A hair-raising slam

My rushes of blood to the head in bidding when I hold a big hand are well-documented. Here is a case in point. My one heart opening on a control heavy 4=5=4=0 was hardly worth a re-raise to SIX after I received a ONE to FOUR raise which can be made on any five carder. Still, this was a tournament of 15 table, and hope typically springs (eternally) at six hearts (pun intended) out of 15.

The lead bore me a badly needed trick, I will take the West player out to a treat, oh wait, he was a BBO robot? Now, I ruffed out the marked DK, eliminated the side suits having drawn trump and simply hoped for Hx Hxx in spades, when a) an overtake would not work or my J would set up, b) one player gets endplayed to give me a ruff sluff. A hand to tell one's grandchildren about. The same lead, three tables managed to go down

Hair-raising Six Notrump

My rushes of blood to the head in bidding when I hold a nineteen or twenty pointer opposite an opening bid are well-documented. Here is a case in point. I was in an all-or-nothing position in diamonds. I reasoned thus. "Well he made a silly overcall missing KQ. of spades. Plus I have AK of clubs a 100 honors in hearts. He must have the DK single or double."

When I sent this deal from BBO out of pride to my bridge partner, he had an interesting perspective. "Well reasoned! And lucky, of course. But I think your 6NT bid was a pretty reasonable description of your hand; it's not your fault that partner had the wrong minor-suit king.

On a related note, I think North should have bid 7D over your 6NT. Really, on that auction, how likely is it that 6NT would make but 7D not make? You feel bad for the opponents when you bid and make a grand slam missing the trump king, but such is life."

A Moysian game bid after 1NT and splinter 4=4=1=4

Partner's jump to three diamonds was a splinter bid promising 4=4=1=4. Now I judged that 3NT would lose, as indeed it would on the marked small diamond lead. I chose a major, and got lucky to pick Hearts game. Perhaps 4Diamonds should say, bid your better 4 card major?. Anyway, the play was quite exciting in the Moysian, with ruffs having to be scored in the long trump hand with KQJx, what was interesting being the key hope that I could get losers off on clubs after only a partial drawing of trumps. What Rodwell calls Cash and Thrash. I was proud of this hand, for bidding and play.

A simple squeeze in a Grand Slam nets me 20 IMPs

I held the South hand and had aspirations, as they say, in hearts. But hearing partner rebid FOUR DIAMONDS which showed a strong suit and self sufficient hand, I launched into Blackwood RKCB, and a queen inquiry (FIVE HEARTS is a queen enquiry in diamonds, perhaps silly since I am already in smal slam). Seeing as I had no ruffing values, and possible suits to run besides diamonds, I shot out SEVEN NOTRUMP from the South Seat.I got a club lead (Whew, if west leads a spade,the simple squeeze still works with three early clubs and hoping diamonds 3-2) and looked at dummy askance. Diamonds could be 4-1 or worse, so there was no sense overtaking the Jack. On the other hand, I had a early decision, in spades, as they say. Or there could be a squeeze. Today, the gods were kind

The hardest news was for my sparring partner in the IMP match. He drove to SIX DIAMONDDS, normally only a small to big slam swing, but he ran into vicious distribution and robot defence. E led a Heart.Ace (looking for club discards) RUFFED. Back came a spade, and he was doomed

Luck is unquantifiable - part 2

Actually the holdings were reversed (I am not sure why it shows like this) I declared from the North hand after accepting the transfer . I sat with the 1NT opener, and heard it go 1NT-2D-2H-4NT. I have a strict minimum, QJx of trump is an unpromised extra. I shot out slam. One can get lucky

My shock was simutaneous with my pleasure when CJ appeared in two rounds. My spade losers (2 ) went away magically on the clubs. (A spade attack would be feasible were it not for the transfer that made North declarer and E on lead. Please don't bid like this in your tournaments. Most likely game will be limit

Luck is unquantifiable - Part I

After a notrump opening and transfer (to a major) a jump to 4NT is not Blackwood but invitational, based on strength of 1NT opener. Well, this is called quantitative invitation. Sometimes, as here, I can feel lucky. Not only did I have good three card (undisclosed) support in transferred major, but I had bits and pieces and a heart full of hope.

