Stay out of Slam

En route to 3/4th place finish in the Hilton Head Friday open pairs,
Emory and I had a few defensive snafus and some fortunate bidding. I
held: KQJxx, Tx, x, KQxxx. Our auction: 2C-2S-3D-4C-4S-5C-5S-P.
Nothing alertable. At first I thought this was a bad sequence, but in
reality it's the best auction we could have. I think I would have bid
5D over 5C but that may be too encouraging. Emory's hand: Ax, QJ,
AKQJx, AJxx. Would you have been able to stay out of slam?

A good precision auction: 1C-1H*-2D**-3C-3S-4C-4D-4S-P
* game-forcing w/ 5+ spades
** denies 3 spades

Sleepy Bridge

I'm wide awake and full of energy now that it's down to 7 hours before I have to be up again, so I might as well write a little. Earlier tonight, I was so tired tonight that I almost canceled on Bob for the ST@C game in Macon but I went anyway. I was seriously nodding off at some points during the game tonight. By the end, Bob and I had a 73.8% game with no score worse than 2.5 on a 6 top. The field was clearly very unbalanced. Out of 15 pairs, there were more scores in the 30's (3) and 60's (3) than in the 50's (1). First in C was 38.74% for .70MP. Strange.
Red vs. white, I picked up:
T86
Txx
Q9x
Kxxx

Two passes to me and I open 1S. The auction continues: X - 2D(1) - P - 2S - all pass
(1) reverse drury (limit raise w/4)

Before dummy comes down, LHO says something to the effect of you're not getting another top against us (after 2 tops in the round already). I remark that I'm pretty sure this will be pretty much a top for us. I was serious, she was totally kidding. Dummy hits:
KJ7x
K9xx
Kxxx
x

I struggled a bit and wound up down 1 for 5 out of 6. Someone was only +80 their way.

Here's an interesting play problem: 4S by south, uncontested auction
AQ
AJTxx
x
QJT9x

KT8xx
Qx
Axx
8x

What's your best chance to make on the DQ lead? It may actually be a better defensive problem, though. I dunno.

Bridge as a Social Game

I’ve met a lot of people (mostly non-bridge players) who claim that bridge isn’t a social game, or that is isn’t a social game for young folks, because who really wants to socialize with people 2 and 3 times their age. I used to think the same thing because bridge would be like a hobby to me but I would still have a normal social life. As I have grown older, I have noticed that almost all of my friends are now bridge players. And they almost all live far away from me. It’s not that I’ve played more bridge lately – I’m just getting along with bridge players better now, especially that I’ve found several other young bridge players.

Would my life be really dull without bridge? Yes, probably. I don’t fit in with a typical early 20’s group of people, certainly not the group that resides in Middle Georgia. I mean, I like to go out to bars and work out and watch shows and sports as much as the next person but somehow I never fit in with my peers here or growing up in Valdosta. At Georgia Tech, yes, there were many social groups I could fit in, but they went to the opposite extreme and are too nerdy for me. Maybe it’s an intellectual difference. The bridge players I now consider my best friends - Ramesh, Emory, Sean, Megan, Patrick, Dana, Gio, Joel, dad - include people born in 6 different decades of brilliant people who aren't totally consumed with the game or with work, like many super smart people are. Maybe that’s what draws me to them and vice versa. My friends from GT were largely too serious about studies and work to suit me while the friends from home are maybe too conservative to suit me.

But, seriously, playing bridge has allowed me to meet lots of fascinating people. Even though going to a tournament involves 7 hours a day (3.5 hours for a club game) of sitting at a table nearly silently, there is a lot of social interaction, probably more social interaction. You are bound to find someone you can get along with. And bridge kind of gives you something to talk about. Bridge player are notorious for going on and on talking about hands and bidding systems. I try not to do that but if you get a lull in the conversation or need an ice breaker, “What would you do with this hand…” is a good way to start.

Downgrading Hands

I’m not an aggressive bidder (or a conservative bidder) by any definition of the terms, but I am certainly not one known to downgrade a hand, going against the field, at a club game in macon, against opponents I typically get about a trick or two more than the field.

Last night, I picked up: Qxxx, Kxxx, KJx, Jx. Both vul., partner opens 15-17 1NT in 3rd seat, I stayman, he shows no 4 card major, I invite with 2NT. All pass. +180 when partner proceeds to make 2 more tricks than the field, mostly in 3NT down 1. 9 out of 12 MP.

