Hands

The Usual

Jan 042003

N/S Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: 3

	Maestro A 10 5 3 2 8 5 J 10 8 5 2 8
mmbridge Q 9 10 9 A Q 6 4 A Q 10 7 5		neduddki K 7 6 4 A Q 4 2 9 3 J 4 3
	petit_g J 8 K J 7 6 3 K 7 K 9 6 2

West

2
Pass

North

2NT

East
Pass
Pass

South
1

Pass

Today’s disaster begins with Mini-Gee’s mini one heart opener in second seat, holding no aces, no stiffs, and eleven points counting a loose jack. Perhaps he upgraded for the nine of the clubs, which, to be fair, does prove to be a useful card in the play. After 2C our hero has a problem. A negative double is out, because you never do that with a five-card major; and passing is for children. An unusual 2NT is all that remains; certainly it is an unusually bad bid, even by Chronicles standards.

Equally unusually, it is passed out. East is kind enough not to double, and neither mini-Gee, who probably regards the bid as a notrump game invitation that he’s happy to decline, nor West, the overcaller, has anything further to say.

East opens a low club, and West wins the queen and returns another to East’s jack and dummy’s king. At this point the diligent reader should pause and try to figure out for himself how declarer can take only two more tricks.

First he needs to open the suit where he can do himself the most damage. That would be spades. The maestro leads the SJ at trick 3, covered by the queen and ace, with East dropping the 6 for count. This play simultaneously kills the entry to his hand, preventing him from enjoying any diamond tricks.

It is now safe to lead diamonds, and Gee proceeds to run the DJ, losing to East’s queen. East now cashes three rounds of clubs and the diamond ace. Gee sluffs two spades — another vital play — and a diamond from his hand, and a heart from dummy. East, however, decides to give declarer a count. He sluffs a diamond on the last round of clubs, and then a spade, the 7 no less, on the ace of diamonds.

West now shifts to the S9, and Gee correctly covers, establishing his 5 as East wins the king and plays back a low heart, facing Gee with a heart guess he can’t get wrong, and doesn’t, as the HJ holds for the declarer’s third trick.

Dummy is now endplayed, as Gee leads a small heart off the board. East wins the queen as West follows. East cashes the ace, West discards a diamond, et voilà! a full count. East has already shown three clubs and two diamonds, and now four hearts. This gives him four spades, and all Gee has to do is hold on to that tiny five of spades for his fourth trick.

You didn’t really need me to tell you he discarded it, did you?

Ready, Steady, Down

Jan 022003

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: 9

	wildcats K Q 4 A K 10 9 6 4 A K Q 7 —
bilgin J 7 5 3 2 8 10 8 Q 10 9 8 6		efe A 6 Q J 7 3 J 9 3 J 7 5 3
	Maestro 10 9 8 5 2 6 5 4 2 A K 4 2

West

Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North

2
2
3
Pass

East
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

South
Pass
2

2NT
3NT

Today we find the maestro declaring 3NT after a shrewd tactical bid. By refusing to support his partner with four Gee keeps the partnership out of a reasonable diamond slam that is probably down on the actual layout (table feel!) although it makes double dummy. And, of course, he right-sides the contract.

The best line after a club lead is a nice question, but it’s probably to discard a heart from dummy, win the club, and play the two top hearts. If an honor falls, you are cold. Cash the top diamonds and exit a heart: you will either have nine tricks, if the diamonds break, or the defense will have to provide your ninth, by leading a black suit.

If no heart honor falls on the ace and king, your chances are still good, but you need the diamonds to break. Cash four rounds of diamonds and play a spade honor. If East wins he is endplayed. If West wins he will be forced eventually to lead a spade back, and you can still make if the spade jack is onside. If the spade is ducked, exit a heart, with the same ending.

Even against perfect defense, this line wins close to 90% of the time: all of the heart 3-2 breaks (68%) and 40% of the heart 4-1 breaks (5%), and the rest of the time if diamonds break unless the spade ace is with West and the spade jack with East.

