Hands

Double Dummy

Sep 202002

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: South
Lead: A

	johnjay 10 9 3 Q 6 A Q 10 7 Q J 10 8
renchau A 8 5 K 10 7 5 3 9 K 9 5 2		tschen K Q J 6 2 2 K J 8 A 7 4 3
	Maestro 7 4 A J 9 8 4 6 5 4 3 2 6

West

Pass
Pass
Pass

North

1
Pass
Pass

East

1
Dbl

South
Pass
2

Pass

Well, it’s been a while.

At first glance it appears that Gee, sitting South, has a couple of alternatives after his partner opens a third-hand 1C and East overcalls 1S. An STCP™ might consider a negative double (pass is a bit chicken, especially non-vulnerable) but experts know that a negative double is always wrong with a five-card major. Of course in this case N/S miss their nine-card diamond fit, but no methods, no matter how sophisticated, can cover all contingencies. Still, it’s too good a hand to pass, so what’s left but 2H? Gee accordingly bids it. This is passed back to East, who doubles for takeout, and West is more than happy to leave it in.

2HX looks to be down 2, but some declarers just can’t catch a break. The defense opens with three rounds of spades, Gee discarding a club on the third round to minimize communication with dummy. The club shift is ruffed, and Gee plays a low trump to the HQ, which holds. Two tricks in, trump ace in hand, and yet it is still possible to go down 5!

The first key play is another trump, on which West shows out, discarding a club. Gee goes up with the ace, leaving West with K107 of trump over declarer’s J9, and leads a diamond, finessing the 10. East wins the DJ and and plays a spade. At this point South can still scramble a trick or two by discarding diamonds, but Gee ruffs with the H9. West overruffs with H10, pulls declarer’s last trump, and the defense cashes four black suit tricks and the long trump. 1100.

Gee manfully shoulders responsibility for the result in the post mortem.

Spec #1: EW makes 4H!!!
Spec #1: stix and wheeeeeeeels
Spec #2: oh well only 1.6 imps
Spec #2: 12.6
Spec #3: kaboom
G: I am not playing well any more
Spec #1: not playing well?????
Spec #3: go figure
Spec #4: any more?
Spec #5: now that was dbl dummy
G: let’s make this our last ok?
Spec #6: g-man strikes again
Spec #1: it takes great effort to bid that 2H
Spec #2: the operative words “not playing well”
johnjay: ok
Spec #7: the bid was ok then???????
Spec #4: sounds like
Spec #8: yes, but the play wasn’t

I kind of missed the logo. Didn’t you?

Checkback Stayman

Sep 192002

N/S Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead:6

	ahmed1 J 5 A J 9 3 6 5 2 J 9 6 5
caguirre A 2 K Q 10 7 Q 8 7 A 8 3 2		Maestro Q 10 7 8 4 A K J K Q 10 7 4
	baher1 K 9 8 6 4 3 6 5 2 10 9 4 3 —

West

2
3
Pass

North

Pass
Pass
Pass

East
1NT
2

South
Pass
Pass
Pass

It’s not the auction that counts, it’s the reasoning:

G (in spec): club rebid does not make sense
Spec #1: I am with g man on this one
Spec #2: me too
Spec #3: it was checkback stayman, everybody plays that
Spec #4: lol!!!!!!!!
Spec #3: he was checking back to make sure you had no four card major
G: that’s what I thought it would be, but I don’t trust him
G: as a checkback stayman, is asking if I have a 3 cards heart suit
G: first time asking for 4 cards
G: 2nd time asking for 3 cards

Questions for Discussion
1. What methods are available to show a five-card major over a 1NT if you decide not to play the Cohen treatment of checkback Stayman?
2. What methods are available to show a 5-4 hand in the majors?
3. Gee is an expert. One of the better-known tenets of expert bridge is “trust your partner.” Discuss.

Non licet bovi.

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: 7

	Maestro K Q J 5 Q 4 K J 9 8 7 6 3
hkubilay 10 9 8 6 3 A 9 5 3 2 Q 10 4		aqualung 7 2 K J 2 10 9 8 7 4 3 J 5
	demolay A 4 10 8 7 6 A Q 6 5 A K 2

West

Pass
Pass
Dbl

North

2
3
Pass

East

Pass
Pass
Pass

South
1NT
2

Pass

Questions for Discussion
1. Which major suit is Gee asking about with his 3C checkback bid?
2. Can you construct a 1NT opener for South on which 6C has a play?

Quod licet Jovi.

