Playing rubber bridge with my family this past weekend, the following hand came up:
AKQJ
AKQJ7
K6
AK
If you're curious, 6 hearts made. The ace of diamond was led. I had the Txx of hearts, and the QJxx of clubs (not that THAT mattered).
For those who have run out of toes, that's a 30HCP count. I *think* that's the highest I've ever seen.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Catching Up
I've been remiss is blogging my lessons learned of late, so here are a few that stand out:
1. On the lead of the Jack of Clubs, I pondered how to avoid counting the ten of clubs as a loser in a spades contract, holding the following:
Dummy: AQx
Hand: Tx
I had to have several people tell me it was a trivial problem before I spotted that it was, in fact, a trivial problem. Lesson: Pay attention to the lead!
2. I forget the hand, but with a really nice 12 or 13 point hand partner opened and RHO doubled. I didn't have immediate support, and wondered how to force. For some reason, redouble never occurred to me.
3. On the subject of not even occurring to me, 2 people have pointed out that a HSGT goes great with this hand:
J765
AT986
v
K842
after
1D P 1H 1S
2H P ?
Partner had AQJ of clubs. Two cards were well placed, and after I bid a meek 3H we made 3H+3. I couldn't figure out how to find 4, but 3 clubs makes total sense.
4. Another "2 people pointed out". Holding
K963
KJT74
4
AK4
P P 2D ?
I doubled, but 2H is probably clearly better.
5. Here's one of those "passive" hands I was talking about.
AKJT96
J2
AJ8
J6
P P 1C 1S
X P 2H ?
I passed, and it got passed out. Sheesh!
6. Last but not least. I apologize for being vague, but I don't have the hand in front of me. I played a contract where LHO had overcalled at the 2 level. Late in the hand, I needed to find one of two missing queens. LHO had shown up wtih 9 points so far, so I figured I had pretty good odds playing LHO for the queen in question. It turned out that RHO had all the remaining points, and LHO had overcalled at the 2 level with only 9.
Whether or not my judgement was correct (and there may have been other errors on the hand), I think that having that good a count late in the play and making decisions based on the count is a very positive sign.
It's been a while since I was over 50% in an ACBL game, but that all changes today!!!
1. On the lead of the Jack of Clubs, I pondered how to avoid counting the ten of clubs as a loser in a spades contract, holding the following:
Dummy: AQx
Hand: Tx
I had to have several people tell me it was a trivial problem before I spotted that it was, in fact, a trivial problem. Lesson: Pay attention to the lead!
2. I forget the hand, but with a really nice 12 or 13 point hand partner opened and RHO doubled. I didn't have immediate support, and wondered how to force. For some reason, redouble never occurred to me.
3. On the subject of not even occurring to me, 2 people have pointed out that a HSGT goes great with this hand:
J765
AT986
v
K842
after
1D P 1H 1S
2H P ?
Partner had AQJ of clubs. Two cards were well placed, and after I bid a meek 3H we made 3H+3. I couldn't figure out how to find 4, but 3 clubs makes total sense.
4. Another "2 people pointed out". Holding
K963
KJT74
4
AK4
P P 2D ?
I doubled, but 2H is probably clearly better.
5. Here's one of those "passive" hands I was talking about.
AKJT96
J2
AJ8
J6
P P 1C 1S
X P 2H ?
I passed, and it got passed out. Sheesh!
6. Last but not least. I apologize for being vague, but I don't have the hand in front of me. I played a contract where LHO had overcalled at the 2 level. Late in the hand, I needed to find one of two missing queens. LHO had shown up wtih 9 points so far, so I figured I had pretty good odds playing LHO for the queen in question. It turned out that RHO had all the remaining points, and LHO had overcalled at the 2 level with only 9.
Whether or not my judgement was correct (and there may have been other errors on the hand), I think that having that good a count late in the play and making decisions based on the count is a very positive sign.
It's been a while since I was over 50% in an ACBL game, but that all changes today!!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Inaction Brings Passivity
Two games this week, two awful results. Both below 40%.
Honestly, we weren't that bad. Quite. In 24 hands, there were at least 3 very solid opportunities to acquire a partnership understanding. I welcome these, especially in games where we're not scoring well.
The biggest thing that not playing (hardly) for 2 or 3 weeks brought me is a return of the overly cautious, passive bidding style. I passed myself some (near) zeroes, in cases where I should clearly know better.
