The beggar is coming to the club
every Tuesday at 3 minutes to five (the tourney begins at five) as he
knows I am too busy then and will try to get rid of him as quickly as
possible. He has a small box with coins inside and he flips it hard to
make a lot of noise to announce his presence. Naturally , I go straight
to him and give him the "usual fee" so that he will leave. He always
wears the same dirty old clothes, his hair is gray, greasy
and wild, and he always has a one week beard.
He always welcomes me with: "Good afternoon, Maestro," along with a
shiny white teeth smile. The teeth somehow don't fit: They are actually
perfect. How can a beggar have such perfect teeth?
But this week he surprised me. He came as usual at 3 minutes
to 5, made (as usual) a lot of noise to announce his arrival, but when
I ran to him to give him his usual fee, he said:
"Good afternoon, Maestro. Sorry, but I raised the price. 1 more shequel
please (1$ = about 4 shequels)”. And before I had the time to think
about it he continued: “Please understand, for the old price it is no
longer profitable for me to get out of my bed, and show my face here."
So... I gave hime the new fee, wondering if the "service" I get is
worth the cost I just paid.
The next day I went to the Eilat Bridge Festival. It's a great
festival, as hundreds of players from all over the country plus many
guests from abroad join for ten days of bridge, staying in the best
hotels the city offers. The main events are played at the "Royal Beach"
5-star hotel.
On this deal I came to play against unknown opponents.
Dealer West, none vulnerable
South decided that his hand is worth bidding, non vul, at the 3rd
level, and his partner, who expected a little more, raised to game.
Sitting West, I lead the ♦5.
My partner took the ace, switched to heart and I won my ♥AQ and continued with the ♦8.
Declarer's situation looks bad, as besides the 3 tricks he already
lost, he has 3 more losers: a spade, a club and a diamond. Not knowing
how to gather information he tried the ♠AK, hoping to drop ♠Qx . When
this didn't happen he went 2 down, losing a diamond and a spade, with
the club finesse working.
He asked me politely: "Oren, could I have played better?"
So I said: “Yes, this hand is a perfect example of counting and
assuming.
My 2♥ opener shows
max 10 points. You already saw the ♥AQ
in my hand and in addition you must assume I also hold
the ♣K, beause otherwise you can't make your contract.
You also must assume that the clubs are 3-3. Placing
the ♣K in my hand is giving me 9 points together with the ♥AQ, which means that you
must place the ♠Q with my partner as there is no room for 2 more points
in my hand.
You also need to ensure 2 more entries to dummy: one to ruff the 3rd
club and another to cash the 4th club.
To do that, win the 4th trick with the ♦K, play a club to the ♣Q,
continue with a spade to the ♠10, finessing East's ♠Q and play the ♠A.
Continue with a club to the ♣A, ruff a club in hand and play a 3rd
round of spade to dummy's ♠K, pulling out East's ♠Q. Throw your losing
diamond on the 4th club and claim."
"Wow! That was a great analysis! Thank you, Maestro," he said and
smiled showing his perfect white teeth. And only then I realized...
"YOU!" I said.
"Yes, it's me," he confirmed.
"But, I just saw you yesterday, filthy, unshaved, wild hair, smelly,
with your old torn clothes, robbing me for one more shequel, and here
you are..."
... and he continued "playing Bridge against you, all dressed up,
smelling good, and a guest of the Royal Beach hotel. Yes, I'm
a profesional beggar. Yesterday you saw me with my work outfit. The
greasy hair and the beard are fake. I make 1 and a half shequel per
minute, which means 90 shequels an hour. Tax free, no expenses like
rent, cleaning, secretary, etc. I have regular customers, like
you. I have a home, a family, a car and a life after my
working hours, and as you see I take my vacations too. Good luck for
the rest of the tourney! I'll see you next Tuesday at work, at 3
minutes to 5!"
Monday, December 14, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Solution to DD Challenge #28
Contract: 6♦. Lead: ♣3.
Ruff trick 1, play ♠Q, and ruff West's ♠K. Come back to hand with the ♦K, play the ♠J and ruff West's ♠A. Get back to hand with the ♦A to reach this position:
Continue with the ♠10 and throw the ♥A from dummy! Continue now with another spade.
West has few options:
- He can discard, on which you simply continue with spades, throwing all your losers. Or,
- He can ruff with the ♦5 on which you will overruff with the ♦J, ruff another club with your last trump, and continue spade. West can ruff with the ♦Q, but then he return with heart – And your hand is high.
- And finaly, if West ruffs with the ♦Q – Underruff with the ♦J! West can either continue with heart or with the ♦5 – But your hand is high again.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Double Dummy Challenge #28
The rules are simple. You get
the contract and the lead. You may look at all cards and play
accordingly (you are always South). However, the defense can do the
same, and they never make mistakes. You must find a way to make the
contract against any defense.
You can experiment with the deal below to see if you can solve it. Click the Next button in the diagram to see the opening lead. Click the Play button to play the cards for all 4 players. You can use the GIB button for clues, by seeing which are winning cards to play and which are losing ones (A red number on a card means if you play that card, contract goes down that many undertricks. A green number or a green = sign means if you play that card, contract makes).
Oren's Double Dummy Challenge #28 - By Oren Lidor
You are playing 6♦. West lead the ♣3. Take it from here:
You can experiment with the deal below to see if you can solve it. Click the Next button in the diagram to see the opening lead. Click the Play button to play the cards for all 4 players. You can use the GIB button for clues, by seeing which are winning cards to play and which are losing ones (A red number on a card means if you play that card, contract goes down that many undertricks. A green number or a green = sign means if you play that card, contract makes).
Oren's Double Dummy Challenge #28 - By Oren Lidor
You are playing 6♦. West lead the ♣3. Take it from here:
Friday, October 30, 2015
Bridge and money
7:00AM
Bill Gates was asleep when the phone rang:
"Hi, this is Jessica from the lottery. I am happy to inform you that you just won 2 million dollars. Congratulations!"
"Million? I am not familiar with this number. I'm not familiar with numbers bellow one billion. Especially not at 7AM," and he hung up.
7:01AM
The phone rang again, and his secretary was on the line:
"Hi, I called to remind you of the half billion deal at 8AM in your office."
"I feel lazy today. I am not getting out of bed for any deal bellow one billion," he grumbled and hung up again.
7:02AM
His secretary again:
"They just called about that one billion donation. You promised them an answer today..."
"Give them two billions if they promise to never call again at this hour." He hung up for the third (and hopefully the last) time.
7:03AM
This time his bridge partner was on the phone:
"We're on for a money bridge table one hour from now. $5 a point. Are you in?"
"Oh! The first call today worthwhile to get out of my bed. I'll be there!"
But he was not in shape, and they lost LOTS of money. Like this hand, for instance, where Bill could have made a slam.
Dealer South, all vulnerable
West lead a diamond.
Bill thought for a while, then won in dummy and lead a low spade to his ♠J. His goal was to make 4 spade tricks: "I'll make 4 tricks in spades every time East has ♠Qxxx or if spades split 3-3," he thought. As cards were, Bill did make his 4 tricks in spades, but that was not enough.
With 4 spades, 2 hearts, 4 diamonds and 1 club, he was still one trick short. So... he tried the club finesse, and down he went. "How unlucky," he murmured.
His partner wasn't happy: "Unlucky?! They call to tell you that you won 2 millions and you get upset, and now you fail a cold slam when you are SO lucky to make 5 spade tricks – if you play it right! Try the club finesse first! If the finesse succeeds, play spades as you did to get 4 spade tricks. But if club finesse fails – You must play for 5 tricks in spade. Play the ♠J, and win West's ♠Q with your ♠K. Go back to hand and finesse again to the ♠9. As cards lay – You make 5 tricks".
Bill was upset. As always, when he was upset, he went for his other hobby: fishing. He turned off his cellphone to make sure no one will bother him and sailed to the open ocean on his fancy boat. He silenced the engine and sat fishing, enjoying the silence around him.
"Hello!" said a tiny voice.
Bill looked around but there was no one there.
"Down here!" said the little voice again.
He looked down and saw a little golden fish on the hook.
"Yes, it's me, and I am talking to you, Bill," said the fish.
"This is one of the worst days of my life... Nonsense calls before sunrise, lousy bridge, and now here I am talking to a fish when I desperately need a quiet moment," he thought.
The fish read his mind. "Don't be upset, Bill. Your luck is going to change. For I am the famous gold fish, surely you heard about me in stories when you were a kid. If you remember, when you catch the gold fish, it's time for a wish..."
"I don't see how this changes my luck, but OK. I'll grant your fish wish – Tell me how much do you want, and go away!"
Bill Gates was asleep when the phone rang:
"Hi, this is Jessica from the lottery. I am happy to inform you that you just won 2 million dollars. Congratulations!"
"Million? I am not familiar with this number. I'm not familiar with numbers bellow one billion. Especially not at 7AM," and he hung up.
7:01AM
The phone rang again, and his secretary was on the line:
"Hi, I called to remind you of the half billion deal at 8AM in your office."
"I feel lazy today. I am not getting out of bed for any deal bellow one billion," he grumbled and hung up again.
7:02AM
His secretary again:
"They just called about that one billion donation. You promised them an answer today..."
"Give them two billions if they promise to never call again at this hour." He hung up for the third (and hopefully the last) time.
7:03AM
This time his bridge partner was on the phone:
"We're on for a money bridge table one hour from now. $5 a point. Are you in?"
