Problem 35: Club game, 4/25/06

Matchpoints. All white, 1st seat, you hold QJ9xx J876x void 98x. The bidding proceeds:

p 1D 1N 3D.

What do you bid?

Recent updates

I posted hands and results in the comment section of many problems: 21-23, 27-31, and 33-34. If these spur any further thoughts, please comment away! It is also never too late to chime in on the original problems.

I also posted part 2 of problem 32 in the comments, so you may wish to take a look. Problems 24-26 will be resolved as soon as I can reconstruct the hands -- it has been a while!

Finally, I am rounding up some new problems, hopefully to be posted as soon as mid-January.

Problem 34: All Western open pairs, day 2, 9/3/06

Matchpoints. Both vul, 4th seat, good opps, AKJT986532 T8 void J, 1D P 2C(GF) to you. What approach do you take?

Problem 33: NAOP club qualifier, 8/15/06

Matchpoints. Unfavorable, dealer, QJ54 AKJ4 5 A762. You open 1C and lefty overcalls 1NT, pass pass to you.

Problem 32: Sectional stratified pairs, 7/3/06

Matchpoints. Both vul, 3rd seat, 9 72 KQ875 QJ732. Partner opens 1D and righty passes. What do you bid? We play 2D inv+ and 3D 5-8 or so when vulnerable. 2C is GF and 3C is natural invitational. (Yes, this may be a style question, but I am interested in your approach with such a hand.)

Part 2 of the problem will be posted in the comments.

Problem 31: Sectional stratified pairs, 7/3/06

Matchpoints. Both vul, you deal 97 AKJT Q875 T72. Opps get to 4S via
P 1NT(15-17) P 2H(transfer)
x(do you?) 2S 4H 4S.
Partner leads the H8 (3rd from even, low from odd) and you see:

       H8

              KQ865432
H3            2
              J9
              Q8
       97
       AKJT
       Q875
       T72

How do you defend? Is it anything more than a guess?

Problem 30: California Capitol Swiss, day 1, 6/3/06

IMPs. Unfavorable, 2nd seat, Kxxx KQT8x T9x x, P P 2S x 4S to you.

Problem 29: Regional bracket 3 KO, 6/2/06

IMPs. Favorable, 4th seat, AQ8xxx Axx xx Jx. Partner opens 1D and righty overcalls 1NT. You double (do you?), all pass (opponents do not seem to have runouts planned). What do you lead?

Problem 28: Regional bracket 2 KO, 5/30/06

IMPs. Favorable, 2nd seat, KQxx xx Kxxx KTx. The auction begins:

       P  P
1C P   1H P
2H P   P  x
xx 2NT P 

What do you think partner should have? What do you bid now?

Problem 27: Regional bracket 2 KO, 5/30/06

IMPs. Favorable, 3rd seat, K9xx AKxx Q AKTx. Partner opens weak 2D (4-10 or so) and righty passes. The diamond length is usually six but could be a good five with reasonable shape. What is your plan?

Here are your methods: 2NT is regular Ogust (3D = good suit bad hand, where good suit is two of AKQ but not AKxxx I think). New suit is 5+ cards, forcing, and ostensibly constructive, with continuations not really discussed unfortunately (suggestions welcomed). 4C now would be cheap RKC for diamonds (steps are 0, 1 without Q, 1 with Q, 2 without Q, etc) but would not be later.

An entry-shifting squeeze, 11/3/06

Since I have been negligent in posting new problems, I thought I would post an amusing hand from last Friday's bay area quasi-junior bridge party.

IMPs. Both vul, 4th seat, I held AJ8xx Jxxx 9x 8x. The opponents bid uninterrupted 1D 1H 1S 1NT P, but then my partner Ari suddenly doubled, all pass. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I figured Ari probably had a good hand and/or a stack in one of opener's suits, and it had to be in clubs. Accordingly I led the C8.