On the upside, my counting isn't horrible. I really thought that would go quickly. I also nailed a forum problem in seconds flat the other day, which could have come right out of Lawrence's How to Read Your Opponent's Cards. My respect for that book grows.
In the grand scheme of things, I'm not complaining. I have an excellent partner, whom I enjoy playing with, and who is probably slightly better than me, both at the table and in the post game analysis. We have excellent dialogue. I think we're already in the upper half of the ACBL slowball games we play in. We're ironing out our agreements.
I still totally believe that I have the potential and ability to succeed in bridge. That my life doesn't allow this to happen THIS WEEK is nothing to be concerned about. I will get there.
Honestly, we weren't that bad. Quite. In 24 hands, there were at least 3 very solid opportunities to acquire a partnership understanding. I welcome these, especially in games where we're not scoring well.
The biggest thing that not playing (hardly) for 2 or 3 weeks brought me is a return of the overly cautious, passive bidding style. I passed myself some (near) zeroes, in cases where I should clearly know better.
On the upside, my counting isn't horrible. I really thought that would go quickly. I also nailed a forum problem in seconds flat the other day, which could have come right out of Lawrence's How to Read Your Opponent's Cards. My respect for that book grows.
In the grand scheme of things, I'm not complaining. I have an excellent partner, whom I enjoy playing with, and who is probably slightly better than me, both at the table and in the post game analysis. We have excellent dialogue. I think we're already in the upper half of the ACBL slowball games we play in. We're ironing out our agreements.
I still totally believe that I have the potential and ability to succeed in bridge. That my life doesn't allow this to happen THIS WEEK is nothing to be concerned about. I will get there.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
54 Hands
Whatever momentum "How to Read Your Opponents Cards" gave me in counting is long gone. It's hard to hold on to when you're playing infrequently.
That said, I did play 54 hands this weekend - 18 in the Friday morning 299er club game, 24 in the competetive afternoon club match, and 12 in Saturday night's IAC teams match. The results were, perhaps predictably, a 53%, under 40%, and a narrow loss.
Friday was interesting in that, out of the 42 hands I played, I only declared 3. Make of that what you will. My play was not great, and mistakes were made.
In the morning session, I was unable to puzzle something out.
I overcalled 2 spades, which partner raised to 3 before the opponents settled into 4 hearts. I was on lead, and chose a diamond from Qxx rather than a spade from AJTxxx. Dummy came down with KQxx in spades, so I was glad that I did not chose a spade lead. Partner won the diamond lead and returned the nine of spades.
I thought and thought, but could not come to the correct conclusion. For whatever reason, it seemed impossible that partner wanted me to continue diamonds, the higher offsuit. I also figured partner had to have the doubleton spade, but this, it turns out, was incorrect. It should have been clear given that partner was establishing winners in dummy, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that partner had raised with a singleton.
Good problem.
Saturday night's match featured the worst back-to-back trick plays I have made in months, maybe years. A reasonable excuse might be that I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, but honestly, this was really really bad. As it turned out, RHO gave me the contract right back on the next trick. The ironic part was that I now had sufficient count to know which way to take the 2-way finesse in spades. Maybe counting to 40 is just easier than counting to 13.
A kind expert who happened to be kibitzing offered that I seem to do better at forum problems than at the table, possibly due to nerves. This is likely true, though maybe concentration is a better probable cause. That said, I probably average only part marks on forum puzzles, so it's still not a raving endorsement of my game.
The outlook isn't really all that positive in the short term, either. As the snow melts, I'm going to have to focus more time and energy on my other ambition, triathlon training. So, for the next few months anyways, I don't really see any more time for me to play regularly, and sort out these issues. Rather than via brute force, I'm going to have to use quality time to focus on improving my game.
Maybe I'll play some more with GiB, where I can focus on my counting, and take my time on the tougher reasoning problems. I'm probably not alone in playing a little too quickly when I'm in a competetive match.
That said, I did play 54 hands this weekend - 18 in the Friday morning 299er club game, 24 in the competetive afternoon club match, and 12 in Saturday night's IAC teams match. The results were, perhaps predictably, a 53%, under 40%, and a narrow loss.
Friday was interesting in that, out of the 42 hands I played, I only declared 3. Make of that what you will. My play was not great, and mistakes were made.
In the morning session, I was unable to puzzle something out.
I overcalled 2 spades, which partner raised to 3 before the opponents settled into 4 hearts. I was on lead, and chose a diamond from Qxx rather than a spade from AJTxxx. Dummy came down with KQxx in spades, so I was glad that I did not chose a spade lead. Partner won the diamond lead and returned the nine of spades.