"Oh! The first call today worthwhile to get out of my bed. I'll be there!"
But he was not in shape, and they lost LOTS of money. Like this hand, for instance, where Bill could have made a slam.
Dealer South, all vulnerable
West lead a diamond.
Bill thought for a while, then won in dummy and lead a low spade to his ♠J. His goal was to make 4 spade tricks: "I'll make 4 tricks in spades every time East has ♠Qxxx or if spades split 3-3," he thought. As cards were, Bill did make his 4 tricks in spades, but that was not enough.
With 4 spades, 2 hearts, 4 diamonds and 1 club, he was still one trick short. So... he tried the club finesse, and down he went. "How unlucky," he murmured.
His partner wasn't happy: "Unlucky?! They call to tell you that you won 2 millions and you get upset, and now you fail a cold slam when you are SO lucky to make 5 spade tricks – if you play it right! Try the club finesse first! If the finesse succeeds, play spades as you did to get 4 spade tricks. But if club finesse fails – You must play for 5 tricks in spade. Play the ♠J, and win West's ♠Q with your ♠K. Go back to hand and finesse again to the ♠9. As cards lay – You make 5 tricks".
Bill was upset. As always, when he was upset, he went for his other hobby: fishing. He turned off his cellphone to make sure no one will bother him and sailed to the open ocean on his fancy boat. He silenced the engine and sat fishing, enjoying the silence around him.
"Hello!" said a tiny voice.
Bill looked around but there was no one there.
"Down here!" said the little voice again.
He looked down and saw a little golden fish on the hook.
"Yes, it's me, and I am talking to you, Bill," said the fish.
"This is one of the worst days of my life... Nonsense calls before sunrise, lousy bridge, and now here I am talking to a fish when I desperately need a quiet moment," he thought.
The fish read his mind. "Don't be upset, Bill. Your luck is going to change. For I am the famous gold fish, surely you heard about me in stories when you were a kid. If you remember, when you catch the gold fish, it's time for a wish..."
"I don't see how this changes my luck, but OK. I'll grant your fish wish – Tell me how much do you want, and go away!"
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Seeing through cards #16
Dealer West. None Vul.
You are playing 4♦. West lead the ♣AK. When all followed suit, he continued with a 3rd round of clubs which East ruffed with the ♦2. East returned a spade. You won the trick and tried the ♦Q on which West played the ♦3.
You are playing 4♦. West lead the ♣AK. When all followed suit, he continued with a 3rd round of clubs which East ruffed with the ♦2. East returned a spade. You won the trick and tried the ♦Q on which West played the ♦3.
- How are clubs divided?
- How are hearts divided?
- How are spades divided?
- How are diamonds divided?
- Where is the ♦K?
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
A little prayer
"Dear God. It is my birthday today, and like every year, I am here, in
the church, sending you my little prayer.
Please help me get a fat bank account and a slim figure. Thank you, Dora.
PS. Please try not to switch these two wishes, like you did last year. Thanks again, Dora.
PPS. And make all my finesses work in bridge. Re-thanks, Dora".
She told her partner about her birthday wish, and about what happened last year, and about her doubts that God will grant her wishes.
"How much weight did you plan to lose last year," asked her partner.
"About 15 kilos."
"And how much more you still have to lose now?"
"Now, about 25 more..." sighed Dora.
"Maybe God has another idea of what being slim means. Same for your bank account.
Tell you what: Let's ask God that our first board today will be your guidance - If He gives you a successful finesse - it means that He is listening to your prayers," suggested her partner.
This was the first hand of the day:
Dealer South, none vulnerable
West lead the ♥2.
"What are your leads?" asked Dora.
"Against NT, we lead 4th best of our longest suit," came the answer.
She counted 7 top tricks and soon enough she saw that the contract depends on the diamond finesse.
"Looks like God listened to my prayer, she thought to herself. For sure the diamond finesse will work... But which way? Or maybe diamonds are 2-2 and I shouldn't finesse at all?"
With opponents silent throughout, she had no hint to help her tackle diamonds.
She tested clubs first, playing four rounds and saw West discard a spade on the third club. But this didn't help her make up her mind.
"Surely, God expects me to play ♦AK, else he would be more clear," she thought. So, she played ♦AK and down she went when opponents took 3 hearts, 2 spades and the ♦Q.
Partner was not happy.
"You were told exactly what to do, but you didn't understand what you were told. The ♥2 lead tells you that West has exactly 4 hearts. They said they play 4th best. The ♥2 lead also tells you that West doesn't have 5 cards in any other suit, else he would lead that suit. Since West showed 4 hearts and 2 clubs, and you know he doesn't have any 5 carder, his remaining 7 cards are divided 4-3. That means he has either 3 or 4 cards in diamonds and therefore East has at most one diamond.
You have to play ♦K and finesse West's ♦Q next," her partner completed his analysis.
"I'm sorry, you are right. Maybe I misunderstood some other hints when He showed me I can eat sweets and shouldn't worry about exercising... I wonder if it was the other way around?"
Please help me get a fat bank account and a slim figure. Thank you, Dora.
PS. Please try not to switch these two wishes, like you did last year. Thanks again, Dora.
PPS. And make all my finesses work in bridge. Re-thanks, Dora".
She told her partner about her birthday wish, and about what happened last year, and about her doubts that God will grant her wishes.
"How much weight did you plan to lose last year," asked her partner.
"About 15 kilos."
"And how much more you still have to lose now?"
"Now, about 25 more..." sighed Dora.
"Maybe God has another idea of what being slim means. Same for your bank account.
Tell you what: Let's ask God that our first board today will be your guidance - If He gives you a successful finesse - it means that He is listening to your prayers," suggested her partner.
This was the first hand of the day:
Dealer South, none vulnerable
West lead the ♥2.
"What are your leads?" asked Dora.
"Against NT, we lead 4th best of our longest suit," came the answer.
She counted 7 top tricks and soon enough she saw that the contract depends on the diamond finesse.
"Looks like God listened to my prayer, she thought to herself. For sure the diamond finesse will work... But which way? Or maybe diamonds are 2-2 and I shouldn't finesse at all?"
With opponents silent throughout, she had no hint to help her tackle diamonds.
She tested clubs first, playing four rounds and saw West discard a spade on the third club. But this didn't help her make up her mind.
"Surely, God expects me to play ♦AK, else he would be more clear," she thought. So, she played ♦AK and down she went when opponents took 3 hearts, 2 spades and the ♦Q.
Partner was not happy.
"You were told exactly what to do, but you didn't understand what you were told. The ♥2 lead tells you that West has exactly 4 hearts. They said they play 4th best. The ♥2 lead also tells you that West doesn't have 5 cards in any other suit, else he would lead that suit. Since West showed 4 hearts and 2 clubs, and you know he doesn't have any 5 carder, his remaining 7 cards are divided 4-3. That means he has either 3 or 4 cards in diamonds and therefore East has at most one diamond.
You have to play ♦K and finesse West's ♦Q next," her partner completed his analysis.
"I'm sorry, you are right. Maybe I misunderstood some other hints when He showed me I can eat sweets and shouldn't worry about exercising... I wonder if it was the other way around?"
Friday, October 9, 2015
Animals
"You skipped History class three
times in a row, you put a frog in the Literature teacher's suitcase,
you sent a false love letter to the Chemistry teacher, you called your
Math teacher in the middle of the night and asked him to run quickly
and see if he has water in the toilet - and when he came back and said:
'Yes I have' – you said: 'What did expect there, Coca Cola?', you threw
paper airplanes in the class during Religion hours and you taught three
first year students how to curse in Spanish. You are therefore
suspended from school for 3 days. In addition, I expect to see at least
one of your parents, to explain to me how come you behave like
animals," the Principal closed his long lecture.
As they left the room, Joe said: "Finally. All four of us got kicked out. Now you can all come to my place and we play Marathon Bridge for 3 days."
Tanya didn't seem too happy: "My parents are going to kill me! I promised them to behave better."
"Don't worry too much, Tanya, said Danny. Let my dad handle this - He really understands these things. Your parents won't even find out about this."
"Just pity for the Bridge lessons we miss tomorrow - I don't care much about the rest," sighed Martha.
And off they went to Joe's house to play some cards. The bridge was great!
Here is one of the hands where Tanya put on a nice performance.
Dealer South, all vulnerable
West lead the ♥Q. Tanya won in hand with the ♥K and pulled two rounds of trump. Next she played ♥A, throwing a club from dummy and ruffed a heart.
Now she thought about playing clubs to endplay opponents. But then she paused, realizing it will not do any good, as even if one opponent has ♦QJx his partner could play another diamond and she still had a diamond loser. Therefore she first played ♦AK. When West showed out she continued with a club, endplaying West who only had hearts and clubs left. When he returned a club, Tanya was able to ruff in dummy and throw her diamond loser from hand.
"How do you explain that your son and his friends behave like animals?" had said the Principal to Danny's father. Back to school, 3 days later, the four kids gave the Principal a letter from Danny's dad.
His answer was:
"Sir,
You expect our children to:
Wake up every morning like roosters,
Carry their schoolbags like donkeys,
Run to school like deers,
Work hard like ants,
Copy from the blackboard like monkeys,
Be quiet as fish,
And after all this you are surprised they behave like animals?"...
As they left the room, Joe said: "Finally. All four of us got kicked out. Now you can all come to my place and we play Marathon Bridge for 3 days."
Tanya didn't seem too happy: "My parents are going to kill me! I promised them to behave better."
