NetNews Usenet Archive 1993 #3/NN_1993_3.iso/spool/rec/games/bridge/7578

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Subject: PSP #22.2
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Date: 26 Jan 93 16:00:03 GMT
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Problem 2.
M-Ps, none vul.
You, South, hold:
S-7   H-9   D-void   C-AKQT9865432
(note: the moderator claims this hand came up legitimately.  I have my
  doubts)

South     West      North     East
-----     ----      -----     ----
                               1NT
  ?

What call do you make?

First, Mark Starr's comments:
  This actually came up at the table, and my partner, operating, decided to
  try a double.  I won't discuss the rest of the subsequent disaster, but
  Allen is the only panelist who likes that bid.

  Cavelli rejects double, saing it's viable, "only if you have two deaf
  mutes at the table" and would mislead your partner.

  Which leaves us with the question of how many clubs to bid, and the panel
  likes everything from 3 to 6.

Some of the netters like 2C, so we'll start with that.

The bids:
(BB) 2C. I'm going to "walk the dog" with this one and keep bidding clubs as
   cheaply as possible. Maybe they'll double me at the 5 level? :-) Plus, I
   can listen to the auction and figure out how high to sac. Besides, pard
   could very well turn up with the remaining 15 HCP or so.

(MK) 2c. Hey! Both partner and LHO are void in clubs, so the auction
will not end there! I want to play in 5c-XX! The only problem is to
convince partner to let us play there :).

(IM)  2C.  It seems as if whenever I try "walking the dog" I end up with
yellow stuff all over me, but this hand seems suitable.  If LHO doesn't show
interest on this round I may have to jump later, but I hope to push them
into game and then "save".  (My regular partner is laughing, thinking about
the time I played 3H making 5 on a 9-bagger.  When will I ever learn.)

So much for the dog walkers :-)

Jim Phillips: 3C.  Staright out of the pages of "Bidding 11-card Suits for
Fun and Profit" by Walter Mitty.  Walter says 3C gives you the best chance
of getting doubled in 5C when you make it look like you're taking a unilateral
save.

(DV) 3C.  Reese has covered this pretty well.  You want to be allowed
        to play a club contract, preferably doubled.  I don't think
        it likely that the opponents will play in NT, and if I jump
        into the auction at the 5-level after passing somebody will
        smell a rat.  I'll bid as many clubs as necessary to take
        the contract.

Zakin: 4C. a tactical bid, and I hope I know what to do when partner doubles.

To which, Starr responds:
  Pull it, by all means.  The problem with these bids is they give the
  opposition plenty of time to find, say, their diamond slam over game.
  That seems far more likely than a double.  You are short in 3 suits
  which tye may have game.  If forced to guess at a higher level, they may
  pick the wrong one.

Only one netter suggested 4C, and for the wrong reason...

(PMC) 4C. Should be Gerber... [ rest deleted ]
Was I supposed to be bidding OVER a 1N call instead of OPPOSITE one?

[ Yes. -- MM]

Caravelli: 5C Since I have never held an 11-card suit since I've been playing
bridge, I have no idea what to bid.  So 5C it is.  If I'm supposed to do
something clever, it escapes me.  The only possible tactical bid is 4C which
will make your next bid sound more like a sacrifice.  Trouble is there may be
no next bid from anyone.  Only Gunther could figure out if partner has either
of the two major aces.

(KTL) 5C.  Bid what you know you can make.  I'm not sure how to get to six (or
even seven!) intelligently.  I could double first, but it is more than likely
they have a fit in one or both majors.  Who knows, I might even get doubled
myself.  More than likely the opponent have no agreements on this auction.

(GL)  5C .  Wild guess but who knows what to do?
This at least takes up bidding room.

(DK) 5 clubs.  I don't think East will be playing in NT and
 they may have slam in any suit. 5 clubs sounds like a pre-empt
 West is going to have a hard time bidding anything but double.

(TR) 5C

(LA) 5C. Call me a coward or unimaginative, there is no reason not to bid 5C.
   If partner does not double in the next round I bid again.

(JTW) 5C.

(JH) 5C.  Not much of a lead director opposite partner's void, but
the opponents might have a hard time finding a good fit even if it
exists.  They might double.

(RB) 5C. I could be clever or tactical here,
but its possible I might buy it here doubled.
West may have no way to get into the auction.
I don't want to settle for a minus score in 6C.
These are hands where anything could be right.

(TMW) 5C.  Good thing this hand will never come up when they shuffle >2
times.  Come on partner, be aceless!  Oh, yes, and LHO should double
on a skadillion defensive tricks.

(JR) 5C . Bid what you know you can win. It could still be their game

(SM) 5C. I think I can make it. :-)

(DXM) 5C. I once held a hand very similar to this one, from which this was
       probably taken: x,-,x,KQJTxxxxxxx. RHO dealt and opened 2C.
       After much discussion by experts (plus some rgb'ers), the
       conclusion was that freak hands can't be bid in any reasonable
       way, with some people trying to be tricky and others preempting
       to various levels. I think I bid 5C and opponents ended in 7H,
       off one when partner ruffed an opening club (they split 1-1).
       Here, the question is still who has the rest of the points.
       Opponents will be at a complete guess as to what slam (if any)
       they should be in, and might well end in the wrong place, with
       partner possible overruffing the opening lead. They'd have
       a very similar guess to make over 6C, so I don't think that
       preempt helps much. 7C has its points. We might even get to play
       (and make) 5C.

(SDR) 5C.    Gotta be the percentage spot.  In a high-level game perhaps
    I will fool around trying to psych them into doubling.

