tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post2759567998670526909..comments2024-03-11T11:29:56.577-04:00Comments on The Gargoyle Chronicles: Board 40Phillip Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12686740850642509457noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post-33366066037046670752012-07-31T18:00:48.174-04:002012-07-31T18:00:48.174-04:00An even better play, in my opinion, is for declare...An even better play, in my opinion, is for declarer to duck the first spade trick. John Lowenthal should be proud of the result. Seeing the dummy doesn't make any other lead by West more attractive. If West continues spades, his partner has an immediate pitching problem.<br /><br />What if West does find the club shift? Declarer can win and cash a spade, and again East is squeezed in three suits. Best I think is to pitch a club. As it happens, declarer can make pretty easily if East discards a diamond, the situation after a heart discard is harder to read. If East does discard his fourth club, declarer can strip clubs and lead his last high spade pitching a low heart from dummy. East must also pitch a heart. Now lead the eight of hearts. East wins the nine. (Probably--other results are similar.) If he finds the nine or eight of diamonds exit he can (eventually) set declarer by one.<br /><br />Is this the best line for declarer? That is a tough question, even if you assume that West has honor doubleton in each red suit for his lead.<br /><br />And now for something completely different...<br /><br />I am a player, Phillip is a mechanic. Both styles of bidding and play work, but they are different. Booring contracts--and there are not too many of those in reality--don't find any difference. But given a 50% contract, Phillip will figure out the best line based on what the opponents hold. I will try to find the best line to induce the opponents to err.<br /><br />The errors I play for are often subtle, but that doesn't make them less devastating. For example, if there is a missing queen to pick up, Phillip will usually know his expected chance of success when he gets around to the finesse. Me? My first thought is whether I can induce an opponent to lead the suit in question. Phillip will try this as well, if no reason not to. But I am more likely to base my subsequent play on the fact that one opponent had the chance to lead the suit, and chose not to.<br /><br />The big practical difference, not visible here, is that I will often call a card from dummy, while partner is still arranging the cards. Why? I want the opponents forced to think on their clock not mine.<br /><br />Yes, we don't have chess clocks in bridge. That day may come. But until then, and even then, if you are going to draw conclusions from opponents hesitations, you don't want to mask them by your own slow play.<br /><br />Here it actually makes a difference. I am going to duck that first trick quickly. (Can't hurt, may help, done.) Now West may or may not conclude that he will squeeze partner if he continues spades, and he may or may not find the safe shift (clubs).<br /><br />Winning the first trick and returning a spade is in theory more likely to win three spade tricks. But ducking the first spade means that West doesn't get to see a discard by East before his second lead. To my thinking, not even close.Robert I. Eachushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14500484244426395165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post-60539858600807044412009-11-10T22:49:58.488-05:002009-11-10T22:49:58.488-05:00I'm still trying to figure out how declarer sh...I'm still trying to figure out how declarer should play hearts! Thank you Phillip. H8 at trick 2 seems best.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05591906880798989728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post-33108808306296917112009-11-10T21:21:35.636-05:002009-11-10T21:21:35.636-05:00Phil;
Just stumbled upon your blog (saw the Great...Phil;<br /><br />Just stumbled upon your blog (saw the Great Bridge Links blurb).<br /><br />Kudos for making a serious commitment to a terrific, high-quality project. <br /><br />I look forward to reading the previous 39 boards.<br /><br />If you are not already doing so, you might enjoy loading old championship deals into Jack's database (Santorakos' website is a great source), playing same, and then reading the World Championship book (preferably one authored by Kokish) to see a) what happened in real-life and b) what could/should have been done. <br /><br />Cheers.<br /><br />Nick KrnjevicKap'n Krunchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08681377699551826030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post-67206782913604336272009-11-10T17:22:53.385-05:002009-11-10T17:22:53.385-05:00Once West chose to lead SQ, which pretty much tele...Once West chose to lead SQ, which pretty much telegraphs the spade suit, possible reason for Jack's consideration of three rounds of clubs might be to remove club exits from West. After three rounds of clubs, declarer can lead a small spade toward dummy. Now West has to give away a spade trick or has to break a red suit. That could be helpful to declarer, I think. I wonder if your false count in clubs caused declarer Jack to change his mind about that, for fear that three rounds of clubs would set up two long club tricks for you, and not just one, that can be cashed when you are in with HA.Jeffrey.Lehmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00774815132410821811noreply@blogger.com