Fools and Little Children
Over the weekend I played three micro-tournament sessions at BridgeBaseOnline, 12 boards apiece, where each player gets his/her own table along with three robots; such an arrangement is typically known as a Robot Tournament. Each robot plays a variant of 2/1, though you don't need to know the particulars of 2/1 to join in this complete misadventure.
I had an average board and two disasters when I picked up this hand, vulnerable against not:
♠ A 6 ♥ 10 8 3 ♦ A K Q J 9 5 4 ♣ 5
The bidding went as well as one could expect...
Robot Robot
Robot Me
Pass1H2D
3CPass4H5D
XFloat
...until I step right in it with 5D. Clearly I wasn't in the right mindset, as I'm staring at 5 losers and my partner could be counted for at best a King, and of course opponents would Double anything I say past 4H anyway. In addition, down three vulnerable is not a good plan against their non-vulnerable game. Put simply, Yours Truly is a masochist.
So, West leads out the club Ace, and dummy comes down:
♠ 10 9 8 7 4 2
♥ 9 7 5 2
♦ 10 7 3
♣ -
♠ A 6
♥ 10 8 3
♦ A K Q J 9 5 4
♣ 5
Nope, not even a King in his hand. Or a Queen. Or a Jack. But say, that's a nice shiny void he's got there....
So, Bridge fans, what has to be true about the defense's hands in order for 5D to make, and what is your line of play? Obviously, prayers to your favored dieties will be part of the process.
Answers in the next post. :)
I had an average board and two disasters when I picked up this hand, vulnerable against not:
♠ A 6 ♥ 10 8 3 ♦ A K Q J 9 5 4 ♣ 5
The bidding went as well as one could expect...
Robot Robot
Robot Me
Pass1H2D
3CPass4H5D
XFloat
...until I step right in it with 5D. Clearly I wasn't in the right mindset, as I'm staring at 5 losers and my partner could be counted for at best a King, and of course opponents would Double anything I say past 4H anyway. In addition, down three vulnerable is not a good plan against their non-vulnerable game. Put simply, Yours Truly is a masochist.
So, West leads out the club Ace, and dummy comes down:
♠ 10 9 8 7 4 2
♥ 9 7 5 2
♦ 10 7 3
♣ -
♠ A 6
♥ 10 8 3
♦ A K Q J 9 5 4
♣ 5
Nope, not even a King in his hand. Or a Queen. Or a Jack. But say, that's a nice shiny void he's got there....
So, Bridge fans, what has to be true about the defense's hands in order for 5D to make, and what is your line of play? Obviously, prayers to your favored dieties will be part of the process.
Answers in the next post. :)