Loading ...been playing
Quite a bit on BBO the last couple of mornings. Got myself a handy little alias and I’ve been making liberal use of the “First available seat” button. I play well from time to time and occasionally poorly, my focus not being as finely honed as the systems my thoroughly random partners and I agree upon to play.
Yesterday I sat down across from an American lady golfer who announced in her profile that she’d play the Standard American Yellow Card (which I figured I could probably fake), transfers only to the majors, weak two bids, no Gerber. So of course I picked up:
S QJx
H xxx
D
C QJT98xx
and Partner opened 1NT. In my system, I’d have bid 2S, transferring to clubs and if Partner had honor-third or better she’d accept the transfer by bidding 3C. I’d know I had tricks for her and bid a cheerful 3NT. But with “transfers to majors only” I didn’t know what to do except bid 3NT and, yanno, hope.
But then something strange and wonderful happened: Lefty, who’d passed in first seat, bid 4H. Partner passed and so did Righty (terrified, I’d imagine), and I bid a speedy 5C and played it there. Partner had Axx / AQx / Qxxx / Axxx and I made six when the 4H bidder had the major Kings onside.
This morning I found myself on lead with KJT82 / K432 / 53 / 62. The auction went, inexplicably, 1D - 1H; 2D - 3C; 6NT. When I said, after the hand was over, that it seemed a little strange to hear 6NT after two non-forcing diamonds, my opponent’s answer was “Too bad for you.” I agree, too bad for me. But still, what do you imagine opener’s hand was?
July 9th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Where to begin, I will start with the problem you presented at the end.
With bad players it could be most anything. I don’t think there is any hand to justify the bidding. I am guessing they had a hand that should have bid 3D over the 1H bid. Something like AQ, Qx, AKJ10xxx, xx.
Now back to the first hand. I don’t think getting to 3N with your hand works well most of the time. Even with partner holding a club honor you will generally have a club loser. At that point, assuming the opponents did not take the first 4 tricks there is an excellent chance they now have the tricks to beat you. Unless the clubs run, partner likely needs a double diamond stopper, a heart stopper and a good enough hand that they cannot get 5 tricks before surrendering the lead again.
The odds of partner holding 4 clubs are very small.
On the actual hand partner should double 4H with AQx. You have 7 losers in your hand and partner does not rate to cover 5 of them. In fact on defense you can get 2 spades, 2 hearts, 1 club and two diamond ruffs.
That said, glad you are playing a lot and doing pretty well. See you in Las Vegas.