The Adventures of Sam and Richard - Part 39
- From: "Richard Lawson" <nouma@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 17:49:12 -0500
The Grand Slam Club usually ends its season with a dinner followed by an
individual. This allows for members to mix and match with each other as
they celebrate another successful year. This year the dinner happens to
coincide with the Worldwide Pairs, so instead of an individual we'll be
doing standard pairs. I eat the dinner while Sam skips dinner but joins us
for the duplicate.
First board out of the box:
AKJ98652
KQT6
3
-
Nice hand. It gets worse when Sam opens 3C in front of me. I banish all
thoughts of slam and just blast 4S. Alas, Sam has a completely useless hand
to me - AKQxxxx of clubs and out. The opponents find the fine defense of a
diamond lead and a trump shift, preventing me from ruffing a heart in dummy.
I go up Ace and find that the spades are breaking 4-0, with RHO holding
QTxx.
So much for that worldwide 80% score.
Later on, I have an interesting bidding problem with a two-point hand:
QT6542
T98
862
T
Red against white, Sam opens 1C. We play strong jump shifts - I think
that's a much more useful tool than weak jump shifts - but that leaves me
with a problem here. If I pass, there's a possibility that we'll get to
play in some kind of 3-1 club fit, vulnerable. If I bid, we may get too
high. I give it some thought, then decide to bid 1S and hope I can get out
in 2S.
Sam reverses into 2H, game-forcing. I hem, I haw, and then... I pass. If
we miss game I'll take full blame, but we've found a fit at a low level and
I just want to get out while we can.
Sam actually shows up with fewer points than I expected:
9
AKQ2
AJ97
Q732
A helpful club lead is followed by a trump shift. Sam manages two clubs
ruffs in dummy, and four trumps and a diamond in his hand - down one. This
is actually a good score for us. Despite my positive one-level response and
Sam's game-forcing reverse, we actually have only 18 HCP combined. The
opponents, with their combined 22 HCP, can actually make 3C. A system win
for us - our agreement is to open 1C with Sam's hand. If he'd opened 1D or
1H, West has an easy 2C overcall.
And then the "gosh, it would be great if we had an agreement" auction of the
night:
A9765
Q8643
T9
2
KQJ2
KJ
AK2
AK96
Sam, South, opens 3NT, 24-25 HCP. I stare at my hand, trying to figure out
how powerful six HCP with two weak five-cards are opposite a 3NT opener.
And what are we playing over 3NT? Is 4C Gerber or Stayman? Are transfers
on? Surely transfers are on. I decide the best course of action is to
transfer to spades, then bid 6H and hope Sam can figure out my hand type.
So I bid 4H. Sam thinks and thinks, then finally alerts and completes the
transfer to 4S. Ignoring that, I continue my plan by bidding 6H. Sam,
looking at KQJ2 in spades, decides that 4H wasn't really a transfer, so he
passes 6H.
Fortunately for us, the trumps break 3-3 and the opponents don't find their
spade ruff, so we score up +980 just the same. We decide after the game
that 4C is Stayman, transfers are on, 4NT is Blackwood, and 5NT is
quantitative. I expect this will come up sometime next decade.
And then, a hand that shows why good bridge players are also good poker
players, and vice versa:
A75
KT2
KT962
T7
86 KJT92
AQJ876 4
AJ75 Q83
3 AQ84
Q43
953
4
KJ9652
Sam and I are silent as E/W bid 1H - 1S - 2H - 3NT. Sam makes a natural but
unfortunate club lead to my Ten and declarer's Queen. Declarer is Dave, a
guy I've known since I first moved to Minneapolis. We used to play bridge
until 4am on Friday nights in the Bridge Center in the early 90's. A couple
of years ago he won a poker cruise in an online tournament and invited me
along. I had a blast and got to watch some of the best poker players in the
world.
At trick two, Dave leads a heart to the Jack. I drop the Ten. Dave mutters
a curse and looks me in the eye. "Are you a good bridge player, Richard?"
I know exactly what he's doing and I play along. "I am an excellent bridge
player," I respond as I look him dead in the eye.
All of that, of course, is not exactly legal. Dave's trying to get a read
on me, and I'm trying to give him a bad read in return. Perfectly
legitimate in poker, but frowned upon in bridge. This is just a bit of
good-natured gamesmanship between me and Dave; we wouldn't do it against
anyone else.
After a minute of thought, Dave plays Ace of hearts, heart. I win the King
and there's nothing more I can do than just continue a club. Dave ducks
this but wins the Ace on the third round and leads the Queen of diamonds,
finessing. I consider underleading my Ace of spades, but I know Dave will
have no choice but to put up the King - if Sam has the Ace of spades, he'll
be running a bunch of clubs. Reluctantly I cash the Ace of spades and Dave
promptly claims - making three for a near-bottom for me and Sam. Very
nicely played by Dave, including reading me for false-carding in hearts.
Sam and I finish at 55%, good enough for third our direction and, I'm sure,
about 10 millionth worldwide. Ah well. All we care about now is ratcheting
up our playtimes in preparation for the Nationals in Chicago.
-Richard
--
..
.
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