Welcome to the Hand of the Day. There are two ways to navigate this section. You can either right click here to save this file and play the hands (if you have a program that allows you to load and play .PBN files) without seeing any of my commentary or you can scroll down and see what I had to say about the hands. It is probably more interesting to read the comentary but I always like to offer my partner a choice. If you are curious to see how Pam and I made out, then you can click here to see the tournament schedule and the games we played or here to see if we placed in anything.
Friday)
Pam and I are playing an unusual canape/precision system
called Chilli
and it contains a borderline crazy 1NT overcall
structure. I am often asked if it gets us into trouble
and my answer is always, "Not as much as you would
think." Well, we have entered the NABC+ IMP pairs game
and we are about to see if that rule of thumb applies
against good players as well as bad.
This is the second session and we are near the bottom of the
field. Take a look at my hand and see what you would
do when you are vulnerable, the opponents are not and the
opponents start doubling for penalty.
1) 12-14 HCP, denies 4
hearts, denies 4 spades, may not have a club stopper
1) Pass = I am willing to play 1NT doubled
2) Redouble = I am not willing to play 1NT doubled please bid your best minor
3) 2S = at least 5 spades
What happened) I went with
redouble because I thought that might give me two chances to
get out undoubled. Pam has picked 2D, it gets doubled
and you are up again. In our system, in this auction,
2D is probably a 5 card suit but could only be 4. Do
you pass, try 2H or bid 2S?
1) 12-14 HCP, denies 4
hearts, denies 4 spades, may not have a club stopper
2) I am not willing to play 1NT doubled please bid your best
minor 3) probably 5 diamonds
What happened) I knew we didn't
have a diamond fit so I bid 2S and hoped for the best.
1) 12-14 HCP, denies 4 hearts, denies 4
spades,
may not have a club stopper
2) not willing to play 1NT doubled
3) probably 5 diamonds
Friday Result) I went down 3 for -800 and a loss of 8 IMPs. This didn't matter much as we were outclassed in this field and on our way to another nearly last place finish.
Saturday)
As you just saw, our crazy system does get us into trouble
on occasion. However you are about to see a hand in
which it really shines. Take a look at the problem
hand you have below if you are playing Standard American
with a 15-17 1NT in an A-x pairs matchpoint game. Once
you have picked between the available bad calls, scroll down
and see how it is done in Chilli.
What happened) If you decided to pass 1NT
then you chose the best option here. Our auction managed to fully
describe both of our hands in an economical way that both
probed for game and landed us in a decent contract.
1) 15-17 HCP balanced or 11-15 HCP with both minors
2) 0-20 HCP, at
least 4 hearts, could have a longer suit
3) 15-17 HCP balanced, at least
4 spades
4) 8-10 HCP,
Invitational to game
5) Minimum hand
with exactly 3 hearts
Saturday Result) I got a low
diamond lead and managed to make 2S for +110 and 16 out of
25 matchpoints. We had a number of steady scores like
this on our way to twin scores of 53%.
Sunday
#1) Pam and I decided to take the afternoon off and go to the
horse races in nearby Florence,
Kentucky. When we got back, we were planning to play in
the Side Game but they sold us a second session entry into the
two session pairs. In the last round of the night, we
sat down against a pair of confident, pro type, European
gentleman who were really close to winning this event.
Both of the hands turned out to be interesting.
In the first hand, everyone is vulnerable and you hear a normal sounding auction. What would you have done with my hand?
What happened) It
seemed like a normal 3NT call to me but I didn't know that
West's 3D bid was anything but a normal opener. It
didn't take me long to discover that though as West led the 5
of clubs, the dummy came down with 4 and East showed
out! That's right West had opened 3D in 3rd seat with 9
HCP and 5-5 in the minors. Let's just say that this hand
did not play well for me. If only I had been quick
enough to play the 6 of clubs instead of the 2.
Sunday #1 Result)
I was in 3NT down 2 for -200 and 8 out of 38
matchpoints. If you managed to find the pass card with
my hand then you would have collected +800 or so for 34
matchpoints. If you are good enough to hold this to down
1 then I really applaud you.
Sunday #2) I was a bit ticked after the last board and this tends to increase the likelihood that I will take a crazy call on this board. You have to play against me and you have a poor looking 2 count. No one is vulnerable and your partner is making forcing doubles. Look at your hand and decide what you would do.
