Challenge Match - Jazlene vs. Phillip - Board 3

The second board of my match against Jazlene was a tie, with each of us pushing the opponents up to the three level to no avail. Now on to Board 3, which I hope will offer some avail.

Board 3
Opponents vulnerable

♠ K 9 4  ♥ K J 6  ♦ A J 8 3  ♣ Q 7 5

I open with one diamond, partner bids one heart, I rebid one notrump, and partner raises to three. West leads the ten of spades.

	NORTH Robot ♠ J 3 ♥ A 10 5 3 ♦ K Q 10 ♣ K J 6 4
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ K 9 4 ♥ K J 6 ♦ A J 8 3 ♣ Q 7 5

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
			1 ♦
Pass	1 ♥	Pass	1 NT
Pass	3 NT	(All pass)

I play the jack from dummy, East covers with the queen, and I win with the king.

If the lead was from a doubleton ten, my nine is a stopper. But that would mean East passed over one heart with ace-queen sixth of spades. I suppose that's possible, since he is vul against not. It's also possible that West led the ten from ace-ten third. The ten is the normal lead from honor-ten third to start an unblock. Imagine, for example, I held the same hand without the spade nine. If West leads the ten from ace-ten third and I take the king, the defense can cash four spade tricks. If West leads low, he blocks the suit.

What do I need to do to make this? I have four diamond tricks, two hearts, and one spade. I need two more. I can develop two club tricks by knocking out the ace. If West wins the ace, they can't beat me. If East wins and plays a spade, I have to guess whether to duck, playing West for ace-ten third, or to hop, playing West for ten doubleton.

It's not much of a guess. A timid East might pass over one heart with ace-queen sixth of spades and out. But no one would pass with ace-queen sixth and an ace. Well, maybe Harold Berlin. But he's not around anymore. So if East shows up with the club ace, the spade ace is 100% to be on my left. 

Furthermore, even if East forgot to look at his hand during the bidding, he's probably looking at it now. If he holds ace-queen sixth of spades, for all he knows, his partner has led from ten-nine doubleton and the spades are running if he cashes them from the top. How could he ever underlead his ace and risk West's winning his stiff nine? So I have two reasons to duck a spade return. 

If I were actually worried about "misguessing" spades, I could play a diamond to dummy and a heart to my jack.  If I can take four heart tricks, I won't need to knock out the club ace. Losing the heart finesse to West won't hurt, since if he continues spades, he gives me my ninth trick. If he doesn't, I can just revert to playing on clubs. But I'm not getting the spades wrong. So why throw an imp away for no reason? 

Which club should I lead? Since dummy has the six, it makes no difference whether I lead the five or the seven. I choose the seven out of habit. West hops with the club ace and cashes the ace of spades, presumably hoping his partner has the nine and the suit is running.

I claim the rest. Making five.

	NORTH Robot ♠ J 3 ♥ A 10 5 3 ♦ K Q 10 ♣ K J 6 4
WEST Robot ♠ A 10 8 6 ♥ 4 2 ♦ 9 5 4 2 ♣ A 8 3		EAST Robot ♠ Q 7 5 2 ♥ Q 9 8 7 ♦ 7 6 ♣ 10 9 2
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ K 9 4 ♥ K J 6 ♦ A J 8 3 ♣ Q 7 5

West had ace-ten-eight fourth? That holding I wasn't expecting. In a real game, I would wonder if partner had flashed his hand and West had caught a glimpse of the jack. In that case, leading the ten might make some sense. It turns out I was wrong when I said it wouldn't hurt to lose a heart finesse to West. Since West holds four spades, I could go down if the finesse lost and East had the club ace.

I want to go back to a statement I made earlier. I said that it made no difference whether I led the club five or the seven, because dummy held the six. What if dummy held KJ43? Would my choice make a difference now?

It might. Suppose, for example, that the six is West's lowest card. If I lead the five and West follows the six, East will know West played low. But if I lead the seven, East won't know whether the six is low or the start of an echo with six-five. When dummy holds the six, however, the five and seven are equals, so it's impossible to introduce an ambiguity. On this particular deal, scrambling a count signal probably won't matter. But it's good to get in the habit of keeping the opponents in the dark when you can.

About fifteen years ago, I wrote a whole blog on the rules for declarer's spot-card plays, showing how to create the maximum ambiguity in a variety of situations. If you go back and read all the posts from the last fifteen years, I'm sure you'll find it. But before you do, head over to Jazlene's YouTube channel to get her comments on Board 3. 

Challenge Match - Jazlene vs. Phillip - Board 2

Speaker 1 (female announcer): All right. So today we're doing something kind of different. 

Speaker 2 (male announcer): Different good or different? 

Speaker 1: Different good.

Speaker 2: OK, good.

Speaker 1: We are diving deep into a bridge match.

Speaker 2: Ooh, exciting.

Speaker 1: It is, but here's the twist.

Speaker 2: OK.

Speaker 1: We're analyzing a match between these two players, Phillip and Jazlene, using their own commentary.

Speaker 2: Their own commentary. So they're both talking about the same match.

Speaker 1: Yeah. So Phillip has this blog called Gargoyle Chronicles.

Speaker 2: Gargoyle Chronicles, OK.

Speaker 1: Yeah. And he writes these really detailed posts about his bridge games.

Speaker 2: Interesting.

Speaker 1: And then we have Jazlene. She's more of a YouTube kind of gal.

Speaker 2: Ah! So she's got videos of her gameplay.

