HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu (R. Bharat Rao)
Subject: Re: A Defensive Problem
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept of Computer Science
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 18:19:41 GMT

In article <1992Dec29.152155.18908@ramon.bgu.ac.il>, avir@chen.bgu.ac.il (Avi Roy Shapira) writes:
||> After 3 passes, do you open?  I guess it is close but the possesion of both
|> majors made me open 1D (weird huh?)  RHO overcalls 1NT Pard X's LHO XX's.
|> and there it stands.
|> 
|> 
|>              98,
|>              QT,
|>              QJT3
|>              A9752
|>                        JT72
|>                        K983
|>                        A73
|>                        K6
|> 
|> Parter leads the SK, and follows with SQ, SA and small spade to the J.
|> dummy discards two small clubs. Declarer follows three times and discards
|> a diamond on the J of spades.
|> 
|> How do you continue?

Ummmm, I think you should have unblocked in spades so that partner would be 
on lead now and would know which round suit to play (clubs from QTx or 
hearts from Jx(x)).  Anyway, that apart a low heart should do fine as partner
would need CQTx for a club to be right.

Or if you want to be suitably dramatic, the HK as well.  Declarer must have 
the HA, DK or be a certifiable lunatic (by no means impossible on
Okbridge:-).  if declarer has the HJ as well you are dead as he will make
3D + 3H + 1C (unless partner has CQTx).

There is a remote possibility that declarer meant his 1NT as unusual;
showing 5-4 in the round suits.  ]
partner has the 
|> --
|> Aviel Roy-Shapira, M.D.         Ben-Gurion University Medical School

-- 
R. Bharat Rao                         E-mail: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu
AI Group, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
405 N. Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801   (217)-333-5978 (O), 337-6498(H)
Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana
From: jj@alice.att.com (alice!jj)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Isn't this rec.games.bridge?
Date: 28 Dec 92 20:46:49 GMT
Organization: NJ State Home for Bewildered Terminals


>Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
>Subject: RE: Why organic?
>>>was a brand name "frosted flakes" (ff) and the other wholly organic 
>>>Now the question is why organic? I mean, when ff has better nutrients
>>I agree with the previous responders points re "organic" (pesticides, etc.),
>Also, the organic cereal probably had more fiber (unless fiber was added to

Maybe I'm just a dense-head, but what does sugar frosted
flakes, chocolate-coated sugar-bombs, or organix have to do
with bridge?

Bridge, I thought, was a game of civilization, inorganic in every
sense, with convention replacing natural bidding, a formally
limited language, and a reward system that makes extreme persistance
pay off.  Hardly "organic", especially because it even seems to
try to choke off evolution. <Hey, do I really need the smiley
here?>

Can we talk about BRIDGE, please?  My 2.8 year old doesn't even 
like sugar frosted flakes, she'll eat potato chips instead.
She did, once, shout DOUBLE at the sitter when the sitter shouted
"NO", though.  Poor kid.
-- 
Extremism *Copyright alice!jj 1992, all rights reserved, except transmission
   in the    *by USENET and like facilities granted.      Said permission is
  defense of     *granted only for complete copies that include this notice.
 liberty is no vice.  *Use on pay-for-read services specifically disallowed.
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
From: nissim@mary.fordham.edu (Leonard J. Nissim)
Subject: alerted double; opening lead
Keywords:  double, lead
Organization: Fordham University
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 15:13:00 GMT
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
X-Posted-From: mary.fordham.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

At a 13-table duplicate game in a local club on board 10 (both
vulnerable, East dealer) I held as South:  
           S-xx H-Axx D-KJTx C-AKJ9
East opened 2H, weak.  I bid 2N, which for my partnership shows 15-18hcp
and a definite heart stopper.  (Qxx would not qualify, QJx would.) West
passed, and my partner bid 3N.  East doubled, alerted.  I asked for an 
explanation, and got:  "*Demands* a heart lead."  