"Don't worry too much, Tanya, said Danny. Let my dad handle this - He really understands these things. Your parents won't even find out about this."
"Just pity for the Bridge lessons we miss tomorrow - I don't care much about the rest," sighed Martha.
And off they went to Joe's house to play some cards. The bridge was great!
Here is one of the hands where Tanya put on a nice performance.
Dealer South, all vulnerable
West lead the ♥Q. Tanya won in hand with the ♥K and pulled two rounds of trump. Next she played ♥A, throwing a club from dummy and ruffed a heart.
Now she thought about playing clubs to endplay opponents. But then she paused, realizing it will not do any good, as even if one opponent has ♦QJx his partner could play another diamond and she still had a diamond loser. Therefore she first played ♦AK. When West showed out she continued with a club, endplaying West who only had hearts and clubs left. When he returned a club, Tanya was able to ruff in dummy and throw her diamond loser from hand.
"How do you explain that your son and his friends behave like animals?" had said the Principal to Danny's father. Back to school, 3 days later, the four kids gave the Principal a letter from Danny's dad.
His answer was:
"Sir,
You expect our children to:
Wake up every morning like roosters,
Carry their schoolbags like donkeys,
Run to school like deers,
Work hard like ants,
Copy from the blackboard like monkeys,
Be quiet as fish,
And after all this you are surprised they behave like animals?"...
Friday, September 18, 2015
Life Insurance
Rina was upset, and on the way
to the bridge club she spilled her heart to her partner:
"Making a life insurance contract was a one in a life time experience. This guy came over and started to ask all these terrible questions... About my eating habits, smoking habits, physical activity, sexual activity, about previous illnesses, genetic illnesses, illnesses in the family... If I ever did drugs, about accidents I had, about my education, if I've had therapy with a psychologist, psychiatrist, the most intrusive interview I've ever been through".
"But it's all behind you now... Why are you still so upset?" asked her partner.
"After I gave him my credit card details, and signed the contract, he went to the door then turned around, smiled and said: 'This life insurance contract is a bet between the insurance company and you. We win if you stay alive, and you win if you die' And then he laughed and left without even saying goodbye. I still wonder what I should make of his words..." said Rina with a puzzled expression.
On today's hand her partner went a little wild:
Dealer West, all vulnerable
West lead the ♥K.
"I went a little crazy here. But hey... You are a great player, and if you go down - you have a life insurance now," smiled her partner.
Rina tried to focus on her mission:
Spades must be 3-2 here, else the contract is doomed. That means: 5 spades, 1 heart, 3 diamonds and 2 clubs.
She needs two more tricks. Ruffing twice in dummy is problematic and setting up the 5th diamond, in case the suit splits 4-2 is not enough, she'll still need another trick.
But, as West must have 7 hearts and 2 or 3 spades, he is short in the minors which means that a squeeze can be performed on East. She can set it up after one ruff in dummy.
With this plan in mind, Rina won the ♥A, cashed ♠AK, and ruffed 1 club in dummy. Now she ruffed a heart in hand, played the ♠Q and the ♣K, throwing 2 hearts from dummy.
5 cards remained: 1 spade, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs in hand, 5 diamonds in dummy and 4 diamonds and the ♣J in East. When Rina played the last spade, East was squeezed: If he throws a club – the clubs in hand are high, and if he throws a diamond - the diamonds in dummy are high.
"Well done partner!" said partner with enthusiasm.
"It's that life insurance... It gives me peace of mind, and while I'm calm I always perform better," smiled Rina for the first time today.
"Making a life insurance contract was a one in a life time experience. This guy came over and started to ask all these terrible questions... About my eating habits, smoking habits, physical activity, sexual activity, about previous illnesses, genetic illnesses, illnesses in the family... If I ever did drugs, about accidents I had, about my education, if I've had therapy with a psychologist, psychiatrist, the most intrusive interview I've ever been through".
"But it's all behind you now... Why are you still so upset?" asked her partner.
"After I gave him my credit card details, and signed the contract, he went to the door then turned around, smiled and said: 'This life insurance contract is a bet between the insurance company and you. We win if you stay alive, and you win if you die' And then he laughed and left without even saying goodbye. I still wonder what I should make of his words..." said Rina with a puzzled expression.
On today's hand her partner went a little wild:
Dealer West, all vulnerable
West lead the ♥K.
"I went a little crazy here. But hey... You are a great player, and if you go down - you have a life insurance now," smiled her partner.
Rina tried to focus on her mission:
Spades must be 3-2 here, else the contract is doomed. That means: 5 spades, 1 heart, 3 diamonds and 2 clubs.
She needs two more tricks. Ruffing twice in dummy is problematic and setting up the 5th diamond, in case the suit splits 4-2 is not enough, she'll still need another trick.
But, as West must have 7 hearts and 2 or 3 spades, he is short in the minors which means that a squeeze can be performed on East. She can set it up after one ruff in dummy.
With this plan in mind, Rina won the ♥A, cashed ♠AK, and ruffed 1 club in dummy. Now she ruffed a heart in hand, played the ♠Q and the ♣K, throwing 2 hearts from dummy.
5 cards remained: 1 spade, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs in hand, 5 diamonds in dummy and 4 diamonds and the ♣J in East. When Rina played the last spade, East was squeezed: If he throws a club – the clubs in hand are high, and if he throws a diamond - the diamonds in dummy are high.
"Well done partner!" said partner with enthusiasm.
"It's that life insurance... It gives me peace of mind, and while I'm calm I always perform better," smiled Rina for the first time today.
Friday, August 28, 2015
Expected Value
Expected value is a term from statistics and probabilities.
It means: What is the value (or gain) we expect to get if we do the
same experiment over and over again?
How is that related to Bridge? I'll present a few examples below.
Let's say we play IMPs. Our partner makes a game invite and we are in doubt: bid 4♠ or Pass?
We have 16 points. Is that 16 points hand good enough for a raise?
Looking at NS cards we can count 1 loser in each suit, which means that making 10 tricks will be totally depending on a successful spade finesse. So we can estimate our chances to make the contract at 50%.
Assuming that indeed the contract has a 50% chance to succeed, what should we do? Should we pass or raise? Also, is vulnerability an issue in our decision here?
Let's say we're playing a speedball and we get the exact same bidding and problem on all 12 hands. We'll check what happens if we would pass on all 12 hands, and what happens if we would raise on all 12 hands.
Since we assumed 50% success, we'll say that on 6 hands we make 9 tricks and on other 6 we make 10.
Let's start with the Pass policy:
Contract: 3♠
We can see that our total expected value here (70+85) is 155 (which is the average between 140 and 170) whether vulnerable or not.
Now let's see the raise to 4♠ policy, not vulnerable:
Contract: 4♠
We can see that our expected value here is 185, which means that we will gain more if we bid game = We can gain more than we lose!
And what if we are vulnerable? Should we raise or be more careful now? Let's see:
Contract: 4♠
We can see that our expected value here is 260, which means that we will gain MUCH more if we bid game = We gain MUCH more than we lose!
In other words, if we are vulnerable, it is much more profitable, on the long term, and if the chance of making is 50%, to bid a game as we have much more to gain than to lose.
To make it more clear: The score in IMPs is calculated in that way: Calculate the average of all scores and check how far you score from the average. This distance is translated to IMPs in a special IMPs table.
Let's check these distances:
When not vulnerable:
We flip the coin 12 times and we always choose "heads", which has a 50% chance to come up. On the first 6 flips our award for winning is 4$ and our cost for losing is 3$. Let's assume that on these 6 flips we win 3 times and lose 3 times = we earned 3$.
On the last 6 flips we win 6$ for each "heads" and lose 3$ for each "tails". If it's "heads" 3 times and "tails" 3 times we will win 9$.
Back to our speedball: If in all 12 hands we will raise to 4♠, we are expected to win 12 IMPs in total for our strategy (9 for the 6 hands vul and 3 for the 6 hands not vulnerable). If we pass all 12 hands, we are expected to lose 12 IMPs for our strategy.
Did you hear the saying: "A slam on a finesse is a good slam"?
Let's check it out:
Partner's 4NT is a quantitative slam invitation. It is more than likely that if we bid a slam, it would depend on a successful finesse in one of the suits, like in the hand above: The slam is totally depending on the successful spade finesse. Assuming the success of bidding slam is 50%, should we bid the slam or pass 4NT? Do we gain more than we lose by raising anyway?
Let's check it out:
1. Not vulnerable:
a. Contract: 4NT
b. Contract: 6NT
The expected value of passing game is 475 and for bidding slam it's 470 = about the same.
2. Vulnerable:
a. Contract: 4NT
b. Contract: 6NT
The expected value of passing is 675 and for bidding slam it's 670 = about the same.
Conclusion: There is no significant loss or gain if we always bid a slam here, whether vulnerable or not.
How about grand slam vs small slam? Is it worth risking a small slam that is sure to make, for a grand slam with a 50% chance to make?
Let's check:
1. Not vulnerable:
a. Contract: 6NT
b. Contract: 7NT
The expected value of staying in a small slam is 1005 and for bidding a grand slam is 735 = Not worth trying a grand (on a 50% chance)! Much more to lose than to gain.
To be exact: 735/(735+1005) = 0.42 and 1005/(735+1005) = 0.58.
Conclusion: The value would be equal if we had a 58% chance to make.
2. Vulnerable:
a. Contract: 6NT
b. Contract: 7NT
The expected value of staying in a small slam is 1455 and for bidding a grand slam is 1055 = Not worth trying a grand (on a 50% chance)! Much more to lose than to gain.