After the DA hit the table on opening lead, I said to myself "luck is unquantifiable"

An incredible slam SIX DIAMONDS that makes on a 5-0 trump split

This was a well-bid slam. West has overcalled showing the majors. North declares (I had to mmove to the robot's seat)and trick 1 saw the SK picked up by defenders' opening lead. Trick 2 showed the trump split deuce to the King. The trump split is a shock but declarer plays with cards almost known from West's distributional bid. At Trick 3, I took my pitch of a club on the HA. T4, a club to the King was safe as the long majors bidder has no trump. T5, a second round of diamonds to the Queen. Now came a key move, T6 a spade to the TEN! This finesse was important to set up winners. What is that? Yes, luckily W's sense of two suiter was 4-5 in spades-hearts. T7, I led a small spade toward dummy's 3 of trump. E ruffed in (he has no good option, or I make my spades good by ruffing small. Now, on lead with shortened trumps. clubs and hearts, he had no good return. He tried a H T8, with the known position, I played the H Quack, covered and ruffed. My two trump drew his two trump (five-zero overcome since he shortened himself) at Ts 9 and 10. I could make the last three tricks in several ways, having a surfeit of winners, yes, in suits bid by West :) (Note that West had to hold clubs over dummy's AT and had to shorten his hearts, the pride of his two majors.

There was a line of play that yields 13 tricks!! Just pull all three trump after two rounds. Since dummy has a CA entry accompanied by T, west comes under pressure in three suits, He has to pitch from S:Q9x H:K C:Qx, He is toast in the squeeze (I finesse spades for three tricks with CA is one threat, If he throws away his HK, HQ and HJ repeat the squeeze for 13 tricks. Wow

A far-sighted unblock by declarer in 3NT

On the spade lead, I overtook dummy's eight which was holding with my King since I wanted to preserve a late entry to dummy in spades,and also retain the precious HK

When DA showed the 6-0 Diamond split, I could not afford to overtake the DT, thus my preparations were 20/20 foresight. Well,the rest of the excesses by East notwithstanding (they only contributing OTs), I was well-placed compared to several declarers.

A fascinating 3NT contract. Handling on the H lead is interesting

I sent this played hand record to my longtime bridge partner. Because my holding off the HK seemed a nice trick at T1. He wrote back "Maybe, having overstated your strength by reversing, you should have passed the 2NT invite. 3NT had zero play if East had just continued hearts. And even after the shift, East can still give you a guess by not randomly playing second hand high on the second round of clubs. "

But I was not done. I replied. Even if E continues hearts, I can even duck FOUR rounds of hearts!! E comes under pressure in THREE suits holding S:QT93 D:J95 C:KT and still has to find two discards on my long hearts and I make nine tricks. A remarkable hand. There are other ways to play it than to duck four hearts, E is inexorably pressured.

Would you play or defend this deal 3NT by south. Say, on a small H lead

I sat south, and stuck my neck out in the bidding shown after N bid 3Diamonds. I figured I had their suits "stopped".

First conside what you might lead, and analyze play or defend.

Next, and this makes it a five star difficulty problem, move to the E seat. You have to envision South's problems at trick 1. What do you play?

Declarer is going to play on diamonds and partner is going to get in. You dont get to put a spade through declarer. On the other hand, if declarer has S:Kxx and IF he has H:KJ tight, holding off the queen might give him 2 tricks in hearts but no third! ie. if he holds CAxxxx he can come to 5 diamonds FOUR hearts, and partner cannot wreak much havoc when in with the DA, even if he (as he likely does) holds the Club King. Most likekly he will shift to a spade, hoping, but that is trick 11 for declarer, with ONE SPADE KING and CLUB ACE.