1) 11-15 HCP,
denies 4 hearts, at least 4 spades, could have a longer minor
2) willing to play 1S doubled, tends to indicate spade
tolerance.
What happened)
South chose a reasonable looking 2NT and his aggressive
partner decided to let him try to make 3NT.
1) 11-15 HCP, denies 4 hearts, at
least 4 spades,
could have a longer minor
Sunday #2 Result)
They were in 3NT down 2 for +100 and 28 out of 38 matchpoints
for us. If you managed to find the pass card with the
South hand then you would have collected +300 or so for 38
matchpoints.
I play bridge for
instances like this. In my mind, all of the symmetries
between these two hands and the results create a kind of
beauty that is out there in this world but often goes missed.
Monday) In the Chilli system, a
2NT opening bid indicates 0-11 HCP with at least 5-4 in the
minors. Pam is always telling me that she understands
this bid but for some reason I am always the only one of us
who is ever making it. Today is the second session of
the A-x pairs and we are coming off of a 37% game. Take
a look at Pam's hand and see what you would do in this auction
where no one is vulnerable.
1) um...
2) 0-11 HCP at least 5-4 in the
minors
What happened) Pam chose a very conservative 3C call and followed that up with a balancing 5C call and followed that up with an impossible 6C call. It takes more than one mistake to earn Jason's dreaded BB (double bad) rating on a hand. Pam made enough of them here to merit consideration for the mythical, only ever seen once, BBB.
1) um ...
2) 0-11 HCP at
least 5-4 in the minors
3) really
Monday Result) West lead her singleton diamond and Pam was on the road to down 5 and a -1100 that got us 1 out of 17 matchpoints. Because of the strength of the field, passing 4H would have earned us 15 matchpoints while a -800 would have given us 14.
In case you were
wondering, that is the first time I have ever opened 2NT with
only 4-4 in the minors. In addition, I would have opened
3C with Pam's South hand.
Tuesday) Pam and I have
played in the NABC+ Mixed Pairs game for three years in a row now and during
that time we have only had one goal. Win our first
platinum points. Well, today is the day that we finally
suceeded! After a disasterous and demoralizing 40% game
(Pam had 4 BB's) in the first session, I responded by punishing Pam and forcing her to play a
system that neither of us likes called Standard "No Alert"
American. Pam responded with a better game that got us a
54.5% score and earned us
1.31 Platinum points. In honor of that, I let Pam choose
the Hand for today. She chose one that illustrates one
of her strengths, take a look and she what you would do in her
spot.
1) asking for
keycards in spades (does not require an alert)
2) 1 keycard (not alertable either)
What
Happened) I watched Pam's hand brush the pass card
before she sucked in a breath and pulled out 6S.
1) asking for keycards in spades
2) 1 keycard
Tuesday Result) Pam made 6S for +980 and 25 out of 25
matchpoints. This hand was played by 140 N/S's in the
large Mixed Pairs field. Of those, 124 were in 4S making
6, 13 were in 6S making 6, 2 E/W's were in 5D or 5H doubled
down 3 and 1 N/S got doubled in 5S and made 6.
Congratulations Pam.
Wednesday) On
Tuesday morning, I walked over to the partnership desk and got
matched up with a nice woman from Arizona named Joan
Fedor. Although Joan wanted to play knockouts because
she felt it would be the easiest way to get the 4 gold points
she needed to become a Life Master, she let me convince her to
try the Side Game instead. Well, it was just one of
those days for me and we ended up scoring a 59.6% that won our
section and got about half the gold that Joan needed. It
also meant that we scheduled another game for Wednesday
morning and both of us were hoping for a repeat
performance. By the time this board came up, we were
about a third of the way through the round and on pace for
another good game.
Now, Joan is not
the fastest bidder. Take a look at the auction and my
hand below and see if you can guess what she bid here after a
long pause.
I was holding a minimum for my bids.
What Happened) She
jumped all the way to 5D. I passed and managed to make 5
for +600 and a great matchpoints score of 6 out of 7. In
addition, I got the Queen of Clubs lead and I took a perverse
sort of pleasure in "letting" the 9 of clubs beat my 6 on my
second round deep fineese.