The Double That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Sep 182002

Both Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: K

	mmbridge 9 8 4 2 J 8 7 5 4 3 9 8 7
icewater Q 7 6 3 K Q 6 4 2 10 8 Q 10		justinl 10 5 10 9 A 9 7 6 A J 6 5 4
	Maestro A K J A 5 3 K Q J 2 K 3 2

West

Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North

Pass
Rdbl
Pass
Pass

East
Pass
Dbl
Pass
Dbl

South
2NT
Pass
3

Pass

I’d always heard that naval service built character, and I used to believe it. And then Seaman Lall gets in on a weekend pass and presents me with this.

Sitting South, Gee opens a standard 2NT, in second seat, passed around to the Seaman, who doubles. This is of course a Bones Principle double, promising no particular defensive values. As Dr. Robert has pointed out, Bones doubles must be alerted. Although the Seaman dutifully alerts the specs, he fails to alert the table. If he does so, North may leave in 2NT, which is down 2 at most, instead of SOS redoubling. With his dead flat hand he might consider leaving it in anyway, not that -500 will be a wonderful result.

Gee pulls to 3D, as instructed, which of course is doubled again, and the HK is led. There is no hope of getting to dummy with East’s four trump and doubleton heart, even after the lead. As long as the defense doesn’t break clubs it must come to three clubs, two trump, a heart and a spade. It doesn’t, and it does. 800.

In the post mortem the Seaman is uncharacteristically coy:

mmbridge: was that double supposed to ask for a club lead?
justinl: no
mmbridge: you should alert that the double is forced [mm has a point. The double is forced, in a sense. —Ed.]
justinl: we have never played together before
justinl: and no I don’t always double
mmbridge: so you always double on that auction 2nt/p/p?
justinl: only under certain conditions
mmbridge: what made this hand a double :)
justinl: even if i did, he would not know that
justinl: i charge for my bridge lessons
justinl: $50 an hour and i’ll tell you
mmbridge: sorry, I don’t pay for them
justinl: then stop asking :)

Seaman, Seaman, Seaman. I could tell him for a lot less than that.

(Update: The post mortem has been expanded slightly to accord with mmbridge’s comments, below.)

Subset, Superset

Sep 172002

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		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
2
3
Pass

North

Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

East
1

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.

Going Deep

Sep 162002

You hold xxxx xx x 1098xxx at IMPs, both vulnerable. Your partner opens a diamond first seat, pass to your right, your bid. Don’t say the first thing that comes into your head. Expert bridge requires careful thought.

If you passed, then you need to read this column more attentively. The correct bid, surprisingly, is a weak jump shift in clubs! The full hand:

Both Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: K

	ClassAct A Q J 2 10 4 3 A J 8 6 3 4
jrp 10 4 A 8 6 5 K Q 10 9 7 5 A		Maestro 9 8 5 3 9 2 2 10 9 8 6 5 2
	a-yummy K 7 6 K Q J 7 4 K Q J 7 3

West
1

Pass
Pass

North
Pass
Dbl

East
3

Pass

South
Pass
Pass

The strategy of the club bid may not be readily apparent. E/W are vulnerable. West’s opening bid means N/S probably have no slam and may not even have a game. You know the minors break badly. You even have a decent lead, your stiff diamond, against North, the likely declarer if you pass.

Now let’s take the expert view. A stiff in your partner’s suit means you can probably ruff a lot of diamonds. That gives your hand a lot more playing value. The club suit looks weak at first, but its excellent texture guarantees that N/S won’t be able to cash more than three or four trump winners. The preempt makes it more difficult for N/S to find their best fit and more likely that they will settle, sub-optimally, for penalties. And best of all, the stronger declarer will be playing the hand.

At the table N/S, denied crucial bidding room, are indeed forced to settle for penalties. Against 3CX South leads the HK. Gee wins and leads another heart, won by South, who leads a low club, killing the last entry to dummy. Trouble is, there aren’t too many entries to his hand, either. Gee ruffs a heart for his third trick, and later gets a fourth when the defenders cash the top trumps instead of promoting their C7 by playing diamonds through three times.

Yet some people just can’t see beyond the specific result: Gee’s partner, for instance, who after the hand bluntly refers to 3C as a “shit bid.” “Not really,” says Gee. “Might have avoided a slam, but even if I pass you go to 2D. Which is hardly better.”

Risk/Reward

Sep 152002

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: South
Lead: 2

	wzheng Q 8 7 6 3 2 Q J 8 6 A 6 2
tahirb A K 3 K J 7 3 2 K J 10 7 4		wildcats J 10 9 5 4 10 4 Q 9 4 A 8 5
	Maestro K A 9 7 5 2 10 8 6 5 Q 9 3

West

1
3
Pass
Pass

North

2
Pass
Pass
Pass

East

Pass
4
Rdbl

South
Pass
Pass
Dbl
Pass

I have emphasized in this column many times the importance of judgment in expert play. A rule that an STCP™ might treat as an iron law is, for experts, a mere heuristic. Like the rule that you’re not supposed to be double a part-score at IMPs if you expect to beat it only one or two at the most. Nonsense. Real experts pay no mind to that sissy stuff.