I passed, partly on the assurance of a heart lead.  All passed.  The ace of
spades hit the table as the opening lead (asks for honor to be dropped under 
it or for count, according to  their card).  "Director!" by me produced West's 
assurance that he had no hearts, and so couldn't lead one.  Not much to the 
play; West ran his 7-card spade suit for down 3, doubled:

                        North
                        S-Qx
                        H-xxxx
                        D-AQxx
                        C-Qxx

West                                   East
S-AKJTxxx                              S-xx
H-                                     H-KQJTxx
D-xx                                   D-9xx
C-Txxx                                 C-xx

                       South
                       S-xx 
                       H-Axx 
                       D-KJTx 
                       C-AKJ9

-800 was of course a bottom.  With no outside entry, East's double seems
really strange.  I have two questions:

1) If West had had a heart and still led the ace of spades, what would the
director have ruled?

2) Was I a fool, or just fixed? 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leonard J. Nissim  (nissim@mary.fordham.edu)   
Disclaimer:  "I speak only for myself."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
From: sgm@sgfb.ssd.ray.com (Steven G. Myerson)
Subject: Re: This actually happened to me...
Organization: Raytheon Submarine Signal Division
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 18:16:45 GMT

In article <1992Dec24.160422.13642@sco.COM> paul@sco.COM (Paul Jackson) writes:
>In article <1992Dec22.020913.12047@speedy.aero.org> martino@courier6.aero.org(Nick Martino) writes:
>>> Partner had 3 spades and 5 (bad) hearts.  How is he to know when to
>>> rescue himself?
>>
>>Any time one of your competent opponents passes a takeout double at the
>>one-level, you know you're up against a real stack. Therefore, if you can
>>envision another place to play, it's probably right to initiate rescue
>>operations.  
>
>Now, if I have a real second suit or an atrocious first suit I might well
>attempt to rescue myself, but with most hands that opened a 5 card major
>without a side suit I'll just sit and take my lumps.

My partner and I play 4-card majors, and I can remember once when
he opened 1S, my RHO doubled, I passed with 1-4-4-4 and about 3 HCP,
and my LHO, holding the other eight spades, left it in.
Oh yeah - that was a bottom.

Steve Myerson (sgm@sgfb.ssd.ray.com)
From: dxy3@po.CWRU.Edu (Dapeng Yang)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Bridge games for IBM PC
Date: 22 Dec 1992 16:51:11 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)
NNTP-Posting-Host: slc12.ins.cwru.edu


hi, there!

i'm desperately looking for some good IBM PC bridge games!  i have seen
some in the market, but i don't know whether they are good or not, like
bridge with omar shariff(spl?), and grand slam(I and II).  could anyone
give some suggestions?

thanks in advance!

mail me or post it.  or both.  but better mail me.
-- 
charles yang || ces dept || cwru || cyang@alpha.ces.cwru.edu
========================================================================
if you havn't received this message, let me know as soon as you can.
========================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
From: hrubin@pop.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin)
Subject: Re: Place the Blame
Organization: Purdue University Statistics Department
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 15:49:53 GMT

In article <1992Dec21.010736.29331@midway.uchicago.edu> pynq@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>In article <9212171310.aa09953@Paris.ics.uci.edu> kibler@turing.ICS.UCI.EDU (Dennis Kibler) writes:
>...
>>>2 Play :

>>>Butler Teams        S AJ964                   N      E     S      W
>>>EW                  H KJ74                    1C+    1N*   X~     2C
>>>D-N                 D AK5                     2S     P     4S   all pass
>>>		    C J
>>>                                              + precision
>>>	S KQ3               S 5               * minors
>>>	H Q10962            H 3               ~ 5-8 any shape
>>>	D 8                 D Q9763
>>>	C AQ94              C 1086532
>>
>>>		    S 10872          Trick 1: 5C 7C QC JC
>>>		    H A85            Trick 2: AC ruffed
>>>		    D J1042          Trick 3: AS
>>>		    C K7

>>>Declarer could no longer avoid 4 losers;N was told he should have crossed to
>>>AH and finessed trumps. Is this correct?


>>Hmnn, East announces that he has a maximum of 3 cards in the majors.
>>Where do you think the spades honors are? Yes, go to table and finesse.

>This is, of course, true, provided entries are plentiful.

>Unfortunately, in this case, there is only one entry to the table, and
>declarer needs it for the heart finesse (which is almost certainly on).

>Thus, he has to pray for a favorable spade position.

