blowing them out
The Brewers came down from Milwaukee to help the Cubs out with batting practice last night at Wrigley. It looked like smooth sailing from trick one; the entire Cubs lineup batted in the first, scored six runs off of veteran Jeff Suppan. It was 13 to 1 when we left after the sixth inning, final was something absurd like 19-5. At some point it ceases to be interesting, a blow-out like that. The colder it is, the earlier that point tends to come.
Been watching quite a lot of vugraph lately; it’s Team Trials season across the bridge world. There’s some not-so-great bridge being played, much of it around 5 am (central, daylight). The French Seniors have pretty entertaining accidents; the BBO commentary is mostly benign. Yesterday I got caught up in the Bonn Nations Cup; watched my old Swedish friend Rob and his partner blow out the Netherlands, that was exciting. Check out the one board they lost: Rob, favorable, held:
:S: 95
:H: 6
:D: KJT9863
:C: J62
In first chair, BGO opened 1 :S: and the West opponent passed. Rob bid 1NT, as I would have to do, albiet somewhat more slowly. I’d have to go through all the options: can’t bid 2 :D: because that’s forcing to game. Can’t bid 3 :D: because that’s a four-card limit raise. 4 :D: is a splinter. So, I’m forced into a non-forcing 1NT. The East opponent came in with 2 :C: and BGO doubled. West gave his partner a boost. What do you do?
West Rob East BGO 1 :S: Pass 1NT 2 :C: X 3 :C: ??
May 1st, 2008 at 9:56 am
Gosh - shouldn’t X be takeout with extra values?
With Just The Right Stuff we could have a slam - but - we also might be on the bubble with making 5D.
I myself would take a “middle of the road” play and simply leap to 5D. Let ‘em save at this vulnerability if they want to do so!
May 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I would bid 3D. I have long diamonds but minimal values. If partner passes we have not missed anything. If partner bids anything else, then I bid 4D which shows my hand pretty well.
I am guessing partner will take action over 3D and we will end up in 5.
But partner could have a pretty good hand which is week in controls (KQx, AKxxx, Qxxx x and that will make game impossible.
May 1st, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I guess I’m not sure why someone wouldn’t just bid 2D with your example hand, Bob. After all; partner has already denied having spades. And this hand has nothing remarkably extra in HCP.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:34 pm
2D may tend to show more diamonds. Also the double guarantees shortness in clubs which may be important if they are to find a game.
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:37 am
BGO’s hand was:
:S: AQ843
:H: KQ2
:D: A542
:C: 3
In the closed room, the Dutch bid to 5 :D: when South bid 2 :D: with BGO’s hand and North couldn’t help but bid 3 :D: holding seven to the KJT98. South cuebid 3 :H: and North bid 4 :D: (which, incidentally, sounds an awful lot like Keycard for diamonds to me). South’s 5 :D: ended the auction and they made it when the Swedish defenders led a club to East’s King, declarer ruffed the club Queen at trick two, pulled trump and led toward the :H: KQ.
Rob and BGO, playing in 5 :D: from the other side (after Rob, like Bundy, jumped to game in :D: ), went down when West, holding the :S: KJT signaled for a Spade switch on the opening club lead.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 am
I’m not 100% sure if this hand would “qualify” as being good enough for a takeout double in my regular partnerships.
That being said - being in game on a hook is not the end of the world…. Partner could also easily have hands where game is simply cold. (Trade in the KQ of hearts for the ace, for instance. Then SIX is on a hook!)
May 2nd, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Apologies for misreading the hand and thinking the opening bid was 1H rather than 1S.
Actually this makes it possible that opener is 5-4-3-1 which is less favorable than 5-3-4-1. I thought with the phantom 1H opener that 4D were guaranteed.
In my opinion all the more reason to not insist upon game. Peg is correct that KQ of H might have been the ace making game cold but I think if opener holds AQ, A, A all game tries will result in game.
Stacy brings up a very interesting question about 4D minorwood. I play with one very good player for whom 4 of a minor is virtually always minorwood unless opponents are pushing us there.
Most of my other partners prefer that 4D only be minorwood when we are in a game forcing aucton which this was not.