At the table, Gee wins the first club and finesses a heart to East, who returns a club. At this point a second heart will put him down, but that would be the logica continuation of mere bad play, and mere bad play is no concern of this site. No, Gee shifted to a spade, guaranteeing five tricks for the defense. So our Gee-spot becomes 90% – 0% = 90.

Not 100, I grant, but you can’t say he isn’t trying.

Son of Bones Redouble

Dec 302002

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: South
Lead: 4

	giove 7 4 J 9 7 4 3 2 Q 9 10 7 3
janiner A Q 8 5 3 K Q 5 2 A Q 6 2		justinl J 10 6 2 A 10 8 A 10 K 9 8 5
	Maestro K 9 6 K J 8 7 6 5 4 3 J 4

West

Dbl
Pass
Pass
Dbl
6
Pass
Pass

North

4
4NT
5
6
Pass
Pass
Pass

East

Dbl
Dbl
Dbl
Dbl
Pass
Rdbl

South
4

Pass
Pass
5

Pass
Dbl
Pass

The Bones Principle lends itself to various extensions. Surely if it is sound to double any contract Gee chooses to declare, it is equally sound to ship back any double he chooses to make on defense. And who better to demonstrate the Bones Redouble than that legendary bonesmaster himself, Seaman Justin Lall?

After North’s four spade bid is sandwiched by two doubles, a lesser player might suspect foul play. But not Gee: he always trusts his partner, come what may. And again, an ordinary player might view the Seaman’s double of 4NT as a hint that something is amiss. To the Maestro this is nonsense. Partner bid 4NT, and he meant 4NT — RKC for spades. Gee passes dutifully. He holds the SK, they play DOPI, that is all he knows on earth and all he needs to know.

Naturally 5D, doubled again by the Seaman (his bidding line is Double-Double-Double-Double-Pass-Redouble, and even at Gee’s tables you don’t see that every day), must be a diamond cue. Spades have been agreed as trump, have they not? Gee signs off in 5S and awaits further developments.

Which are forthcoming: this time Janine doubles, North pulls to 6D, and the light begins to dawn, one would assume. 6D goes for sticks and wheels, but Janine makes the superficially foolish decision to pull to 6S.

Our hero doubles. His partner bid spades, he has Kx, how can they make 6S? The Seaman of course ships it back, and complains afterwards when Janine plays the trump ace and another trump, instead of taking the trump finesse for an overtrick. Didn’t Gee show one keycard? Can’t anyone be trusted any more?

Planning the Play at Trick 7

Dec 252002

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: 3

	gerardo K 4 3 J 10 8 6 A J 3 A 7 2
sasscat Q 9 2 A 9 3 K 9 4 6 5 4 3		danb 7 6 Q 7 4 2 Q 7 2 Q 10 9 8
	Maestro A J 10 8 5 K 5 10 8 6 5 K J

West
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North
1

1NT
2

Pass

East
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

South
1

On hands with several possible lines of play, expert declarers postpone decisions as long as possible, refusing to commit themselves to a line of play before it’s necessary. EXPERT declarers take this one step further, sometimes playing entire hands without making a decision at all.

Today a normal new minor forcing auction lands our hero in a normal spade game, against which West has an unenviable choice of leads. He can hardly be faulted for opening a low heart, although a club turns out to be best. Gee plays low from dummy, as does East (playing the 7 to show even count), and wins the HK.

Now there are four or five ways to make the hand. Declarer can find the trump queen. He can take the club finesse and sluff his losing heart. He can set up hearts. He can eliminate clubs and endplay West in hearts. There are probably other lines that I’m missing.

Our hero preserves most of his options by leading another heart at the second trick. West should duck but flies the ace and shifts to a club, East’s queen being taken by Gee’s king.

At this point the hand is stone cold as long as trump break, with many extra chances. Declarer cashes the club jack, plays the ace and king of trump and runs a heart, discarding a diamond. He wins the return, discards two more diamonds on the club ace and the good heart, and claims.

We now return to Planet Gee. D’Artagnan cashes the club jack, cashes two rounds of trump, ending up in hand, and decides it might be time to do something about his diamond losers. He leads a low diamond and finesses the jack, losing to the queen.