Like many thrilling adventures today’s auction begins in deceptive calm. West opens a normal 1D and North makes a normal, non-vulnerable weak 2S overcall opposite a passed hand. This is passed back to West, who reopens with 3C with his excellent two-suiter. East, holding too little to bid the first time but too much to take a simple diamond preference, invites with 4D. Once again it’s up to our hero.

Gee holds one certain defensive trick, HA, and a half trick or so in each of the other three suits. His partner has promised nothing on defense. E/W may yet bid 5D. The cowardly intermediate would pass and await developments. The courageous expert, trusting his defense and table feel, seizes the moment and doubles. East reseizes the moment and redoubles.

North leads the S2. West wins the SA, and a low trump brings the stiff DA. A heart is returned — nothing else helps — and it’s a simple matter, on the bidding, to guess the location of the CQ for the overtrick. Our hero is unlucky again: if North had held a small diamond instead of the stiff ace, then the strategic double of 4D would have kept E/W out of a cold diamond slam. What’s that I hear my expert readers saying? If East had held the DA he wouldn’t have passed the 2S bid? 4DXX making 6 scores more than 6D anyway? Oh. Right. Never mind.

In the Brig

Sep 142002

None Vul
IMPs
Dealer: East
Lead: 2

	justinl K 10 7 3 2 A 10 8 A 9 5 J 6
pjm13 5 4 Q 7 4 2 J 3 2 9 8 5 4		moshel A 9 8 6 9 5 K Q 10 6 4 10 7
	Maestro Q J K J 6 3 8 7 A K Q 3 2

West

Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North

1
3
4
6

East
Pass
2

Dbl
Pass
Pass

South
1

Pass

Today we feature Captain Gee and Seaman Lall, a partnership already well-known to our readers, in another scientific slam auction.

The trouble begins when Gee opens 1C instead of 1NT. Although hands with two doubletons often don’t play well in notrump, if you begin with 1C you have no adequate rebid over a 1S response, and it is a law of bridge that if there’s one response you can’t handle that’s the response you get.

In accordance with this principle the Seaman bids 1S. East overcalls 2D, and our hero has a problem. Lacking three spades he can’t double for support. Pass understates his hand. 3C overstates his clubs slightly but may be the least of the evils. Then there is 2H, the actual, forcing bid, suggesting 5-5 and a powerful hand.

North is happy to hear the 2H bid, with his excellent heart support and opening values, and cues his diamond ace. East doubles for a diamond lead, and our hero is again in a quandary. Can’t bid notrump with two dead diamonds. A belated spade raise is too risky; North might play the hand. Pass is possible, but where’s the fun in that? Now 3H, that’s a fun bid.

At this point Gee has opened clubs, rebid hearts, declined to support spades, declined to bid notrump, and showed a strong hand. So North knows he’s 5-5 at least, probably with something like Ax KQJxx x AQ10xx. He cues diamonds again to show first round control, Gee answers with 5C (what else can he bid by now?), and the Seaman, handling his unaccustomed role of captain with aplomb, confidently jumps to 6H.

Well. 6H does make double dummy on anything but a diamond lead. There are only two hitches: declarer isn’t playing double dummy, and West, as instructed, leads a diamond. Gee misguesses trump and winds up down 3, not that he had any hope of success on any line. The Seaman maintains a discreet silence after the hand. There are severe penalties for insubordination on the high seas.

Mothership Connection

Sep 132002

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: 4

	shark621 J 9 9 7 Q 10 7 6 3 10 7 6 5
mmbridge A 10 8 2 Q 6 K 5 4 Q J 8 2		bingo12 K 4 A K J 10 A J 9 8 K 9 3
	Maestro Q 7 6 5 3 8 5 4 3 2 2 A 4

West
1

Pass
Pass
Pass

North
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

East
1

Dbl
Dbl

South
2NT
3

Pass

After West’s normal 1C opener, East, holding a balanced 18, exactly the sort of hand on which 6NT usually fails to make against a minimum opener, temporizes with 1D. Gee, carefully noting his suit quality and one cashing trick, steps in with an unusual, a very unusual, 2NT. The vulnerability is favorable, and his partner, a passed hand, can be expected to hold zero defensive tricks, making the opponents cold for slam.

Remarkably enough, North actually does hold zero defensive tricks, and 6NT, although it is a distinct underdog, requiring six minor suit tricks, comes in on careful play.

Silly, stubborn E/W elect to defend instead. West passes his minimum, and poor North, with no major suit preference, or so he thinks, passes 2NT and hopes for something from East besides a double.

