% PBN 2.1 % EXPORT %Content-type: text/x-pbn; charset=ISO-8859-1 %Creator: BridgeComposer Version 5.67 %Created: Fri Sep 7 23:03:45 2018 -0400 %BCOptions Center STBorder STShade %BidAndCardSpacing Thin %BoardsPerPage fit,2 %CardTableColors #e1e1e1,#ffffff,#aaaaaa %EventSpacing 0 %Font:CardTable "Arial",11,400,0 %Font:Commentary "Times New Roman",12,400,0 %Font:Diagram "Times New Roman",12,400,0 %Font:Event "Times New Roman",12,400,0 %Font:FixedPitch "Courier New",10,400,0 %Font:HandRecord "Arial",11,400,0 %GutterSize 500,500 %HRTitleDate 0 %HRTitleEvent "" %HRTitleSetID "" %HRTitleSetIDPrefix "" %HRTitleSite "" %HtmlClubs native,"http://bridgecomposer.com/suitimg/c.gif" %HtmlDiamonds native,"http://bridgecomposer.com/suitimg/d.gif" %HtmlHearts native,"http://bridgecomposer.com/suitimg/h.gif" %HtmlNavBar 0.75,#cfe2f3 %HtmlSpades native,"http://bridgecomposer.com/suitimg/s.gif" %Margins 500,500,500,500 %PaperSize 1,2159,2794,2 %ParaIndent 0 %PipColors #000000,#000000,#000000,#000000 %PipFont "Cards","Cards",0,0x73,0x68,0x64,0x63 %ScoreTableColors #e6e6e6,#000000 %SelectedBoard 6 %ShowBoardLabels 2 %ShowCardTable 2 %TSTCustomSortOrder Default %TSTReport List %TSTReportOrder ByNumber %TSTReportShade Yes [Event "Big Takeout Double -- Problem"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "24"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "None"] [Deal "W:J93.K84.T42.Q763 .AT9732.K653.AT5 AKQ62.Q.AJ9.KJ94 T8754.J65.Q87.82"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer ""] [Contract ""] [Result ""] { (Warwick Tue 2018-08-28 10:00) Playing in the Warwick, RI, Regional A/B/C pairs, you pick up the East powerhouse. North opens the bidding, you double for takeout, and partner responds 2\C. What next?} [BCFlags "1f"] [Hidden "NSW"] [Auction "W"] Pass 1H X Pass 2C Pass + [Event "The Pip -- Problem"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "10"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "All"] [Deal "W:A93.64.QT84.Q643 J5.QJ98532.5.AJ2 764.KT7.A762.K75 KQT82.A.KJ93.T98"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer "S"] [Contract "3NT"] [Result ""] { (Warwick Wed 2018-08-29 10:00). Partner leads the \D4 against South's 3NT. Plan the defense as West. http://3nt.xyz -- © 2018 Pete Matthews Jr.} [BCFlags "1f"] [Hidden "SW"] [Auction "W"] Pass Pass 1D 1S 2D 2H Pass 2NT Pass 3H Pass 3NT AP [Play "W"] D4 [Event "Extra Length -- Problem"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "14"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "N"] [Vulnerable "None"] [Deal "N:A973.AT653.3.762 J5.Q82.9872.J854 K2.KJ97.AKJ.AKQT QT864.4.QT654.93"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer ""] [Contract ""] [Result ""] { (Warwick Wed 2018-08-29 2:15, A/X Pairs). Take the North seat with the hand shown. The auction so far is flawless. What is your bid now?} [BCFlags "1f"] [Hidden "ESW"] [Auction "N"] Pass Pass 2C Pass 2D =1= Pass 2NT =2= Pass 3C =3= Pass 3H Pass 3S =4= Pass 4NT =5= Pass + [Note "1:Positive (K or QQ), lacking a good suit."] [Note "2:Unlimited balanced hand, at least a good 22 HCP."] [Note "3:Stayman."] [Note "4:Slam interest in hearts (artificial bid)."] [Note "5:Roman Keycard Blackwood."] [Event "Five Clubs -- Problem"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "19"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "NS"] [Deal "W:653.976542.T32.4 AK842.KJ3.A96.T5 QJ9.AQT.KQJ4.876 T7.8.875.AKQJ932"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer "S"] [Contract "5C"] [Result ""] { (Warwick Sat 2018-09-01 2:15) \n Try this one double dummy, eschewing the obvious line. Yes, 4NT is cold. However, after unfortunate judgment in the auction, you declare 5\C. West leads a fourth-best \H5, you insert the jack, and RHO wins the \HQ. East shifts to the \DK. Plan the play.} [BCFlags "1f"] [Hidden ""] [Play "W"] H5 [Event "Big Takeout Double -- Solution"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "24"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "None"] [Deal "W:J93.K84.T42.Q763 .AT9732.K653.AT5 AKQ62.Q.AJ9.KJ94 T8754.J65.Q87.82"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer ""] [Contract ""] [Result ""] { Playing in the Warwick, RI, Regional A/B/C pairs, you pick up the East powerhouse. North opens the bidding, you double for takeout, and partner responds 2\C. What next? After making a takeout double, a cue bid of the enemy suit shows a good hand with doubt as to strain. That's exactly what you have -- you don't know whether to play in no trump, spades, or clubs -- let alone game or part score. When partner has bid a major suit, cue bidder will usually have exactly three card support for that suit. In a minor suit, 3NT is always an option, even with a good fit in the minor. The cue bid works wonders. Although 3NT can be set on the lead of the \HA, few players would try that with North's hand. On the normal lead of a low heart, partner easily rakes in four spades (bad split), three clubs, a diamond and a heart. The reasonable four spade contract should be set. With a weaker heart holding, West might try 2\S, having already denied four cards in the suit. The deal would then be played in spades. Holding \SJ3 \H9842 \DT42 \CQ763, West would rebid 3\C, expecting 3-card support -- have to bid something. } [BCFlags "1f"] [DoubleDummyTricks "33962339627946879469"] [Hidden ""] [OptimumScore "NS -100"] [Auction "W"] Pass 1H X Pass 2C Pass 2H Pass 2NT Pass 3NT AP [OptimumResultTable "Declarer;Denomination\2R;Result\1R"] N NT 3 N S 3 N H 9 N D 6 N C 2 S NT 3 S S 3 S H 9 S D 6 S C 2 E NT 7 E S 9 E H 4 E D 6 E C 8 W NT 7 W S 9 W H 4 W D 6 W C 9 [Event "The Pip -- Solution"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "10"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "All"] [Deal "W:A93.64.QT84.Q643 J5.QJ98532.5.AJ2 764.KT7.A762.K75 KQT82.A.KJ93.T98"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer "S"] [Contract "3NT"] [Result ""] { Partner leads the \D4 against South's 3NT. Plan the defense as West. Obviously, you rise with the \DA. The issue is what you play next. Do you have your answer ready? The Complete Book of BOLS Bridge Tips, edited by Sally Brock, is one of the great bridge books of all time. The articles in this book were originally submitted by the world's top players to a competition sponsored by BOLS Royal Distilleries from 1974 thru 1996. "Tip for the pip" by Jose le Dentu (France) covers this case: what to lead back, when partner leads from length at a no trump contract, and a singleton appears in dummy. Your normal carding agreements should no longer apply. If you have four (or three) cards, return your highest card, to make it difficult for declarer to duck into partner's hand. Only return a low card if you started with five. That tells partner to unblock, so as to be able to run the suit. If you return the \D7 (even though of no useful strength on this deal), partner will take declarer's \DJ with the \DQ and shift, setting the contract. If you return the \D3, partner will win the \DQ and unblock the \D10 -- disaster.} [BCFlags "1f"] [Hidden ""] [Auction "W"] Pass Pass 1D 1S 2D 2H Pass 2NT Pass 3H Pass 3NT AP [Play "W"] D4 [Event "Extra Length -- Solution"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "14"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "N"] [Vulnerable "None"] [Deal "N:A973.AT653.3.762 J5.Q82.9872.J854 K2.KJ97.AKJ.AKQT QT864.4.QT654.93"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer ""] [Contract ""] {6. Two keycards with the \HQ or extra trump length.\n 7. Do you have third round control of diamonds?} [Result ""] { Two aces will be enough for South to bid a small slam. Should North show extra length in trumps, knowing this may turn into a grand slam? The answer is a resounding NO. Don't bid speculative grand slams! This can be demonstrated using Kit Woolsey's "cost of being wrong" analysis, from Matchpoints (© 1982, updated recently). Suppose half the field stops in game, and half bid a small slam, all contracts making. Those who bid the slam beat the gamers and tie the slammers, for a 75% score. If we stop in six and are wrong, the cost is 25%. If we bid seven and are wrong, we get 0%, for a cost of 75%. If the grand is 75%, then the expected result is 75% * 100% + 25% * 0% = 75%. Plan to bid a grand slam only if it is 75% or better. On the actual deal, having led a trump to the \HA and a trump back, playing the \HK is 52%, and finessing is 48% -- on good play, the slam is down. The full chance of bringing in the trumps is 58%, as the \HQ could be singleton; worse without the \H9. In our section, 7 of 12 pairs played game, not having the 3\S slam try in their bag; 2 x 6\H+0 (64%), 1 x 6\H+1 for a 90% cost of being wrong. } [BCFlags "9f"] [Hidden ""] [Auction "N"] Pass Pass 2C Pass 2D =1= Pass 2NT =2= Pass 3C =3= Pass 3H Pass 3S =4= Pass 4NT =5= Pass 5S =6= Pass 6D =7= Pass 7H AP [BCNote ""] [Event "Five Clubs -- Solution"] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "19"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "NS"] [Deal "W:653.976542.T32.4 AK842.KJ3.A96.T5 QJ9.AQT.KQJ4.876 T7.8.875.AKQJ932"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer "S"] [Contract "5C"] [Result ""] { I chose the obvious line: won the diamond and led the \H3. If East had played the \HA, all set. When East played the \H10, I ruffed high, cashed one trump, two spades, and ruffed a spade high. Trump to the \C10; when clubs failed, I was one down. The line that works is to win the first diamond and rattle off trumps, achieving this position:} [BCFlags "1f"] [DoubleDummyTricks "b957ba947b2285122851"] [Hidden ""] [OptimumScore "NS 660"] [Play "W"] H5 [OptimumResultTable "Declarer;Denomination\2R;Result\2R"] N NT 11 N S 9 N H 5 N D 7 N C 11 S NT 10 S S 9 S H 4 S D 7 S C 11 E NT 2 E S 2 E H 8 E D 5 E C 1 W NT 2 W S 2 W H 8 W D 5 W C 1 [Event ""] [Site ""] [Date ""] [Board "19"] [West ""] [North ""] [East ""] [South ""] [Dealer "W"] [Vulnerable "NS"] [Deal "W:653.97.T. AK8.K3.9. QJ9.AT.4. T7..87.32"] [Scoring ""] [Declarer ""] [Contract ""] [Result ""] { On the penultimate trump, East is in trouble. A spade discard immediately establishes the \S8. After a heart discard, a spade to dummy and a heart ruff establishes the \HK. So, East discards his diamond exit. Now three rounds of spades forces East to lead away from his \HA.} [BCFlags "1f"] [Hidden ""]