East can seal Gee’s fate by playing back another diamond, but in the holiday spirit he plays a low heart instead, giving Gee one last chance. Discarding a diamond makes the hand unless West led from AQxx. Gee ruffs.

Merry Christmas.

Well Well Well

Dec 222002

N/S Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: J

	Maestro A 10 5 3 A K Q J 9 8 K A 9
dellache K 8 7 4 7 Q 10 7 4 3 2 8 6		as J 6 6 5 4 3 9 5 K J 5 4 3
	delmas Q 9 2 10 2 A J 8 6 Q 10 7 2

West
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North
2

East
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

South
3

3NT
5

Pass

Some days we concentrate on Gee’s card play, others on his bidding, still others on his incomparable post mortems. Then there are those special days, when we hit the trifecta.

Gee opens 2C in second seat, and his partner puts the auction in high gear with a 3D bid on a balanced nine points and a four card suit. The STCP™ would consider 2NT, which is one reason he’s just watching the action.

Gee bids 3H, his partner 3NT. After the first positive response Gee isn’t taking no for an answer, and he launches into 4C. This, as all experience Gee-specs know, is Gerber: Gee plays Gerber directly over all notrump bids. (All notrump bids, you ask? All notrump bids.)

South, a novice in the Tao, takes 4C as clubs and raises to 5. Now our hero has a problem. Faced with an impossible response, he takes the logical course of bidding an impossible slam. Seven hearts.

There are two cards in East’s hand that give declarer a chance to make, and he leads one of them, the spade jack. (The other is the club king.) Gee plays the queen from dummy, and West can still beat the hand by ducking. Covering, however, is the normal and correct play with the spade ten hidden, and cover he does.

Declarer now has twelve tricks in the bag and great squeeze chances for the last one. Normally he would have to guess whether to play West, who obviously holds the long spades, for the club king or the diamond queen, but on the actual layout it’s easy. Declarer cashes the diamond king, plays two rounds of trump coming to dummy with the H10, cashes the diamond ace, sluffing the club loser, and ruffs a diamond. East shows out on the third diamond and it’s all over. Declarer draws trump, cashes the club ace and runs the rest of the trump, coming to this:

	Maestro 10 5 3 9 — —
dellache 8 7 4 — Q —		as 6 — — K J 5
	delmas 9 2 — J Q

On the last trump declarer tosses the club queen from dummy and West, needing four cards to guard against the spade and diamond threats, must throw in the towel.

Gee’s actual line is identical until trick 6. But instead of ruffing a diamond, he crosses back to his hand with the club ace, draws the rest of the trump, and plays two rounds of spades ending in dummy to kill his last entry. East of course shows out and Gee is left with a spade loser for down 1.

National politicians could learn from the way Gee handles a post mortem. He is asked why he bid 7H.

“I had a feeling that we needed a slam swing to win the match,” he replies. (This was the last hand of a team game. The score was hidden. Note his judicious choice of the word “feeling.”)

He is asked why he didn’t ruff a diamond and run his trumps. Gee disarmingly agrees that he should have ruffed a diamond, in the manner of an arsonist confessing to jaywalking. “But it doesn’t matter if I do,” he continues. “There is no squeeze.”

He is asked why he didn’t run his trumps even without ruffing a diamond, guessing whether to play West for the club king or the diamond queen. “I knew West held the diamond queen,” says Gee.

Just My Imagination

Dec 202002

Let’s play a little WWGD. You are in the maestro’s chair, holding

6 A K 9 7 A Q J 7 2 K 4 3

You open 1D, lefty passes, partner bids a weak jump shift of 2S, passed back to you. What Would Gee Do? Have at it before you continue reading below.

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: South
Lead: A

	huon 9 7 5 4 3 2 4 K 6 4 9 8 7
ruefulr A 10 Q 8 6 3 2 9 8 3 J 6 5		emil K Q J 8 J 10 5 10 4 A Q 10 2
	Maestro 6 A K 9 7 A Q J 7 2 K 4 3

West

Pass
Pass
Pass

North

2
Pass
Pass

East

Pass
Dbl

South
1

Pass

If you passed you need to enter into the spirit of the thing. Gee did not pass.

