Vil Gravis's blog

Opening Leads 25

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Thu, 30/01/2025 - 19:34

The second one from our first Tuesday session of 2025 has the same theme but in a different context.

Board 23. Dealer S ALL Vul

Q3

J52

J752

T642

98764

AQ6

QT8

K5

JT

KT874

9643

J3

AK52

93

AK

AQ987

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Opening Leads 24

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Thu, 30/01/2025 - 19:27

From our first Tuesday session of 2025 come two interesting deals where what we have discussed about opening leads can make all the difference to the result. That is why we have agreements about opening leads.

Board 11
Dealer South Nil Vul

Q982

AK76

AKQT7

K53

QT64

QT3

J94

AJT76

AK8

954

52

4

J97532

J82

863

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Your Call 17

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Mon, 09/12/2024 - 13:50

Preempts are not just there to be used as interference value against opponents, they are also there as a constructive tool. In this deal, North had a perfect 3D opening but few Souths made the best use of the information.

Board 17 from Tuesday 3/12/24
Dealer N Nil Vul

T8

A3

KJ76532

84

J74

J87

94

K9763

Q953

QT54

8

QJT5

AK62

K962

AQT

A2

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Slams 05

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sun, 01/12/2024 - 09:12

Thursday last was a session for slams, but surprisingly this one escaped most NS pairs.

Board 19 from Thursday 28/11/24
Dealer S EW Vul

A7

AQ

KQJ92

Q942

QT2

K73

63

KJT83

9854

J65

T854

65

KJ63

T9842

A7

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Double Dummy 22

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sun, 01/12/2024 - 08:13

This is worth reporting. My hapless correspondent wanted to know where he went wrong in a 4H contract that everyone was making. Deep Finesse was there to prove that he should have made 4H like every other declarer, so where did he go wrong?

Board 13 from Friday 29/11/24
Dealer N All Vul

Q743

QT86

943

42

J2

2

KJT76

A9873

KT6

73

Q85

KQJT6

A985

AKJ954

A2

5

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Your Call 16

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sat, 23/11/2024 - 18:39

This one was sent to me by a regular correspondent, who was justifiably proud of the fact that their partnership bid to the excellent 7H grand slam. Really, it should not have been difficult for most pairs, yet even 6H was a rare occurrence. One pair across all of X-Clubs did bid to 7NT and scored an undeserved 100% when West kindly discarded a heart on the run of South’s diamonds after a club lead, but let’s talk about how to arrive at the small slam in hearts at least.

Board 16 from Friday 22/11/24
Dealer W EW Vul

JT5

KQ9532

76

A5

Q87

T864

J4

J987

K943

7

932

KQT62

A62

AJ

AKQT85

43

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Your Call 15

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Wed, 20/11/2024 - 15:00

This deal comes from the NZ Wide Loveblock event on Friday 15/11/24. I have chosen it because a deal like that will never come up again but it does illustrate the need for a more intricate bidding system to handle an opening 1NT from the opposition, not just Hamilton (aka Cappelletti or Pottage - ed), which seems to be the most common in current use. Let’s look at the full deal before I make some suggestions.

Board 4 Dealer W All Vul

AKQ862

KQT9432

J4

A75

T943

AKJ5

973

8

AKQJ82

Q83

T5

J6

765

T97642

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Your Call 13

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sat, 02/11/2024 - 10:22

This one, from X-Clubs, is not just about bidding but also about opening leads and declarer play.

Board 4 from Tuesday 29/10/24
Dealer West All Vul

A3

98643

92

KT75

K95

T52

KJ7

Q643

JT762

7

Q8654

A9

Q84

AKQJ

AT3

J82

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Slams 04

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Tue, 17/09/2024 - 10:18

Before we look at our double dummy problem let’s take another look at the bidding.

Board 9 from Thursday 12-09-24
Dealer N EW Vul

3

Q97

Q975

J8654

KJ876

K83

2

AKT7

AQ

JT652

AKJT

Q2

T9542

A4

8643

93

East opens 1H and West bids 1S. First question: what does East rebid?

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Slams 03

Submitted by Vil Gravis on Sat, 14/09/2024 - 14:30

These East-West hands were close to a slam, but should a slam have been bid or avoided, and how should the EW hands have been bid? Those are good questions that may not be easily answered, even after you see the full deal. The deal will also provide the reader with an excellent ‘double dummy’ problem.