Speaker 1: Exactly. She's got this channel called Jazz Plays Bridge and she breaks down her matches, her thoughts, everything.

Speaker 2: That's awesome. So we get like a two-sided perspective on the same game.

Speaker 1: It's double the strategy, double the drama, and hopefully double the (ha ha) moments for us and the listener.

Speaker 2: I'm in. Let's do it.

-- Opening of AI-generated podcast

---

AI is pretty good at the chatty introduction. Less good at the actual bridge. So Jazlene and I will take it from here:

Board 2
IMPs, Our side vulnerable

♠ A K Q 9  ♥ A J  ♦ J 9 3  ♣ K 10 8 6

I won five imps on Board 1. Let's see if I can hold on to my lead.

RHO passes. I open with one club, intending to rebid two notrump. The opponents have other ideas, however. West overcalls with one notrump and RHO bids two diamonds, a transfer to hearts.

What should a double by me mean? Many play a double of two diamonds as showing diamonds. Personally, I think double is more useful as take-out of hearts. Yes, I could pass, hoping to make a balancing double of two hearts. But doubling two diamonds for take-out is safer. If partner has some 3-4-3-3 Yarborough, he won't be pleased with a balancing double of two hearts, but he can pass two diamonds doubled and possibly stay out of trouble.

A good general rule is this: If we've opened the bidding, doubles of artificial bids are for take-out of the suit shown. If they've opened the bidding, the meaning of double depends on the strength shown by the artificial bid. If it shows at least game-invitational strength, double is lead-directing. If not, double is take-out of the suit shown. Here, two diamonds could be weak, so double should be take-out of hearts whether or not we've opened the bidding. 

A similar situation arises is when you open, LHO overcalls, and RHO cue-bids your suit to show support. Double to show a take-out of the overcalled suit makes more sense to me than doubling to "rebid" your suit.

A double of Drury, however, shows clubs. The opponents have opened the bidding and responder's two-clubs shows invitational values. So double is lead-directing. 

In any event, that's not how the robots play. They play double shows diamonds. So if I double, this hand will be a serious disappointment to partner.

I pass, and LHO bids two hearts, passed back to me. I have the heart shortness, so it's my job to compete. If partner has that 3-4-3-3 Yarborough, that's just too bad. I can't risk losing 6 imps when both two hearts and two spades are making.

I double, and partner bids three diamonds. After two passes, LHO competes to three hearts--pass--pass to me. We pushed them up a level. Let's see if we can beat them. I pass, and partner leads the eight of hearts.

	NORTH Robot ♠ J 8 4 ♥ K 9 5 4 3 ♦ 2 ♣ J 9 5 2
		EAST Phillip ♠ A K Q 9 ♥ A J ♦ J 9 3 ♣ K 10 8 6

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Phillip	Robot
	Pass	1 ♣	1 NT
Pass	2 ♦	Pass	2 ♥
Pass	Pass	Double	Pass
3 ♦	Pass	Pass	3 ♥
(All pass)

Even with five diamonds, partner probably would have bid two spades with four of them to keep the auction a level lower. And with four-card support for my suit, partner would have bid three clubs rather than three diamonds. If we assume South has four hearts for his three-heart bid, partner rates to be 3-2-5-3, leaving declarer with 3-4-4-2. Although a six-card diamond suit for partner is also possible.

The robots aren't always Law-abiding citizens, though. Might South have competed to three hearts with three-card support? That would mean partner is 3-3-4-3, making declarer 3-3-5-2. No, I don't think so. With five diamonds South would surely choose to defend rather than bid three hearts. I'm sticking with my assumption that partner is 3-2-5-3 or has six diamonds and a black-suit doubleton

What about high cards? There are 17 HCP outstanding, so partner has at most a queen. Let's hope it's the club queen. Then we can take a heart, three spades, and a club for down one. If partner is 3-2-6-2, he doesn't need the club queen to beat it. Declarer then has an unavoidable club loser.

Declarer plays low from dummy. Hmm. I just had a wild thought. What if partner's 2 HCP is the heart queen? Then I must insert the jack to beat this. If I could cater to the possibility at no cost, I would. But I can't let declarer win the first trick and pitch a spade away on the diamond king. The fact that a low heart lead from queen doubleton even crossed my mind shows the effect of years of sitting across the table from Lowenthal. I win with the heart ace and declarer follows with the six.

Now to cash spades. With the jack of spades in dummy, my correct play is the queen, asking for count. The king would ask for attitude; the queen shows I have all the spade honors and would like to know how many are cashing. Not that it matters. Robots don't signal, and I'm playing three rounds of spades however partner cards. But I lead the queen anyway just for practice. 

Declarer plays the seven; partner, the deuce. I cash two more spades. Declarer plays three, seven; partner plays six, ten. After giving count, the six should be suit-preference. Partner doesn't necessarily have anything. But if he does, it should be the club queen.

But, again, robots don't signal. And it wouldn't matter if they did. I see no reason to do anything but exit passively and wait for a club trick.

I exit with the jack of hearts--seven--deuce--king. Declarer leads the deuce of clubs off dummy. It would be embarrassing to play low and let him insert the seven from ace-queen-seven. It's unlikely he would do that, but it can't hurt to play the eight, so I do. Declarer plays the queen. Unfortunately, declarer has ace-queen doubleton, so we have no more tricks. Making three.