I thought and thought, but could not come to the correct conclusion. For whatever reason, it seemed impossible that partner wanted me to continue diamonds, the higher offsuit. I also figured partner had to have the doubleton spade, but this, it turns out, was incorrect. It should have been clear given that partner was establishing winners in dummy, but I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that partner had raised with a singleton.
Good problem.
Saturday night's match featured the worst back-to-back trick plays I have made in months, maybe years. A reasonable excuse might be that I was having trouble keeping my eyes open, but honestly, this was really really bad. As it turned out, RHO gave me the contract right back on the next trick. The ironic part was that I now had sufficient count to know which way to take the 2-way finesse in spades. Maybe counting to 40 is just easier than counting to 13.
A kind expert who happened to be kibitzing offered that I seem to do better at forum problems than at the table, possibly due to nerves. This is likely true, though maybe concentration is a better probable cause. That said, I probably average only part marks on forum puzzles, so it's still not a raving endorsement of my game.
The outlook isn't really all that positive in the short term, either. As the snow melts, I'm going to have to focus more time and energy on my other ambition, triathlon training. So, for the next few months anyways, I don't really see any more time for me to play regularly, and sort out these issues. Rather than via brute force, I'm going to have to use quality time to focus on improving my game.
Maybe I'll play some more with GiB, where I can focus on my counting, and take my time on the tougher reasoning problems. I'm probably not alone in playing a little too quickly when I'm in a competetive match.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday at the Club
1. Always ask what the opponents discards are.
2. When there's only one way to make the contract, do NOT let opponents discards change your plan.
That is all.
2. When there's only one way to make the contract, do NOT let opponents discards change your plan.
That is all.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
How to Read Your Opponent's Cards
I simply can't say enough good things about this book.
One of my big falling down points as declarer was marginal hands - hands with lots of high cards out against me, and few controls.
This book gave me a methodology and approach, both to part score contracts and thin games, as declarer. It certainly won't apply to every hand out there, but the good habits picked up while working through the book can only help me going forward.
Now, I just need to play a bunch of hands, to reinforce good habits.
Next to be read, I think, is Thurston's 2/1 book. Time to stop "winging it".
One of my big falling down points as declarer was marginal hands - hands with lots of high cards out against me, and few controls.
This book gave me a methodology and approach, both to part score contracts and thin games, as declarer. It certainly won't apply to every hand out there, but the good habits picked up while working through the book can only help me going forward.
Now, I just need to play a bunch of hands, to reinforce good habits.
Next to be read, I think, is Thurston's 2/1 book. Time to stop "winging it".
Three From Saturday
I was back playing in the Saturday night IAC teams match. I was with a new partner who joined the team in January. We managed to eek out a 3 point win in a high scoring affair, 39-36, over 12 boards. Overall, I was generally pleased with our pair's play.
Hand 1:
The bidding caused partner some alarm, as she felt that she was competing, and not encouraging me. I could have let it hang at 1 heart, but felt that I might still have game on the cards. It turns out that 4 hearts had no play, off the AK of clubs, A of spades and with a 5-0 trump split. 5D had no play either, but only because diamonds were 4-1, if they'd been 3-2 I was cold.
This was a flat hand, as at the other table opponents wound up in 4 clubs down 1. (Good on our teammates for not bidding 4 hearts).
Hand 2:
Thanks to a partnership misunderstanding (as I said, partner was new, and we'd only played a few hands together before), I wound up declaring the exciting contract of 2 Diamonds.
The lead was the 9 of spades, and I was already under the gun. While the 9 doesn't look like an underlead of the king, there is an opportunity to pick up a valuable trick here. However, I rose with the ace, which turned out to be right.
In my head, almost right away, was that I needed hearts to be 3-3. I didn't have a firm trick count, but that seemed right.
I ruffed a spade, cashed the ace of clubs, returned to the board via the king of hearts, and ruffed another spade. Now, I exited a club.
By now, defense was on to me, and a diamond was returned, as expected. Thank goodness I had the ace! Unfortunately, a club to dummy was overruffed, and trump was drained. But I had my 6, and now I had to hope that the remaining hearts were 2-2. They were, and 2!D making unexpectedly brought home 4 IMPs.
Hand 3:
East opened 1NT, and played it. I led the 5 of hearts.
While I haven't been able to touch Lawrence's book in a day or two, this hand showed that I'm at least occasionally able to count out a hand. Let's see...
For starters, declarer had 15-17. I had 10, dummy 5, so partner was 8-10.
The ten of hearts won on the board, partner dropping the 3. Ergo, declarer started with Ax of hearts. The 6 of clubs came off the board, J, K, A. The King of hearts drew the Ace from declarer, as expected. The 4 of clubs went to the queen, partner discarding the 5 of spades, which looked like it might not be partner's lowest. I made a mental note to watch for the 2 of spades. I also noted that clubs were 4441 around the table.
The 3 of spades from dummy drew the queen from declarer, partner playing the 2. Aha. So partner had something. Maybe her king had just been finessed?
Declarer slapped down the ace of diamonds, and now declarer's hand was becoming clear. QS, AH, AD and KC had been played, for 13 points. If declarer had the AS, that was 17 points, and she was done.
However, declarer played the Jack of diamonds, which held. Clearly, declarer did not have the ace of spades! Had partner ducked from AK of spades?
All would be clear soon, as a club was led. I took my ten, and played 3 rounds of hearts. The spade jack was overtaken by partner's ace, and the King of diamonds in partner's hand was the setting trick.
Down 1 gained us another 4 IMPs. It also raised some fist pumping. It felt really good to know pretty much everything that was happening on this hand. If counting that carefully is that much fun, I may have to start doing it on every hand.
Hand 1:
 | ||||||||
|
| West | North | East | South |
| p | p | 1♣ | |
| 1♠ | p | p | 2♦ |
| 2♥ | 3♦ | 3♥ | 5♦ |
| p | p | p |
The bidding caused partner some alarm, as she felt that she was competing, and not encouraging me. I could have let it hang at 1 heart, but felt that I might still have game on the cards. It turns out that 4 hearts had no play, off the AK of clubs, A of spades and with a 5-0 trump split. 5D had no play either, but only because diamonds were 4-1, if they'd been 3-2 I was cold.
This was a flat hand, as at the other table opponents wound up in 4 clubs down 1. (Good on our teammates for not bidding 4 hearts).
Hand 2:
| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
|
Thanks to a partnership misunderstanding (as I said, partner was new, and we'd only played a few hands together before), I wound up declaring the exciting contract of 2 Diamonds.
The lead was the 9 of spades, and I was already under the gun. While the 9 doesn't look like an underlead of the king, there is an opportunity to pick up a valuable trick here. However, I rose with the ace, which turned out to be right.
In my head, almost right away, was that I needed hearts to be 3-3. I didn't have a firm trick count, but that seemed right.
I ruffed a spade, cashed the ace of clubs, returned to the board via the king of hearts, and ruffed another spade. Now, I exited a club.
By now, defense was on to me, and a diamond was returned, as expected. Thank goodness I had the ace! Unfortunately, a club to dummy was overruffed, and trump was drained. But I had my 6, and now I had to hope that the remaining hearts were 2-2. They were, and 2!D making unexpectedly brought home 4 IMPs.
Hand 3:
|  | |||||||||
|
East opened 1NT, and played it. I led the 5 of hearts.
While I haven't been able to touch Lawrence's book in a day or two, this hand showed that I'm at least occasionally able to count out a hand. Let's see...
For starters, declarer had 15-17. I had 10, dummy 5, so partner was 8-10.
The ten of hearts won on the board, partner dropping the 3. Ergo, declarer started with Ax of hearts. The 6 of clubs came off the board, J, K, A. The King of hearts drew the Ace from declarer, as expected. The 4 of clubs went to the queen, partner discarding the 5 of spades, which looked like it might not be partner's lowest. I made a mental note to watch for the 2 of spades. I also noted that clubs were 4441 around the table.
The 3 of spades from dummy drew the queen from declarer, partner playing the 2. Aha. So partner had something. Maybe her king had just been finessed?
Declarer slapped down the ace of diamonds, and now declarer's hand was becoming clear. QS, AH, AD and KC had been played, for 13 points. If declarer had the AS, that was 17 points, and she was done.
However, declarer played the Jack of diamonds, which held. Clearly, declarer did not have the ace of spades! Had partner ducked from AK of spades?
All would be clear soon, as a club was led. I took my ten, and played 3 rounds of hearts. The spade jack was overtaken by partner's ace, and the King of diamonds in partner's hand was the setting trick.
Down 1 gained us another 4 IMPs. It also raised some fist pumping. It felt really good to know pretty much everything that was happening on this hand. If counting that carefully is that much fun, I may have to start doing it on every hand.
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