Dummy tabled T9xx AK KJx QT7x. Ari won the J over dummy's T, then returned the higher of the two unseen low spades, declarer playing the Q. I could duck and hope that Ari had Sxx and that they couldn't run seven quick tricks. However, if Ari had a stiff spade and I ducked, I might never get in again to lead a club through, which would be disastrous. Thus I decided to win and return another club. Ari cashed all of his CAKJ9x and exited a spade (drat!), declarer winning. Declarer then cashed the HAK and led a low diamond off dummy. This was the position:

                -- -- Axxx --   
T -- KJx --                     -- QT QT --
                J Jx 9 --

Ari decided to hop ace (the setting trick), but then was forced to execute an entry-shifting squeeze on me! If I tossed the SJ, declarer would overtake the DQ and dummy would be high. If I unguarded hearts instead, declarer would allow the DQ to hold and her hand would be good. Fortunately we still set 1NTx-1 for +200, but in a way declarer had the last laugh.

(Epilogue: If declarer had simply kept one more diamond and one fewer heart, then she would've had a much easier time taking a heart and two diamonds in the ending. But then how much fun would that be?)

The complete hand:

       xx
       xx
       Axxx
       AKJ9x
T9xx          KQ
AK            QTxxx
KJx           QTxx
QT7x          xx
       AJ8xx
       Jxxx
       9x
       8x

Problem 26: BBO team game, 5/15/06

IMPs. Unfavorable, reasonable opponents, you deal J7653 KJ8643 8 A and reach 3Hx via

1H P 2H x
P 2NT P 3C
3H x P P
P.

K T97 QJ763 8742
J7653 KJ8643 8 A

The play begins:
H2 H7 HQ HK
S3 S4 SK SA
CK CA C9 C2
S5 S2 H9 S8
C4 CT H3 C3
S6 S9 HT ST
(Note: For each trick the cards are in the order played, e.g. at trick 3 RHO leads the CK.)

2NT and 3C were not self-alerted. The opponents play UDCA with frequent suit preference. How do you play now? For your reference, dummy has the lead and the current position is:

-- ---- QJ763 87
J7 J864 8     --

Problem 25: Club game, 5/12/06

Matchpoints. Unfavorable, dealer, KQ63 KJ832 AQJ5 void. The auction proceeds:

          1H
P  1NT 2C 2D
5C P   P  x
P  P   P

1NT is forcing and could include a bad heart raise (which could have a spade suit). You lead the SK and see:

       S8

94         
A4            S2
962
KJ7543
       KQ63
       KJ832
       AQJ5
       ----

Partner plays the S8 (UDCA) and declarer plays the S2. How do you defend?

Problem 24: Club game, 5/12/06

Matchpoints. Favorable, 2nd seat, KJ6 J9 AQJ854 KT, bad opponents. The auction proceeds:

     1C 1D
1H P 2H 3D
P  P 3H P
P  P

       D3

              AQ
D6            A876
              K2
              QJ962
       KJ6
       J9
       AQJ854
       KT

Partner leads the D3 and you take dummy's K, declarer playing the D6. We lead third/low, so partner has T73, 973, or stiff (and probably not T93). How do you defend? If you decide to lead a high diamond now, how do you continue?

Update: See the comments to see what happens at trick two if you lead a high diamond.

Problem 23: Club game, 5/12/06

Matchpoints. Favorable, 2nd seat, Q K83 KT9 AQT865. Righty opens 1C, all pass. You decide to lead the SQ and see the following:

       S8

T7643         
Q952          SA
J73
3
       Q
       K83
       KT9
       AQT865

Partner plays the S8 (upside-down) and declarer wins the SA. Declarer continues with HA H6. You win the K while partner plays 4,7 (even count). What now?

Problem 22: Sectional A/X pairs, 4/29/06

Matchpoints. Unfavorable, dealer, AKQJT5 96 K753 Q. You have the unopposed auction 1S 1N(forcing) 2S. Lefty leads the DT (standard honor leads) and you see the following. How do you play?

8 AQJ7 Q98 86432
AKQJT5 96 K753 Q

Problem 21: Sectional A/X pairs, 4/29/06

Matchpoints. None vul, you deal and decides to open 1NT with AQ64 AK832 Q8 Q6. Partner quickly raises to 3NT and you buy the C4 lead (fourth best).

KJT5 J95 AT5 AJ7
AQ64 AK832 Q8 Q6

Trick one proceeds 4, 7, 9, Q. How do you play?

