Master Solver's Club Problem

You pick up S:AKJ4 H:J32 D:QJ8763, non-vulnerable against vul, as dealer. One Diamond (Pass) One Notrump (Two Notrump* showing 2 suiter clubs and hearts). Your bid?

In Master Solver's fashion I ask:

1. PASS with 1b) bidding THREE DIAMONDS after the TWO HEART preference and then selling out to THREE HEARTS?

2. Direct THREE DIAMONDS, and when west now passes, partner offers THREE NOTRUMP 2b) You pass/ Then you hear Lefty bid 4H, and partner doubles, your action>2c) you bid FOUR DIAMONDS ?

3. Directly bid FOUR DIAMONDS

4. Directly bid FIVE DIAMONDS

5. Introduce 3Spades, and over 4Hearts Doubled, 5a) pull to Five Diamonds 5b) pass?

After you decide please see the action at two tables. I could have gone one down in five diamonds for a very good score. Fourteen tables, no fewer, allowed 4HX making

Pick up trumps in grand slam with double finesse? Too rich for me

Operation hopeful. patient dead.

Letting avarice get in the way of greed. A simple 6Spades in light of the known black two suiter and diamond void would have sufficed. I got excited.

Two overtricks in 3NT

Of course you dont need a show up squeeze when the other fellow has proven chicane (void in the old bridge books) on round one, and the finesse is marked, but old habits die hard, and you play for the show up squeeze ending.

Accumulating small advantages, postponing testing clubs

A bread and butter kind of 3NT where the field failed for some reason. I just kept accruing small advanatages before testing clubs, keeping an even break there for a last resort.

Middling the ball for six (2 overtricks in four spades)

Nothing especially brilliant, but I just liked how the safe extra chances in four spades to make overtricks materialized as I left one trump about, going about my business, and it was in the right hand. Made six. Note also the club king in the pocket and the irrelevance of the CT,CJ

11 tricks on a simple squeeze

We arrived in 3NT with East having overcalled one spade. Lefty led spade 2. At a later point when he got in, he exited S9. In the ending, I was able to simple-squeeze East in clubs and spade 8 positionally. But my partner whom I showed the deal, made a fine observation. "You could also have played the S8 on the third round of the suit and made an 11th trick that way. West was very unlikely to hold the ST, or he would have led it if he had the ST9x." It is interersting what inferences there are if we all slow down just a bit. Indeed the club 9 as a menace worked only because East was kind enough to hold all the high clubs.

Nice bid by North to reach the good slam

The play was hardly optimal or safe. But I wish to make a point about the bidding. North did well to introduce spades after I chose to rebid 3C after righty's 2H. Perhaps I should really bid 2S. North just took over captaincy, and I have never been so grateful. Why was my play bad? . After the defense forced me to ruff a heart, you had 12 tricks—1 ruff, 4 trumps, 5 clubs and 2 diamonds. No need to risk another H craeting a trump loser out of thin air if the distribution is bad

Stopping in 4NT, making six, with help from defense

4NT was a quantitative invite, declined by robot partner. When East won the first trick, I had twelve on a squeeze. Can you see how East can keep me to 11 tricks? On the first trick, he needs to withhold the Ace. That would be a very strong play. Here it was only about overtricks. The inferences about the D honor from the lead combination, the desperation of defence if the contract were 6NT will all be a matter of speculation.

A somewhat ridiculous grand slam - a misunderstanding

I had not guessed that SIX DIAMONDS after first bidding spades showed anything like the 4-8-0-1 distribution. Rather desperately I tried SEVEN SPADES. After a diamond lead which helped resolve that nicely-lying suit, when the Moysian fit trump suit broke 3 3 my grand rolled in.

However, East on lead can chose two suits to lead which defeat the grand, by attacking the tenuous commmunication back to hand when a diamond ruff is needed. That is right, a heart or a club lead breaks the contract.

A huge swing at stake

On this goulash-like hand, west thought he had caught me redhanded. In a sense he was right. Double-dummy he could put east in diamonds for that spade shish kebab for down 8 doubled. Instead when he led a small spade, I gratefully won and claimed without playing another trick

Also note that West-East are cold for six spades

Spot defence's missed chance - and my misplay

We arrived in 4H after I made an interesting 1NT overcall with AJ tight in opp's suit. But I want to focus on misplays and misdefence

In actuality, I played three rounds of clubs. So, in with the HA, RHO has to find the defence of Cashing DA, and playing a fourth round of clubs to trump promote Left's now stiff HQ.

