Newsgroups: rec.games.bridge
Subject: Re: Place the Blame
From: avir@chen.bgu.ac.il (Avi Roy Shapira)
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 01:33:22 GMT
Organization: Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

doug@cm.deakin.OZ.AU (Douglas Newlands) writes:
: More of everyone's favourite activity.
:
: 1 Bidding : who gets blamed for this travesty?
:
: Butler Teams        S A4
: LA                  H 987654                   S     W     N     E
: D-S                 D QJ106                    1S    2D    P     3C*
: 		    C 7                        P     3D    P     4D
:                                                P     5D    X   all pass
: 	S J1032             S 96
: 	H A                 H Q32
: 	D K98543            D A7
: 	C J6                C AK10982         * 1 round force
:
: 		    S KQ875
: 		    H KJ10
: 		    D 2
: 		    C Q543

I guess LA stands for love all, or all white.  I think the majority of
the blame goes to West.  I might, if in a swingy mood, make a weak jump
overcall on W's assorment of tickets, hoping to induce NS to overbid and
go down.

However, to make an overcall on this garbage in second seat is bad bridge.
West's final raise to game is not so insane. He is entitled to expect a diamond
more and a spade less from partner. In which case 5D has a play.

East has a small share of the blame, since from his standpoint 3NT could be
on, if partner  has as little as Ax, Jxx, KQTxxx, Jx.
So his call should be 3S and not 4D. 3NT is against the odds, in view of
the opening bid, but at least it goes only 1 down, and is unlikely to get
doubled.

:
: 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?

When you have only one entry to dummy, the play of the A gains when
the K or Q  is singleton in E. The finesse succeeds against KQx or KQxx,
There are 4 possible singletons in E, 2 of them are K or Q, so if the
distribution is 3-1, it makes no difference. The finesse gains when trumps
are 4-0, so the finesse is clearly indicated.

:
: 3 Defence: Here declarer makes a hopeless contract - who should have found the
: defence?
:
: Teams              S xxx
: NS                 H AKQJ10
: D-N                D xx                   N     E      S    W
: 		   C xxx                  P     P     1N    P
:                                           2D    P     2H    P
: 	S 9xx2              S QJ10x       4H  all pass
: 	H xxx               H xx
: 	D A10x              D KJx
: 	C Qxx               C KJ10x
:
: 		   S AK
: 		   H xxx
: 		   D Qxxxx
: 		   C Axx
:
: The play started T1 9S xS xS AS
: 		 T2 xD 10D xD xD
: 		 T3 2s xS 10S KS
: 		 T4 xD xD xD JD
: 		 T5 QS         and declarer is now home.


West should open clubs at trick 3. There is a strong inference that
South has exactly AK of spades at trick 1.  For the 9 to draw the A,
E should hold KQJTx in spades. This leaves S with a singleton A, which
does not fit the 1NT opening. The only other possible holding is
the actual one. (or perhaps AKQ of spades) Either way, there are no
possbile tricks in spades, and a maximum of 2 in diamonds. So a club
switch is clearly indicated.  West also has the count in diamonds and
knows 1) E has DK (or declarer would lead diamonds towards the closed
hand) 2) S has 5D (E gives count, and with 3D the diamond play is senseless)
West should also win the diamond A, T3, and open clubs, T4.


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