To be exact: 1055/(1055+1455) = 0.42 and 1455/(1055+1455) = 0.58. Here too, the value would be equal if we had a 58% chance to succeed.
There are many more aspects to discuss related to expected value, and this subject can be expanded to more decisions, also to those that are not 50%-50%. Some of our decisions will be made due to vulnerability, and there are also different decisions to be made if the score is IMPs or MPs.
For example:
Non vulnerable:
Partner's 2♣ overcall shows approx opening values (overcall at the 2nd level = 12-16 points).
At IMPs it's better to pass:
But at MPs there are more things to take into account:
The hand can be:
Notice that not many W would bid 3♣ with such a hand, but "our" West did. It is also likely that our partner has ♣xx as he didn't dbl nor did he bid 3♦. On the example above 3♣ goes 2 down (3 hearts 1 club and 2 diamonds for defense) while 3♦ makes (lose 3 spade and 1 clubs). If we let them play 3♣ we get +100 instead of +110 (many will be in 2♦+1 = 110. Some might even play part score in NT, with our cards, scoring 8 tricks = 120). +100 will get us a negative score at MPs, while +300 will surely be close to a top.
Let's change the hand a bit:
Now each side can make 8 tricks: 2♦ loses 3 spades, diamond and club. 3♣ loses 1 club 1 diamond and 3 hearts. If we pass 3♣, +50 will not give us a good score as many N-S would play 2♦, making +90. 3♣ dbled -1 will give us +100 which is a good score for sure as 1NT is made exactly and 2NT is going down which means that no part score will score higher than +100.
But what will happen if they make 3♣ doubled with, say
:
3♣ loses 3 hearts and 1 diamond. Say that we stick to our policy and double 3♣ and we get 0% (-470) for them making it. But remember that this is not us getting a bottom instead of a top score. If we pass 3♣, -110 will still be a bad score worth around 20-30% as most will likely be playing 2♦ on our side, going down 1 (-50). Notice! Here, at MPs, the gap between -110 (around 20-25% ) and -470, is not that big.
In other words if we double, estimating that opponents are most likely going down, we will upgrade our score from a bad score to a great score, while if opps make, our score will go from a very bad score to a bottom. But our expected value is to royaly win from our policy here.
What if this was IMPs scoring?
At IMPs, the calculations are completely different. Whether the score is 90, 100, 110, or 120, it makes no difference as it gives us the same IMPs. However, if they make 3♣ doubled, we can lose 9-10 IMPs, which will make us lose much more than we can gain. At IMPs - PASS!
How is that related to Bridge? I'll present a few examples below.
Let's say we play IMPs. Our partner makes a game invite and we are in doubt: bid 4♠ or Pass?
We have 16 points. Is that 16 points hand good enough for a raise?
Looking at NS cards we can count 1 loser in each suit, which means that making 10 tricks will be totally depending on a successful spade finesse. So we can estimate our chances to make the contract at 50%.
Assuming that indeed the contract has a 50% chance to succeed, what should we do? Should we pass or raise? Also, is vulnerability an issue in our decision here?
Let's say we're playing a speedball and we get the exact same bidding and problem on all 12 hands. We'll check what happens if we would pass on all 12 hands, and what happens if we would raise on all 12 hands.
Since we assumed 50% success, we'll say that on 6 hands we make 9 tricks and on other 6 we make 10.
Let's start with the Pass policy:
Contract: 3♠
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 9 | 140 | 50% | 70 |
| 10 | 170 | 50% | 85 |
We can see that our total expected value here (70+85) is 155 (which is the average between 140 and 170) whether vulnerable or not.
Now let's see the raise to 4♠ policy, not vulnerable:
Contract: 4♠
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 9 | -50 | 50% | -25 |
| 10 | 420 | 50% | 210 |
We can see that our expected value here is 185, which means that we will gain more if we bid game = We can gain more than we lose!
And what if we are vulnerable? Should we raise or be more careful now? Let's see:
Contract: 4♠
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 9 | -100 | 50% | -50 |
| 10 | 620 | 50% | 310 |
We can see that our expected value here is 260, which means that we will gain MUCH more if we bid game = We gain MUCH more than we lose!
In other words, if we are vulnerable, it is much more profitable, on the long term, and if the chance of making is 50%, to bid a game as we have much more to gain than to lose.
To make it more clear: The score in IMPs is calculated in that way: Calculate the average of all scores and check how far you score from the average. This distance is translated to IMPs in a special IMPs table.
Let's check these distances:
When not vulnerable:
- 140 for making 3♠ and -50 for 4♠ -1 = 90. This means an average of 45 for the hand. That means that 3♠ made will gain 95 which is 3 IMPs, and 4♠ -1 will lose 95 which is a loss of 3 IMPs.
- 170 for 3♠ +1 and 420 for making 4♠ = 590. This means an average of 295 for the hand. That means that 3♠ + 1 will lose 125 which is 4 IMPs and 4 made will gain 4 IMPs.
- 140 for 3♠ and -100 for 4♠ -1 = 40. This is an average of 20 for the hand. That means that 3♠ made will gain 120 (140 -20) which is 3 IMPs and 4♠ -1 will lose 120 (-100 -20) which is a loss of 3 IMPs.
- 170 for 3♠ + 1 and 620 for making 4♠ = 790. This is an average of 395 for the hand. That means that 3♠ + 1 will lose 225 (395 - 170) which is 6 IMPs and 4♠ made will gain 6 IMPs!
We flip the coin 12 times and we always choose "heads", which has a 50% chance to come up. On the first 6 flips our award for winning is 4$ and our cost for losing is 3$. Let's assume that on these 6 flips we win 3 times and lose 3 times = we earned 3$.
On the last 6 flips we win 6$ for each "heads" and lose 3$ for each "tails". If it's "heads" 3 times and "tails" 3 times we will win 9$.
Back to our speedball: If in all 12 hands we will raise to 4♠, we are expected to win 12 IMPs in total for our strategy (9 for the 6 hands vul and 3 for the 6 hands not vulnerable). If we pass all 12 hands, we are expected to lose 12 IMPs for our strategy.
Did you hear the saying: "A slam on a finesse is a good slam"?
Let's check it out:
Partner's 4NT is a quantitative slam invitation. It is more than likely that if we bid a slam, it would depend on a successful finesse in one of the suits, like in the hand above: The slam is totally depending on the successful spade finesse. Assuming the success of bidding slam is 50%, should we bid the slam or pass 4NT? Do we gain more than we lose by raising anyway?
Let's check it out:
1. Not vulnerable:
a. Contract: 4NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 11 | 460 | 50% | 230 |
| 12 | 490 | 50% | 245 |
b. Contract: 6NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 11 | -50 | 50% | -25 |
| 12 | 990 | 50% | 495 |
The expected value of passing game is 475 and for bidding slam it's 470 = about the same.
2. Vulnerable:
a. Contract: 4NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 11 | 660 | 50% | 330 |
| 12 | 690 | 50% | 345 |
b. Contract: 6NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 11 | -100 | 50% | -50 |
| 12 | 1440 | 50% | 720 |
The expected value of passing is 675 and for bidding slam it's 670 = about the same.
Conclusion: There is no significant loss or gain if we always bid a slam here, whether vulnerable or not.
How about grand slam vs small slam? Is it worth risking a small slam that is sure to make, for a grand slam with a 50% chance to make?
Let's check:
1. Not vulnerable:
a. Contract: 6NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 12 | 990 | 50% | 495 |
| 13 | 1020 | 50% | 510 |
b. Contract: 7NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 12 | -50 | 50% | -25 |
| 13 | 1520 | 50% | 760 |
The expected value of staying in a small slam is 1005 and for bidding a grand slam is 735 = Not worth trying a grand (on a 50% chance)! Much more to lose than to gain.
To be exact: 735/(735+1005) = 0.42 and 1005/(735+1005) = 0.58.
Conclusion: The value would be equal if we had a 58% chance to make.
2. Vulnerable:
a. Contract: 6NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 12 | 1440 | 50% | 720 |
| 13 | 1470 | 50% | 735 |
b. Contract: 7NT
| Tricks | Score | Probability | Value |
| 12 | -100 | 50% | -55 |
| 13 | 2220 | 50% | 1110 |
The expected value of staying in a small slam is 1455 and for bidding a grand slam is 1055 = Not worth trying a grand (on a 50% chance)! Much more to lose than to gain.
To be exact: 1055/(1055+1455) = 0.42 and 1455/(1055+1455) = 0.58. Here too, the value would be equal if we had a 58% chance to succeed.
There are many more aspects to discuss related to expected value, and this subject can be expanded to more decisions, also to those that are not 50%-50%. Some of our decisions will be made due to vulnerability, and there are also different decisions to be made if the score is IMPs or MPs.
For example:
Non vulnerable:
Partner's 2♣ overcall shows approx opening values (overcall at the 2nd level = 12-16 points).
At IMPs it's better to pass:
- Whether you make a part score or set opponents (+130, +110 , +100 , +50), OR
- Whether they make or you go down (-130, -110 , -100 , -50)
But at MPs there are more things to take into account:
- +50 (3♣-1) is likely to be a bad score if we can make +90 (or +110), also
- +100 (3♣-2) can be bad if we can make +110 (3♦) .
