Dubious Logic

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

This is all proving a lot more difficult than I thought - and I don't just mean the bridge. I rather forgot the intensity of playing in events like this. It's almost non-stop; once the game is over - and there's only an hour break between sessions - it's off to supper with other players and companions and there's no real time to do any updates.

I think I rather remembered occasions where I'd only kibitzed and the ten year gap since I last played (Lille 1998: those wounds took time to heal) led to overestimate how much time I'd have. Still, with tactically not qualifying for the 'A' semi-final, we've reduced our chances further of playing in a meaningful pairs final. That should free up some time.
posted by Chris at 8:16 AM

Friday, June 19, 2009

No boards played, no mistakes yet. Game time is 20:00 CET, two ten-board matches.

Hob-nobbing with people I've actually heard of, here is a hand posed as a test to the innocent copy writer by a bulletin co-editor walking by…

After a neutral club lead you cash two top diamonds to discover RHO has three; LHO pitches a club. How do you continue?

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After mature thought, I think this is a catch for the sophisticated player: you have to choose between playing your chances in order - 3-3 hearts then spade finesse - or conceding a trump, refusing the spade finesse and then playing for a squeeze on LHO.

If you play hearts and LHO does have four, the two card difference established when trumps were 1=3 is removed and the spade finesse is evens. If hearts are 5=1, the finesse is now odds on.

So, without any other information, the squeeze is not any better than the finesse. But of course you can test clubs - after heart to dummy and heart back - the you gain more information. That however, isn't likely to help you. The count there will either be 3-3 (after LHO's club discard - though you may question the motives for revealing the count) or longer on the left, in which case if hearts do not obliges, again the spade finesse is better odds than the squeeze. So you may as well just try hearts and then spades.
posted by Chris at 11:16 AM

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I'm going to try to actively blog from the European Open in Sanremo.

As a test of my ability to format via the Blogger interface, here's my least favourite deal from last weekend's Pachabo:

After three passes South opened with a strong 2♣ and North made waiting 2♦, 2NT next showed 23-24, North transferred to hearts and over the simple acceptance, bid a quantitative 4NT. South misinterpreted this and replied 5♣ (3 Key Cards for hearts) and North didn't know whether his partner had heart support or not.

He solved this by bidding 5♠ and South, possibly thinking this was a transfer to no-trumps, bid 5NT. This was the 'preference' North was after and he bid 6NT. Partner led a diamond and that was 13 tricks.

That didn't feel great. Our team-mates managed a bidding misunderstanding too: they arrived in 7NT(!), well the same lead would give us a great board but there was a fly in the ointment. In order to show a heart positive, North had bid 2NT over 2♣ - a fact carefully checked by East before he doubled and led the ♣A…

More on the Pachabo in my EADT article.
posted by Chris at 12:50 PM