Vil Gravis's blog

A Mysterious Challenge

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 28/01/2020 - 20:25

This one is an example of what I would call sloppy declarer play. West could hardly be blamed for raising East to a small slam when East opens with a preempt of 3D. That might make East a bit more careful in the declarer play if the results I saw are anything to go by.

Board 18 from Monday 27/01/20
Dealer E NS Vul

AKT9765
Q7
8
QT3
AT542
AJT
AJ542
4
83
KQ97632
K98
QJ832
KJ96
54
76

Vil Resumes ...

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 28/01/2020 - 12:48

From Monday, 27 January 2020 – Board 25 Dealer N EW Vul

AJ42
T93
KQ63
A4
5
42
T985
QJT832
KQT8
AK865
AJ7
5
9763
QJ7
42
K976

Reader's question:
The bidding was:

SouthWestNorthEast
1NT2PassPass
Pass

My partner and I play Evil defence over 1NT. My partner overcalled 2H to show both majors. Was it a right call? Would 'Double' after 1NT be better to show her 17 hcp?

Vil's Christmas Wishes

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sun, 01/12/2019 - 10:08

Here is an interesting Double Dummy problem from a recent session, Friday 29 November.

Dealer N, NS Vul

T74
JT652
93
KJ7
AJ532
9
7542
T43
KQ986
Q843
QT
Q5
AK7
AKJ86
A9862

Say It Once, Say It Right

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sat, 30/11/2019 - 09:51

AKJ93
T764
KJ32
QT7652
A983
Q7
5
QJ2
J863
AQT986
84
K5
AKT9542
74

From 48WED

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Fri, 29/11/2019 - 13:30

The following deal gave me quite a shock when I went through the resulting contracts, not only at our
club but also all the other clubs across X-Clubs last Wednesday night.

A64
AT8762
QT9
7
KJ85
KQJ9
75
AJ3
Q73
4
KJ864
Q542
T92
53
A32
KT986

Vil Returns ...

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Fri, 29/11/2019 - 13:18

... he never really went away. Just left me off his mailing list when he started a new series a few weeks ago! My apologies to all his loyal and devoted fans. It's nice to have our front page ticking over again.

Vil's new series deals to questions submitted by players of X-Club deals. Here's a dilly:

Board 24 from 48MOND
Dealer West, nil Vul

Q9
T9764
J
KJ965
AT7
AJ532
AKT8
7
J84
Q76432
QT42
K6532
KQ8
95
A83

X-Files 01

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 17/09/2019 - 17:14

From Monday 16 September 2019
Board 1 Dealer N, nil Vul

QJ985
AJ3
AQ6
84
T
84
JT84
AQ9752
AK432
T2
K97
KJ6
76
KQ9765
532
T3

The bidding was:

SouthWestNorthEast
--1NTPass
2333
Pass4

Anybody Home? Perhaps YES!

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Fri, 13/09/2019 - 11:05

The message is not getting through, or is it? A few weeks ago I wrote a review on a very similar hand where all Easts opened 1NT and all Souths passed. With any hand that looks like being able to compete, it is usually profitable to do so.

Board 8 from Thursday 12/09/2019
Dealer W Nil Vul

A82
4
JT643
K982
KT9
9863
85
A764
J54
QJT7
AQ9
QJT
Q763
AK52
K72
53

The Space Invader!!

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Thu, 12/09/2019 - 21:19

Pre-empts serve more than just one purpose. Generally, we understand a preempt as a bid that takes away space from opponents and makes their bidding more difficult. But if used judiciously they can make our own bidding much easier.

Board 15 from Wednesday 11/09/2019
Dealer S NS Vul

JT9654
K7
A92
AJ
KQ3
9532
KJ53
83
A872
AT64
Q64
62
QJ8
T87
KQT9754

The X(Club)Files

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Mon, 09/09/2019 - 15:09

This article begins a new series that will comment on deals throughout the week. Readers may send requests to Vil (villyn@xtra.co.nz) for hints or comments on anything that puzzles them.

This freak deal occurred in a recent session. I still don’t know if I bid and played it correctly, but the end result was that I failed, as did a number of others. There is a lot to be discussed and learnt from the deal.

Board 12 from Friday 7/09/2019
Dealer W NS Vul

AKQJ42
AKQT75
8
863
6
QJT974
K95
T75
J98432
6
T86
9
AK532
AQJ7432

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