The hand can be:
Notice that not many W would bid 3♣ with such a hand, but "our" West did. It is also likely that our partner has ♣xx as he didn't dbl nor did he bid 3♦. On the example above 3♣ goes 2 down (3 hearts 1 club and 2 diamonds for defense) while 3♦ makes (lose 3 spade and 1 clubs). If we let them play 3♣ we get +100 instead of +110 (many will be in 2♦+1 = 110. Some might even play part score in NT, with our cards, scoring 8 tricks = 120). +100 will get us a negative score at MPs, while +300 will surely be close to a top.
Let's change the hand a bit:
Now each side can make 8 tricks: 2♦ loses 3 spades, diamond and club. 3♣ loses 1 club 1 diamond and 3 hearts. If we pass 3♣, +50 will not give us a good score as many N-S would play 2♦, making +90. 3♣ dbled -1 will give us +100 which is a good score for sure as 1NT is made exactly and 2NT is going down which means that no part score will score higher than +100.
But what will happen if they make 3♣ doubled with, say
:
3♣ loses 3 hearts and 1 diamond. Say that we stick to our policy and double 3♣ and we get 0% (-470) for them making it. But remember that this is not us getting a bottom instead of a top score. If we pass 3♣, -110 will still be a bad score worth around 20-30% as most will likely be playing 2♦ on our side, going down 1 (-50). Notice! Here, at MPs, the gap between -110 (around 20-25% ) and -470, is not that big.
In other words if we double, estimating that opponents are most likely going down, we will upgrade our score from a bad score to a great score, while if opps make, our score will go from a very bad score to a bottom. But our expected value is to royaly win from our policy here.
What if this was IMPs scoring?
At IMPs, the calculations are completely different. Whether the score is 90, 100, 110, or 120, it makes no difference as it gives us the same IMPs. However, if they make 3♣ doubled, we can lose 9-10 IMPs, which will make us lose much more than we can gain. At IMPs - PASS!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
Hand Evaluation
When evaluating your hand, points are not too important. It's
distribution and where the points are located. Here are few important
points that all players should memorize.
With a good hand, bid higher. With a bad hand, stay low.
You have a good hand:
You have a bad hand (bid with caution or consider defending if opps compete):
With a good hand, bid higher. With a bad hand, stay low.
You have a good hand:
- When there are many trumps between you and your partner.
- When you have points in partner's suit.
- When you are short in opponent's suit.
- When your points are in your long suits.
- When your points are over opponent's suit (for instance if opponent overcalls on your right and you have honors in his suit over him).
- When you have Aces and Kings.
- When you have good spots (10's and 9's), especially in NT.
- When vulnerability is favorable.
You have a bad hand (bid with caution or consider defending if opps compete):
- When trump length isn't great.
- When you have points in opponents' suits.
- When you are short in partner's suit.
- When your points are in your short suit.
- When your points are before opponent's suit (opponent on the left overcalled).
- When your honors are mostly Q's and J's (these are better for NT).
- When your suits are anaemic (no spots).
- When you are vulnerable vs non vulnerable.
- Trump length:
Follow "The Law": Bid fast, up to the level of your combined trumps (when points are divided or when they have more points. If we are vul and they are not - consider bidding one level lower). That means bid up to the 2nd level with 8 trumps, to the 3rd level with 9 trumps, to the 4th level with 10 trumps, etc. There is much more to say about this rule, but that's the basic idea (to learn more about when to bid or not to bid read Larry Cohen's "Law of total tricks").
- Points in
partner's suit or in opponent's suit:
You hold:
How do you evaluate your hand if the bidding goes:
Example a)
Example b)
Your partner's bid is a game try, asking you for a top honor in his second suit. Partner's hand can be:
Example a)
Example b)
Solution:
a) Bid 3♠. Partner would need a lot of luck to make 9 tricks: 2 or 3 club losers, 1 or 2 diamond losers and 1 heart loser.
b) Bid 4♠! Partner has a good chance to make 10 tricks. See how valuable the ♦K is! It closes the whole diamond suit. Partner will make 10 tricks whenever diamonds are 3-3, or spades 2-2 or if the same opponent has 2 diamonds and one spade (and then the 4th diamond can be ruffed in dummy).
- The value of
your short suit:
Let's say the bidding went:
* 3♦ = splinter, showing a 4 card spade fit, short diamond and strong hand (likely long clubs too).
How do you evaluate your hand in the following cases:
Example a)
Example b)
You have 8 points in each hand, so they have the same value, right? WRONG!
On a) you have a short bad trump suit, you have 3 losers in the unbid suit, you have 6 wasted points in partner's shortness and you have no help in partner's long suit. Bid 3♠ to show an absolute minimum.
On b) you have longer trumps, you have an Ace + max 1 loser in the unbid suit, you have no wasted values in partner's shortness and you have an honor in his long suit. Bid 3♥ for a start.
Partner's hand is:
Notice that with a) you have 1 spade loser, 3 hearts, 1 diamond and 1 club = 6 losers! You are likely to lose 3 heart tricks and 1 diamond, plus maybe a spade or a club too, if your finesses fail.
On b) you have no spade losers, 1 heart loser, 3 diamond losers and no club losers. However, on say a heart lead:
- win the ♥A
- pull trumps (if trumps split 3-1 you run 3 rounds of trump)
- cash 5 club tricks, throwing a heart and a diamond from hand
- give away a diamond trick
- ruff a diamond in dummy
= You can make 12 tricks! 5 spades, 1 heart, 5 clubs and 1 diamond ruff.
Important!
Shortness in opponent's suit (in this example, the diamond singleton becomes valuable) + side ace (♥A in unbid suit) + long trumps + points in partner's suit (the ♣Q) = made 12 easy tricks with only 24 points.
Shortness in partner's side suit (diamonds) + 3 losers in an unbid suit + short and anaemic trumps + no points in partner's suit = likely less then 9 tricks with 24 points.
So remember: Points are not very important. What matters is where these points are located, and the distribution of your hand.
- Where the
points are located:
As mentioned, it is not only the points and the distribution that count, but also where the points are located. Let's see a couple of examples:
Example a)
Example b)
These hands are both the same shape, 1-2-3-7, but in example a) you have 7 (almost) sure tricks, while in example b) you have no sure tricks at all.
Important!
Points in the long suit give extra power to the cards below them. For instance:
Example a)
Example b)
See the difference between these two hands?
On hand a) you can count 8 sure tricks if you win the contract. While hand b) has mostly defensive values.
- Points over
opponents or before opponents.
You hold ♣KJ2. Your RHO overcalls 2♣. How do you evaluate your club holding now?
If he has ♣AQ1098, you might promote 2 club tricks, if you manage to play clubs twice towards your hand.
Now let's say your LHO overcalled 2♣. If he has ♣AQ1098 - You are likely to make zero tricks in that suit, so you should downgrade your hand.
- A's and K's
vs Q's and J's.
The bidding goes:
You hold:
Example a)
Example b)
In example a) it is better to pass. Q's and J's are better for NT. More potential tricks to develop + less danger that opps will ruff one of your suits.
In b) bid 4♥. A's and K's are better for trump play.
Partner has:
On a) opps have 4 tricks off top, but that is all. 3NT is easy to make on any lead because you can establish hearts + diamonds or spades. 4♥ might even go 2 down if diamonds are 4-2 and opponents find a diamond ruff. That is the main reason we choose NT here. We are afraid of ruffs.
On b) you will always make 10 tricks in 4♥ (maybe 11 tricks) but 3NT is in danger on a diamond lead. You are down if diamonds are 5-3.
- Spot cards:
You are playing 3NT. Where do you think you have more chances to make? See the examples below:
Example a)
Example b)
Same points, same shape... Right?... Not really. Let's see why:
Here are the full hands:
Example a)
Example b)
In example a) we can easily establish 3 spade tricks via double finesse and 4 diamond tricks by finessing the ♦Q so we can count 11 tricks. Also the ♥109 holding protects us because on a heart lead we can make 3 tricks in that suit.
In example b) we can make only 1 spade trick and we will lose 3 diamonds if we try to work on that suit (by playing low to the ♦ J). We are likely down 2 on a reasonable defense! Same shape, same points but 4 tricks difference just due to the spots!
Saturday, July 4, 2015
The Camel Coup
Gladys (90 years old) and Leslie
(88 years old) have two sins: smoking and bridge. When people say
something about how unhealthy it is to smoke, Leslie has her answer
ready: "Why? do you think it will make me die young?" Gladys approves,
and she thinks there are worse habits, such as men: "Look what happened
to poor Ann, dying so young at 83, changing boyfriends every Monday and
Thursday."
They played the deal below against Harry, the club's champion.
"Beware, Gladys! It's the club champion we are playing against now. Hi Harry, how are you?” said Leslie loudly.
"Well, what good is it to be the best in the club when none of you girls want to date with me," grumbled Harry.
"Staying away from men is our secret for a long happy life," retorted Leslie.
"And what is the use of a long life if you don't enjoy it? I would give my club title for a 'YES' from any of you," smiled Harry.
East - West vulnerable, dealer West:
"What is 1NT here, by passed hand?" asked Harry.
"It's 7-10 points and at least 5 diamonds and 4 spades," said Leslie loudly, then whispered to Harry, taking advantage of her partner's bad hearing: "Assuming Gladys remembers our agreements".
"What?!" shouted Gladys. "Nothing dear, just explaining our bids to Harry," said Leslie.
"You are not flirting, are you?" said Gladys so loud, that all clubs eyes turned towards them.
"She is, finally!" answered Harry quickly.
