[Phil]

I thought we fielded a pretty strong lineup yesterday and still got blown out by JEC.

We started poorly and were in a deep 36-0 hole after 6. Things settled down as the boards flattened and we regained some ground. After 13 the score was 38-23. Some more flat boards, but then a few aberrations saw their lead climb to 55-23 after 18.

And then all hell broke loose.

On Board 20, a player at out table unilaterally drove a hand to a grand slam with AKJTxx QJx void AKxx opposite a passed hand! I can't speak for Andy but this seemed to hurt Timo's and my psyche. The last nine boards were truly 'silly season' and the combined score was 64-28 in favor of JEC. When 10 IMPs/ board are flung around, bad bridge is being played.

I would like to focus on the following hands:

#1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 20, 21, 23, 24 and 25. That's a lot to cover, and I expect there won't be many comments on some.

[mike777]

Phil, on 2012-March-04, 13:08, said:

I thought we fielded a pretty strong lineup yesterday and still got blown out by JEC.

We started poorly and were in a deep 36-0 hole after 6. Things settled down as the boards flattened and we regained some ground. After 13 the score was 38-23. Some more flat boards, but then a few aberrations saw their lead climb to 55-23 after 18.

And then all hell broke loose.

On Board 20, a player at out table unilaterally drove a hand to a grand slam with AKJTxx QJx void AKxx opposite a passed hand! I can't speak for Andy but this seemed to hurt Timo's and my psyche. The last nine boards were truly 'silly season' and the combined score was 64-28 in favor of JEC. When 10 IMPs/ board are flung around, bad bridge is being played.

I would like to focus on the following hands:

#1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 20, 21, 23, 24 and 25. That's a lot to cover, and I expect there won't be many comments on some.

Went and saw the musical Jersey Boys so missed this. We also had a tornado touch down in the eastern part of our town, I am in the far south, at 3am. I look forward to seeing the hands and commentary.
Sounds like you guys were in this match until that Grand.

[MrAce]

This was not a JEC vs BBF match though.

I would never make a team without posting it in forums first. I am given a day to come up with a team vs JEC besides BBF matches.

[Phil]

MrAce, on 2012-March-04, 20:08, said:

This was not a JEC vs BBF match though.

I would never make a team without posting it in forums first. I am given a day to come up with a team vs JEC besides BBF matches.

True. Somehow getting my butt kicked doesn't feel much better, although if it weren't an 'official' BBF match we didn't let anyone down.

There were still a lot of interesting hands and decisions. I suppose they shouldn't be listed as JEC #4 however.

[gnasher]

Phil, on 2012-March-04, 13:08, said:

On Board 20, a player at out table unilaterally drove a hand to a grand slam with AKJTxx QJx void AKxx opposite a passed hand!

Perhaps I should have done the same. The reasons I didn't were:
- 7♥ is some way from being cold opposite ♥AKxxx and a wasted diamond honour, with a diamond preemept on my left. If partner has to ruff a spade, he needs to negotiate a diamond ruff too; if he has to ruff two spades, he needs two diamond ruffs. Against that, ♠Q makes it cold, and ♣Q would make it very good, which is a good reason to bid it.
- I'd switched partners and was on uncertain ground regarding exclusion, GSF, etc.
- I thought they would bid seven at the other table - they'd been bidding their socks off on the other boards. As we were quite a lot down, it seemed right to do something that would lead to a swing rather than play for a flat board.

Quote

I can't speak for Andy but this seemed to hurt Timo's and my psyche. The last nine boards were truly 'silly season' and the combined score was 64-28 in favor of JEC. When 10 IMPs/ board are flung around, bad bridge is being played.

I don't think the bridge played on the remaining boards was unusually bad - there were just a lot of swingy boards, and we got the worst of them. The boards after the grand slam were:
Board 21: Lose 13 for a missed slam when our side opened 4♥ and they opened 1♥ at the other table.
Board 22: Gain 10 when our side bid a thin game that made on a misdefence.
Board 23: Lose 12 when Duboin made a more succesful lead than our player.
Board 24: Lose 5 when we bid a game with four top losers but with chances on the wrong lead.
Board 25: Lose 12 because system differences meant 3NT was played from different sides with different leads, which happened to affect the result.
Board 26: Gain 8 when opponents bid a poor game and our side stopped in a partscore.
Board 27: Lose 6 when we overbid to a hopeless game in one room and got one level too high in the other.
Board 28: Gain 10 when we reached the right game at one table and made a good lead at the other.

[MrAce]

gnasher, on 2012-March-05, 04:47, said:

Perhaps I should have done the same. The reasons I didn't were:
- 7♥ is some way from being cold opposite ♥AKxxx and a wasted diamond honour, with a diamond preemept on my left. If partner has to ruff a spade, he needs to negotiate a diamond ruff too; if he has to ruff two spades, he needs two diamond ruffs. Against that, ♠Q makes it cold, and ♣Q would make it very good, which is a good reason to bid it.
- I'd switched partners and was on uncertain ground regarding exclusion, GSF, etc.
- I thought they would bid seven at the other table - they'd been bidding their socks off on the other boards. As we were quite a lot down, it seemed right to do something that would lead to a swing rather than play for a flat board.


