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Contest deadline change: Beginning with the May MSC contest, the deadline for entering solutions will be at the end of the calendar month that is two months prior to the contest month. The deadline for the May MSC contest is March 31 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
APRIL 2021 MSC
Deadline: MARCH 10 at 9:00 a.m. (ET)
Submit your APRIL MSC responses here: The Bridge World - MASTER SOLVERS CLUB (https://www.bridgeworld.com/pages/msc/mscentercontest.html)
BWS 2017 System: BWS 2017 (https://www.bridgeworld.com/indexphp.php?page=/pages/readingroom/bws/bwscompletesystem.html)
BWS 2017 POLLS, CHANGES AND ADDITIONS: BWS 2017 - Polls, Changes, and Additions (https://www.bridgeworld.com/indexphp.php?page=/pages/readingroom/bws/bwspolls2017.html)
- Bridge World Standard 2017 (BWS or BWS2017) is effective beginning with the January 2017 Master Solvers' Club problems. This page shows (1) the results of the panelist polls that were used to adjust the system; and (2) the changes in and the additions to Bridge World Standard 2001 (BWS2001) that were made.
In the listings of the questions and answers, an asterisk indicates the BWS2001 agreement; the proportion of the expert votes for each item, rounded to the nearest percent, is shown in brackets.
IAC Forum MSC Scores (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1whamPj4_SDF3cbYUdGL9dpMX23tpwzUJzUvNoVmip_w/edit?usp=sharing)
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We have had had success this winter leaving in doubles of opps' 3-bids without any trump stack, and for now, problems A and C I will add to that pile. Problem C seems TOO much to resemble...a recent puzzle that i couldn't locate.
Problem B seemed like a complete horror until I realized that HEART SUPPORT IS OFF THE TABLE! Somebody tell me that support doubles are used pretty-much regardless of strength, hence partner's big hand includes 0-2 hearts only?. Therefore, we can concentrate on finding the right strain among Notrump and either of the minors. Passing Lurker's raise around then making some big bid may work better than a cue or jump right now -- maybe. { I LIKE this hand, now that I realize we won't be having to play it in hearts)
---PASS?--
PROBLEM D:>> It's nice to hear that both "2D" and "3D" are not forcing (how strange). Otherwise, we would be stuck with the choice between a single raise and passing. It almost always happens that when I raise an overcall on Q-x, partner competes to 3 Spades, thinking he is following the LAW (or fudging by one length-card) and we go down instead of the opps doing so. So, I am pleased to call my lead, and come back with 2 Spades later, if the other players don't blow on past that spot.
--- 2 DIAMONDS---
Problem E:>> One of the more fun problems this month! Partner has Axxxx, Qxxxx, --, Qxx or he has Axxxx, Qx, --, Qxxxxx--Doesn't she!? Returning her cue-bid will smoke out which, after which we will raise 5 Hearts to six, or convert 5S to 6 Clubs. Sorry about the grand slam missed, partner:(
--- 5 DIAMONDS ---
PROBLEM F:>> A second auction that includes opener's failure to give a support double? Given that, our "do something intelligent" double seems just dandy [ F1 = YES ]. We need Ken to construct a hand for partner a hand that PASSED on round 2 (this is not forcing!!), and now has made a big bid. She should not have good stuff and 6+ good clubs or she would have a 3C bid earlier. He should not have a Heart Stack, or he would exercise the penalty 'option'. Maybe he has a fairly sketchy reverse into diamonds? So far, I am stuck with this idea. Now I need help to decide whether we're worth 6 Diamonds, or only five, or give her more chance for her to show twice-delayed Spade support (via 5 Hearts). I really cannot see this 4NT bidder delivering more than nor less than the spade king, and both minor Ace-Queens, whatever her distribution turns out to be.--hmmmm
--- F2 - VERY undecided---
PROBLEM G:>> My glass is half-empty today; Will rebid as if my HQ is a small card rather than jump-shift in either of those minors. Somebody talk me out of this plan. Three days later, I am still seeing loss of a club, a heart, and 2 spades ---if pard is inclined to drop our 3 Spade rebid, so no game-force for me. :(
---3 Spades --
PROBLEM H:>> This pile is almost TOO yummy full of defensive tricks! And partner may well have a button or two, to boot. But it will be misery to sluff on the inevitable four rounds of spades after a passive [spade] start. I can almost taste a crippled King or Jack in hearts being brought down if i start with the heart ace. Madness--I know:)
---Heart ACE--
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First ideas, may change one or two