	NORTH Robot ♠ J 8 4 ♥ K 9 5 4 3 ♦ 2 ♣ J 9 5 2
WEST Robot ♠ 10 6 2 ♥ 8 2 ♦ Q 10 8 7 4 ♣ 7 4 3		EAST Phillip ♠ A K Q 9 ♥ A J ♦ J 9 3 ♣ K 10 8 6
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 7 5 3 ♥ Q 10 7 6 ♦ A K 6 5 ♣ A Q

I don't care for South's timid two-heart bid. I think almost any hand with four trumps is a pre-acceptance. And this is quite a good hand with four trumps: four probable winners outside the heart suit plus a ruffing value. Just make partner two-two instead of three-one in the pointed suits and you want to be in four hearts. Not that you're getting there even after a pre-acceptance. But it shows how close to game you are. North could easily have a bit more and not even dream of making a game try after a simple two heart bid.

I can just imagine defending this hand with Lowenthal. I win the heart ace at trick one and cash spades, starting with the queen. John plays the ten (we played upside-down count), then six-deuce. I now know he doesn't have the club queen, so I need to hope declarer has ace-queen-small of clubs and we have a club trick coming. But does that make sense? That gives John

♠ 10 6 2  ♥ x x ♦ Q x x x x x  ♣ x x.

With a doubleton in my suit, why lead a trump? Why not go after a club ruff? And if you lead a trump, why the eight? The right lead from a doubleton trump is low. That means John has either ten-eight or queen-eight. Maybe I should lead the thirteenth spade, so John can ruff with the queen for an uppercut, getting back the trick I blew at trick one. What's more likely, that John led a trump from the hand above or that he led a trump from

♠ 10 6 2  ♥ Q 8  ♦ x x x x x  ♣ x x x?

The answer may depend on whether he has a kibitzer. He likes to keep his kibitzers entertained.

I miss playing with John. He always kept you on your toes. Now stay on your toes and tiptoe over to Jazlene's YouTube channel to get her result and her perspective on Board 2.

---

Speaker 2: I think we only just scratched the surface with Phillip and Jazlene's bridge adventures.

Speaker 1: There's so much more to explore, yes.

Speaker 2: For sure. And for our listeners who are now totally captivated by this bridge drama… 

Speaker 1: Hooked. 

Speaker 2: ... be sure to check out Phillip's blog, Gargoyle Chronicles, and Jazlene's YouTube channel, Jazz Plays Bridge.

Speaker 1: Yes, go deeper into their world. See their matches unfold.

Speaker 2: And remember, whether you're a seasoned bridge pro or just starting out.

Speaker 1: There's always something new to learn from this amazing game.

Speaker 2: Absolutely.

Speaker 1: So until next time, happy bridging everyone. May your bids be bold, your plays be brilliant, and your partnerships be unbreakable.

Challenge Match - Jazlene vs. Phillip - Board 1

This week I start a new series. I'm playing a challenge match against Jazlene Ong. Jazlene represented Singapore in the World Youth Teams three times, finishing second in 2018. The WBF website claims she played five times, but she assures me it was only three. Maybe it's one of those Berenstain Bear alternate-universe things.

Anyway, each of us will discuss the boards from our match, relating what happened at our table and why we made the choices we did. So after you read my analyses, head over to her YouTube channel to hear about the boards from her perspective. Make sure to go to the channel in this universe.

Board 1
IMPs, Neither side vulnerable

♠ K Q 7  ♥ K 8 2  ♦ K Q 10 9 5  ♣ 10 3

Two passes to me. I open with one diamond and partner responds three clubs, showing clubs, diamond support, and invitational values. I do have a tad more than a minimum in high cards and a good five-card suit. Should I take a shot at three notrump?

Partner rates to have a singleton in one major or the other, so we may need to take nine tricks off the top after the opening lead. With no aces and no fitting club honor, that doesn't seem likely. Give partner a typical hand like

♠ x  ♥ x x x  ♦ A x x x  ♣ K Q x x x

and three notrump has little play. Add the jack of clubs to my hand, or even a third club, and I would entertain the idea of three notrump. But with this hand I think it's the opponents who would be entertained if bid on. Three diamonds seems high enough.

I bid three diamonds and buy it. LHO leads the ace of spades.

	NORTH Robot ♠ 4 ♥ 7 6 5 ♦ A 6 4 2 ♣ K Q J 6 4
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ K Q 7 ♥ K 8 2 ♦ K Q 10 9 5 ♣ 10 3

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
	Pass	Pass	1 ♦
Pass	3 ♣	Pass	3 ♦
(All pass)

Partner has almost the exact hand I envisioned. The jack of clubs is a nice addition. It gives three notrump some play, although it's still shaky. In fact I might go down in this contract. The spade ace lead suggests the heart ace is offside, so if West finds a club switch, the defense could take the first five tricks.

East plays the spade deuce. West shifts to the ten of hearts and East wins with the ace. So the ace of hearts wasn't offside after all; West just made a strange opening lead.

East continues with the queen of hearts. I win and cash the diamond king. When everyone follows, I claim ten tricks.

	NORTH Robot ♠ 4 ♥ 7 6 5 ♦ A 6 4 2 ♣ K Q J 6 4
WEST Robot ♠ A 9 6 3 ♥ 10 9 4 ♦ J 3 ♣ A 8 5 2		EAST Robot ♠ J 10 8 5 2 ♥ A Q J 3 ♦ 8 7 ♣ 9 7
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ K Q 7 ♥ K 8 2 ♦ K Q 10 9 5 ♣ 10 3

Would I make three notrump if I had bid it? Let's look at the deal from West's point of view. Personally, I would lead the heart ten against three notrump, following the advice, "If you don't have a five-card suit to lead, lead partner's." It turns out spades is partner's five-card suit, but a heart lead beats the hand easily anyway.

