Vil Gravis's blog

X-Clubs Play 23

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Wed, 06/07/2022 - 20:16

Lots of lessons to be learnt from this very ordinary deal from a match point session, though it will also have much relevance to teams play.

Board 6 from Tuesday 5/07/22
Dealer East EW Vul

87653
KQ7
KT92
8
QJT
9843
J3
AKJT
K9
652
86
Q97642
A42
AJT
AQ754
53

X-Clubs Play 22

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Mon, 04/07/2022 - 11:57

To quote one of my regular correspondents: “Deep Finesse is a genius when all the hands can be seen but would be quite dumb at the table”. Here is a perfect example of that.

Board 14 from Friday 1/07/22.
Dealer East Nil Vul

AKT54
9
AQJ6
Q74
Q8732
T2
T732
J6
J6
J753
K984
T82
9
AKQ864
5
AK953

Not So Quick ...

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 21/06/2022 - 10:31

Vil posed this quick question to his panel:

Teams, dealer West EW vul, you are South.

SouthWestNorthEast
-1Pass1
?

What do you bid holding:

AQT9843
KQ62
T
4

X-Clubs Play 20

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 21/06/2022 - 09:38

This deal, from a friendly social game, reminded me of similar ones that I have written about earlier, on the topic of unusual opening leads. For a long time now I have advocated adding into one's repertoire the opening lead of an ace against No Trump contracts to show specifically AQx as well as the more normal holdings of AKx or AKxx though with AKxx(x) and no outside entry the fourth highest is generally better. This deal was, unfortunately, not played at X-Clubs, so I have no indication that anyone else would have found the killing lead of the ace of hearts. Look at the full deal and see what would, and what could, happen in a fairly mundane 3NT by EW.

Board 1 Dealer North Nil Vul

6542
KT87
864
J4
AK83
5432
KQ7
65
QJ7
J6
AJ532
KT8
T9
AQ9
T9
AQ9732

The Question

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Thu, 16/06/2022 - 16:33

Teams. NS Vul Dlr East

You are South and hold:

T9
AQ9
T9
AQ9732

East opens 1NT (12-14). You pass, 2C from West, 2D from East, 3NT from West.

Q1. Would you have bid over the 1NT if
a) playing natural overcalls or b) Hamilton (aka Cappalletti or Pottage)

Q2. Now it is your opening lead, which is.....?

Some Observations

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Wed, 08/06/2022 - 15:48

Vil asked a panel of mixed ability about the following hands. He offers his own opinions here.

You are South, match point session.

1. The Bidding has been:
Dealer N EW VUL

SouthWestNorthEast
--1Pass
2Pass2Pass
?

Your bid, holding:

K92
AK
AQ97
KJ87

X-Clubs Play 19

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Wed, 08/06/2022 - 15:24

Board 1 could have got you off to a good start if you were North or South and knew your odds as declarer in a fairly prosaic 3NT. It seems that only Deep Finesse knows the odds but then, it can see all the hands. A reasonably competent declarer does not need to see all the hands to see the possibilities, at least in this deal. However, not one declarer at our club session made twelve tricks in No Trumps, and only a few did across the whole of X-Clubs, some helped by atrocious opening leads.

Board 1 from Thursday 2/06/2022
Dealer North Nil Vul

AK92
AJ7
K864
64
853
8543
QJ95
K2
QJT64
62
72
J853
7
KQT9
AT3
AQT97

X-Clubs Play 17

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Fri, 13/05/2022 - 16:49

Oh what a difference an opening lead can make! This one is straight from the text book but only one East found the trump lead when the bidding screamed for it.

Board 2 from Thursday 12/05/2022
Dealer East NS Vul

Q9
AQ874
AT83
Q5
KT53
J652
K2
K87
A72
KT3
QJ64
T32
J864
9
975
AJ964

The Dreaded Grosvenor Coup

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Mon, 09/05/2022 - 14:17

aka X-Clubs 16. How many readers are familiar with the “Grosvenor Coup”? I will try and explain it in simple terms: a defensive blunder gives the contract to declarer but it creates so much doubt in declarer’s mind that he takes a losing line when having been presented with the contract. Look up Grosvenor on Google: Grosvenor Coups used to be quite the thing some years ago. But they can still occur today, as evidenced by this deal which left your author with a huge amount of egg on his face and a bottom instead of a top on Board 26 from Friday 6/05/2022.

Dealer East EW Vul
Board 26

AKJ63
8654
T8
93
T2
AQT7
5
AJ8742
Q84
J93
Q972
KQ6
975
K2
AKJ643
T5

Would you get to the Slam?

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sat, 07/05/2022 - 20:35

The question I posed my panel came from recent play and one of my respondents wanted to know whether there was a good way to get to the excellent 6D. Most of us would have bid 3D with the given hand and most of our partners would have then bid 3NT which would have been passed. I do agree with Dean, though, that you should rebid diamonds and 4D would give partner an option of 4S or, as it happens, 6D when he sees 4D on the bidding pad. Another moot point: is the 3D bid stronger than a minimum? I play it as similar to a reverse, hence North should have been interested and bid 4D not 3NT. But some people play 3D as nothing more than a normal diamond rebid. Something to discuss with
partner.

The two hands were

AQ9854
AJ942
A5
73
AQ875
K865
KQ

Syndicate content