To be or not to be

[kenberg]

I saw the Lawrence Olivier Hamlet film the other day, hence the title reflecting ambivalence. This hand is from a recent challenge match. It worked out for me, but should it have?

Let me give you both hands and ask where you want to play it.

J5
Q82
KJ2
65432


A83
K7
AQ54
AQ97

It's imps. vul against non-vul, but if you would choose differently at mps feel free to say so.

The bidding starts with three passes to you sitting S.

Question 1: What would you think the final contract should be, just looking at the two hands?

Question 2: Suppose the bidding starts with three passes to you sitting S. How do you envision getting to the best contract?

Question 3 (as happened): Not surprisingly, after three passes S opens 1 . But now Lho comes in with a preemptive 2 . The opponents are subsequently quiet. Does this change your opinion of where to play this hand and how would you get there?

Kicker: This was a challenge match so W, N and E are all robots.

I'll leave it as a question for the moment.

[kenberg]

Having no takers, so far, I will answer a bit of it myself.


J5
Q82
KJ2
65432


A83
K7
AQ54
AQ97

Pretty clearly, or at least pretty likely, if the opponents stay silent the auction will go 1 - 1NT - 2NT - 3NT. We have a 19 count facing a 7 count, so probably that's how it goes. I suppose a pessimistic N might pass the 2NT or perhaps an imaginative N might bid 3 over 2NT but holding five clubs to the 6 it does not really seem like a 3 call.

Now where should it be? If E holds Kx we can make 3NT but we can also make 6 . We draw trump playing a small club to the Q and then the A, we cash four diamonds throwing a spade from the board, we lose one and claim.

in the actual hand, E holds KJ8. As long as E holds at least three diamonds we can make 5 : Play a to the Q and cash the A. Run the diamonds tossing a on the fourth D, not caring if this fourth is ruffed. Lose a and claim 11 tricks.

3NT will not go well on a spade lead. After the finesse works there are 7 tricks in view but we need to give up a to get our total to 9, and when we give up that club the opponents can take spades a heart and the club.  Off 1.

At my table I opened 1 , Lho bid 2 , passed back to me, I decided to try 2NT, partner raised to 3NT. I am making this if they do not lead a spade, but the T  was led. I ducked. Lho switched to a . Whew. +600.

As to what I might have made of the auction. W dealt and it was three passes to me. I open 1 , what should I make of W's 2 call? He could have opened 2 . Perhaps I should not be surprised to find that he holds four spades to go with his six hearts. And maybe at least some of his high cards in spades. Making the club finesse seem like it might be a winner. Getting to 5 would be very nice, but no one did and I do not find that surprising.

Bridge isn't chess. In chess nothing is hidden. In bridge we miss makable contracts, and setable contracts are sometimes made. I like this feature of bridge.


https://tinyurl.com/y9otrfgm

[wackojack]

I had the South hand and decided to make a take out double rather than bidding 2NT.  In retrospect I think ken's 2N is better because I should think 3NT is still possible.  Then I didnt go for 5 after partner bid 3!c.  Maybe I should have because I can put RHO with 6 and likely 4 because the weak 2 was not opened.

The bots defence Iat ken's table was I think faulty.
West led 10 from  K1094 and East had  Q762 and played the 2.  Surely the bot could have afforded an encouraging 7?  Ken correctly ducked.  Then all West has to do to defeat 3N is to continue with the K    Good for Ken and alas for me the bot switched to a  and 9 tricks were wrapped up.  This +10 imps meant that ken won the challenge.  So yes often winning matches turn on mistakes made by the opps.  In this case mistakes by the bots.

I like these challenge matches but suggest that more decisive results come from "best hand" challenges.  Then we declare usually about 75% of hands and so robot declared hands that often have no swing are eliminated.     

[kenberg]

Yes, the robots might or might not choose to lead a at T1 but after doing so I think continuing spades at T2 should be easy enough.

Humans and robots both misplay and misdefend but it seems like it happens differently. Playing against the robots it is not unusual that when I duck a trick the bots then switch for no reason that I can see.

I prefer the setup where we just treat the robots as human. I usually play in two robot games over the weekend. On Saturday it's the 12 board Prime game and on Sunday the ten board Forum game. These are "best hand" games. It's hard to resist the temptation to sometimes alter the bidding based on knowing that no one at the table has a better hand than mine. I might post some of the outcomes of that, some bad, some good.

But I am ok with either. I'll mix them up some.

I have to run now but I think I will try the robots on this hand we have above. I have no real opinion as to whether they will play it in 3NT or 3 !c or 5 . Have to check it out.