HOWEVER, what will East lead if, by some chance, he wins the first spade?

Unless East has 2 spades, declarer can take the heart finesse first and
ruff the fourth heart for an entry to take the spade finesse.  Assuming
that the heart finesse wins and that East has 1 spade, only the singleton
queen of diamonds in West or 9 clubs in East can give a problem.  Even 
if West has all 4 spades, the defense must play well to give problems.
-- 
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
Phone: (317)494-6054
hrubin@snap.stat.purdue.edu (Internet, bitnet)  
{purdue,pur-ee}!snap.stat!hrubin(UUCP)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
From:  martino@courier6.aero.org(Nick Martino)
Subject: Re: Pasadena KO Trump Suit
Followup-To: rec.games.bridge
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 01:47:47 GMT

In article <1992Dec18.093736.3406@eua.ericsson.se>,
ttllarsa@eua.ericsson.se (Lars Andersson) wrote:
> 
> In article 36@dcs.simpact.com, jschuler@dcs.simpact.com () writes:
> >
> >Your in 4 Spades and
> >your trump suit is:
> >
> >	K    Declarer has 2 hearts, dummy 3+. The defense
> >	J   	start with a diamond to Easts Ace, the King of Hearts,
> >	7   	a Heart to Wests Ace, Heart ruffed by East with the
> >	6	   Eight and overruffed with your Ace. A trump to dummy
> >		    draws the Nine from West and you play the ???????
> >	A
> >	5
> >	4
> >	3
> >	2
> >
> >
> >This problem was given to me by Jon Wright.
> 
> 
> With T8 East would ruff with the ten. Ruffing with the 8 indicates
> singleton 8 (always a trump loser) or Q8.
> This means that you should play the king of spades.
> 
> --lars

As I was East on this deal, I was fortunate that South uncharacteristically
missed this one, though he was quick to recognize the error afterward.  No
one has yet pointed out that West blundered in playing the 9 instead of the
ten.  That would give South a more difficult problem, but I think it's
still correct to play the King if West is an expert.  Assuming expert
defense, the 10-spot is a mandatory play from 10/9 and from Q10.  East's
play of the 8 from Q/8 is also forced, however, from 9/8 the play is
essentially random. This looks to me like another application of restricted
choice, making the odds roughly 2:1 in favor of trying to drop the Queen. 
Of course, against less-than-expert defense, it's probably right to finesse
if West plays the 10-spot.  
 
---Nick


************************************************       
                                                                           
                                                                           
                         
    martino@courier6.Aero.org (Nick Martino)                            
   
    The Aerospace Corporation                                            
                                                                        
************************************************
From: ttllarsa@eua.ericsson.se (Lars Andersson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Delicate decision
Date: 22 Dec 92 10:25:32 GMT
Reply-To: ttllarsa@eua.ericsson.se
Organization: Ellemtel Telecom Systems Labs, Stockholm, Sweden

Matchpoints, only the opponents are vulnerable.
Your opponents are playing fivecard majors and 12-14 1NT.
RHO opens 1D, you hold: AJT/J/AK95/AQ862

What do you do now?
If you double and partner bids 1H, what do you bid?

--lars
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: slam bidding problem
From: avir@chen.bgu.ac.il (Avi Roy Shapira)
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 00:20:15 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

zhang@me.utoronto.ca (Xiaodong Zhang) writes:
:
: We play precision, my hand is:
: S: AKQJ987
: H: -
: D: AKQ
: C: XXX
:
: my partner open 1C! (16+ hcp), the bidding is:
:
: pard  I
: 1c!   1S
: 2h    3S
: 4c    4nt
: 5s*   5nt
: 6d    7nt
:
: * we use RKC
:
: The full hand is:
:
: partner              I
: S: T              AKQJXXX
: H: AKQXXX         -
: D: X              AKQ
: C: KQJXX          XXX
:
:
: The opponents cashed CA and down one. My question is:
: How to avoid grand slam using precision?
:
Very simple and precision has nothing to do with it.  You cannot play RKC
unless a trump suit has been clearly set.

The trump suit is the last bid suit only if the asker jumps to 4NT.