(LTF) 5 clubs;    Probably a major game (slam?) for N-S. I'll try to get
               in the way. Note that if I lead, partner will be ruffing my
               opening lead (dummy too); Nice crossruff could develop.

(ING) 5C.  Intending to bid 6C if partner doesn't X the opponents bid, also
        intending to X if opponents reaches 6M.

Starr:  And now there are the true believers...

Rabin: 6C.  Obviously, anything could be correct, but this has to put great
pressure on West, no matter what his holding.

(AB) 6C. Feels right.  Either or both sides may have slam.  If I'm
lucky, partner will have a major-suit ace.

(PW) 6C.  If LHO opponent bid 6M I pass and lead low club to try to get
partner in on an over ruff, and with a diamond return set the contract.

(FB) 6C.

(PRM) 6C.  I'd like to do something more creative like double first
but this seems less complicated.

(JSM) 6c. No Comment

(RD) 6C.   I complain not a bidding problem.

(MS) 7C. Down 1 or 2 is better than letting them make slam.
       I'm not going to pass and hope that they bid too
       high and go down on a bad break. I'm also not going to
       bid 6C and hope that they are too timid bid their slam.

Allen: Double.  Some days you get lucky and it goes redouble, pass, pass.

(JLD)  Double.  Penalty.  Of course they will run, but if they don't we'll
collect 1100.  My next bid is 5C.  There is no way to find out whether
partner holds a major-suit Ace.  Of course, the proper bid is to play
4D as exclusion Blackwood over 1NT.  The perfect convention for these
everyday hands.  [Insert tongue deeply in cheek]

(EKP) X. Assuming 1NT is a psyche.  Works when it isn't.

(MSB) Double. I really dislike misleading partner so badly, but after all,
it should be basically a penalty double, and I can certainly beat 1NT!
If it's left in and East had his bid, +1100 should be fine; if he was
psyching, +1100 still beats any small slam.  Much more likely, of course,
there will be more bidding, and I will say 5C or 6C on the next round,
or even 7C if necessary.

(PV) X. A matter of tactics and much more easy to solve at the table.
I know that I make 5C but if I bid it now there is a big chance that
LHO competes over it leaving me quite badly placed.  X is far from
a perfect bid but LHO might forget to bid 2NT and redoubles instead
which will lead to a big par beater.

(IDC) dbl.  Would like to know my opponents on this hand: how suspicious
will they be later in the auction?   How likely are they to go to
the 5 level over 5C after I've doubled 1NT?

(XH)  Double.  On my next turn, I'll bid 5C.  (I don't know of any
scientific way of bidding 11-card suits.  Is there one?)

(DS) X.  I have some respect for pass, because if the ops are going to
sail up to 6M, I want to be on lead.  However, I simply cant resist the
possibility of lho redoubling on his 5440 or whatever.
I'll walk the dog in clubs later.

(SA)  Pass.    What is _MOST_ important to me is to be on lead if the
opponents compete to 5 of a major, which I will then double and lead
the 2 of clubs.  The risks are (1) that this will be passed out
(not very likely) and (2) that partner will make a bid that then
creates the inference that 5C by me is fit-showing rather than
a final decision (this is a more serious risk).

(JOHN) Pass. Looks like a "mood" hand.

(NS) Pass. Await developments. Easy.

The totals:
Call    Net   "Experts"  CM Score
2C    3        0
3C    1        1         70
4C    1        1         80
5C    15       1         90
6C    6        3        100
7C    1        0
DOUBLE    7        1         50
PASS    3        0

The players:
(??)    Mystery Guests
(AB)    Adam Beneschan <[e-mail]>
(BB)    Brett Barksdale <[e-mail]>
(DK)    Dennis Kibler <[e-mail]>
(DS)    [e-mail] (Danil Suits)
(DV)    [e-mail]
(DXM)    [e-mail] ( Daniel Mytelka )
(EKP)    Edward Pavelchek <[e-mail]>
(FB)    [e-mail]
(GL)    [e-mail] (Greg Lawler)
(IDC)    Ian Crorie <[e-mail]>
(IM)    Ilene Morgan <[e-mail]>
(ING)    [e-mail]
(JH)    [e-mail] (John Hoffman)
(JLD)    [e-mail]
(JOHN)    <[e-mail]>
(JR)    [e-mail] (Jakob Roejel)
(JSM)    James S Morgan <[e-mail]>
(JTW)    "Jaroslaw Tomasz Wroblewski" <[e-mail]>
(KTL)    "Kevin T. Likes" <[e-mail]>
(LA)    [e-mail] (Lars Andersson)
(LTF)    [e-mail] (Lynn T. Finley)
(MK)    Mordechai Katzman <[e-mail]>
(MS)    Marc Shepard <[e-mail]>
(MSB)    [e-mail] (Mark Brader)
(NS)    [e-mail] (Nick Straguzzi)
(PMC)    "Paul McMullin" <[e-mail]>
(PRM)    [e-mail] (Paul Markowitz)
(PV)    [e-mail] (Pekka Viitasalo /Carelcomp)
(PW)    Per Westling <[e-mail]>
(RB)    [e-mail]
(RD)    [e-mail]
(SA)    [e-mail] (Steve Albin)
(SDR)    [e-mail]
(SM)    Steve Myerson <[e-mail]>
(TMW)    [e-mail] (timothy m wright)
(TR)    [e-mail] (Thomas Ruschak)
(XH)    UUCP <hatch!lcc![e-mail]>
--

Matthew Merzbacher    ARPA:    [e-mail]
Moo - Moo Moo          UUCP:    ...!{uunet|rutgers|ucbvax}!cs.ucla.edu!matthew
                       This time, *with* the oys