Strawberry Killing Fields

Hi all

Last Saturday we went on a fruit picking tour through Brentwood. I felt like a 4 year old again ravaging through my grandma’s strawberry garden. About 30 years ago my parents took the same pic, nothing ever really changes.

Here’s a tiny deal from a team’s game in Oakland. It was a remarkable event, not only for us winning it, but in addition to the boatload of unpigmented masterpoints I already have, I now have collected enough pigmented points too to call myself a Life Master. Wow! Spotlights on me!

Ugh.

Back to reality.

I was sitting South and this is what I heard and saw:

West
North
East
South
 
 
1
pass
pass
Double
1
pass
2
a.p.
 
 
 
East
AKQ5
AJ
KJT98
64
South
T632
K8
76543
AT

Geoff led the 2 (odd leads) and while declarer takes stock, I try to piece together both other hands. So Geoff has a five card suit, and probably four as well. And I’m pretty sure that for his double he has at most a singleton , he would overcall instead. That must be the stiff Ace or West would have responded to his partner’s opening. So that leaves declarer with a 1-4-2-6 distribution, and yes, that matches to the auction too.

Declarer asks for dummy’s Jack and I win with the King. A to Geoff’s Ace and another for dummy. Now declarer rattles of three top pitching two himself. A low is requested from dummy…

I thought I had figured it all out when I rose with the Ace of , gave Geoff a ruff and tried to uppercut anything by ruffing the with the Ten. But it didn’t. Declarer simply overruffed with the Jack and lost another trick to Geoff’s high trump, 2 making.

In gun terms this is what happened, I drew the gun from holster and aimed ( switch to Geoff), pulled the trigger (rising with trump Ace), and then put my bullet in the chamber (ruffing with the Ten).

In retrospect it’s all so easy. First let Geoff win with one of his top trumps instead of going up myself (loading the bullet), then get the desired ruff with trump Ace (pulling the trigger). Now a through and Geoff’s little trump gets a promotion (bang!). The top trump is then the setting trick (the bad guy is dead now).

East Dealer
– Vul
North
J984
QT642
A
KQ8
West
7
9753
Q2
J97532
East
AKQ5
AJ
KJT98
64
South
T632
K8
76543
AT

It’s a funny little deal, 2 in an eight card fit with trumps splitting doesn’t make, but it takes pretty wicked defence to hold 2 (only seven trumps together with a nasty split) to eight tricks.

Fringe

Hi all

Bridge Big has launched their open beta. René promised the team is zealously committed to fixing bugs, smoothing the user experience, adding more features and solving the “table hopper” problem. With decent exposure in national and international magazines, an article on www.bridgetopics.com and Zia as evangelist they shouldn’t have a hard time establishing a large (and hopefully faithful) userbase.

Here’s a deal from the San Francisco sectional that has been giving me head ache:

West
North
East
South
3
3
pass
???
South
872
AQT2
A9862
Q

After partner has overcalled the first problem arises: where to bin your hand? Is it a top heavy invite? Investigate other games than 5? Or enter a slammish sequence perhaps? But those three small are a bit smelly…

At the table I bid a loaded 4, hoping partner would bid (a natural) 4, perhaps 4NT with a softish hand, or continue to 5 with a control rich hand. The result was the same at both tables: 5 down 1.

West Dealer
NS Vul
North
T643
KJ
KQJT7
AJ
West
Q
653
53
KT98642
East
AKJ95
9874
4
753
South
872
AQT2
A9862
Q

It bothers me quite a lot that I can’t figure out a way to reach a sensible contract. Expert players and established partnerships offer me a broad range of answers, but most of them do something slammish. Opposite hands like:

North
AKx
Kx
KQxxx
xxx

Slam is laydown.

I guess I just have to accept that the deal above is a fringe. And that a slammish sequence (say 5) is an IMP positive action.

Mind Games

Hi all

I’m indulging, [read sigh of complete satisfaction here.] But I don’t think I will be rested and recharged when I get back to Berkeley. It has been a wild stew of travel, beer, little sleep (in lots of different beds), and way too much attention. Thanks friends & family, you were all wonderful company!

You’re at the helm of a modest 2 contract.

West
North
East
South
 
 
 
pass
pass
1NT
pass
2
21
pass
pass
22
a.p.
 
 
 

1. Attempt at suicide, because red vs. white
2. Weak with both Majors

North
AJ9
AQ8
AJ42
JT9
South
QT83
T9532
6
762

West leads the 9 (zero or two above), and you see it’s a healthy contract. You win the Ace and ruff a to your hand, East showing up with the Queen. A small trump towards dummy and the King makes his appearance.

You take stock for a second. But that 1-4 trump break doesn’t pose a problem to you. Confident you have analyzed and formulated an endplay in trumps. You ruff another (East discarding a ), and you hook the , losing to the King. East now cashes Ace and Queen and continues a third for West’s King. You win the switch in dummy and this is the position:

North
9
Q8
J
South
QT
T9

Count complete, East is 3-4-2-4. Just string off your and when East ruffs he is endplayed to lead away from the Jack.

Wait…!

West has a small surprise up his sleeve. That trump King was accompanied by a small one all the time, so the third gets guerilla ruffed. And East still has a guarded trump Jack… Down 1.

South Dealer
EW Vul
North
AJ9
AQ8
AJ42
JT9
West
64
K7
KT9853
K53
East
K752
J64
Q7
AQ84
South
QT83
T9532
6
762

I don’t like to meekly lay my head low, so I smoothly inserted the King of trumps. Give the pot a good stir. And fortunately my RHO was of the right caliber to not panic and resolve the apparent trump position.