Suppose, however, that West choses a pedestrian spade lead. East plays the ten and declarer wins with the king, concealing the queen. Declarer now leads the club ten. From West's perspective, this could be declarer's ninth trick. Declarer might hold, for example,

♠ K x x  ♥ A Q x  ♦ K Q x x x  ♣ 10 x.

If so, West must grab the ace and continue spades. If he does that, three notrump makes. 

But he shouldn't. Opposite a reliable partner, that layout is impossible. Normally third hand plays lowest from equals. But queen-jack-ten in notrump is a well-known exception. If partner has led from the king, it won't matter whether you play the jack or the ten. But if he's led from the ace, you must play the jack. Partner now knows that you have either (A) queen-jack or (B) the jack alone, giving declarer king-queen-ten. In either case, continuing spades can't cost a spade trick. If, instead, you play the ten, partner must worry that you have jack-ten, in which case continuing the suit lets declarer score an undeserved trick.

An experienced partner, then, would not play the ten from queen-jack-ten. So winning the club ace and playing spades can't be right. Instead, West should win and play a heart, hoping East can win the heart ace and can put a spade through.

But if we're going to play partner for the heart ace, perhaps it's better to duck the club. If partner has the heart ace, it's unlikely that the club ten is declarer's ninth trick. And if the ten is singleton, ducking prevents declarer from establishing the club suit.

Give declarer something like

♠ K Q x  ♥ A Q J x  ♦ Q 10 x x x  ♣ 10.

Now winning the club and shifting to a heart hands declarer his contract.

The right defense, then, is to duck the first club. If declarer continues a club from his hand, hop and play a heart. This defense beats the contract two tricks as the cards lie.

Now head over to Jazlene's YouTube channel at Jaz Plays Bridge to find out her result and hear her analysis.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - December 13 - Board 8

Board 8
Neither side vulnerable

♠ K 8  ♥ K J 9 3  ♦ A K Q 10 8 6  ♣ K

Three passes to me. I open with one diamond, and partner bids one spade. I bid two hearts, and partner bids two notrump.

In the robots' methods, this bid is artificial, showing any hand not worth a game force opposite a reverse. It should deny five or more spades, but the robots don't play that way. This quirk of theirs makes their methods over reverses pretty much unplayable. It leaves opener with no sensible way to handle a minimum reverse with three-card support for responder's suit.

Fortunately, I don't have that hand. With 19 HCP and a good six-card suit, I have a clear three notrump call, so that's what I bid. Everyone passes, and RHO leads the five of clubs.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ K 8 ♥ K J 9 3 ♦ A K Q 10 8 6 ♣ K
	SOUTH Robot ♠ Q 10 9 3 ♥ 10 7 ♦ 4 2 ♣ Q J 8 6 4

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1 ♦	Pass	1 ♠
Pass	2 ♥	Pass	2 NT
Pass	3 NT	(All pass)

Dummy's club king holds the trick, with East playing the deuce. If the five of clubs is West's lowest club, there is no reason East needs to know that. So I play the six, retaining a card lower than the five. 

Incidentally, if you usually play upside-down attitude, this is a situation where you should make an exception. When dummy wins with a singleton honor, you will often need to play your middle card from three to unblock. With queen-ten-deuce, for example, you must play the ten if your partner has ace-nine fifth. So when dummy holds a singleton honor at notrump, you should switch back to right-side-up attitude. Whatever your methods are, East's deuce should deny the club queen.

Where do I stand? If diamonds come home, I have seven tricks. I need to find two more. I can drive the ace and queen of hearts to set up two heart tricks, but that means the opponents are taking four tricks in high cards: two hearts and two black aces. If they can set up a club trick, I'm down.

The straightforward play for nine tricks is to go after two spade tricks, playing East for the spade jack. But another possibility that has a certain appeal is to play a low heart from dummy to my ten. This line will probably fail with best defense, but the best defense may be hard to find. For starters, if East has the heart ace, he may think I have the queen and hop to play a club. He probably shouldn't, since the heart queen can't be my ninth trick. But that's only one way this play might gain. If East has the heart queen and plays low, I'm cold. My ten will drive West's ace, setting up my eighth trick in hearts, and there is nothing the defense can do. If they play a club, they give me my ninth trick. If they don't, I have time to set up a spade or another heart.

What if West captures my ten with the queen? He might then beat me with a club continuation. But he will probably think I have the heart ace and was taking a finesse. If so, then a low club continuation will let me make six. If West has the spade ace himself, he may cash out or exit passively. If doesn't, he may play a spade, playing his partner for the spade ace and the club jack.

It's not clear whether the straightforward spade finesse or the sneaky pseudo-finesse in hearts has a better chance of success. But why take a legitimate fifty-fifty line when I have a swindle I can try? I lead the three of hearts from dummy.

East plays the five, and my ten drives West's queen. East shifts to the ace of spades. My ruse worked. He thinks I have the heart ace and he's cashing out. I play low from dummy and East plays the deuce.

West now cashes the club ace. Here is the current position, with dummy to play:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ K ♥ K J 9 ♦ A K Q 10 8 6 ♣ --
♣ A
	SOUTH Robot ♠ Q 10 9 ♥ 7 ♦ 4 2 ♣ Q J 8 4

If diamonds break, it makes no difference whether I pitch a heart or a small diamond from dummy. If they don't, pitching a diamond gives me a chance to survive. If West continues clubs, I can pitch two more diamonds on the queen and jack of clubs, then drive the heart ace. East must have the heart ace, since West didn't open the bidding. So I needn't worry about setting up a club winner for West.