But it takes 20/20 vision to imagine Declarer's actual holding and fate if you duck the HQ, with that vital East hand entry lurking and source of tricks in all suits (OK he can force 5 diamonds and H:K and over take HJ with HA and CA but that is only eight tricks in all.

Another case of strong hand in competition, but perhaps a rush of blood to brain optimism

The hand grew in strength They had opened and raised in hearts. My holding AJx in their suit might have one loser not two. I liked my other controls. There was not much room in the bidding for partner to hold much more than the Queen of spades, but finesses rated to be onside with the opening bidder seated on my right. I even inquired queens, and all I wanted to know was verified. I blasted into slam. Of course, leading a club J and running it makes seven, but who can quarrel with making twelve tricks and 11 IMPs.

Strong hands in competition, and the Losing Trick Count

The losing trick count is a great aid to level of contract visualization. The following hand has 3 or 3 1/2 losers. However, when partner bids Four clubs competitively, you certainly have no club loser, and the E-W barrage in hearts makes your Axxx of hearts not a one trick loser even, since you can expect no more than one heart in dummy and can ruff the rest. I had a clear SIX CLUB call, not made at 13 tables where players were more wooden in their slam HCP estimation in face of the barrage of opponent raises.Of course, West had no business doubing.

Every bidding device, an attacking lead, but practical claim on 3-2 trump

Including a fourclub splinter, by opening bidder, and in response to Rkcb in hearts, response of SIX CLUBS a rarity showing odd number of key cards and void in bid suit, landed us in SIX HEARTS. I moved to declare in the North robot seat, and E led a spade. Since I had two pitches on my C:AK, I rose with the SA, and when trumps behaved (I drew two trumps of course), and the diamonds ran, I had just the trump master they could take any day, early or late. An attractive offensive hand for hearts.

I am the only one to make Four Spades out of fifteen tables.

Two special moves made this Four Spade declaration by me stand out. Out of 15 tables 14 went down. Only I made it.

The first was a careful small play on the second round of hearts from East, from my hand Kx. This proved vital when W ruffed.

The second was visualizing my complete elopment with one trump outstanding. The fact that West would have to win a club exit and not have a trump to return was quite an amazing spot (or hope).

A simple play hand, turned into a triple squeeze with one loser in no trump

From the get go, this three notrump will make if you read all cards right. My special trick was ducking the club King, holding the CAQ. I thought this would add to my endgame pressure chances. I had made my play more complex than needed but the last clubs kept west out, and put pressure unbeknownst to me on E who held the long spade and the master diamond. You see, he had to shed hearts otherwise, if he shed the spade, I needed to play a H to the Ace and exit with a diamond, (reading E for stiff J) and enforcing the return into my K9 tenace.

An elementary trump safety play missed at other tables

When the first round of trump went Jack, King, Ace, three. On the next round I crossed to the King of spades (my second spade entry for playing trumps off the table) and finessed against the ten. You see, West had bid clubs, and I could afford one trump loser not two. Other tables must have laid down the Queen of hearts losing to the ten eight

Partner bids 4 of a minor in competion over thier raise 1M(X) 2M

I guess there were two actions on this board that might be deemed non-standard. The first was the shape for the double. I risked a double because at Instant IMP, the South hand is the highest in HCP. Next, over LHO's raise to Two Spades, Partner jump bid FOUR CLUBS. What should I do now? I reasoned that my xxxx of spades must face a void or a singleton, and my hand was rich in controls for a club contract. I shot out FIVE CLUBS. I saw that the contract depended on a Heart finesse, which the kind opponents took for me. Or else I would have done so myself, making the contract on any lead.