Problem 20 resolved

I bid 3C to try to keep them out of a red suit and to play 3C rather than 2S. This worked out well; partner held

Q9x immaterial immaterial J (I think he had some detritus in the reds, but not much, maybe just the diamond jack... 5 hearts 4 diamonds I think?)

When I bid 3C, it actually went pass pass double. I got the jack of spades lead and made an overtrick.

Also, a note: from now on, we will be resolving problems in the comments, and posting short notes in future entries saying that the problems have been resolved.

Problem 19 resolved

The full hand is approximately:

       AJxx
       A9x
       QTxx
       J8
QTxx          Kx
K6x           JT7x
J98xx         Kx
x             AK65x
       987
       Q8x
       Ax
       QT97x

The opponents actually sat for 1Cx at the table. According to double dummy analysis, 1C is down two on a spade or tiny club lead, makes on the HQ lead, and is down one otherwise. However, on a small heart lead, if partner fails to insert the 9, then the contract is makable (though it's nontrivial and declarer understandably failed to play exactly right).

Problem 18 resolved

The deductions are as Eric Leong said in the comments. Righty didn't make a negative double, so he probably has at most three hearts. The play of the spade suit makes it seem that righty has two spades. For lefty to bid 3C, it seems he has five clubs. If all these inferences are true, then lefty has at most one diamond. We can't make if diamonds are 0-5, so we should assume diamonds are 1-4 (making righty 2344 exactly).

This reduces to a double dummy problem. The key play now is to lead to the HK and play a high spade. The current position is

            KJ8x T KT --
9x ? ? xxx                -- ? ??xx xx
            -- x AQ8xx Q

There are several variations, but most boil down to one of the following two end positions, with the lead in dummy. Dummy leads a spade and righty is toast:

            J8x -- K --
x -- ? xx                  -- -- ??xx --
            -- -- AQ8x --


            J8x -- K --
x -- ? xx                  -- -- ?xx x
            -- -- A8xx --

We leave the problem of reducing to the above end positions as an exercise to the reader. (Hint: Dummy should ruff with the DT at some point, because otherwise there aren't enough dummy entries for a trump coup.) If you make 4D, you pick up 6 IMPs because the other table was in 3S-1. The full hand:

       KJ8xxx
       AKTx
       KT
       x
A97x          QT
QJx           xxx
7             J9xx
AJxxx         Kxxx
       x
       xxx
       AQ86xx
       QTx

Problems 16 and 17 resolved

On 16, I bid Stayman, and then bid 3H shortness after partner responded 2S. Partner made avery discouraging 4S call over that which I floated. Partner's hand was:

KJ7x KQx Kxx Kxx
(opposite)
98xx Axx AQJxx A

The spade Qx is on your left. Spades always makes five, while notrump will make five if you can guess the spades and 4 otherwise (assuming they lead a club.) So good guessers should play 3NT single-dummy, bad guessers 4S.

On 17, holding KQT97 9x KJ AQ86, after 1s 2h 2s 3c, I chose 4c. Partner bid 4H which I passed. This proved to be the right spot as partner held x AKJTx Qx Kxxxx. As I recall the heart hook was off and partner made 4.

Problem 15 resolved

Partner had Axxx AKTx JT8x A. The grand has its chances, but none of them materializes. 6NT would have been a top, 6S an average plus.

Problem 14 resolved

I tanked and then bid 3NT. Partner's hand was:

KQx x AKJTxx Q97

Righty has Qxx of diamonds so 3NT is down on a heart lead, but I received the fortunate lead of the stiff jack of clubs and took 10 tricks for a top. 5D makes if you pin the stiff jack of clubs, which you may well do. Lefty had ATxx KJxxxxx x J.

3H is down 1 on normal defense (partner leads a top diamond and then switches to a trump), as we take 1D 1H 2S 1C.

Problem 20: Club game, 3/20/06

Matchpoints. All white, 1st seat, you hold AK32 J2 void KQ87xxx. You open 1C. The auction continues:

1C p 1H 1NT back to you. 1NT is strong, 15-18.

Your bid. Also, what would you have done if RHO had passed?

Problem 19: Club game, 3/13/06

Matchpoints. Both red, 2nd seat, 987 Q8x Ax QT97x. The auction begins:

    1C P
P x P  to you.

What do you bid? (If you pass and 1Cx becomes the contract, what do you lead?)