Gatlinburg hands
So for a great play-by-play of my team's matches and mismatches, head on over to
tyrrhena's blog. We're not doing so hot yet, but we're having a good time. The best event so far is last night's midnight, beating old friends and teammates Richard and Anne in the finals. So here's some fun/interesting hands I've picked up so far (all IMPs):
red vs. white, 1st
AJxxx Qxx A9 KQx
I opened 1N (14+-17), lefty bid 2C (diamonds or major-minor), pard doubled (Stayman), RHO bid 2H, I bid 2S, LHO passed, and pard bid 3H. We play this as a slam-try in spades... at least partner alerted and explained it as such the day before... RHO doubled this. I passed to deny the ace. Partner cued 4C, and it was an automatic 4D bid out of me... all pass. Oops.
Dummy came down with
x xxx KQTx AJxxx
Three rounds of hearts were led, LHO ruffing the last, and a diamond was returned, picking up RHO's Jx. It became a DTAC problem from there.... LHO's hand:
KTxxx xx 65432 x. +130. Always fun, those 4-2 fits... we got what we deserved, losing 11 to the 630 at the other table.
white vs. red, 1st
x AKQxxx AJ8x AK
The uncontested auction:
2C - 2D[1] - 2H[2] - 2S[3] - 3D[4] - 3H[5] - 4C - 4H[6] - P
1: Positive
2: Start of a Kokish sequence: either hearts or balanced
3: Forced
4: Natural; naturalizes 2H
5: "I have something to cuebid"
6: "My cue was spades [could be A or K]"
I think this was a pretty intelligent auction to stop short of slam... partner's hand:
Axxx Txx T97 QJx
That diamond sequence is helpful, but I still need something really nice in diamonds to happen to make six... either KQ onside, honor-doubleton on my right, or a diamond lead. The other table blasted into slam, and found Qx onside. Balls.
red vs. red, 4th
QJ9 x Tx AJTxxxx
Wow, did I bid this hand terribly.
(P) 1D (1S) 2C
(P) 3C (P) 3N
(P) 4D (P) 4H
(X) 4N all pass
First of all, I forgot we were playing invitational jump-shifts. I was hoping to be able to bid 2C, 3C non-forcing. Oops. Then, once clubs got raised, I decided to try for 3N... partner's 4D was keycard. I showed one, he signed off, and I failed to correct to 5C when my stiff was lead-directed. This is probably my worst-bid hand of the last few years.
LHO led a high spade, and partner tabled
Ax x (!!) AKQxxx xxxx
I hopped ace, split the club honors 1-1, and took 13 tricks. Cold for six clubs missing two keycards and the queen, no less! They could have taken the first SEVEN hearts. At the other table, our teammates played the cold 3H for 140 and win 13.... well done, team.
red vs. white, 4th
K AQJx JT9x AJ7x
My lefty opened a weak 2H, which got checked to me. I pulled out 2N... I don't know if that's the right bid, but it felt right at the time. Partner Texased me into 4S holding:
AQxxxx x xx QT8x
On the lead of the stiff 9 of clubs and 3-3 spades, this was easy.
white vs. red, 3rd
--- T9xx KJxxx Kxxx
Partner opened 1C [may be two]. RHO bid 1S, I made a negative double. LHO cued 2C, and partner passed. We play "pass-double inversion" here, so his pass says he's content with a club lead, while a double would suggest something else. Over 2C, RHO bounced to 4S. So what do you think? Man or mouse? I manned up, and bid 5C. It turned out to be right... -100 opposite the other table's 620.
white vs. white, 4th
AK9x KT AQTxx T8
Pard opened 1C [may be two again] and the opponents passed throughout. I was in pro mode, and my client was in client mode [having misplayed everything he could get his hands on that set], so I decided to make sure I declared. I bid a forcing 2N. He checked back with a Staymanesque 3C. I bid 3S, he bid 4S, and I keycarded to 6S. A fourth-best deuce of hearts was led, and dummy was
T7xx AQ9x -- AQJ9x
I'd love to hear suggestions for a line of play... I played on crossruff lines and disdained the club finesse. LHO eventually ruffed a diamond in front of dummy with the queen for their only trick.