A. Pass going for a plus better than a partial
B. 4C A good suit worth showing it now
C. Pass same as A.
D. Pass maybe i can show minors later
E. 5D
F. Yes/5D If that 4NT bid is not rkc i change partner
G. 3S but i miss Gazzilli
H. C 10 seems the best shot at not giving a trick
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It is heartwarming to see Frank liking the return cue-bid on problem E. I feared this was too 'dainty' to attract much attention, but I hope not.
On the other hand, concerning PROBLEM F... deciding partner, who left opps in 2 Hearts one round ago, now hauling out 'Old Black' now that we show approximately an opening bid is more shocking than the rather shocking interpretation that has first occurred to me, and that I am still hanging on to. Somebody give a thought, please, to what strength is good for the "action double" we made on round two -- assuming you agree with that double [Is this fairly normal, leaving out the excellent spade suit, or have we extras to bid, in a non-spade direction?]
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I think F 4nt is choose your minor. Regardless of whether it's Blackwood or UN NT, Diamonds is safe no matter which way you go.
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Problem F: I confess that the X would never occur to me but I think it is a good idea, trusting that it will be taken as showing a good hand.
n has denied holding three spades so presumably he would, over the X, now bid 3S if he held two.
So how about giving N a 1=3=4=5 shape?
Give him a decent hand. At the time he passed 2H he has heard his partner bid 1S after 1C-Pass. So as far as he knows, partner could have a six count. So he passes. Now, then, after E bids 3H, S doubles. I guess N can now forget about S having a six count or anything like a six count.
So now what? With N holding the stiff spade K I can see him now bidding 3S but let's say he has the spade deuce. S has forced him to do something and, if he just had a bare opener, he will just try his best. But he could easily have some extra stuff, not enough to bd 3m in either m directly over 2H, but enough for game after partner has made this strength showing double.
Which game should they go for? N decides to ask South's opinion: 4NT
Maybe S's biggest problem is are they cold for a slam. Take it cool, man. 5D.
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PROBLEM F, Phase Two:>> I don't get how partner can launch into Blackwood at this point into the auction (maybe she has 4+ fat diamonds and, logically, trusts our double will include 4 of them?) , but if that is her plan, then my TWO minor kings will justify a 2-aces reply. I.E. 5 !H . Since that is my favored bid now anyway, 5 !H it shall be! It's lucky the bridge world doesn't create 3-part quiz problems, so I don't have to decide what comes next if 5H gets "5 !S " from her. ;)
---- F: Yes/ 5 Hearts ---
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PROBLEM F: Yes / 5 !D
The first half of this two-parter asks if we agree with the double. Do we? I’ll go with the “Yes” option.
4NT is not Blackwood. And it’s not an invite, since with that hand (18-19 or so) partner rebids 2NT over 2 !H. (I find it difficult to picture a hand that passed 2 !H with some 1=3=4=5 that now upgrades to a quantitative jump to 4NT.) Partner obviously does not have three spades since there was no support double. Could he have two spades? Possibly. But with two little ones he would not bother to tell us at the four level. It’s also unlikely he has !S Kx since he might very well show the honor doubleton having first denied three.
So 4NT is minors, longer clubs, you pick partner. Something like 0=2=5=6.
I’ll go low with 5 !D.
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April guesses:
PROBLEM A: Pass. Crapshoot. I see three perfectly viable choices. I am usually a strong advocate for Hamman's Rule, so this Pass is extremely uncomfortable.
PROBLEM B: 4 !D. Support partner. Change from my initial 4 !C. Partner has all sorts of ways to support hearts. Attempting to do so with 2 !S would be rare. I think the popular solver choice will be the "bid what you have" 4 !C. But in an attempt to "see" into partner's hand--I'm thinking he has a one-suiter in diamonds. So although a pass allows him more room to tell me that, and 4 !C is certainly "showing" my suit, 4 !D is telling partner that indeed I do have support.
