Double Game Swing *

We had an interesting double game swing hand last night at teams, although its potential went largely untapped.

With no one vul, I dealt as North and opened 2H with:

x
K987xx
Kxx
Qxx

Not such a great hand, but a good way to kick off the last match of the evening at the local club.

Frank, my partner, bid 2N, asking about my hand. I hardly had time to worry whether my hand was “bad” or “good” under our modified Ogust convention before my RHO bid 4D!

I passed, Frank bid 4H and RHO doubled! All passed and Frank put down:

Axxx
Axxx
Jx
xxx

x
K987xx
Kxx
Qxx

Not too bad for a doubled 17 point game. RHO won the diamond lead with the Ace and made life easy for me by cashing the AK of clubs. Trumps were 2-1, no ruffs were lurking and I scored up 590—a good way to start the match.

At the other table, there were 3 passes and a 1D bid by the person holding the cards of my RHO. My hand overcalled 2H and it went pass, pass, double. LHO bid 2S and RHO ended up in 4D down 2. Our counterparts didn’t find the 4H game. Neither side found the 4S game!
The other two hands were:

West (My RHO)
KQ
Q
AQ109xx
AKxx

East (My LHO)
J109xxx
J10
xx
Jxx

As you can see 4S will often make, although good defense will beat it. The top losers are the major suit aces and the DK. The diamonds set up easily with the Jack falling doubleton.

The 3 point hand with the long spades is actually pretty powerful opposite a strong hand with tolerance for spades. At both tables the 20 point hand was bid strongly, but at one table the weak hand passed 4H doubled and at the other table 4D was passed. It is probable that 4S would fare better than either of those contracts even if it didn't make!

Take another look at the potential of this 3 point hand, and the next time you hold one like it, think long and hard before passing short of a 4S game on a similar auction.

Think how satisfying it will be after the match when your teammates announce “plus 590” to be able to respond “plus 420--win 14”!

See you at the table!

Table Feel + J.Lall hesitation piece

I have always been interested in the concept of "table feel" at bridge. Here is a definiton from http://bridgehands.com/: Table Feel - A player's cunning ability to draw inferences from the aggregate factors of bidding and play.

There isn't a lot written on the subject in the bridge literature. I know that it is something that can be developed--with a lot of bridge experience. It takes paying attention and concentrating--even when a hand seems boring or even when you are dummy. Keen observation reveals what players are most likely to do in certain situations...

I rarely play online bridge because there is no table feel. I don't realize how much I rely on it until I try to play online bridge. Hesitations are meaningless. I hate to make all bids strictly by the book--I like to take a look at what is going on at the table. Similarly with the play of the hand. I hate to make all plays strictly based on the odds--I need to get a feel for things!

Here is a hand from Sacramento where I made my contract and my world-class opponent went down.

Q10x
J8xxx
xx
AJx

Jxx
AQ10
Axx
KQ9x

I opened 1N, Frank bid 2D (transfer), RHO doubled, I bid 2H, Frank bid 3 and I bid 4. The auction was the same at the other table. I won the D lead and pondered the play.

I needed the H finesse to win or else I was going down (losing 1H, 2S and a D). When I led a club to the board for the H finesse, RHO dropped the C10.
I knew it was a singleton! He was a world champion himself so he played in tempo. Nevertheless I picked up something in his mannerism (or in the air!) that convinced me.

With the hearts being Jxxxx facing AQ10 in my hand the normal play would be to lead low to the 10 or Q and then repeat the finesse. In this case, however, the only re-entry to the board was a club and I was sure that RHO only started with one. Therefore I needed to make a strange looking play in the trump suit--I had to lead the J and throw the 10 under it. This crashes 2 honors, and if trumps do not break 3-2, will likely cost a trick and the contract. I didn't like the play but there was no alternative. Happily, RHO covered the J with the K, trumps broke 3-2, I threw the losing D on the good C and gave up 2 spades. Plus 620.

I was surprised when we compared scores and I learned that my counterpart had gone down. He too got a D lead and led a club to the board for a H finesse. He played a low H off the board, however. The finesse won and when he tried to return to the board with a club to repeat the finesse, RHO ruffed the club!