Gladys lead the ♠K and continued with the ♠Q when Harry played low. He won the ♠A and stopped to think: Likely West has some diamond values, which means both the ♣K and the ♥K are probably with East. If he could manage to avoid any heart losers, he would still have 2 club and 2 diamond losers, plus the spade he already lost = 5 losers. But then he had an idea.
A great idea, assuming diamonds are indeed 5-2 and assuming East has ♦Kx, or... even Qx...
He called for the ♥Q from dummy, and won the ♥A when the ♥K appeared with East. Then he played the ♦A and when both opponents followed low he continued with a heart to dummy's ♥J (hearts were 2-2) and with a spade ruff.
And now came the moment of glory:
Low diamond from hand, all set to let East win her last diamond honor (when West plays low), being end-played into either playing a club to dummy's ♣AQ or concede a ruff/sluff in spade.
But... with no hesitation... or any thinking... Gladys played the ♦K, smashing her partner's ♦Q, cashed the ♦J next and continued with the ♣9.
Harry tried low club, but Leslie followed with the ♣8 and another club from West doomed the contract.
Harry was shaken, and impressed too: "That was very well done, girls! You Crocodile Couped me on that one! Where did you learn the Crocodile Coup anyway?"
Not really realizing what she actually did, Gladys asked visibly confused: "Crocodile Coup, did you say?"
"Yes, the ♦K and ♦J are the Crocodile's jaws. You could play the ♦6, ♦8 or ♦J to win the trick cheap. But you jumped up with the ♦K, swallowing you partner's ♦Q and then you were able to cash the ♦J too."
After the game was over, they went out of the club. "This new club restriction against smoking is killing me. I feel I can't breathe. Give me one of your Camels," said Gladys.
Leslie took a pack of Camel out of her bag, pulled out two cigarettes and they each smoked in silence for few minutes, enjoying the moment.
"Crocodile coup, Vienna coup, Scissors coup... There was this lecture from what's his name about the 10 coups. What else will they invent on this game?" said Gladys. Leslie just nodded approvingly as it started to rain.
"Damn it! You can't even smoke in peace. God's restrictions against smoking too". Leslie took something out of her bag, tore the cover, revealing a piece of gummy looking item and rolled it over her cigarette with a wide smile. "What is that?!" asked Gladys. "That is the newest great invention. A condom! Look! It's written here: 'For Protection!'," said Leslie.
"A condom? Never heard of it. But the one who invented it should get a Nobel prize, especially in this terrible weather. We should call this 'The Camel Coup'," said Gladys, and they both burst into laughter.
"Sorry dear, that was my last, but you can get them at the pharmacy these days," said Leslie. "How strange! I thought the creeps running those hate smoking," said Gladys.
The next day she went to the drugstore first thing in the morning.
"Yes Mam, how can I help you?"
"I would like 30 condoms," said Gladys. The pharmacy assistant almost fell off his feet. After few moments of silence where he tried to pull himself together, he dared: "May I ask how old you are Mam?"
Gladys burst: "Don't you lecture me on smoking, young man. I am old enough to be your great-grandmother. Now give me those condoms before I file an official complaint!"
"Sure thing Mam, no offense. Please, what size would you like?"
Gladys was puzzled: "They have these in sizes you say? Eh... No matter, as long as it fits my Camel..."
They played the deal below against Harry, the club's champion.
"Beware, Gladys! It's the club champion we are playing against now. Hi Harry, how are you?” said Leslie loudly.
"Well, what good is it to be the best in the club when none of you girls want to date with me," grumbled Harry.
"Staying away from men is our secret for a long happy life," retorted Leslie.
"And what is the use of a long life if you don't enjoy it? I would give my club title for a 'YES' from any of you," smiled Harry.
East - West vulnerable, dealer West:
"What is 1NT here, by passed hand?" asked Harry.
"It's 7-10 points and at least 5 diamonds and 4 spades," said Leslie loudly, then whispered to Harry, taking advantage of her partner's bad hearing: "Assuming Gladys remembers our agreements".
"What?!" shouted Gladys. "Nothing dear, just explaining our bids to Harry," said Leslie.
"You are not flirting, are you?" said Gladys so loud, that all clubs eyes turned towards them.
"She is, finally!" answered Harry quickly.
Gladys lead the ♠K and continued with the ♠Q when Harry played low. He won the ♠A and stopped to think: Likely West has some diamond values, which means both the ♣K and the ♥K are probably with East. If he could manage to avoid any heart losers, he would still have 2 club and 2 diamond losers, plus the spade he already lost = 5 losers. But then he had an idea.
A great idea, assuming diamonds are indeed 5-2 and assuming East has ♦Kx, or... even Qx...
He called for the ♥Q from dummy, and won the ♥A when the ♥K appeared with East. Then he played the ♦A and when both opponents followed low he continued with a heart to dummy's ♥J (hearts were 2-2) and with a spade ruff.
And now came the moment of glory:
Low diamond from hand, all set to let East win her last diamond honor (when West plays low), being end-played into either playing a club to dummy's ♣AQ or concede a ruff/sluff in spade.
But... with no hesitation... or any thinking... Gladys played the ♦K, smashing her partner's ♦Q, cashed the ♦J next and continued with the ♣9.
Harry tried low club, but Leslie followed with the ♣8 and another club from West doomed the contract.
Harry was shaken, and impressed too: "That was very well done, girls! You Crocodile Couped me on that one! Where did you learn the Crocodile Coup anyway?"
Not really realizing what she actually did, Gladys asked visibly confused: "Crocodile Coup, did you say?"
"Yes, the ♦K and ♦J are the Crocodile's jaws. You could play the ♦6, ♦8 or ♦J to win the trick cheap. But you jumped up with the ♦K, swallowing you partner's ♦Q and then you were able to cash the ♦J too."
After the game was over, they went out of the club. "This new club restriction against smoking is killing me. I feel I can't breathe. Give me one of your Camels," said Gladys.
Leslie took a pack of Camel out of her bag, pulled out two cigarettes and they each smoked in silence for few minutes, enjoying the moment.
"Crocodile coup, Vienna coup, Scissors coup... There was this lecture from what's his name about the 10 coups. What else will they invent on this game?" said Gladys. Leslie just nodded approvingly as it started to rain.
"Damn it! You can't even smoke in peace. God's restrictions against smoking too". Leslie took something out of her bag, tore the cover, revealing a piece of gummy looking item and rolled it over her cigarette with a wide smile. "What is that?!" asked Gladys. "That is the newest great invention. A condom! Look! It's written here: 'For Protection!'," said Leslie.
"A condom? Never heard of it. But the one who invented it should get a Nobel prize, especially in this terrible weather. We should call this 'The Camel Coup'," said Gladys, and they both burst into laughter.
"Sorry dear, that was my last, but you can get them at the pharmacy these days," said Leslie. "How strange! I thought the creeps running those hate smoking," said Gladys.
The next day she went to the drugstore first thing in the morning.
"Yes Mam, how can I help you?"
"I would like 30 condoms," said Gladys. The pharmacy assistant almost fell off his feet. After few moments of silence where he tried to pull himself together, he dared: "May I ask how old you are Mam?"
Gladys burst: "Don't you lecture me on smoking, young man. I am old enough to be your great-grandmother. Now give me those condoms before I file an official complaint!"
"Sure thing Mam, no offense. Please, what size would you like?"
Gladys was puzzled: "They have these in sizes you say? Eh... No matter, as long as it fits my Camel..."
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Good Fortune
Adam Fortune is often puzzled
about his last name. He is not rich, so obviously the meaning is not
from there, and, as far as he knows, he is the most unlucky person in
the world. He used to play Bridge a lot, but then he quit for almost a
year. Now he is back to his first game, after that long break, together
with his last partner.
"Why did you quit for so long?," asked his partner.
"Isn't it obvious? – Because of my bad luck. I'm still trying to figure out if there is another meaning to my name. Really I don't get how come I am called Fortune with the luck I have," said Adam with a self pity tone.
But his Partner disagreed: "That is not how I remember things. I remember you used to go down and complain about your bad luck, while you could actually make each and every one of these hands due to... very lucky layouts! Fortune at its best. It was just you couldn't see that Fortune was dancing naked in front of your eyes. By the way, why are you wearing sunglasses, it's not too bright in here?," asked his partner.
Adam took off the sunglasses, revealing a huge black eye. "After I gave up Bridge last year, I started playing chess. But one week after I joined the club – it got bankrupted and the whole place closed down. Then I tried swimming, but got hospitalized due to a unique allergy for chlor. And then I discovered Golf. It went well for some time till I broke my leg, stepping on a concealed hole. I returned there after 2 months of recovery, and at my first game, I felt into the lake. This black eye I got last week, from a stray shot that landed straight into my eye. So, no matter what my name is, I am the most misfortunate guy on earth," ended Adam in a gloomy voice.
A few minutes later, here came a deal to "prove" his case once again.
East - West vulnerable, dealer South:
West lead the ♦9. Adam tried the ♦10 and won the ♦A when East covered with the ♦Q.
After thinking for a while (and mumbling: "...useless to finesse with my luck...") , he tried the spade finesse, losing to East's ♠K " (another mumble: "...obviously...").
He skeptically tried the heart finesse too, when East played heart, and lost to West's ♥K (mumble: "...naturally...").
West continued with the ♦8 and dummy's ♦J lost to East's ♦K. East then cashed the ♦7 and the ♦5, setting the contract.
"You see?! Show me someone who is more unlucky than I am, to find the ♦KQ over his ♦J10, to find both major finesses off side, and to get a diamond lead instead of a club lead – No one! No one but me!," sighed Adam.