I don't think the bridge played on the remaining boards was unusually bad - there were just a lot of swingy boards, and we got the worst of them. The boards after the grand slam were:
Board 21: Lose 13 for a missed slam when our side opened 4♥ and they opened 1♥ at the other table.
Board 22: Gain 10 when our side bid a thin game that made on a misdefence.
Board 23: Lose 12 when Duboin made a more succesful lead than our player.
Board 24: Lose 5 when we bid a game with four top losers but with chances on the wrong lead.
Board 25: Lose 12 because system differences meant 3NT was played from different sides with different leads, which happened to affect the result.
Board 26: Gain 8 when opponents bid a poor game and our side stopped in a partscore.
Board 27: Lose 6 when we overbid to a hopeless game in one room and got one level too high in the other.
Board 28: Gain 10 when we reached the right game at one table and made a good lead at the other.

Board 23 has nothing to do with lead. Duboin leads ♣, declarer took and play a ♥ to KQ, Duboin won and play another ♣, which by the way he played ♣ small and high telling that he has 3, after that hand is double dummy, all needed was to take 2nd ♣, ♥ to hand and play Q♠, not small, he has no entry. After that as i said it is double dummy, seeing Duboin with 3-3 blacks and he opened 1♥, he has either stiff ♦A or Ax, after clearing trumps exits with 3rd ♣, ruffs the trun, and plays ♦.

This doesnt change the fact that i probably shd have led ♣ too btw. Also this doesnt change the fact that i cld have ducked first ♦ and put him into guess when Phil falsecards from JTx. Though i still think he makes by playing ♠ J now (not A of ♠ and J of ♠ as he did)

[gnasher]

MrAce, on 2012-March-05, 12:49, said:

Board 23 has nothing to do with lead. Duboin leads ♣, declarer took and play a ♥ to KQ, Duboin won and play another ♣, which by the way he played ♣ small and high telling that he has 3, after that hand is double dummy, all needed was to take 2nd ♣, ♥ to hand and play Q♠, not small, he has no entry. After that as i said it is double dummy, seeing Duboin with 3-3 blacks and he opened 1♥, he has either stiff ♦A or Ax, after clearing trumps exits with 3rd ♣, ruffs the trun, and plays ♦.

After the club lead, isn't it a guess as to whether to play for ♠Kxx ♦Ax or ♠Kx ♦Axx?

[gnasher]

Sorry, it's a bit unfair to publicly discuss a play problem without telling everyone else what the hands were. This was the full deal:

---

At both tables, EastWest played 4♠ after an auction starting 1♥ dbl 3♥.

At my table, Duboin led a low club to the ace. Declarer played a heart to the king and ace, won the club continuation and crossed to a heart. At this point I think he has a guess
- Lead ♠Q, draw trumps, and play North for ♦Ax. That works on the actual layout.
- Lead a spade to the jack and cash ♠A, which works when North is 2533.
Declarer played a spade to the jack, and was now down. (He followed that by doing something that wouldn't work against either layout, but it was too late by then anyway.)

At the other table, MrAce led two rounds of hearts. The JEC declarer led a diamond towards the king, and got lucky because ♦A was doubleton. If North's diamonds had been A10x, he would have been down.

I think that was a misplay. After a heart lead, the best line is to run ♠Q, draw trumps, then lead diamonds from dummy. This works when North is 3-2, 2-3 or 3-1 in the pointed suits. (Edit: or 4-1)
(Re-edit: sorry, this doesn't work against 4513 - they can knock out the club entries before we get the long diamond going. Neither line works against this layout.)

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2012-March-06, 08:47

[MrAce]

gnasher, on 2012-March-05, 16:29, said:

After the club lead, isn't it a guess as to whether to play for ♠Kxx ♦Ax or ♠Kx ♦Axx?

Yes, but i thought u know me by now that i dont say something weird usually about card play. He didnt play for Kx ♠.


It is reasonable to play Duboin for Axx ♦ and Kx ♠. But your pd did not play him Kx ♠ and Axx ♦ either. Thats why i wrote what i wrote. I dont even know what he played for, i couldnt figure out.

At your table declarer, after playing small ♠ to T, MUST cash ♠A immediately if he played for Kx ♠. Otherwise he goes down regardless of ♠K was doubleton or tripleton. After ♠ finesse he killed his ♣ exit. Assume ♠was Kx, Jimmy takes 3rd ♣ and can simply play a ♠ and lock him on board and he goes down regardless of ♠ and ♦ holdings. If he cashes ♠ A now and drops K, can come to hand with ♠Q but can play ♦ only one time towards KQ and if ♠ is Kx then ♦ will be ATx or something which Duboin can duck easily.

So if he played for Kx ♠, then he must cash Ace, droping K, come to hand with Q and play a ♦ to KQxxx, If this is ducked, he still has his ♣ exit to prevent being locked to dummy.

[MrAce]

gnasher, on 2012-March-05, 17:07, said:

At both tables, East west played 4♠ after an auction starting 1♥ dbl 3♥.........

[kgr]

Thanks for sharing the hand with the play.
This kind of hands feel like the next step for me.
(Maybe I would get it right on a good day when really focussed)