A couple of rounds later, I picked up: Qxxx, xxx, Jxx, Jxx. Partner opens 2C, I bid 2D showing no controls, and partner rebids 2NT, 22-24hcp. I took another pessimistic view of this hand and passed 2NT. Another +180 after he gets an extra trick or two for a dead average. 4S is makeable.


Ax
KJxxx
Ax
AQxx

KQTxx
A
xx
KJTxx

Anybody have a good auction for getting to 7C, with south to deal? The majority of the field last night was in 6NT down 1 when west had Jxxx of spades and KQ of diamonds. My opponents decided to bid 6S, which cannot be beaten, giving us 1 out of 12 matchpoints.

My auction would start off: 1S-2H; 3C-4C. I think 4C should be keycard for clubs if you’re playing minorwood but it’s unclear. You may just want to set trumps and get a cuebid from partner. If it’s minorwood, opener bids 4S, now is 4NT to play or an ask about kings? If it’s not minorwood, then opener cues 4H, then is 4S by responder an option to play 4S, realizing that we have no diamond control and 4S is the best game.

If the auction goes: 1S-2H; 3C-3D; 3NT-4C, is 4C Gerber, natural and forcing (3D would have been sort of like an advance cuebid in support of clubs), minorwood, or passable?

My vote is that 4C in the first case should be minorwood and after a 4S response, 4NT is continuation rather than a signoff in a better matchpoint contract, 4S in the next case is a cuebid. Bidding 4th suit and then 4C must be a slam try in clubs with a control in diamonds, not minorwood.

It’s not very often that someone comes to a small sectional tournament without a partner, especially someone the caliber of Dana Berkowitz. But it does happen, and that’s precisely why tournament organizers have people on standby to make sure people who show up without a partner or whose partner stood them up can still play. For that, Sandy Barrow and Tom Wight deserve some credit.

I’m so glad Sean brought Dana down from Atlanta, and I’m glad I had room for them both in my house. It was a fun 3 days. I just wish I could have gotten Dana a better partner. But still 7+ masterpoints in 2 days playing with pick-up partners who I must say are below average, even for middle Georgia standards. I was thoroughly impressed with Dana. Hopefully it’ll be the start of something great.

Auctions After 1M-Dbl: Bromad

I suppose the standard treatment of responder's actions after 1M-X is:
1NT non-forcing
2m natural non-forcing
1S natural, forcing
XX almost any hand w/ 10+ hcp
2NT limit raise or better

I have several issues with this, mainly the 2m and XX calls.
Even when you happen to have a hand that fits the description of natural non-
forcing, would you really want to bid it. What's the rush in
bidding a new suit when rho has ostensibly shown support for all unbid? With those kinds of hands - 5 or 6 card suit and 6-9 hcp w/o support for partner's suit - it's usually better to pass and see how the auction develops.

Likewise, I think redouble should deny 3 card
support so that you can be more sure about future penalty doubles by
either partner. Redouble shows interest in defending but when you have
3 card support for partner's major, you do not have interest in
defending, at least not below 2 or your suit, especially at imps.
Often times I have found myself having redoubled with 3 card support only
to hear partner double 2D and knowing whether to leave it in with xx
or something like thy in diamonds is just hard because the extra
suppet means I have less defense than partner is entitled to expect.

With Emory, I play Bromad (Bergen raises over
major after double):
2C constructive raise of M (3 card support, good 7-10hcp)
2D limit raise with 3
3C/D are still normal Bergen raises
2M weak raise (0-bad 7)
1NT is non-forcing 6-9
XX is 10+ w/o 3 card support

That is my preferred method.

Another method I play with a regular partner is transfer responses:
1S if available is natural,forcing
1NT, 2C are transfers to C and D
Transfer into the major is a limit raise
A simple raise is normal
XX is again reserved for hands without 3 card support

The latter system still allows you to bid a new suit but it gets the
doubler, the stronger hand, on lead instead of having the lead come
through opener.

Sent from my iPhone

Ahh.. watching teenagers play bridge. well, 2 teenagers and 2 early 20's kids. 2 awesome auctions in a row:
P - 1D - P - 1H
P - 2N - P - 3C
X - XX - P - P
P
Making 3. Doubler had a 6 count with KJ doubleton of clubs.

1C - 1S - P - 1NT
2H - P - 6H - P
P - P
Cold for 7. Dummy has 100 honors in spades, Axxx in hearts, and the Q of clubs for good measure. 1NT bidder has a yarborough