Vil Gravis's blog

The Next Problem ...

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 08/06/2021 - 11:27

This will be a progressive problem, so answers to villyn@xtra.co.nz as quickly as possible please. The next question will then come depending on your answers to the earlier one.

Teams all vul. Partner opens 1S as dealer. What will be your bid holding:

5
AQ72
J
AKQJT82

What & Why (12)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 08/06/2021 - 11:17

This week we have some TEAMS play questions.

1. Teams: Dealer North All vul

52
T52
K7543
Q63

You are SOUTH.
The bidding has been:

SouthWestNorthEast
--11
?

What do you bid and why? Let’s take a look at them now that we have some potential answers.

What & Why (11)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Thu, 03/06/2021 - 15:47

This week we have some TEAMS play questions.

1. Teams: Dealer North All vul

52
T52
K7543
Q63

You are SOUTH.
The bidding has been:

SouthWestNorthEast
--11
?

What do you bid and why?

What & Why (10)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 01/06/2021 - 18:16

Some more What and Why, this time all from a match point session. Thanks to our panel, here are some answers.

1. Match Points Dealer South NS vul.

AQJ3
8
T7532
AK5

You are SOUTH
The bidding has been:

SouthWestNorthEast
1Pass1Pass
1Pass3Pass
?

What do you bid and why?

What & Why (09)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Mon, 31/05/2021 - 17:48

Some more What and Why, this time all from a match point session.

1. Match Points Dealer South NS vul.

AQJ3
8
T7532
AK5

You are SOUTH
The bidding has been:

SouthWestNorthEast
1Pass1Pass
1Pass3Pass
?

What do you bid and why?

Wednesday Play at The Hutt (22)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Thu, 27/05/2021 - 12:07

Why are some slams so difficult to bid, even when a grand slam should be easy enough. This one was bid only once in this session, and a very modest 6C yielded a 100% result for the pair that did manage to bid to the small slam.

Board 7 from Wednesday 26/05/2021
Dealer S All Vul

AKQ986
A6
KJ543
QJ632
J32
T75
76
KT9854
75
KQ94
9
A7
T4
J832
AQT82

What & Why (08)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 25/05/2021 - 16:04

Let me now show you the full deal and decide whether Deep Finesse can teach us anything about defence or not. When you do look at the following deal you may well raise some pertinent questions, like why did East open 5D and how, in a more sophisticated teams match, the bidding might have proceeded. But in real life you do not have the means to check out the pedigree of the opponents and have to take their bidding at face value. I suspect that the end result might well have been 5D doubled but not until EW had bid to 4H and NS to 4S. That might have made a difference to the defence, but let’s look at the what actually happened at the time, because things do happen at the table that may not happen in theory.

1. Teams. Dealer East all vul.

J6532
6
65
J854
KT7
QT875
8
K976
Q
AJ4
AKQT9732
T
A984
K932
J
A762

What & Why (07)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sun, 23/05/2021 - 19:37

You have now made your bid and opening lead. Next, see Q3 below.

1. Teams. You are SOUTH. Dealer East all vul

A984
K932
J
A762

East opens 5D. What do you bid?
Do you a) PASS or b) DOUBLE

Then 2. What do lead and Why?

3. This is what you then see in dummy

KT7
QT875
8
K973

Do you regret your opening lead?
If you led the SA, partner would have followed with the S2 and declarer the SQ.
If you led the CA, partner would have played the 8 (standard signals).
If you led a low heart, bad luck but you have another chance after SA or CA. What then?
If you led the DJ are you still hopeful and why?

What & Why (06)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sun, 23/05/2021 - 19:07

This will be a progressive exercise. When each question has been answered we will move on to the next.

1. Teams. Dealer East all vul.

A984
K932
J
A762

You are SOUTH.
The dealer East to your right opens 5D. What do you bid?

Do you a) PASS or b) DOUBLE

Then 2.
What do you lead and Why?

What & Why (05)

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Wed, 19/05/2021 - 10:14

How did you get on planning your play in 6NT? It was not the best slam to be in, but there are some very interesting lessons to be learnt when we go through the play the way it should have developed. Against West’s 6NT North leads the four of hearts. How did YOU plan your play? Let me show you the full deal so we can follow how and why the play should have proceeded.

K93
J974
T842
J6
AQ62
KQ5
K9
Q973
J875
A862
AJ7
AK
T4
T3
Q653
T8542

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