tyrrhena's blog. We're not doing so hot yet, but we're having a good time. The best event so far is last night's midnight, beating old friends and teammates Richard and Anne in the finals. So here's some fun/interesting hands I've picked up so far (all IMPs):
red vs. white, 1st
AJxxx Qxx A9 KQx
I opened 1N (14+-17), lefty bid 2C (diamonds or major-minor), pard doubled (Stayman), RHO bid 2H, I bid 2S, LHO passed, and pard bid 3H. We play this as a slam-try in spades... at least partner alerted and explained it as such the day before... RHO doubled this. I passed to deny the ace. Partner cued 4C, and it was an automatic 4D bid out of me... all pass. Oops.
Dummy came down with
x xxx KQTx AJxxx
Three rounds of hearts were led, LHO ruffing the last, and a diamond was returned, picking up RHO's Jx. It became a DTAC problem from there.... LHO's hand:
KTxxx xx 65432 x. +130. Always fun, those 4-2 fits... we got what we deserved, losing 11 to the 630 at the other table.
white vs. red, 1st
x AKQxxx AJ8x AK
The uncontested auction:
2C - 2D[1] - 2H[2] - 2S[3] - 3D[4] - 3H[5] - 4C - 4H[6] - P
1: Positive
2: Start of a Kokish sequence: either hearts or balanced
3: Forced
4: Natural; naturalizes 2H
5: "I have something to cuebid"
6: "My cue was spades [could be A or K]"
I think this was a pretty intelligent auction to stop short of slam... partner's hand:
Axxx Txx T97 QJx
That diamond sequence is helpful, but I still need something really nice in diamonds to happen to make six... either KQ onside, honor-doubleton on my right, or a diamond lead. The other table blasted into slam, and found Qx onside. Balls.
red vs. red, 4th
QJ9 x Tx AJTxxxx
Wow, did I bid this hand terribly.
(P) 1D (1S) 2C
(P) 3C (P) 3N
(P) 4D (P) 4H
(X) 4N all pass
First of all, I forgot we were playing invitational jump-shifts. I was hoping to be able to bid 2C, 3C non-forcing. Oops. Then, once clubs got raised, I decided to try for 3N... partner's 4D was keycard. I showed one, he signed off, and I failed to correct to 5C when my stiff was lead-directed. This is probably my worst-bid hand of the last few years.
LHO led a high spade, and partner tabled
Ax x (!!) AKQxxx xxxx
I hopped ace, split the club honors 1-1, and took 13 tricks. Cold for six clubs missing two keycards and the queen, no less! They could have taken the first SEVEN hearts. At the other table, our teammates played the cold 3H for 140 and win 13.... well done, team.
red vs. white, 4th
K AQJx JT9x AJ7x
My lefty opened a weak 2H, which got checked to me. I pulled out 2N... I don't know if that's the right bid, but it felt right at the time. Partner Texased me into 4S holding:
AQxxxx x xx QT8x
On the lead of the stiff 9 of clubs and 3-3 spades, this was easy.
white vs. red, 3rd
--- T9xx KJxxx Kxxx
Partner opened 1C [may be two]. RHO bid 1S, I made a negative double. LHO cued 2C, and partner passed. We play "pass-double inversion" here, so his pass says he's content with a club lead, while a double would suggest something else. Over 2C, RHO bounced to 4S. So what do you think? Man or mouse? I manned up, and bid 5C. It turned out to be right... -100 opposite the other table's 620.
white vs. white, 4th
AK9x KT AQTxx T8
Pard opened 1C [may be two again] and the opponents passed throughout. I was in pro mode, and my client was in client mode [having misplayed everything he could get his hands on that set], so I decided to make sure I declared. I bid a forcing 2N. He checked back with a Staymanesque 3C. I bid 3S, he bid 4S, and I keycarded to 6S. A fourth-best deuce of hearts was led, and dummy was
T7xx AQ9x -- AQJ9x
I'd love to hear suggestions for a line of play... I played on crossruff lines and disdained the club finesse. LHO eventually ruffed a diamond in front of dummy with the queen for their only trick.