I pitch a diamond, and East follows with the club three. The three? That's a revealing card. It's the only club left lower than West's five, so it means West led a three- or four-card suit and all my clubs are good. I have three pitches from dummy if West continues clubs. He does. He continues with the club ten.

Maybe instead of worrying about ensuring my contract I should be thinking about making an overtrick. I can pitch dummy's three hearts on my clubs and take the rest if diamonds come home. It's true I risk going down if diamonds don't split. But now that I know West has only four clubs, a bad diamond break is less likely. Besides, if the defense is offering me a gift, it would be ungracious of me not to accept it. So I pitch three hearts from dummy on my clubs, then play a diamond.

Diamonds split, so I make four.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ K 8 ♥ K J 9 3 ♦ A K Q 10 8 6 ♣ K
WEST Robot ♠ A 5 ♥ Q 8 6 4 2 ♦ J 9 ♣ A 10 7 5		EAST Robot ♠ J 7 6 4 2 ♥ A 5 ♦ 7 5 3 ♣ 9 3 2
	SOUTH Robot ♠ Q 10 9 3 ♥ 10 7 ♦ 4 2 ♣ Q J 8 6 4

Plus 430 is worth 93%. West was apparently convinced I had the heart ace. And perhaps my diamond pitch on the club ace solidified that illusion. So he thought he had nothing to lose by playing another club, just in case his partner had the queen.

It turns out the spade jack was onside, so I gave the defense a chance to beat me in a cold contract. I'm still not sure which line is better. But my line worked. Better than I expected, in fact.

Starting next week, I'm trying something different. Instead of playing in BBO's Free Weekly Instant Tournament, I'm going to play a Challenge Match against Jazlene Ong. Jazlene has represented Singapore three times in the World Youth Teams, finishing second in 2018. She also hosts a YouTube channel, where she recaps matches she has played. I will discuss the boards from my point of view on Gargoyle Chronicles, and she will discuss them from her point of view on her channel.

This should be fascinating. One thing I miss about playing online is the midnight post-mortems in Chinatown after the evening session. Everyone has a different perspective on the game. And there is no better way to improve than discussing deals you have played with someone else who played them as well and who will undoubtedly have noticed something you missed. I'm very much looking forward to this series. Even without the shumai.

See you next week.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - December 13 - Board 7

Board 7
Both sides vulnerable

♠ A 7  ♥ A Q 9 5 2  ♦ K 9 8  ♣ A 8 2

You are dealer. With 17 HCP and a five-card suit, should you add a point for the five-card suit and show 18-19 or should you open with one notrump? 

If the five-card suit is a minor, one notrump is probably better. It's true the fifth card may produce an extra trick. If so, it's actually worth an extra two points. But the fewer HCP you have, the more the opponents have, which increases their trick-taking potential. Also, high cards aren't useful just as winners. They are also useful as stoppers. If your missing point is a critical stopper, you may not get a chance to enjoy the extra trick that fifth card represents.

Perhaps counting the fifth card as one point balances these plusses and minuses. But there are also tactical reasons to prefer opening with one notrump. Our auctions after one notrump tend to be easy, since we have well-defined and well-thought-out methods. And the opponents' auctions tend to be hard. If the hand belongs to the opponents, or even if the hand is a partscore battle, they will have an easier time if you let them in at the one-level.

Things are different, however, when your five-card suit is a major. Your worry with opening one notrump isn't just that you might miss three notrump if partner is just short of an invitation. You must also worry about missing four of your major. And the tactical reasons don't apply to the same degree. A one-notrump opening will not necessarily produce an easier auction, since it may make it harder to find your major-suit fit. And one of a major is more pre-emptive than one of a minor, so opening one notrump to shut out the opponents is less important.

For these reasons, most partnerships specifically define one of a major followed by two notrump as showing 17 to 18 HCP. And even if you don't, this hand is too good for a one notrump opening. You have seven controls and your only minor honor is in your long suit. Calling this hand 17 HCP is slander.

I open with one heart. Partner puts a stop to my planned rebid by bidding two notrump himself (Jacoby), showing a game force with four-card heart support. I bid three hearts, showing no shortness and better than a strong notrump.

Partner continues with four notrump, Blackwood. I show my three keycards with five clubs, and partner bids five diamonds to ask about the trump queen. This is great! I get to show every card in my hand. If we get to the wrong spot now, it's not my fault. I bid six diamonds to show the trump queen and the diamond king, and partner bids six hearts.

	NORTH Robot ♠ 10 3 ♥ K J 4 3 ♦ A 2 ♣ K J 10 9 5
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ A 7 ♥ A Q 9 5 2 ♦ K 9 8 ♣ A 8 2

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
			1 ♥
Pass	2 NT	Pass	3 ♥
Pass	4 NT	Pass	5 ♣
Pass	5 ♦	Pass	6 ♦
Pass	6 ♥	(All pass)

After a lead of the eight of spades, followed by the ten, queen, and ace, I know that, if the eight is fourth best, only West can beat my seven. That could prove to be an asset.