Wednesday Result)
It wasn't quite enough. Coming into the last round we
were sitting at 58% and my instincts were telling me that we
needed to finish strong in order for Joan to make Life
Master. Although I was right about that, I wasn't able
to guess well enough to deliver so we ended up taking two
bottoms on the last three boards to finish at 52%. As
far as I know, Joan
remains in the Non Life Master ranks.
Friday) Once again it's
time to step into the ring against Jason and Pam and their
crazy system. You get to be South in the Friday Evening
Side game. They are vulnerable and you are not but
everyone is bidding like they are holding an opening
hand. You are holding a good opening hand. What
are you going to do with it?
1) 11-15 HCP, at
least 4 hearts, could have any suit longer
2) 0-25 HCP, at least 4 hearts, forcing to at least 3H
3) 11-13 HCP, not more than 2 keycards in hearts, denies a
splinter in diamonds and spades
What Happened)
South went with 4S and had to play in the 6-0 fit with the
spades breaking 5-2. As it sits, the best bid is a
double for penalty and the second best is pass. At this
level, there is no making contract available for N/S.
1) 11-15 HCP, at least 4 hearts, could have any
suit longer
2) 0-25 HCP, at
least 4 hearts, forcing to at least 3H
3) 11-13 HCP, nor
more than 2 keycards in hearts,
denies a splinter in diamonds and spades
Friday Result) We
set 4S by 3 for +150 and 9.5 out of the 12 available
matchpoints. You would have received 12 matchpoints for
doubling 3H and 11 for passing. Holding 4S or 3NT to
down 2 would have earned you 7.5.
Saturday)
The hand today is a simple, "What do you lead?" one.
Before I get to that, let me fill you in on the
background. Firstly, Pam has a pet peeve about Jacoby
2NT and people that don't understand the bid and it's alerting
requirements. Second, Pam is as considerate a person at
the bridge table as you are going to meet. She would
never consciously choose to say something malicious or
aggravating to another person. Unfortunately, Pam also
has a weakness when it comes to clear communication and she
often errors on the side of repeating herself when she thinks
that the other person doesn't understand her. Third,
this is the third time that I have qualified to play in the
NAP and I have failed to make it to the second day every
time. It has also been one of my bridge "goals" to do
well in an event like this and Pam knows it. Fourth, I
am still recovering from a horrible case of Wednesday night
food poisoning and I haven't eaten anything other than 2
slices of toast since then. Now, we are about halfway through
the second session when this hand comes up. We had 47%
in the first session and we are going to need a decent game in
this session to qualify for the second day. Things are
not going well at this point and I have almost given up.
Now you are ready to take a look at the auction below.
1) at least 4
hearts, at least 12 HCP, forcing to game
2) not alerted, West didn't know what it meant
3) asking for keycards 4) 2 without the Queen
What Happened) 2NT was alerted and explained as Jacoby but the 3S bid was not alerted and when Pam asked, West did not know what it meant. During the course of this confusing auction, Pam asked a number of questions and was heard to state on three separate occasions, "You obviously don't understand what you are doing." West became more and more upset and after the hand was over she was in tears. Now that I have set the mood for you, take a second look at my hand above and choose your lead.
What Happened) If
you found a low diamond lead then you might have found a way
to a good round and the second day. I went with the
"safe" spade lead and watched helplessly as the declarer
wrapped up 12 tricks. That earned us 4 out of 25
matchpoints.
2) singleton or void in spades, more than a minimum
3) asking for keycards in hearts
4) 2 keycards without the Queen
Saturday Result)
When your opponents big mistakes are getting them top boards
then you know what sort of day we were having. When the
dust cleared, we finished last in our section with 39%.
Why) At week long
bridge tournaments, Pam and I have been playing this game I
invented called Bridge Bingo. Essentially, I created a
list of 90 different things (ranging from likely to very
unlikely) that can happen during a week of bridge. Then
I randomly take different sets of 30 things to create unique
Bingo cards for me and Pam. Generally speaking, the
items in the top line are the easiest to get while the items
in the bottom row are the toughest. The first person to
complete a line (or complete the majority of the line by the
end of Sunday) wins the dollar amount designated for that
line. It is just another way to make bridge a bit more
exciting.
Below you can see my Bridge Bingo card from
Louisville as well as the designated winner (a / denotes a
tie) for each line. In 8 games so far neither one of us has
got a blackout bingo.
