From: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu (R. Bharat Rao)
Subject: Re: Problems from Portland
Keywords: Just two fewer mistakes...
Reply-To: bharat@cs.uiuc.edu
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 15:24:44 GMT

sgm@sgfb.ssd.ray.com (Steve Myerson) writes:

>These hands are from the Flight B Open Pairs in Portland, Maine (Nov 14).
>Get any two correct and you win the event.
pressure :-)
>1. None vul. East dealer. You are West: AJ9542, T, Q7, AT32

>West   North   East   South
>               pass   pass
>1S-1   1N-2    pass   2D       1. 11-15 HCP, at least 4 spades
>pass   2H      (all pass)      2. 15-17

>After West passed, South announced that there had been
>a failure to alert, and that 2D was a transfer to 2H.
>The director then permitted West to take back his final
>pass if he wished.  What do you do?

My impulse is to pass, but you have been end-played by your own
system.  The wolrd will probably be competing at least to 2 spades
with 6 spades, so I will bid 2S -- and only because I would have done
so anyway -- however, AFTER the pass, I could well be smacked -- a
tough one, but I will bid 2S, as I expect the field to be doing the
same (after all I have 2 more cards than partner expects).

>2. Both vul. South dealer. You are East: T74, KJ52, K7, Q975

>West   North   East   South
>                      1D-1     1. Shows at least 4
>dbl    1S      dbl-2  1N       2. Responsive, 6-9 HCP
>pass   5D      ?

>Your call.

Pass seems clear.  True 5D is likely to go down, but why risk a board
you may already have won -- looks the the opponents should be in NT,
and you won;t win much for sacrificing at the 5 level.  So pass it is.

>3. NS vul. West dealer. You are West: Q863, J63, 632, AQ6

>West   North   East   South
>pass   1C      2N-1   3H       1. 6-12 HCP, at least 4 spades and 4 diamonds
>3S     4H      pass   pass        with at least 9 cards total in the 2 suits
>?

>Your call.

Ugh.. a pass is clear.  A 4S bid here is dead wrong; if you were going
to bid 4S you should have done so right away -- now N has communicated
the heart fit to South and can pass and X freely over 4S.  Not that I
would have bid 4S as this hand could easily go for 1100 without much
sweat..  PASS and hope either that they go down or the field is there.

>4. Both vul. South dealer. You are North: QJ95, T97, AKT762, void

>West   North   East   South
>                      1S-1     1. 11-15 HCP, at least 4 spades
>pass   2C-2    2H     pass-*   2. artificial, forcing to game
>3H     ?                          opener may not pass short of game
>                                  2C bidder may pass short of game on misfit

>* - To help with the bidding system:

>  double - would be for penalties
>  2S - would show 5
>  2N - would show a heart stopper
>  3m - better than minimum opening plus a suit

>so the pass says only 4 spades, no heart suit or decent stopper,
>not a distributional hand, and on the low end of the HCP range (11-13).
>In other words, your basic garbage balanced opener with 4 spades.

I would like to bid a non-forcing 3S here but I can't...  Does 2C
PROMISE a fit in spades?  If so, a lead director of 4C would be OK..

Else as I am forced to game, I will bid 3S and who knows partner may
have AKxx,x,QJxx,Jxxx and be able to find a 4D call:-)

Seriously, I think 4S making should be excellent -- so I will bid it
and hope they sac in 5H...

>5. NS vul. East dealer. You are South: 9, J4, AK7654, JT94

>West   North   East   South
>               pass   ?

>Do you preempt or not?

Not a chance -- a 2nd hand red versus white ppreempt needs to be as
close to perfect before I consider it -- something like
xx,x,KQJTxxx,xxx would be perfect (good suit, ZERO defense, no other
fit likely).

This isn;t even close...

>Steve Myerson (sgm@sgfb.ssd.ray.com)

Bharat
--
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)337-6498(H)
Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana
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