No dice of course. East, with his marginal slam hand, doubles for the certain profit, and Gee pulls to 3H. North can save 300, in theory, by taking a spade preference but in practice he has no bid.

West leads a low diamond against 3HX. The D8 holds, and East plays two rounds of trump and another diamond. Gee ruffs and tries a spade. East wins, pulls trump, and knocks out the CA, which is declarer’s last trick. Down 7.

“Even 1400 would have been good,” cries Gee. And of course he is right. Against the 30% 6NT, assuming E/W bid and make it, 1400 saves 40 points. If only, if only partner had corrected to 3S.

Question to Discuss
1. On this sort of hand, how many IMPs would you expect -1400 to cost? How about -1440?

In Defense of Gerard

Sep 122002

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: South
Lead: 2

	dickfu 7 K 8 7 5 3 Q 10 9 8 6 3 2
SKLai K 10 9 8 4 2 10 6 5 4 9 8 3		hubert Q 6 5 3 A Q 4 J A K Q 6 4
	Maestro A J J 9 2 A K 7 2 J 10 7 5

West

Pass
2
Pass

North

2
3
Pass

East

Dbl
4
Pass

South
1NT
Pass
Dbl

At the Chronicles we welcome dialogue and dissent. Today the noted expert shotgun, perhaps unaware that this entire site is a tribute, speaks up in defense of our hero. –Ed.

To all who have read the poison pen of Evil Aaron (E.A.), it is time for someone to speak in defense of the expert and gentleman Gerard Cohen (Gee). He is kind enough to let you spec him and learn from him. Yet some of you repay him by harassing him and making fun of him. My mama once said if you don’t have anything nice to say, you should not say anything at all. Also, to quote something else, he who hath never made a bad bid or play should cast the first aspersion. These Chronicles are merely a collection of some bad boards in Gee’s illustrious career as a teacher and a player on OKBridge. And even these are mainly his partner’s fault, along with some bad luck. Even players of Gee’s stature will take a zero now and then.

What E.A. has done is to collect all these bad results, without any acknowledgement of the thousands of good results that Gerard has collected over the years, to besmirch his good name. Today, for instance, we have a disaster that E.A. would reflexively blame on Gee. Let’s subject it to some objective analysis.

Gee opens a weak notrump and his partner bids two hearts, neglecting his longest suit. When you are going to play a part score, go for your best fit: who cares if it’s a major or minor at IMPs? If North bids his diamonds first, Gee will know when the opponents reach the spade game to bid 5D, down only one. Instead North bids his hearts and then bids diamonds at the three level, showing a good hand with more hearts than diamonds. When four spades comes around to Gee, he is looking at the top of his notrump range and his partner has bid twice, promising at least 8 or 9 points. The opponents can’t possibly be making 4S and Gee doubles, as any expert would.

Fu leads his stiff club, on which Gee drops the ten. Declarer plays trump. Gee grabs the ace and leads another club away from his jack. The 9 holds, Fu is unable to ruff, and declarer claims 6. Skeptics may criticize Gee for not holding it to 5. But he needed a way to beat the hand and was looking for the extra spades that his partner showed during the auction. What’s another doubled overtrick at IMPs?

This is not to blame dickfu either, a fine player in his own right. These hands very rarely come up and are quite difficult to judge. My purpose is to make sure that everyone realizes that Gee is being wrongfully made fun of on this website and in his spec. This has to stop.

Read This Fast

Sep 112002

Both Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: Q

	ada_1 Q J 7 4 Q 10 3 7 6 3 K 10 3
acemi_ce A 9 3 2 K J 4 4 A Q J 7 6		Maestro 10 6 5 A 9 7 A K 5 2 9 4 2
	moon K 8 8 6 5 2 Q J 10 9 8 8 5

West
1

3NT

North
Pass
Pass

East
2NT
Pass

South
Pass
Pass

Richard Posner once remarked that the best way to read the French deconstructionists, like Derrida and Lacan, is as quickly as possible, because then “they almost make sense.” I recommend the same procedure with today’s hand. I should note, before we begin, that this hand was played non-competitively. This will feature prominently later on.

Gee winds up in an eminently reasonable notrump game after a standard auction, and receives the obvious lead of the DQ. Gee wins DK and leads a club, finessing the jack. South plays C8 and North ducks, correctly.

Our hero crosses to his hand with the HA and leads the C9, South playing the 5. He lets the 9 run, which wins four club tricks against any possible layout. Time to claim.

North wins the C10 and returns a diamond. Gee wins the DK — no need to duck with nine tricks in the bag — and promptly takes the heart finesse. North wins and returns his last diamond, allowing South to cash three diamond tricks for down 1.

“Not sure,” says Gee, “that I would play that way in competition.” His partner doesn’t answer. He must have been too busy picking his jaw up off the floor.

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