"Yes I see, my friend. As I claimed, only you have that good fortune, but you cannot see how lucky you are. I wish I could have your luck. Here you had to realize that you don't need two diamond tricks to make your contract, but you cannot afford to lose 3 diamonds. See the difference? Just thank your good Fortune for having dealt you the ♦J10, and play LOW from dummy at trick 1. Win West's ♦9 with the ♦A and try the spade finesse. When it loses to East's ♠K, and then the heart finesse loses to West's ♥K, you'll get another diamond back, and there – play the ♦10. Now you will not lose more than 2 diamond tricks as the ♦J will save you. I really wished I could have your luck... Maybe I should change my name!" vented his partner.
"Why did you quit for so long?," asked his partner.
"Isn't it obvious? – Because of my bad luck. I'm still trying to figure out if there is another meaning to my name. Really I don't get how come I am called Fortune with the luck I have," said Adam with a self pity tone.
But his Partner disagreed: "That is not how I remember things. I remember you used to go down and complain about your bad luck, while you could actually make each and every one of these hands due to... very lucky layouts! Fortune at its best. It was just you couldn't see that Fortune was dancing naked in front of your eyes. By the way, why are you wearing sunglasses, it's not too bright in here?," asked his partner.
Adam took off the sunglasses, revealing a huge black eye. "After I gave up Bridge last year, I started playing chess. But one week after I joined the club – it got bankrupted and the whole place closed down. Then I tried swimming, but got hospitalized due to a unique allergy for chlor. And then I discovered Golf. It went well for some time till I broke my leg, stepping on a concealed hole. I returned there after 2 months of recovery, and at my first game, I felt into the lake. This black eye I got last week, from a stray shot that landed straight into my eye. So, no matter what my name is, I am the most misfortunate guy on earth," ended Adam in a gloomy voice.
A few minutes later, here came a deal to "prove" his case once again.
East - West vulnerable, dealer South:
West lead the ♦9. Adam tried the ♦10 and won the ♦A when East covered with the ♦Q.
After thinking for a while (and mumbling: "...useless to finesse with my luck...") , he tried the spade finesse, losing to East's ♠K " (another mumble: "...obviously...").
He skeptically tried the heart finesse too, when East played heart, and lost to West's ♥K (mumble: "...naturally...").
West continued with the ♦8 and dummy's ♦J lost to East's ♦K. East then cashed the ♦7 and the ♦5, setting the contract.
"You see?! Show me someone who is more unlucky than I am, to find the ♦KQ over his ♦J10, to find both major finesses off side, and to get a diamond lead instead of a club lead – No one! No one but me!," sighed Adam.
"Yes I see, my friend. As I claimed, only you have that good fortune, but you cannot see how lucky you are. I wish I could have your luck. Here you had to realize that you don't need two diamond tricks to make your contract, but you cannot afford to lose 3 diamonds. See the difference? Just thank your good Fortune for having dealt you the ♦J10, and play LOW from dummy at trick 1. Win West's ♦9 with the ♦A and try the spade finesse. When it loses to East's ♠K, and then the heart finesse loses to West's ♥K, you'll get another diamond back, and there – play the ♦10. Now you will not lose more than 2 diamond tricks as the ♦J will save you. I really wished I could have your luck... Maybe I should change my name!" vented his partner.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Know it all (almost)
"Susan, you are very lucky to have me as a partner. I know all the
cards and distribution in the game and I also know exactly what suit
will follow when any player wins a trick. I just "have it," said Arthur
to his new partner, Susan, when they sat to the first round.
He totally ignored the "Hi" from the opponents and continued talking about his great abilities.
"Not only are you wise, but also handsome... and modest," whispered the opponent sitting North.
Susan heard it and smiled but Arthur was too self concentrated and didn't notice.
"And also full of empathy and awareness for those around you," added South.
On the first board Arthur proved his abilities: He lead a singleton, and when Susan took the ace he immediately pulled out a card from hand (a trump), ready to ruff. But Susan thought for a while, and switched to another suit. Arthur sighed with a long "Pffffffff".
The director was called to the table: "What?! I'm not allowed to breath in this club?" The director explained him that this sort of "breathing" means "Partner, I had a singleton! Why didn't you let me ruff that suit?" He asked Arthur to be more careful and breathe normally.
On the 2nd board, Arthur was the superstar again.
East - West vulnerable, dealer East:
Arthur, West, lead the ♠Q and mumbled: "No limits for foolish daring..." The defense won the first 2 tricks and declarer ruffed the 3rd spade, played club to the ♣A, ruffed a club and ran the ♥Q, when Arthur followed low.
When Susan followed with the ♥10, declarer started to think. "Waste of time. One down," said Arthur, tabled his hand and went on: You have 7 hearts, 2 spades and 1 club. Therefore you hold 3 diamonds. The ♦Q is no doubt with my partner, or else she has not enough values for an opening. That means you will always lose a diamond trick and I will always get my ♥K too, having ♥Kx while you hold a stiff ♥A in dummy. 1 down!"
The director was called once again.
South was trying to speak but Arthur shouted first: "He is just making a fuss. Let him show me how he can avoid a diamond loser."
The tournament director first explained to Arthur that a claim is not made by a defender, especially when most high cards are with his partner. Then, he asked declarer in South how he plans to avoid a diamond loser.
"I will lose a diamond trick but will not lose a heart trick," he said.
Arthur giggled: "You should go to a beginner course before heading for a real tournament. Now listen and learn a free lesson: When you have a stiff ♥A in dummy and opponent has ♥Kx, there is no way to avoid a heart loser."
The director asked declarer to explain his claim. Dear readers, an exercise for you: Can you think of a way to avoid losing a heart trick in this situation? – Try to think of it, before you read on.
"I will continue now with a diamond to the ♦K, ruff a third club, diamond to the ♦A, ruff the fourth club and concede the 3rd diamond to East's ♦Q. The ending before trick 12 is:
East is to play now, and he has only spades to play. I ruff with the ♥9 and the last 2 tricks are mine:
- If West overruffs with the ♥K, I overruff with the ♥A, and my ♥J is good.
- If West underruffs with the ♥8, I throw the ♦3 from dummy and take the ♥A at trick 13."
North complimented his partner and whispered to Arthur: "You know, my partner is a member of the national team, and he really knows it all. I mean all! Not almost all."
He totally ignored the "Hi" from the opponents and continued talking about his great abilities.
"Not only are you wise, but also handsome... and modest," whispered the opponent sitting North.
Susan heard it and smiled but Arthur was too self concentrated and didn't notice.
"And also full of empathy and awareness for those around you," added South.
On the first board Arthur proved his abilities: He lead a singleton, and when Susan took the ace he immediately pulled out a card from hand (a trump), ready to ruff. But Susan thought for a while, and switched to another suit. Arthur sighed with a long "Pffffffff".
The director was called to the table: "What?! I'm not allowed to breath in this club?" The director explained him that this sort of "breathing" means "Partner, I had a singleton! Why didn't you let me ruff that suit?" He asked Arthur to be more careful and breathe normally.
On the 2nd board, Arthur was the superstar again.
East - West vulnerable, dealer East:
Arthur, West, lead the ♠Q and mumbled: "No limits for foolish daring..." The defense won the first 2 tricks and declarer ruffed the 3rd spade, played club to the ♣A, ruffed a club and ran the ♥Q, when Arthur followed low.
When Susan followed with the ♥10, declarer started to think. "Waste of time. One down," said Arthur, tabled his hand and went on: You have 7 hearts, 2 spades and 1 club. Therefore you hold 3 diamonds. The ♦Q is no doubt with my partner, or else she has not enough values for an opening. That means you will always lose a diamond trick and I will always get my ♥K too, having ♥Kx while you hold a stiff ♥A in dummy. 1 down!"
The director was called once again.
South was trying to speak but Arthur shouted first: "He is just making a fuss. Let him show me how he can avoid a diamond loser."
The tournament director first explained to Arthur that a claim is not made by a defender, especially when most high cards are with his partner. Then, he asked declarer in South how he plans to avoid a diamond loser.
"I will lose a diamond trick but will not lose a heart trick," he said.
Arthur giggled: "You should go to a beginner course before heading for a real tournament. Now listen and learn a free lesson: When you have a stiff ♥A in dummy and opponent has ♥Kx, there is no way to avoid a heart loser."
The director asked declarer to explain his claim. Dear readers, an exercise for you: Can you think of a way to avoid losing a heart trick in this situation? – Try to think of it, before you read on.
"I will continue now with a diamond to the ♦K, ruff a third club, diamond to the ♦A, ruff the fourth club and concede the 3rd diamond to East's ♦Q. The ending before trick 12 is:
East is to play now, and he has only spades to play. I ruff with the ♥9 and the last 2 tricks are mine:
- If West overruffs with the ♥K, I overruff with the ♥A, and my ♥J is good.
- If West underruffs with the ♥8, I throw the ♦3 from dummy and take the ♥A at trick 13."
North complimented his partner and whispered to Arthur: "You know, my partner is a member of the national team, and he really knows it all. I mean all! Not almost all."
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Seeing through cards #15
Dealer South. None Vul.
Against 4♠ West lead the ♥Q and East played the ♥10.
Against 4♠ West lead the ♥Q and East played the ♥10.
- Will you win or duck?
- You decide to duck and West continued with the ♥J, which East overtook with the ♥ K. Will you win or play low?
- This time you win the ♥A. How will you tackle the trump suit?