If trumps are two-two, I have a lock. I draw trump, ruff out a diamond, and exit with a spade. West must give me a ruff-sluff or lead a club. If West shows out on the second trump, I have a partial elimination. I ruff a diamond and exit with a spade, letting East hold his last trump. Since West must win the spade, he is again endplayed. Although I must make sure to keep a high spade in dummy. If East has three diamonds, I don't want him overruffing dummy if West gives me a ruff-sluff in diamonds.

If East shows out on the second trump, I have a choice: (A) I can draw the last trump, then play East for the club queen on the basis of vacant spaces. Or (B) I can ruff out the diamond and run trumps, trying to get a count. If West has three or more clubs and I work it out, I'm cold. He must either pitch down to a doubleton club (allowing me to drop the queen, whoever has it), or hold three clubs and a high spade (allowing me to endplay him), or pitch all his high spades (setting up my seven). If I decide West has fewer than three clubs, I can revert to finessing against East, going down two if I'm wrong.

If I'm going to end up finessing East for the queen anyway, I'm better off with line (A). If East does have the club queen, I make seven. And if he doesn't, I'm down only one. Since (B) is the superior line only when West has the queen of clubs at least third and I read it, (A) looks like the better line.

As it happens, trumps are two-two. 

	NORTH Robot ♠ 10 3 ♥ K J 4 3 ♦ A 2 ♣ K J 10 9 5
WEST Robot ♠ K J 9 8 5 2 ♥ 10 8 ♦ J 7 5 ♣ 7 4		EAST Robot ♠ Q 6 4 ♥ 7 6 ♦ Q 10 6 4 3 ♣ Q 6 3
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ A 7 ♥ A Q 9 5 2 ♦ K 9 8 ♣ A 8 2

As it also happens, West doesn't lead his fourth-best spade. He chooses a passive club, letting me make seven. (I didn't actually lie. I was very careful. Read it again.) 

Plus 1460 is worth 82%. Those who opened with one notrump, understandably, failed to reach slam.

Actually, I don't care for partner's Jacoby two notrump. Two notrump should deny a source of tricks. The club suit is too important a feature to keep a secret. North should start with two clubs. South will rebid two notrump, and North can then complete his description with four hearts, showing four-card support and a source of tricks in clubs.

Yes, I know some play four hearts as fast arrival. And even among those who don't--who play it as a picture bid as I do--it's common to play that four hearts denies a control in either side suit. But I don't care for either agreement. There is big difference between this hand and some 3-3-3-4. The whole reason to bid two clubs rather than Jacoby two notrump is to describe your hand, and if you don't play that a jump in hearts shows this hand, you don't get to complete your description.

Over responder's two-clubs, some would raise to three rather than bid two notrump. I'm not one of them, but it would certainly work out well on this hand. After responder's four hearts, opener can now bid Blackwood with six keycards in play. Responder will bid five clubs to show his three keycards, and opener can bid five diamonds to ask for either trump queen, reaching a grand easily if responder has the queen of clubs.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - December 13 - Board 6

Board 6
Opponents vulnerable

♠ 6 5 2  ♥ A 9 7  ♦ A K 9 8 4  ♣ K 4

RHO opens with one diamond in first seat. Three and a half honor tricks and a five-card suit qualifies as a strong notrump even if I am missing a high-card point, so I could overcall with one notrump. But, since the opponents are vulnerable and have opened in my best suit, it might be better to pass and see if they get into trouble.

I pass. LHO tries to stay out of trouble by passing also. Partner balances with one heart, and RHO doubles for takeout.

One could argue that two diamonds here should be natural. The primary reason to play that a cue-bid shows support is to allow you to play a jump raise as pre-emptive. But you don't need a pre-emptive raise when LHO has passed. You can simply raise hearts to whatever level you think is appropriate. 

But the robots do play two diamonds as a cue-bid showing heart support. So I might as well take advantage of that fact to offer a choice of strains. I can bid two diamonds to show my heart support, then bid two notrump to show just short of a one-notrump overcall.

Over two diamonds, partner bids two hearts. I bid two notrump as planned, and partner bids four hearts. RHO leads the heart ten.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 6 5 2 ♥ A 9 7 ♦ A K 9 8 4 ♣ K 4
	SOUTH Robot ♠ K Q 3 ♥ K Q 8 3 2 ♦ J 3 2 ♣ 3 2

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
1 ♦	Pass	Pass	1 ♥
Double	2 ♦	Pass	2 ♥
Pass	2 NT	Pass	4 ♥
(All pass)

One of the first bridge books I ever read was Bob Ewen's Opening Leads. Ewen states that, when leading a trump, one should lead second highest. The idea is to retain your high spot for a possible overruff if you have a doubleton and to start a trump echo, to show a third trump, if you have three. So far, his suggestion is mainstream. But Ewen continues to say that "second highest" applies even when you hold an honor sequence. Thus one should lead the ten from jack-ten and the nine from ten-nine.

This method makes sense. If you lead second highest from non-touching cards (which is a common agreement), what do you gain by switching to highest when you hold a sequence? That simply introduces an ambiguity. I can't think of any reason not to play Ewen's method.

Ewen presents this as if it were expert practice. But, as I discovered later, it isn't. Not only have I never found anyone who plays this way, I've never found anyone who has even heard of this approach. That surprises me, since Ewen's book is hardly obscure.

That's not to say I've never seen anyone lead the ten from jack-ten of trumps. But they don't do so by agreement. They do so either for deceptive purposes or as some sort of mis-guided attempt to give suit preference. So, against a human, I would never assume from this opening lead that the heart jack is on my right. But against robots, I think that's a safe assumption.