We won 13 imps and won the match. Would that my card reading, or table feel, were always that good!

Send me your stories about table feel and I'll publish a collection. I'll close with an interesting and related article from a fellow bridge blogger, Justin Lall, a very good player. Click on the link below.

See you at the table!

Squeezing The Dummy: How To Read Your Opponents... Hesitations?

Unusual Symmetry/two 5 level bids ****Symbols

I liked my hand so much that, after 2 passes, I decided to open 2C in the first match at Wed. night teams:

♠ Q109
♥ AKQ10xx
♦ A
♣ AJ10

Frank bid 2D, waiting, and RHO doubled. I bid 2H and LHO bid 4D. Frank's hand was now looking mighty impressive:

♠ Ax
♥ Jxxxx
♦ xxx
♣ Kxx

Before you read on think for a moment what you would bid...

We are obviously in the slam zone. He just needs to know about my diamond holding.

He had the 5H card out on the table in a flash! A bid of your suit (the one you and your partner have bid and raised) at the 5 level asks about your controls in the opponent's suit. With first round control you bid 6 of their suit and with second round control you bid 5N. Without 1st or 2nd round control you merely pass and play at the five level.

(This bid is also used when you and your partner have bid 3 suits in the course of an auction and have agreed on a trump suit. A jump to the 5 level asks about 1st or 2nd round control in the unbid suit.)

Under most circumstances I would have cue bid 6D showing the DA (opponent's suit). In this case, however, with partner being passed, with my hand being minimum for my bidding and with both opponent's bidding, I elected to bid 6H.

I'm happy with dummy. Now I just have to make it...

♠ Ax
♥ Jxxxx
♦ xxx
♣ Kxx

♠ Q109
♥ AKQ10xx
♦ A
♣ AJ10

I clearly need to combine my chances. I win the D lead and play a couple rounds of hearts. RHO discards an encouraging spade so I decide to go for the spade play first. I can fall back on the club finesse if necessary.

First, I need to strip the diamond suit, however, in preparation for a possible endplay, so I lead a H to the board and ruff the last D. Now for the big play: spade to the A and spade back...

The K is played! I claim--I'll pitch a club from board on the SQ.

Plus 980 wins us plenty of imps.

Interestingly, the same bidding situation in reverse played itself out at the other table on the same hand! This time the person who held the cards of my RHO opened 1S. My hand doubled, the next player bid 2S and the person holding Frank's hand jumped to 4H!

Now the person with my cards: Q109, AKQ10xx, A, AJ10 needed to know about spades. 5H was once again the bid to ask about controls in the opponent's suit...in this case spades! A 5H bid leads to the slam.

Unusual to see the same rare (5 level asking) bid available to North at one table and South at the other, asking about different suits, on the same hand!

*****
The evening had gone well and in the 4th and final match I opened 1D in 3rd seat nonvul:

♠ xxx
♥ Kxxx
♦ KJxx
♣ Ax

A little light but good things can happen. LHO overcalled 1S and I was not too pleased to see Frank jump to 5D! I was less pleased when RHO doubled. (Why can't my partners ever take a joke...)

Dummy wasn't as bad as I feared:

♠ Ax
♥ x
♦ 109xxx
♣ KJxxx

♠ xxx
♥ Kxxx
♦ KJxx
♣ Ax
The lead of the heart queen improved the situation considerably. RHO won the heart ace and shifted to a spade. I won the ace, came to my hand with the club ace (RHO playing the queen!) and pitched the last spade from the board on the heart king.

I ruffed a spade to the board to tackle the diamond suit. RHO surely had one of the diamond honors for his double, if not both. I led the 10 of diamonds and let it ride. LHO played the ace! Things were looking up.

I ruffed a H to the board in order to lead diamonds again and the queen came up on my right. Diamonds split 2-2, and I could ruff and pitch the remaining hearts and spades from my hand. Plus 550 with our 19 points.

Our teammates made 1 notrump on the same cards. Plus 90. Win 12.

See you at the table!