Monday, April 27, 2015
The Step Wife
Harold hated his wife. God knows
how much he hated her. For all his life she has been tormenting him,
abusing
him and using him as a "potato sack". Especially at bridge she would
always put him down and blame him for everything. That was why he hated
her.
But about a year ago, things started to go right. Very right. So he thought... When the doctor covered her face in their bedroom, and told him "I'm deeply sorry Harold, your wife is dead". He was thinking of all the things he'd be able to do now that he finally broke free.
Four men put her in the coffin and moved her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. However, while going down the stairs, one of them missed the half broken step, and the whole group fell down the stairs, in a big bang, the coffin got smashed to the floor and broke into little pieces. The bang was so hard that his wife... woke up, rising from the dead.
Ignoring all the mess around her (broken wood and four wounded people), she looked at the clock and yelled: "Harold! Did you see what time it is? Why didn't you wake me up? Come on, we are late for the bridge club!" She stood up and went straight to the door.
At the table, things went as bad as ever:
First of all, she was not pleased with his bidding. She whispered to her opponent, covering her mouth with her hand, as if she didn't want him to hear, but speaking loud enough for him to hear her anyway: "The poor guy can't see red from white, insisting to play the hand instead of letting you play 4♥ doubled vulnerable against not."
Upset by this comment, Harold was determined to make his contract, but he played too fast and failed:
West lead the ♠3. Seeing only 2 losers, he asked for a low spade from dummy, not saying "no" to a free finesse. East produced the ♠Q, Harold took the ♠A and played a diamond but East won the ♦A, returned a spade, and West ruffed with his last trump.
The ♣A was the setting trick and it also unleashed more comments from his wife: "Watching you play makes me wish to be dead," she said.
"But you WERE dead! Why did you come back then? I know why - to do what you really live for: nag me! Like Cinderella's step mother, you are my step wife!"
She ignored him, put on her evil smile and whispered to her opponent: "He only needed to win the ♠K on the opening lead and throw his ♠A on the ♥A .That simple. Now he can play trumps and when East takes the ♦A and returns a spade, he can ruff high and claim."
And here we are now, another year later, same place as before: The same doctor comes out of the room saying: "I'm deeply sorry Harold, your wife is dead... again." And the exact same four men put her in the coffin, and moved her out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
Seeing the same movie coming back at him, Harold made up his mind that this story is going to have another ending, and so he shouted: "Careful! Watch out for that broken step!!!"
But about a year ago, things started to go right. Very right. So he thought... When the doctor covered her face in their bedroom, and told him "I'm deeply sorry Harold, your wife is dead". He was thinking of all the things he'd be able to do now that he finally broke free.
Four men put her in the coffin and moved her out of the bedroom and down the stairs. However, while going down the stairs, one of them missed the half broken step, and the whole group fell down the stairs, in a big bang, the coffin got smashed to the floor and broke into little pieces. The bang was so hard that his wife... woke up, rising from the dead.
Ignoring all the mess around her (broken wood and four wounded people), she looked at the clock and yelled: "Harold! Did you see what time it is? Why didn't you wake me up? Come on, we are late for the bridge club!" She stood up and went straight to the door.
At the table, things went as bad as ever:
First of all, she was not pleased with his bidding. She whispered to her opponent, covering her mouth with her hand, as if she didn't want him to hear, but speaking loud enough for him to hear her anyway: "The poor guy can't see red from white, insisting to play the hand instead of letting you play 4♥ doubled vulnerable against not."
Upset by this comment, Harold was determined to make his contract, but he played too fast and failed:
West lead the ♠3. Seeing only 2 losers, he asked for a low spade from dummy, not saying "no" to a free finesse. East produced the ♠Q, Harold took the ♠A and played a diamond but East won the ♦A, returned a spade, and West ruffed with his last trump.
The ♣A was the setting trick and it also unleashed more comments from his wife: "Watching you play makes me wish to be dead," she said.
"But you WERE dead! Why did you come back then? I know why - to do what you really live for: nag me! Like Cinderella's step mother, you are my step wife!"
She ignored him, put on her evil smile and whispered to her opponent: "He only needed to win the ♠K on the opening lead and throw his ♠A on the ♥A .That simple. Now he can play trumps and when East takes the ♦A and returns a spade, he can ruff high and claim."
And here we are now, another year later, same place as before: The same doctor comes out of the room saying: "I'm deeply sorry Harold, your wife is dead... again." And the exact same four men put her in the coffin, and moved her out of the bedroom and down the stairs.
Seeing the same movie coming back at him, Harold made up his mind that this story is going to have another ending, and so he shouted: "Careful! Watch out for that broken step!!!"
Monday, April 20, 2015
Seeing through cards #14
Dealer South. None Vul.
Against 3NT you lead the ♣3. Your partner played the ♣J and declarer won with the ♣A and played the ♦Q, overtaking in dummy when you played low. He continued with the ♦J, discarding the ♣4 from his hand, and you won with the ♦A.
Against 3NT you lead the ♣3. Your partner played the ♣J and declarer won with the ♣A and played the ♦Q, overtaking in dummy when you played low. He continued with the ♦J, discarding the ♣4 from his hand, and you won with the ♦A.
- Where is the ♣K?
- Where is the ♣10?
- What is declarer's distribution?
- Which card you must hope partner to have in order to set 3NT?
- Which card will you play next?
Thursday, April 2, 2015
The Psychiatrist
Gary was laying on his
Psychiatrist's bed, on his back, gazing at the ceiling:
"I came home so upset because of this hand. They all made 3NT and only I got doubled and went 5 down. When I came home I told my wife what happened, but, instead of comforting me, she threw more salt on my open wound:
'Of course they doubled. They saw who their opponent was'.
And actually, maybe she is right. Perhaps I am not meant for this game. Perhaps I should look for another 'career' and abandon Bridge".
West lead a spade. I tried the ♠9 but East won the ♠10 and switched to a diamond. I played the 10♦ which lost to West's ♦J, then West played another spade.
My ♠K lost to East's ♠A who played another diamond, and my ♦Q lost to West's ♦K. Another spade was played, and East won the ♠Q then cashed his high ♠8, returning yet another diamond. I finally won my 1st trick with the ♦A.
But the nightmare had just begun: When I played on clubs, East took with the ♣A, returned a diamond and West took 2 more diamond tricks. Leaving me with only 4 tricks, and cashing 9 themselves (1 club, 4 diamonds and 4 spades). 'We made 3NT" East giggled."
"So, what say you, Doctor? I have a great voice, I sing everyday in the bath. Maybe I should start a singing career?"
The Psychiatrist saw Garry's distress, and helped immediately:
"Garry, my friend, you are a man of many talents. I'm sure you can be successful in any career you chose. There's nothing wrong with your Bridge! You made no mistake here and it is not your fault you had good opponents. East's double is actually a "Lead directing double", asking West to lead dummy's 1st bid suit. The way your opponents defended, and especially the spade lead, gave you no chance at all. I'd guess that at the other tables, East did not double and West probably lead a diamond.
Look how all the momentum of the game changes: On a diamond lead, declarer wins the ♦10 and plays a club. East wins and returns a diamond but declarer has already 9 tricks in his bag: 4 Clubs, 2 Diamonds and 3 Hearts".
Garry felt better immediately.
"Say Doc, to whom do you go when you're traumatized?"
"Ohh... I see a collegue of mine one once a week, he also happens to be my bridge partner. As soon as I see him I say: 'Hey pard, you seem to be OK. And how am I?'"
"I came home so upset because of this hand. They all made 3NT and only I got doubled and went 5 down. When I came home I told my wife what happened, but, instead of comforting me, she threw more salt on my open wound:
'Of course they doubled. They saw who their opponent was'.
And actually, maybe she is right. Perhaps I am not meant for this game. Perhaps I should look for another 'career' and abandon Bridge".
West lead a spade. I tried the ♠9 but East won the ♠10 and switched to a diamond. I played the 10♦ which lost to West's ♦J, then West played another spade.
My ♠K lost to East's ♠A who played another diamond, and my ♦Q lost to West's ♦K. Another spade was played, and East won the ♠Q then cashed his high ♠8, returning yet another diamond. I finally won my 1st trick with the ♦A.
But the nightmare had just begun: When I played on clubs, East took with the ♣A, returned a diamond and West took 2 more diamond tricks. Leaving me with only 4 tricks, and cashing 9 themselves (1 club, 4 diamonds and 4 spades). 'We made 3NT" East giggled."
"So, what say you, Doctor? I have a great voice, I sing everyday in the bath. Maybe I should start a singing career?"
The Psychiatrist saw Garry's distress, and helped immediately:
"Garry, my friend, you are a man of many talents. I'm sure you can be successful in any career you chose. There's nothing wrong with your Bridge! You made no mistake here and it is not your fault you had good opponents. East's double is actually a "Lead directing double", asking West to lead dummy's 1st bid suit. The way your opponents defended, and especially the spade lead, gave you no chance at all. I'd guess that at the other tables, East did not double and West probably lead a diamond.
Look how all the momentum of the game changes: On a diamond lead, declarer wins the ♦10 and plays a club. East wins and returns a diamond but declarer has already 9 tricks in his bag: 4 Clubs, 2 Diamonds and 3 Hearts".
Garry felt better immediately.
"Say Doc, to whom do you go when you're traumatized?"
"Ohh... I see a collegue of mine one once a week, he also happens to be my bridge partner. As soon as I see him I say: 'Hey pard, you seem to be OK. And how am I?'"
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