Still, there is no reason not to guard against the possibility that I'm wrong. Rather than win in dummy and take an immediate finesse, I can unblock the nine, win this trick in my hand, then return to dummy with the heart ace for a finesse.

Accordingly, I unblock the nine. East plays the five, and I win with the king.

West probably has the diamond queen and presumably at least four of them for his opening bid. Let's say I draw trump now. If East has four of them, I will discard a spade from dummy on the fourth round. Then I will lead the diamond jack. West will cover, and I'll win in dummy.

If East doesn't play the ten, I know West has it, so I'll play a spade to the queen. West will take his ace and l return a spade. I'll win and play a diamond to the eight, reaching this position with the lead in dummy:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ -- ♦ K 9 4 ♣ K 4
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 3 ♥ 3 ♦ 3 ♣ 3 2

If I were in my hand, I could repeat the diamond finesse, take two pitches, and lose only the club ace. making five. But I'm in dummy. So I must lose the club ace and another spade and make only four.

No, wait. It's worse than that. I have no way to get off dummy without losing control. If I play ace and ruff a diamond to lead up to the club king, they can hop and cash two spades for down one.

Let's back up. On the fourth round of trumps, I must pitch a diamond from dummy. Now, after I take the second diamond finesse, this will be the position, again with the lead in dummy:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 6 ♥ -- ♦ K 9 ♣ K 4
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 3 ♥ 3 ♦ 3 ♣ 3 2

Now I can exit with a spade. If they win and tap me, I can repeat the diamond finesse and pitch one of my clubs to make four.

Can I make five if I manage my entries better? Let's say I lead the diamond jack at trick two. West covers. I win in dummy, draw trump, and lead a diamond to the eight, reaching this position:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 6 5 ♥ -- ♦ K 9 4 ♣ K 4
	SOUTH Robot ♠ K Q 3 ♥ 3 ♦ 3 ♣ 3 2

Now when I play a spade to my queen and West wins and returns a spade, I'm in my hand for another diamond finesse. I can pitch my spade and a club and lose only the club ace to make five. If I'm going to take three diamond finesses, I need to take one of them now.

The danger in taking a finesse now is that diamonds might be 5--0. If so, I'm going down, losing two aces and at least two diamond ruffs. If everyone is in game, the fact that I risk going down doesn't matter. I stand to gain as many matchpoints as I stand to lose, so I should just take the percentage play. But if some pairs don't reach game, the risk-reward ratio is different. When my play works, I gain half a matchpoint against every pair in game. When it loses, I lose a half a matchpoint to every pair in game and a full matchpoint to every pair not in game. 

Is it worth the risk even so? There are three ways East can have a small singleton diamond and only one way for him to have a void, so an immediate finesse gains three times out of four. Let's say the field consists of four more pairs: two are in game; two are not. The immediate finesse will gain 1 matchpoint (.5 for each pair in game) 75% of the time. It will lose 3 matchpoints (.5 for each pair in game and 1 for each pair not in game) 25% of the time. So the net expectation is zero when half the field is in game. That means if I think more than half the field will be in game, I should lead the diamond jack now. If I think less than half will be in game, I should play safe and draw trump.

I could be wrong, but I think at least half the field will be in game. So I play the diamond jack--seven--four--.

The good news is East doesn't ruff. The bad news is he follows with the ten. That means I don't need three finesses to pick up the diamond suit. Two finesses suffice, so my trick-two finesse was unnecessary. Everyone in game will be making five.

I play a heart to dummy's ace. West follows with the four; East, with the six. I play a heart to my hand, drawing East's last trump, and West pitches the spade four.

Now I play a diamond to the eight and run the diamonds, pitching two clubs. East pitches the spade seven and the nine, five, and seven of clubs, carefully holding all his even spotcards. On the last diamond, West pitches the club ten. We've reached this position:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 6 5 2 ♥ -- ♦ -- ♣ K 4
	SOUTH Robot ♠ K Q 3 ♥ 8 3 ♦ -- ♣ --

I play a spade--eight--queen-ace. West returns the jack of spades to my king. I cash the last two trumps and West "misguesses" and holds the club ace instead of the spade ten, so my spade three wins the last trick. Making six.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 6 5 2 ♥ A 9 7 ♦ A K 9 8 4 ♣ K 4
WEST Robot ♠ A J 10 4 ♥ 10 4 ♦ Q 7 6 5 ♣ A Q 10		EAST Robot ♠ 9 8 7 ♥ J 6 5 ♦ 10 ♣ J 9 8 7 6 5
	SOUTH Robot ♠ K Q 3 ♥ K Q 8 3 2 ♦ J 3 2 ♣ 3 2

Plus 480 is worth 100%. It turns out the last overtrick was only a small bonus. Plus 450 would have been worth 93%. That surprises me. With the diamond ten dropping, making five should be routine.

West made a clear error in the end position. When he was in with the spade ace, he should try to cash the club ace instead of exiting with a spade. If it cashes, great. If I ruff, he knows he has a spade trick coming. Trying to cash the club ace eliminates the need to guess which card to hold at trick thirteen.

Robots make this particular mistake often. It's a flaw in their algorithm. They assume double-dummy play by everyone, including themselves, so they see no difference between a play that is always 100% and a play is 100% provided you do the right think later on. To be fair, we humans sometimes make this mistake as well. But at least we are embarrassed when we do.