A hopeful jump to slam wins 13.3 IMP

In a Instant IMP tournament on BridgeBaseOnline, After partner responded One Spade to my One Diamond, RHO got frisky with FOUR CLUBS. My rushes of blood to the brain were operative and I deemed my AQx worthy of a raise to six. When I saw that declarer had merely JT98xx of trump, I needed the finesse. All was well when I could discard two losing diamonds on top HAQ after unblock of the HK. Making six for a reward of 13.3 crossIMP

E might have, given his diamond void, desperately tried to underlead his eight-bagger, AKxxxxxx. Partner, in with the Club Quack will give him his ruff for one down. Lucky for me, they were not upto this defence

A robot makes a subtle(?) mistake

This was a pushy four spade bid on the last (12th) board of a 15-player event on BBO

Once I misguessed by playing the HT on opening lead, I was headed for a one-trick set. When the robot E came to my resscue by covering the SJ. Since my T 9 were high, I could play on a high elopement. I handled the rest well for a sizeable IMP pickup on the vul game

Thinnest of trump suits in a slam. We get lucky

When I, perhaps, inadvisedly indicated Spade support, partner took me for three carder and went off into Blackwood land. It was not the most numerous card-contract at the six level, this seven card fit, but I played on normal lines. I could afford a late trump loser, as it turned out

Would You bid a grand slam, given a "higher void than hearts and odd number of key cards" opposite

When I inquired RKCB, the reply was unexpected. The jump to SIX HEARTS showed a spade void and an odd number of keycards. I played it safe in six while I was itching to gamble seven.

A trump suit missing AQJx in slam

When my somewhat deficient heart suit bid got raised via a three spade splinter bid after a one spade overcall, a wild idea occurred to me. I cue-bid FOUR DIAMONDS, and drove relentlessly off the cliff into slam. A prayer was answered when trumps broke 2-2 with A onside.

Plan play in Three Spades (Yes - a Moysian fit)

A balancing action by me -not without risk- launched us into the Moysian. Plan play on the HA, HQ continuation where the ruff with the deuce holds, West luckily having two of East's suit. In replays at fifteeen tables the contract was going down two and three. I guessed everything right

Roth-like silence on first round followed by forcing partner to game

After a loaded pass, Three Spades was one of those hang partner high bids. Here, it worked out

Other table played a meek 3C.

A friend and former bridge partner commented, when I sent him this deal, I wonder, on that auction what the odds are that East would have HKx, HQx, HKQx (or, of course, HKQ, as he actually had). I'd guess the odds are pretty high. Nicely bid!

A lovely cross-ruff for small slam in December 2024

Three noteworthy features. 1. the robots 0play this intermediate strength invitational 1S-3H which makes no sense. 2. This time my jump was not addiction - a symptom where I think chance-taking superior to investigation that is systematic 3. Finally, the OT emerged because the 8 was singleton and the 4 3 of trump had to underruff and present the trump 5 with a trick

First grand slam of 2025

I could have gotten fancy with Exclusion keycard blackwood, I suppose, asking for keycards outside of clubs, but in some cases - as here- CA K can come in handy. I launched into RKCB and partner showed two of the five keycards (4 aces and trump K) without the Queen of trump (Of course, since I held it). I took a shot at seven which was almost a claim

A well-executed ruff-sluff or double exit in a side suit

An ominous lead of T of spades goes to SJ which holds. Obviously a singlton.

I lose the trump finesse, win the D return (covered J, Q and A, and draw trump in two more rounds. (Note: GIB or double dummy engines suggest taking fewer than three rounds trump and playing West for the club King and a doubleton trump, when you can make 12 tricks, but this is not for the feint of heart. After you take three trumps and "test" the spades, the following paragraphs are accurate.)

Setting up Spades has insufficient entries. Clubs are fraught unless there is an endplay.

I find the only exit that works. My losing diamond. When West leads a third round of the suit, I avoid ruffing in either hand, taking a ruff sluff and encouraging another diamond play which will not help defense.

He is forced to play a club and I stick in the queen, and have obtained 10 tricks when I am able to ruff my last spade loser with dummy's trump having pitched the penultimate spade loser on the CQ.

EDIT: Final note as this goes to print. I would be down if the C finesse failed. Instead, I can even make 11 tricks. After drawing trump, there is a beautiful loser on loser line to set up the spades. Overtook the SK with the SA and play the S9, pitching dummy's losing diamond.