Yosemite

Hi all

No news regarding my ACBL/masterpoints problem. Tomorrow we’ll be heading to Yosemite park for a short break. Don’t be jealous, you can have our magnificent views on your screen too, here.

A week ago I played with my old Viking partner René at Quick Tricks in San Francisco. We didn’t play any Norsk gadgets, because we hadn’t played together in ages. But some of the old agreements were still very alive and present. We both remembered playing unleaddirecting doubles for a solid (but a little boring) top.

Here’s a nice little partscore:

South
6
KJ84
KQJ85
AQ7

 
West and North are silent but East opens a 11-15 NT in 3rd seat. I have to decide whether to double or show the natural way. I was a bit afraid partner might run (possibly to ) if I doubled so I bid 2 to clean up my own mess. Everybody is fine with that. West kicks off with the 9.

North
JT7542
T3
6
K863

South
6
KJ84
KQJ85
AQ7

 
I ask for the  Ten in dummy and East wins with the Ace. Back comes a small trump and my King wins the trick. I don’t see any reason not to draw trump and my Queen loses to East’s Ace. East’s King of wins and I ruff the second round, making a mental note when West drops the Ace. I get a small shake when my Jack draws just one small trump, East showing out.

I ponder for a while, and then the solution hits me. West is 2-3-5-3 (or 2-2-5-4 if East is insane).

I play three rounds of to see what distribution West has. If he has four I can ruff a with my remaining small trump, thus scoring two tricks in + two ruffs + three tricks and the King of . If he holds only three I can try to ruff a , then if West overruffs he’s forced to play into my tenace for the same number of tricks.

West Dealer
All Vul
North
JT7542
T3
6
K863
West
A8
962
T9432
J94
East
KQ93
AQ75
A7
T52
South
6
KJ84
KQJ85
AQ7

I was happy with +90.

(Dis)Qualified, part 3

Hi all

People are investigating. I might go to Washington and play in the GNT this summer, or I might not.

I wanted to be honest and upfront with the ACBL about my bridge experience in The Netherlands. In return I get burdened with too many points, with the result I’m not eligible anymore for almost any tournament, except open ones. By the way, please ask me if I got a fair chance to appeal the decision of “awarding” me 5000 points.

Alright, enough sadness. I’m happy I can say that I have some very competent and aware people fighting for my case.

In this slam you can picture the play already during the bidding:

North
A9653
K6
A865
AK

West
North
East
South
 
11
pass
2NT2
pass
33
pass
34
pass
33
pass
35
pass
43
pass
46
pass
4NT3
pass
57
pass
68
a.p.
 

1. Big
2. 4441 with a red singleton, 8-11 or 15+
3. Relay
4. Singleton , 8-11 hcp
5. 1 Ace
6. 1 King (not King because of singleton)
7. No Queens
8. No need to play, I can almost claim this

From the bidding I have a clear picture of the play. Ruff three in dummy and then draw trumps with King and Ace. If they split we have everything.

This was the complete deal:

North Dealer
– Vul
North
A9653
K6
A865
AK
West
T
Q85
J9742
T752
East
Q72
JT73
KT3
Q93
South
KJ84
A942
Q
J864

West led his stiff trump, solving the trump problem. Greg ruffed two in his hand and drew the other two outstanding trumps. Next he tried to apply some pressure by playing more trumps. This is the situation with one more trump to go:

North Dealer
– Vul
North
5
6
8
West
Q8
J
East
JT
Q
South
A9
J

A nice double squeeze for a fine +1010.

Qualified, part 2

Hi all

No progress whatsoever with the ACBL. I’m a little scared that they will be vigilant about my Dutch masterpoints, and I can’t foresee what will happen then with my/our qualification. In The Netherlands I have some 5000 points, and that would put me in the top 15% of all Dutch bridge players. But 5000 US eligibility points would catapult me in the top 1% of all US players. That kind of conversion just doesn’t make sense.

It’s funny, I sort of want the ACBL to acknowledge I’m a crappy player and hand me the correct amount of masterpoints, so I’m allowed to play in Flight B after all. Another option is that they promote us to Flight A… (but that’s unlikely, I guess). It’s a strange world.

Here’s another spectacular deal:

South
A863
KT62
AQJ
AK

West
North
East
South
 
11
pass
1NT2
pass
23
pass
24
pass
2NT5
pass
34
pass
3NT6
pass
44
pass
47
pass
4NT4
pass
58
pass
6NT9
a.p.
 
 
 

1. 11-13 bal, or unbal 4+ , or any 4441
2. GF relay trigger
3. 4 crd suit 11-13 bal, possibly 4441
4. Relay
5. 4 crd suit
6. 4-4-4-1
7. 1 Ace
8. 1 King
9. NT plays just as good, I’m not interested in any ruffs.

Greg received a passive lead and this is what he could see.

North
JT75
AQJ4
K963
7

South
A863
KT62
AQJ
AK

You have eleven tricks from top, you only need to conjure one extra trick from the suit.

Greg took a couple of and tricks and with no extra information he asked for the Jack of from dummy. East was fumbling through her cards and Greg got excited cause there was a right decision to take. He thought. Until East discarded a . He quickly claimed down one.

North Dealer
All Vul
North
JT75
AQJ4
K963
7
West
KQ942
97
T852
J8
East
853
74
QT965432
South
A863
KT62
AQJ
AK

Because the split 2-8 twelve tricks are cold. You take all reds and both tricks ending in dummy, and when you run the Jack West gets endplayed. But you need the to split this way to have this line work.

But as quickly as Greg claimed down one, he wrote +3 on the score sheet. Why? He trusted the opponents to arrive in a suit slam, and our teammates would Lightner double that for a lead. He was spot on.

Qualified, part 1

Hi all

Last weekend another GNT qualifier, this time a six person team in flight B. I’ll start with the good news: our team won the qualifier and we’re headed for Washington this summer. Yay!

Here’s a spectacular deal:

North
AQJ9652
AJ73
A5

West
North
East
South
 
 
 
1NT1
pass
22
pass
2NT3
pass
34
pass
35
pass
44
pass
46
pass
44
pass
57
pass
58
pass
5NT9
pass
610
a.p.
 

1. 10-12 balanced
2. GF relay trigger
3. No 4 crd Major, no 5 crd minor
4. Relay
5. 3-2-4-4
6. 0 Aces
7. 3 Kings
8. Superrelay (what King are you missing?)
9. In the suit most likely:
10. I have a loser

Greg’s hand kept improving during the bidding. When I showed three Kings he saw possibilities of a grand: two ruffs in the short hand. That would have been pure magic.

Full deal:

South Dealer
– Vul
North
AQJ9652
AJ73
A5
West
T3
T542
JT84
Q83
East
7
KQ9
A9532
J762
South
K84
86
KQ76
KT94

On the lead I discarded a from dummy and later I could I could pitch two more on my high . Making twelve. I really like Greg’s superrelay to investigate the grand.

There are a few caveats left for Washington, though. Someone at the ACBL has coughed up that my Dutch masterpoints are equivalent to those used in the US. That would mean I’m only eligible for flight A. But we’re trying to untangle that knot. And second, it is uncertain whether the kind of relay structure we intend to use is allowed in general or mid chart events (but I have lost track to figure out how those rulings are applied in the US).