The most dramatic example I've seen of this mistake is when a robot went down in seven notrump with thirteen top tricks. I led dummy's void, and declarer pitched from dummy's long suit. Now he had only twelve tricks. In the robot's "mind," he could afford this discard because he had a two-way guess for a queen for his thirteenth trick. So, double-dummy, the discard made no difference. If only robots were allowed to claim when the dummy comes down! Then he would have made it.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - December 13 - Board 5

Board 5
Our side vulnerable

♠ 10 8 5  ♥ A K Q 3  ♦ 6 5  ♣ A Q 7 6

Partner passes, and RHO opens with two diamonds, weak. I double. LHO bids two spades, a one-round force. Partner passes, and RHO bids three diamonds. If you look just at high-card points, I don't have much beyond my initial double. But I do have four-card support for both unbid suits and all my high cards are in those suits, which means point count under-evaluates the hand. So I double again.

Partner bids three hearts and everyone passes. RHO leads the seven of spades.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 10 8 5 ♥ A K Q 3 ♦ 6 5 ♣ A Q 7 6
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 6 2 ♥ 9 5 4 2 ♦ J 9 7 2 ♣ K 9 4

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
			Pass
2 ♦	Double	2 ♠	Pass
3 ♦	Double	Pass	3 ♥
(All pass)

Do I have any shot at making this? Given West's failure to lead a high diamond, East probably has a singleton diamond honor. So East will cash two spades, cash his diamond honor, then play a third spade. West will score an overruff, cash another diamond for the setting trick, then play a third one. I'll need to ruff high and hope the remaining trumps are two-two to hold it to down one. If they aren't, I'm down two.

Down one will be OK if three diamonds makes. Does it? To hold this to down one, I need West to have three hearts. So let's give him 2-3-6-2. If we cash our four tricks and tap dummy with a heart, he can't avoid a trump loser. That shouldn't be a hard defense to find, and tapping dummy might not even be necessary. But there's no reason I need to figure that out right now. I don't think is going to be a good result.

I play a low spade from dummy. East overtakes his partner's seven with the nine and cashes the jack of spades, as West follows with the three. East then shifts to the eight of diamonds. The eight? West led a doubleton in his partner's suit rather than a diamond from ace-king-queen-ten? How come the robots never lead my suit?

I cover with nine of diamonds. West wins with the ten and cashes the queen. At least he tries to cash it. East ruffs with the eight of hearts and leads the spade queen. I ruff with the nine of hearts and West pitches the four of diamonds. Really? East has both high hearts? That was lucky.

Am I making this now? Here is the current position, with the lead in my hand. I need the rest of the tricks.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ A K Q 3 ♦ -- ♣ A Q 7 6
	SOUTH Robot ♠ -- ♥ 5 4 2 ♦ J 7 ♣ K 9 4

East wouldn't have ruffed with jack-ten fourth of hearts. So he must have jack-ten third. That means West is 2-2-6-3 and dummy's clubs are good. Even if East made a bizarre play of ruffing with his natural trump trick and West is 2-1-6-4, then four rounds of trumps will squeeze West in the minors. So it appears I've made this.

I cash two hearts. Both opponents follow, and I claim. The robots know I have a complete count, so they accept. Making three.

	NORTH Phillip ♠ 10 8 5 ♥ A K Q 3 ♦ 6 5 ♣ A Q 7 6
WEST Robot ♠ 7 3 ♥ 7 6 ♦ A K Q 10 4 3 ♣ J 3 2		EAST Robot ♠ A K Q J 9 4 ♥ J 10 8 ♦ 8 ♣ 10 8 5
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 6 2 ♥ 9 5 4 2 ♦ J 9 7 2 ♣ K 9 4

Both opponents misdefended. West knows he doesn't want his partner to ruff the second diamond, so he should play the ace, not the queen. The queen asks partner to ruff. It's the card to play if you aren't sure if partner has a singleton diamond (so you can't afford to lead a low one) but you want him to ruff if he does. It would be the right play, for instance, holding the jack of hearts to ensure you get your overruff.

Even so, East, holding jack-ten third of hearts, should ignore his partner's request. He can see that ruffing never gains. But if he lets his partner's queen hold, he gets a trump promotion for down one. For his ruff to make any sense at all, he must have thought I had the diamond ace. I can't imagine why I would duck the diamond ace if I had it, but the robots don't draw such inferences.

Plus 140 is worth 100%. No one else doubled three diamonds, so had I gone down in three hearts, I would have had a near zero.

Getting 100% from your own actions should always be a cause for concern, since it means no one else did what you did. In a good field, that probably means you made a mistake and got away with it. That isn't necessarily true in a bad field, like this one. But you should still take a second look at your decision.

Was I wrong to double three diamonds? My double is certainly wrong at IMPs. We don't have a game when partner couldn't act. And with my holding such a flat hand, there is little likelihood that both our contract and their contract are making, which is the only scenario where you must compete for the partscore at IMPs. But at matchpoints, you want to compete if either contract is making. Am I right to double at matchpoints?

It's true I got lucky that the opponents misdefended. But the possibility that the opponents will misdefend is part of the vig in bidding aggressively. You don't want to count on misdefense. But it's OK if you catch an unlucky layout and misdefense rescues you.

Is that what happened? What would I need for my double to be right without misdefense? Suppose partner held the heart jack instead of the diamond jack. Now if clubs are three-three, three hearts makes. And if clubs are four-two, three diamonds makes. If all you have to do to make your decision right is to switch a jack from one suit to another in partner's hand, it's hard to criticize your action.

My second double was aggressive, but not crazy. So I stand by it.