PROBLEM C: Pass. Difficult problem, but Pass will be popular.
PROBLEM D: 2 !D. Suit development of the minors will be slow in !S. As others have mentioned, I can mention my doubleton !S later if given the opportunity. That this is IMPs is an important factor in "bidding something." At MP, I pass.
PROBLEM E: 5 !H. This hand—“got their suit controlled?”
PROBLEM F: Yes / 5 !D. Rationale above.
PROBLEM G: 2 !C. Just shy of a jump-shift. The choices are, I think, 3 !S (what I would have done three years ago), 3 !D, 3 !C, and I suppose a jump-shift. I think the suit quality to be too poor for 3 !S, a sentiment I hope the panel agrees with. I can see the allure of 2 !D due to the suit quality, but 2 !C is where I'm hoping the panel goes.
PROBLEM H: !S 7. This was my out-of-the-box first instinct, and what I believe will be the popular solver choice. Which is why I initially changed to the !C T. The !S 7 is the "safe" lead. I still hate lead problems.
SOLUTIONS FOR:
Todd Holes
460 Raintree CT Unit # 1R
Glen Ellyn IL 60137
U.S.A.
PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B: 4 Diamonds
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 5 Hearts
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 2 Clubs
PROBLEM H: Spade 7
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Initial toiughts.
PROBLEM A: Pass. i have my bids. I don't have anything else to say. If partner wants to punish, I'll take the plus and hope it is enough.
PROBLEM B: Pass. Partner put on the game force, and my primary responsibility was to keep the auction open. Should I bid the clubs? Maybe, but partner needs to clarify the cue. If he wants to take a piece of 3 !S, I will pass; otherwise I listen.
PROBLEM C: Pass. This should beat the partscore contracts, and may lose to game contracts (which may not always make). I will go for the plus results.
PROBLEM D: 2 !D, Let's go with the clue and bid one of my minors. 2 !D is a bit of a lead director, and I can always go back to support spades if it goes 2 !H back to me.
PROBLEM E: 5 !H. Partner is asking about my suit, but has no clue about my strength. My problem is the opponent's suit; this should ask for a control.
PROBLEM F: Yes / 5 !D. What is 4NT? I think it asks for a choice in the minors, so I will choose.
PROBLEM G: 3 !S. I am not sure whether to over or underbid here. I am the uncertainty of the stiff Q !H from a jump shift. I am afraid of two of a minor or 3 !S being passed out when game is on. I do not want to unilaterally bid 3NT or 4 !S. I also do not want to manufacture a jump shift into a three-card suit. I think 3 !S is the slight underbid I will make, and leave my slight overbid of 3NT on the shelf.
PROBLEM H: !S 7. The majors are in front of me, while the minors behind, so I will try hitting partner's length and go passive.
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PROBLEM B: Pass. Partner put on the game force, and my primary responsibility was to keep the auction open. Should I bid the clubs? Maybe, but partner needs to clarify the cue. If he wants to take a piece of 3 !S, I will pass; otherwise I listen.
Really a tough one, at least for me. We're in a force, so I can pass. But does bidding something over 3 !S imply more than pass does? Or does it simply say, I will wait for you to clarify (usually long diamonds on this auction). This is my question and the one I'm sure the panel will cover for us.
More think required! ;D
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Problem A: Pass Close but hope to cash in for the reward.
Problem B: 4 C Patner has no idea if I have anything more than 6 pts. Didn't finish describing my hand.
Problem C: Pass Hope again to pick up the marbles. No where to go.
Problem D: 2D If this is a trap, I fell for it hook, line and sinker. If it weren't for the foot note I'd bid 2 S.
Problem E: 5D 5D. Does my partner have spades and clubs?
Problem F: Yes, 5D Very comfortable thinking this is unusual NT, name my better minor.
Problem G: 3S No problem here. Dismiss the H queen, 17 pts, what I would do at the table.
