None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: 
5
rfische J 10 9 8 2 Q 10 8 6 2 Q A 9 |
||
| ralphm K 6 5 A 8 2 K Q 7 6 4 3 2 |
![[W - E]](http://gee.aaronhaspel.com/files/2012/10/t.gif) |
Maestro A 7 3 5 4 3 A K 10 9 7 6 3 — |
| pru Q 4 K J 9 7 J 5 4 J 10 8 5 |
| West
2 |
North
Pass |
East 1 2 3 5 |
South Pass Pass Pass Pass |
There are intricacies to zero percent theory that have yet, in this column, gone unexplored. What shall we call a line that makes against a particular layout, when there is another line available that makes against a superset, as we computer types say, of that layout? How about a line that wins against a particular, improbable layout when there’s a line that wins against every single layout no matter what? You need Venn diagrams for some of this stuff.
Today Gee, East, winds up declaring an excellent 5D contract after a rather inelegant auction. 2C is presumably game forcing, so after the 2D rebid, showing a minimum, West has no reason not to rebid his clubs. 5C may be the best contract, and even 6C is possible against the right minimum, something like Ax xx AKxxxx Jxx.
Against 5D South leads the trump 5. Gee plays the deuce from dummy and wins the queen with the ace. Time to plan the play. Not much to plan: the hand is 99 and 44/100% cold. Cross to the HA and run the CK, discarding a heart. If it holds you ruff a heart and make 5. If South wins and continues trump, you have no trump losers and the spade disappears on your good club, making 5. If she plays anything else you ruff a heart in dummy (the 8 will force the jack, so an overruff again disposes of the potential trump loser) and pull trump, making 5. If North covers you ruff, ruff a heart, cross to your hand with a spade and pull trump, making 5. This fails only if one defender began with three trump and nine hearts, in which case we might have heard something about it in the bidding; or if North holds all six clubs and South holds three trump.
At the table Gee wins the trump king and promptly slaps down another high trump. This line succeeds whenever trump are 2-2 and the CA is onside, for about 20%. This does not, however, come to pass, and Gee winds up down 1.
After the hand Gee graciously congratulates South on her “good lead.” “Yes,” West chimes in, “it makes you guess.” It makes you guess. Are post mortems contagious? I refer this question to my medical authority.
Incidentally, I think 2d was not available to responder in this auction because it would have been a game forcing stayman bid. So the way he bid it makes sense.
I believe what is described as an inelegant is actually a vg auction. 2c/3c isn’t gf by quite a few and this was my 1st hand with Gee. I was under the impression he knew how to play. 2s shows a feature and is gf. 3h shows feature and failure to bid nt shows some flaw. My first comment was “it was cold.” My 2nd was to cover the first and not embarrass gee. I was astounded an expert would go down.
My comment was actually it’s cold for 6.