I was futzing around to spare myself a diamond guess, but if I'm forced to guess, I should just play the opening bidder for the DA. I should not have continued clubs, but rather played Ace and another spade, ruffing in the North hand, and should then lead trump.

The best-laid plans of men and mice

As above. All follow to this trick. When you cash two spades, lefty pitches on the second trump, a nondescript six of diamonds. How do you cross to dummy to claim?

When given this as a problem, you may see the point. At the table I think, you, like me would have quickly crossed with a heart, or I should say, tried to cross with a heart. Hearts are 7-1 even as trumps are 1-5 and righty ruffs.

When I posed this as a problem, my partner was alert. He replied "Since the C7 would be a bizarre lead from a holding of CT732, I do not think that RHO is trumping the second round of clubs, so I go back to dummy with a club, not a heart." He was right on the card reading. Clubs broke. He also commiserated with my play "Unlucky, only a 7-1 heart break and a 1-5 trump break beats my choice of play"

Five of a minor

I enjoy bidding to five of a minor. You feel like a champion of the oppressed when you take up the cause of the neglected minor suit.

Here, i was able to score 8 trumps and three top spades for eleven tricks in a near-complete cross-ruff

3NT or Five Diamonds?

Each strain has its unique problems, tenuous communication being surmountable because of the DA position in 3NT. I simply bid the other game which I thought had a better shot. The operation was delicate and the patient survived, we won 12 IMPs

Neat slam bidding, and a marked singleton lead

After a series of sharp cue bids, with the South hand, I had heard enough. I jumped to slam.

Slam proved a decent proposition. The club lead helped resolve that suit, and even the 4 -1 trump break did not hurt, as I racked up my slam

Aspects of elopement and avoidance

An avoidance play is when you put in one, not the other of your opponents who cannot hurt you. Here after the trump break was diagnosed, I needed West to be the one that would be on play, not east. I could have made life easier by not pulling one more trump when I would not have neededto find the HKQ *and* the CA in the hand with no more trumps.

A clash stepping-stone ending

The robots' listless shifts away from diamonds helped declarer. I found myself in a very interesting three card ending. There were ostensibly two spade top losers but because of a clash in the top honors, who ever won would have to give one of the disconnected hands (hence stepping stones) long established tricks.

Textbook safety play necessary

I arrived in a pedestrian 4H. (Six Diamonds would be an impressive contract to reach looking just at the North South hands). I took the textbook precaution this time and was rewarded to find the safety necessary.

Playing in 3NT when a eight card major fit is known

I did not overcall on round one thinking I was marginal

On round two 2NT represents 2 spades not three, my hand is not suitable for trump play, since no ruffs can be had in my hand

The growth of the diamond 6 into a third round stop was a fairy tale. A IMP top.

Don't make the last guess

Flight B and C players (and some Flight A players too) frequently feel a need to bid three spades in the passout seat. I did not. I have reopened with short clubs, heard a two spade preference from partner with scattered values and possible club length, and they have made the last guess. I went quietly, and collected a penalty.

A 4-4 fit in a rambunctious slam missing King Jack

The bidding was agricultural but the contract seemed 75%. I made it, tis true, my line was not optimal. I should play on trumps first. As I played it, if I'd lost to a stiff DJ, a spade continuation to tap dummy would leave me with too few trumps to pick up the suit. I can always ruff a spade later.

Defenders are embarrassed on lead in razor-thin 3NT

Once again I am in a filthy 3NT, because it is IMPs and I cannot be bothered to brake at 2NT.

I was not tested in the play, but try to defend double dummy after the C9 lead to K and A. I lead diamond nine to the ten finessing. When this holds, I play spade six to the eight and queen. Now provided, when West plays a spade I deep finesse, I make my contract. On other exits by opponents, they get more compromised and give me an easier road to nine tricks.

A textbook unblock deal

The bidding was distinctly non textbook, I knew that in the sequence P-1S- 1NT-2D 3D which should show a really weak long D hand, the computer usually has invitational values, I shot out 3NT. Unluckily the computer persisted with an idiotic RKCB ask in Diamonds I passed in a hurry So the contract was 4NT

But, the play's the thing. I saw that when the side entry to dummy’s long D was taken out, the blockage in the 6 -3 fit missing the Q, meant the diamonds could only be played one way. I took a deep breath and prayed for the layout taking the "textbook unnecessary necessary finesse"

The impossible should take less time.

The Alan Sontags and the Judi Radins of this world play incredibly fast putting pressure in pairs fields on their opponents. My opponent was swindled here by me. Arriving in an impossible contract, I knew I had to accumulate small advantages and see what develops. When I led a small spade from dummy and east flew Ace, I was beginning to see hope.