In this case in particular responder made an unnecessary jump, which in most
versions of precision denotes a solid suit (AKQxxx or better). Therefore,
while responder may be interested in clubs, this is not clear, and 4NT is
simple Blackwood.  The one Ace response will make it clear that you should
stay out of the grand slam in NT. This comment applies to all RKC sequences,
not particularly to Precision.

The problem with the above sequence is not how to avoid the grand slam, but
how to bid the grand in spades, if the honors in E's suits are reversed.
This depends a lot on the system used, and being no precision expert, I do
not wish to comment on it.

Avi




--
Aviel Roy-Shapira, M.D.         Ben-Gurion University Medical School
Dept. of Surgery A.             POB 151, Beer Sheva, Israel
avir@chen.bgu.ac.il             AVIR@BGUVM.BITNET
From: doug@cm.deakin.OZ.AU (Douglas Newlands)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: ethics
Date: 25 Dec 1992 03:11:22 GMT
Organization: Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
NNTP-Posting-Host: aragorn.cm.deakin.oz.au

In article <1992Dec23.071359.11741@midway.uchicago.edu: pynq@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
:In article <1h8jbuINN5ql@sol.deakin.OZ.AU> doug@cm.deakin.OZ.AU (Douglas Newlands) writes:
:>:West is an LM <who> should know better
:>
:>What a quaint idea! Being an LM or GM just tells you that someone has played
:>bridge over a period of time; it guarantees nothing about their skills or
:>their ethics.
:
:Just to pick nits, but it seems to me that you (Doug) are assuming that
:the original poster intended to substitute the phrase "and thus" for the
:word <who> in the above included text.
:No such substitution was made, and thus none should be assumed.
:It is amazing what a difference that substitution or lack thereof makes
:to the meaning of the above phrase.  

If you are correct then the original sentence should have been
 "West who should know better...."
since the LM reference is irrelevant otherwise. However since the LM reference
is there, I would think it is quite safe to draw the conclusion that you say I
did.

Do I feel a festive flamefest coming on?

Nonetheless, I still stand by the original assertion that anyone can verify in
their own playing area: being an LM (particularly) and a GM is no guarantee
that they can do much more tham follow suit and have managed to over a period
of time. I know a GM of long standing who is also a state representative who
has most curious ideas about bidding e.g. with AQxx xx AQT9x Qx and partner
opens 1S he will bid 2N (flat gf raise) and will mock anyone who thinks it is
correct to show the diamonds. If you change his hearts and clubs to be 3-1 he
will always splinter and still not show the diamonds! This is bad but not even
vaguely in the class of nonsense perpetrated by the assorted LMs in our club.

Merry Christmas all.
doug.
From: jschuler@dcs.simpact.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: A Grand Slam?
Date: 28 Dec 92 08:00:10 GMT
Organization: Simpact Associates, San Diego CA

In article <1992Dec27.042715.4667@actrix.gen.nz>, John.Roseveare@bbs.actrix.gen.nz writes:
> 
> I have not been able to solve the following problem.  All
> responses/suggestions (by E-mail or posting) gratefully received.  If the
> problem is just too trvial/easy/"old hat" please accept my apologies in
> advance!
> 
> 		(S) J 10 8 4
> 		(H) A 10 7
> 		(D) K Q 6 3
> 		(C) J 8
> 
>    (S) 9 6		   (S) Q 2
>    (H) K 9 8 5 2           (H) 3
>    D) 10 7 5              (D) J 9 4 2
>    (C) Q 9 6               (C) A 10 7 5 3 2
> 
> 		(S) A K 7 5 3
> 		(H) Q J 6 4
> 		(D) A 8
> 		(C) K 4
> 
> Lead: 5H
> 
> Can a 7 Spades contract be made against competent defence?  I am told it
> can but I can not see how!
> 
> John Roseveare

To make 7 Spades, you need to combine two bridge tools: 
        the Unblock and the Squeeze.

Draw trumps, UNBLOCKING the Jack or Ten. Finish the Heart suit (West
should force you to end in dummy). Return to your hand with a trump
and ruff the last heart. Back to hand with the Ace of Diamonds and
play off the last two trumps, SQUEEZING East in the minor suits.