Three hearts is certainly possible: if you’re not going to show hearts now, then when? But 3H risks catching partner with something like 10xxxxx Qxx x Q10x, on which three, or even four hearts has a real chance of success.

3NT? Likely to be a disaster, but again, not necessarily. Same hand as above but with 10x Qx in the minors, and you have a shot of getting home with highly favorable breaks and an extremely generous club lead.

An invitational raise to 3S? No, there is only one bid available to assure disaster: the jump to the spade game. The beauty of 4S is that, on the best possible hand for North, let’s say QJ109xx xx xxx xx, it almost has to go down. Even on that hand, even if we assume spades are breaking 3-3 and both minor suit finesses are on, although you might survive in 3S in 4S the entry problems are insuperable.

North, alas, neglects to hold the best possible hand. A technical note: a double of 4S, holding KQJ8 of trump and the club ace, is not Bones.

Questions for Discussion
1. What would Gerard bid on this hand if his spades and hearts were reversed?
2. Suppose you had bid 4S and your partner asked you why. What is the best reply?
3. Over 2S on this auction, is 4C natural, a splinter, Gerber, or checkback Stayman?

The Holy Grail

Dec 162002

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: 8

	brynja Q 9 5 6 A K 6 3 2 Q 8 4 3
babac 8 7 A K 10 9 8 8 7 K 10 9 5		drhasan J 6 4 5 4 2 Q 9 4 J 7 6 2
	Maestro A K 10 3 2 Q J 7 3 J 10 5 A

West

Pass
Pass
Pass

North

2
4

East
Pass
Pass
Pass

South
1

Pass

Will the 100 Gee-spot ever surface? Until it does, today’s hand may have to do.

North/South reach a normal spade game on a normal auction, with the maestro in the driver’s seat, and West opens a trump, won profligately by Gee with the ace as East plays low.

The STCP™ might stop here to count tricks. Five trump, the ace of clubs, and four diamonds even if the finesse loses makes ten. Drawing trump and finessing diamonds loses only to a 5-0 diamond break either way. (Declarer must be careful to duck the DQ if West covers, to protect against Qxxx onside.) So the optimal line is about 90%.

Our hero crosses to the diamond ace at trick 2 and leads a heart. West takes the HQ with the king and of course continues trump. Gee wins on the board with S9, crosses to the club ace and ruffs a heart with SQ. He crosses back to his hand with a club ruff, pulls the last trump, and finesses the DJ, which loses, with two more hearts to lose at the end, for down 1.

So Gee’s line succeeds whenever trump are 3-2 and the diamond queen is onside, i.e., 34% of the time. 90% – 34% gives us a Gee-spot of 56. Not bad; and it does not escape his partner’s attention:

brynja: are u a beginner partner u write expert there
G: not the right line
G: because you never misplayed a hand?
Spec #1: what will gee say about this?
Spec #2: see what i mean by no G proof?
brynja: not right line no int player could play it down
Spec #1: lol
Spec #3: maybe “beginner” is icelandic for “god of bridge”
brynja: that was not even a guess
G: go get lost. I tried a line that was wrong. the other line could have been wrong just as well
babac: gerard
brynja: just finesse diam second trick and claim
Spec #2: wowwwww
The table has been closed.
Spec #3 (now overheard in lobby): that guy should be nicer to G
G: that’s ok… another pretentious poor player who knows better… so he thinks

Still, 56 is not 100. The quest continues.

Criss-Cross

Dec 102002

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: K

	comanche 9 7 5 3 6 2 10 7 6 K J 9 3
jdonn K J 9 8 3 A Q J 2 10 7 6 5		Maestro A 6 4 2 A 7 4 9 5 4 3 A Q
	scudrunr Q 10 8 K Q J 10 5 K 8 8 4 2

West

2
Pass

North

Pass
Pass

East
1

3NT

South
1

Pass

Today’s hand begins inauspiciously, as Gee and suspiciously-frequent-partner-who-ought-to-know-better-and-almost-certainly-does Josh Donn reach an underdog, but normal at IMPs, notrump game. The only remarkable feature of the auction is Gee’s spurning his normal bid, the burger 2NT, on one of the few occasions when it’s actually correct — although Josh, given the declarer, would have raised to game anyway.

South leads the heart king and our hero surveys the territory. The diamond king must be on to make; if it’s off then South is marked with the club king for his overcall, and declarer can never come to more than eight tricks. But assuming the DK is on and diamonds break, declarer can play for a ninth trick in spades, finessing into the safe hand; or failing that, possibly in clubs as well, if South holds exactly Kx of diamonds. There are also interesting endplay chances if you win the second heart, run the diamonds and later throw in South with the last heart.

Our hero, however, ducks the first two hearts, obviating the endplay because he sees deeper into the hand. He wins the third heart as North discards the D6, and takes the diamond finesse, which holds. There are now two very good reasons to place South with Kx: he has shown five hearts, and thus is likelier to be short diamonds; and North discarded a diamond on the third heart, which is very likely from three, and gave odd count into the bargain.

If South indeed holds Kx, there are enough entries to drop the diamond king, cross to hand on the fourth diamond, take the spade finesse into the safe hand (which also plays the overcaller for an outside honor), and then still try the club finesse if that fails. Gee has a better idea. He boldly leads a club from dummy for the immediate club finesse! What makes him think the CK is with North? Table feel. Although careful study of these columns can make the STCP™ a better player, nothing, ultimately, can substitute for the intuition of a master.

The club finesse wins, and Gee runs the diamonds, leaving this position:

	helpless defender #1 9 7 5 3 — — K J
marveling dummy K J — 2 10 7 6		Maestro A 6 4 2 — 9 A
	helpless defender #2 Q 10 8 10 5 — 4

The maestro now plays his last diamond winner. South throws his last club, but North is caught in a criss-cross squeeze. If he bares his CK, Gee cashes the CA and dummy’s last two clubs are good with the SK as an entry. North chooses instead to discard a spade. Gee finesses the SJ, cashes SK, returns to his hand with the CA, and the long spade is good.

“Bet this won’t make Aaron’s web site,” says Gee happily. Nonsense. It is true, sadly, that one cynical spec remarked that the criss-cross was Gee’s best chance for a happy accident because it involves blocking two suits. But here at the Chronicles, where objective reporting is our watchword, such thoughts could not be further from our mind. What does he think this is, The New York Times?

Expert Judgment

Dec 072002

To get the most out of today’s column, don’t look at the bidding until you’ve finished reading.

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: 2

	jdonn Q J 10 9 2 K 6 5 2 J 8 7 6
eliran 7 4 3 A J 4 3 10 8 4 10 5 3		drorp A K 8 6 Q 9 2 A 7 3 K Q 9
	Maestro 5 10 8 7 5 K Q J 9 6 A 4 2

West
Pass
Pass
3

Pass
Pass

North
2

Pass
Pass
Pass

East
Dbl
Dbl
3NT
Dbl

South
2NT
Pass
4

Pass

What becomes an expert? Expert judgment.

North, regular Gee-partner Josh Donn, opens 2S, showing weak-two strength, five spades and a four-card minor. East doubles with his moose. Lesser players, holding Gee’s hand, might consider a pass to await developments. 2SX is unlikely to be passed out, and even if it is you may be better off there than in 3C. Neither side appears to have a fit and you probably want to defend.

Our hero, however, asks the obvious question with 2NT, and, after West passes, receives the obvious answer with 3C. East doubles again, for what looks like penalty this time. 3CX is destined for -300 at least. But West rescues North/South by pulling to 3H. East bids 3NT, on the in-for-a-penny-in-for-a-pound principle, and matters are again up to our hero.

Well, let’s see, what hope has 3NT? Five major suit tricks at an absolute maximum, one diamond, a couple of clubs at the outside, that makes eight. Gee is on lead with a diamond suit that is at least even money to set up for four tricks and a certain outside entry. 3NT, in other words, has no hope even if Josh opened with QJxxx xx xx Qxxx. On the actual layout 3NT goes for 500.

Now let’s examine the prospects for 4C. Trying to take ten tricks in a Moysian with a minority of the points is usually a losing proposition. Our hero’s hand has only a trump entry, which means the diamonds are unlikely to set up. There is no secondary fit. The chances of making 4C, or even going down only one, are approximately zero.

Guessing Gee’s actual bid will be left as an exercise for the reader.

Let Gee Be Gee

Dec 012002

N/S Vul
IMPs
Dealer: South
Lead: K

	fer-lema K Q 7 6 5 A K Q 9 8 3 — A 8
macondo J 9 4 6 4 A K Q 10 5 7 5 4		wildcats 8 J 10 7 5 2 9 8 4 3 2 10 9
	Maestro A 10 3 2 — J 7 6 K Q J 6 3 2

West

1
Pass
Pass
Pass

North

2
6
7

East

5
Pass
Pass

South
1

Pass

Chronicles readers are surely familiar by now with the difficult question of WWGD (What Would Gee Do?). Today we investigate two related and equally abstruse matters, HWGP (How Would Gee Play?) and WWGSATH (What Would Gee Say After The Hand?).

Here the auction is interesting. North’s 2D bid normally shows, in 2/1, a limit club raise or better, but North has few other forcing bids at his disposal. Gee makes a fine 6C bid over East’s 5D sac, reasoning that his partner is likely void in diamonds and any spade values give them a decent play for slam.

North makes another excellent bid of 6D, describing his major suit moose and diamond void perfectly. Gee thinks it over and bids 6S, and North, uncertain whether this is a cue or a suit, signs off in the club grand, against which West leads the DK.

Now we pause and ask, How Would Gee Play? Trump break, spades are 3-1: is there any conceivable way to go down?

Of course there is. Gee ruffs the opening diamond low in dummy, cashes the CA, both defenders following, and plays top hearts. One round of hearts, discarding a diamond; two rounds of hearts, discarding a diamond; three rounds of hearts, ruffing with the trump 6, overruffed with the 7, down one.

What Would Gee Say After The Hand? “I can be really stupid sometimes,” says Gee. (I would like to report that no spec made the obvious rejoinder. Sadly, I am unable to do so.) “I was afraid of getting a spade ruffed,” he continues.

Let’s try something tougher:

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: North
Lead: 4

	ynh Q 10 8 6 4 J 6 2 K J 9 6 4
Maestro A K 5 2 K 10 7 J 2 A K 10 5		wilcoxjj 7 A 8 5 A Q 7 5 4 3 Q 7 2
	mas J 9 3 Q 9 4 3 10 9 8 6 8 3

West

1
4NT
6NT

North
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

East
1

Pass

South
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

Gee and partner reach an excellent 6NT contract after a normal auction. Of course the hand is cold. It makes on any 3-2 diamond break, and declarer can protect against a stiff king (though no other 4-1 break), by playing the diamond ace first. On the actual layout the ace drops the stiff king, mas gets his diamond winner and then no mas for the defense.

The question is, how is it possible to go down not one, not two, but three tricks after a low club lead? Gee makes the first key play by winning trick 1 with the king instead of the 10, although in fairness this would ordinarily not matter because E/W need five diamond tricks to make anyway. He promptly forgoes the safety play by leading the DJ, discovering the bad news when North discards a spade on the second round of diamonds.

Now sure, he can still go down 1 by conceding two diamond tricks. Let’s let Gee be Gee instead. First he ducks a heart into North’s jack: one trick for the defense. North returns a club, on which Gee makes a second Magoo play by winning the queen in dummy, and leading a third round of clubs, inserting the ten when South shows out: two tricks for the defense. North shifts to hearts, as good as anything else. Gee wins the heart king, cashes the club ace and his remaining major suit winners, and concedes a diamond and a spade at the end for the defense’s third and fourth tricks.

What Would Gee Say After The Hand? “The distribution,” he would say, “was very unfriendly that time.”

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