Thursday, November 25, 2010

Misadventures In Manhattan

While still only playing once or twice a week, I've managed to be busy enough to make blogging seem like a chore. I've been getting some up and down results, too, winning one day and coming in nearly last the next. A session with Agent 99 rang up 64%, which was only good enough for second but had at least one hand worth mentioning.



This auction is certainly not one to be proud of. Agent 99 was not inspired by her collection of queens and jacks, and downgraded it to only a 2S raise. That was questionable, and the failure to bid four when she got another chance is also hard to swallow. On the other hand, she has at least a technical defence in that the computer analysis says that nine tricks is the limit of the hand. But as a practical matter, most of the declarers in spades made ten tricks, and half of them were in game. I wrapped up ten tricks without too much trouble, even though I forced an entry to dummy in diamonds to take the spade finesse, instead of the other way round.

So why was this a notable deal? For the last couple of weeks, I've added the beer card to the list of things to do. This was the first deal where I actually managed to land it.

For the last few weeks, I've sat East-West most of the time I've played. It's been particularly noticeable to me, therefore, that by some quirk of randomness, the computer has been dealing the cards heavily North-South. That previously-mentioned session, Agent 99 and I were each declarer 4 times, while we defended 16 times. The day before, playing with a client, was similar. I know, it's the same for everybody, and should actually favor good defenders (we aren't necessarily demons, but one reason I enjoy playing with Agent 99 is that we are usually on the same wavelength in defence). But honestly, it wears you down when you pick up hand after hand with only a couple of face cards.

With Elwood, I sat North-South, and this came up.



East was an experienced A player and director, while West looked like a client, so I assumed that the 2NT overcall would be decent values and shape. That left both Elwood and myself with some interesting hand evaluation questions. Elwood decided that with further intervention possible, he should show the heart support immediately, rather than rebid his seven-card suit. I then had no idea how good my hand was with a void in partner's suit and strength in his splinter suit. On the other hand, a splinter bid should show at least mild slam interest, and where can Elwood's strength lie? I figured his spades should be very good, in which case I should be able to get the diamond losers away, and so I jumped to 6H.

Then when faced with the actual dummy and the QD opening lead, I decided that the best line of play would be the opposite of what I had envisioned, also. I ruffed the opening lead, and cross-ruffed clubs and diamonds ignoring the spade suit altogether. That seemed to me the plan least likely to be tripped up by the distribution. Twelve tricks rolled in without a problem.

So far, Agent 99 and I haven't had too much at-the-table experience with our 2D and 2NT openings. The 2NT came up once, getting us a good board when the opponents bid 3S just making while the field was in 3H making ten tricks. In the same session, Agent 99 missed a chance to open 2D by miscounting her points and opening 1C instead. Making eight tricks for +90 scored matchpoints for going positive, because 2NT proved to be too much for a few declarers, and if my hand bid, people got way too high. I don't have the hand record, but my hand was something like Jxx/9xxx/QTxxx/J which means that faced with a 2D opening, I might have exercised the option to pass that, also. Declaring 2D would also have been a unique contract.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

New system

OK, it's official. Agent 99 and I played a session using the new system.
1S= 5+cards, 1NT response forcing with Bart, 1S-2H GF
1D, 1H= 4+cards, 1NT response not forcing
1C= 3+cards
1NT= 12-14
2C= strong, 23+ balanced or within about a trick of game unbalanced
2D= 20-22 balanced
2H, 2S= Acol 2, 8 playing tricks in a one- or two-suited hand
2NT= both minors 5+5+cards, 5-10hcp

Wouldn't you know it, the cards ran heavily the other way, and not one interesting opening bid came up (not even 1NT, which is only slightly interesting).