Happy New Year,
John Schuler 
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
From: pynq@quads.uchicago.edu (Jeremy Mathers)
Subject: Re: A Defensive Problem
Reply-To: pynq@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: D. J. Dougherty & Associates
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 02:51:14 GMT

In article <1992Dec31.180747.3967@nstn.ns.ca> maceache@fox.nstn.ns.ca (Tim Maceachern) writes:
(You've seen this hand so many times by now, ...)

But, note well dummy's spots in hearts...

>>>>>              98,
>>>>>              QT,
>>>>>              QJT3
>>>>>              A9752
>>>>>                        JT72
>>>>>                        K983
>>>>>                        A73
>>>>>                        K6
>>>>> 
>>>>> Parter leads the SK, and follows with SQ, SA and small spade to the J.
>>>>> dummy discards two small clubs. Declarer follows three times and discards
>>>>> a diamond on the J of spades.
>>>>> 
>>>>> How do you continue?

To which Tim says...

>I'm still in favour of the heart King, rather than a low one.  The play
>of the King will serve to wake partner up to the necessity of telling
>me what to play when I'm in with the Club King on the next trick.  I
>can imagine partner being much less forthcoming if I lead a low heart.
>
>If partner has j72 in hearts, I want to see the 7 on the heart lead.
>The king is such an unusual lead that I believe partner will have to
>signal.  However, if I lead a low heart, I'm not sure that partner
>will signal.  Of course, if partner's cards are not suitable for
>signalling, I may lead a diamond later by mistake... that's life.

Hold the phone!  If you lead a low heart (as I would have), you find out
right away whether or not partner has the jack.  After declarer plays small,
either partner plays the jack, forcing the queen, or he doesn't (letting
dummy's ten win).  You also find out right away whether you are going to
be +500 or -760...

************************************************************************
"The rich are different from you and me."
		- Fitzgerald -
"Yes.  They have more money."
		- Hemmingway -

	- pynq@quads.uchicago.edu, who is still costing the net
	  hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, every time he posts -
************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
From: pynq@quads.uchicago.edu (Jeremy Mathers)
Subject: Re: ethics
Reply-To: pynq@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: D. J. Dougherty & Associates
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 07:13:59 GMT

In article <1h8jbuINN5ql@sol.deakin.OZ.AU> doug@cm.deakin.OZ.AU (Douglas Newlands) writes:
>:West is an LM <who> should know better
>
>What a quaint idea! Being an LM or GM just tells you that someone has played
>bridge over a period of time; it guarantees nothing about their skills or
>their ethics.

Just to pick nits, but it seems to me that you (Doug) are assuming that
the original poster intended to substitute the phrase "and thus" for the
word <who> in the above included text.
No such substitution was made, and thus none should be assumed.

It is amazing what a difference that substitution or lack thereof makes
to the meaning of the above phrase.  It is very similar to the confusion
caused by Rob Buchner's recent posting(s) about the practices currently
in effect (so he claims) in our local Regionals.  I must concede that
his original post certainly made it sound like he supported the actions
that he was, in fact, merely reporting.  When it became clear that he
was as confused as the rest of us by it, a lot of flamers ended up
looking real stupid.

************************************************************************
Emersons' Law of Contrariness:
	Our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we
	can.  Having found them, we shall then hate them for it.

	- pynq@quads.uchicago.edu, who is still costing the net
	  hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, every time he posts -
************************************************************************
From: tnh@sw.stratus.com (Tim Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: Delicate decision
Date: 22 Dec 1992 15:32:59 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigbootay.sw.stratus.com

In article <1992Dec22.102532.5760@eua.ericsson.se>, ttllarsa@eua.ericsson.se (Lars Andersson) writes:
> Matchpoints, only the opponents are vulnerable.
> Your opponents are playing fivecard majors and 12-14 1NT.
> RHO opens 1D, you hold: AJT/J/AK95/AQ862
> 
> What do you do now?

Double.

> If you double and partner bids 1H, what do you bid?

1NT.

WTP?  ;-)
-- 
Tim Hill
Stratus Computer, Inc.                  tnh@vos.stratus.com
55 Fairbanks Boulevard                  508-460-2232
Marlborough, MA  01752                  fax 508-624-7488
Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge