AKx xxx
I got a trump lead, and a trump continuation on a spade play, and the hearts were 4-1, but it was still easy to make six. Ugh. Hard to say pard underbid.
[BTW, I think clubs and hearts are round, diamonds and spades are pointy. Rounded and pointed are verbs. Does anyone refer to hearts and diamonds as reddened? I supposed clubs and spades are blackened, at least in New Orleans...]
6) 1st, unfavorable
AQJTxxx A Kxxx K
1S-1N, 4S-P
x Qx Axxx ATxxxx
AQJTxxx A Kxxx K
LHO had DQTx and CQJx(x), so on a heart lead I won, fooled around in trumps, ruffed the heart return, cashed CK, and ran trumps for the minor squeeze (minored squeeze?) to make six. If he'd switched to a diamond when he got in, I'd have had to play for the positional squeeze, and that would have worked. It takes a diamond opening lead and continuation to set 6S.
I was a little disappointed during the next six boards, but it turns out we picked up 23 IMPs on them. And we won one IMP on each of the first two boards! Shows what I know...
| Number of boards | Matchpoints per board |
|---|---|
| 7 | 8 |
| 2 | 7.5 |
| 3 | 7 |
| 4 | 6.5 |
| 1 | 6 |
| 2 | 4 |
| 2 | 3.5 |
| 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 2.5 |
| 1 | 1 |
| 3 | 0 |
That's 67%, an average of 5.4/8, SD of 2.9 matchpoints per board on an 8 top.
In our last round we scored 0, 0, 8. That's an SD of 4.6, the "best" you can do in a three board round. (For math geeks, I'm using the unbiased estimator for the population SD, because it's bigger and more impressive. I have no idea which population I'm estimating...)
Here are some deals from the swiss. We blitzed the winners, and needed them to lose by 17 in the last match. Or so we thought. They lost by one IMP, but finished over two minutes late, for a two VP penalty. If they had played seven IMPs worse, or three minutes slower, we would have won the event.
We spent Saturday night in Livermore, with a friend and former partner of my partner's. On the drive back to the game, she said to her "The three years we played bridge together were the worst years of my life." She wasn't blaming my partner, just making an observation about other stuff, but I think it might, possibly, not have been phrased optimally.
Then she blitzed us. And lost the rest of her matches. I'm not sure what lesson to take away.
1) 4th, none
Tx KTxxxx Kxx Qx
P-2N-P-?
2N is 19+ to 21-. My partner transferred and raised to 4H, a mild slam try in our methods. I had the full 19, so I jumped to 6H and made seven on a non-diamond lead. With some partners I play a direct 4D as the mild slam try, and RHO might well have doubled with her DQT, then if LHO underled his DA he'd have set the contract. Freaky.
11) 4th, none
KQ852 J93 52 642
P-1H-P-?
I raised to 2H, pard bid game and went down. My teammate said she liked my 2H bid (the correct statement to make at the end of the third match regardless of her true opinion) but I didn't. I wrote to Kokish about this sort of thing a while ago, and it went something like this:
a) I said "standard" is for 1H-1S, 1N-2H to show the same hand as 1H-1S, 2D-3H, normally played as a three card limit raise (with at least four spades), then asked if that makes sense.
b) He said no. He said burying a good five card spade suit isn't productive, so he plays 1H-1S, 1N-2H can be this hand.
Or course he doesn't "play" at all, so that's a bit misleading.
c) I pointed out that he bid 2H with a hand like this in the CTC in the late 70's and, cheerfully, he pointed out that some time had passed. He also granted that with a good eight count or so you can't afford to bid 1S and now you have to raise hearts directly.
I'm not convinced of much, except that I can't hope for anyone to remember the Kokish treatment, or even agree to it.
13) 2nd, both
T93 J74 63 Q9873
Pard opened 2N 19+ to 21-, and I passed, suggesting he'd take an odd number of tricks. I was right. The number was eleven, though. Weird.
14) 1st, none
T82 T8xx Axx AKx
1C-1S, 1N-2D, 2H-3N, ?
I learned from the Culbertson blue book, so I don't pass hands with three quick tricks. On the other hand, I wasn't too optimistic about taking ten tricks (I mean, sure, pard's unlimited, but if he has a ton of extras either game will make). I passed. At least that would save us from pard's delay of game penalty.
AK976 Qxx KJT xx
T82 T8xx Axx AKx
Be careful what you wish for. I wished for, in order:
a) 3N to be a better contract than 4S
b) A club lead
I got both. I SHOULD have wished that I win IMPs. Oops.
I won the first club, ran S8, and it held. Neat. I led ST-x-? I couldn't, really, afford to rise, so I ran it to RHO's J. Shoot. He played to his partner's HK, and he cleared clubs and I ran the spades, as RHO pitched three diamonds. I played LHO for the DQ but RHO had stiffed it and claimed the last three tricks, and I lost two IMPs against 4S -1! Sigh. LHO gave him a hearty "Nice defense!" but if I had any class I would have played for the red strip squeeze. Of course I could always have guessed DQ, but he made it difficult.
28) 1D-P-1S-2H, X-3D-4S-P, P-?
a) What does 3D show?
b) Did it set up a force?
In my opinion, 3D is natural. In my opinion, pard would NEVER play 3D to be natural, and he probably thought it was the same as 2S: a strong heart raise. In my opinion, that sets up a force.
Pard did think it was a cue bid, but didn't think it set up a force, so we missed our unfavorable sac, and our six IMP gain. Well, we won one IMP anyway, so...
For those paying attention, yes, we were unfavorable on board 28, since we changed directions this match. For those really paying attention, yes, we changed directions so a teammate wouldn't have to play against her father. Of course that meant I had to play against him, but that's what happens when you neglect to make yourself captain.
We went into the last match in third place, playing the second place team. Due to the spread, we knew that a loss meant third, a win meant second, a big win might mean first. So here were the first two boards:
5) 2nd, favorable
Qxx AKTx AKx xxx
(2S)-2N-3C, 3H-3S, 3N-4C, 4D-4H, P
3C was Stayman, the rest undiscussed. Pard thought 3S showed a slam try in hearts, and I suppose that's "clear". It seems pretty obvious that it's my fault we stayed out of slam.
x QJxx xxx AKQJx
Qxx AKTx AKx xxx
I got a trump lead, and a trump continuation on a spade play, and the hearts were 4-1, but it was still easy to make six. Ugh. Hard to say pard underbid.
[BTW, I think clubs and hearts are round, diamonds and spades are pointy. Rounded and pointed are verbs. Does anyone refer to hearts and diamonds as reddened? I supposed clubs and spades are blackened, at least in New Orleans...]
6) 1st, unfavorable
AQJTxxx A Kxxx K
1S-1N, 4S-P
x Qx Axxx ATxxxx
AQJTxxx A Kxxx K
LHO had DQTx and CQJx(x), so on a heart lead I won, fooled around in trumps, ruffed the heart return, cashed CK, and ran trumps for the minor squeeze (minored squeeze?) to make six. If he'd switched to a diamond when he got in, I'd have had to play for the positional squeeze, and that would have worked. It takes a diamond opening lead and continuation to set 6S.
I was a little disappointed during the next six boards, but it turns out we picked up 23 IMPs on them. And we won one IMP on each of the first two boards! Shows what I know...