Problem H: C 10 No hesitation here. Least likely to lose a trick.
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Problem F. To all those who think that 4NT asks for a minor. Why does North simply not bid D, 4 or 5 to show his suit? I think Jock has a point in showing 2 KCs
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Problem F. To all those who think that 4NT asks for a minor. Why does North simply not bid D, 4 or 5 to show his suit?
Because:
- He has a weak 5=6 hand,
- 4 !D could be passed,
- 5 !D bypasses 5 !C, which is quite possibly the best resting place,
- It is my value showing double that gives partner the permission to show the !D suit he could not previously show at the three-level.
Maybe . . . !S -- !H xx -- !D AQ652 -- !C A98732 ?
At least that is how I interpret this auction. But we'll find out in a week! :)
So slam is possible. I'm just not brave enough to go hunting for it.
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PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: Pass
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: Pass
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Club 2
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!S Axx(??)
!H ATx
!D Txxx(??)
!S KQxx !C J !S Jxx
!H Kxxx !H Qxx
!D Axx !D KQJx
!C 8x !C A9x
!S x(??)
!H J9x
!D (??)
!C KQTxxxx
Here is a little nightmare layout for those of us who are leaving west's (NORTH'S-- sorry) neg. double in. Six clubs and three majors for Mr. 3-clubs no problem. AND partner has a perfect 11-count for his double. AND we get 3+1+4+1=9 in Notrump. This alone is changing my mind about going for the set but will it be changed to 3NT, or 3 Hearts, hoping for 5 in dummy, else only 2-3 but 5 spades to correct to? The contest is Board-a-match and if the enemy knows the game, west will have more than the usual respect for the 500-rule, so giving him a good 7-bagger is more likely than is typical these days.
RE:
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Late this month, but still as dodgy:
A) 3N. Partner should have 10/11 (+) HCP for a negative double at the 3-level, and they all figure to be outside clubs. What are the chances of us making 3N? We have to hope the pre-emptor doesn’t have the diamond ace. Perhaps that’s reasonable given the vulnerability? We will need 5 major suit tricks if partner does not have the diamond ace. In that case his HCP will be split between the majors; AQxx(x) and AJxx(x) say. But if partner has that minimum we could well lose 5 tricks (2 major suit kings, two clubs and the diamond ace). With that same minimum hand can we take 5 tricks against 3Cx? We’re unlikely to get two tricks in both majors alongside the trump ace (unless West is 3316, and partner is exactly 44 in the majors). I might be bidding 3N to avoid the risk of 3Cx making when partner is minimum, knowing that if he is not, I’ll be scoring 400 against 300.
B) 4C. Partner has at most two hearts but with a 18/19 HCP hand, a variety of games seem possible including 3N – if partner has KJx KQ AQxx(x) Axx(x). However, with that sort of hand partner would have bid 2N over 1S. So, I guess we’re aiming at a minor suit. I’ve got the space to show my clubs, so why not? Partner could be 44 in the minors (xxx AK AQJx Axxx) rather than holding 5+ diamonds. What would 4S be from me here – equal length minors, confusion for everyone?
C) Pass. I would expect both majors from partner probably (45)31 or 4441. One problem with 3N is that the missing high cards are likely to be over partner. One problem with 3S is that partner may pass (?) and leave us with a measly 140. Maybe it’s time for the axe for 200.
D) Pass. I seem to be considering an awful lot of passes for an MSC bidding quiz! West figures to have big hand and this feels a little like a trap. I can offer a trick – two on a non-trump lead, with perhaps a club too.
E) 5H. Partner’s 4D suggests equal length majors and East’s x of 4D suggests partner is void in the suit, so maybe 4405 or (much more excitingly) 5503. 4H from me is a woeful underbid. Do I pass and let partner set trumps, and then leap into slam action and what would 4N from me mean? If partner is 4405 we’d prefer a heart slam to a club slam, so I could get us going in that direction with 5H – which maybe has the message of “bid 6H if your hearts are Qxxx and not xxxx.” Maybe a straight 6H is better than that.
F) No/5D. I had to do something over 3H, and 3S probably struck me as too weak, but why not 4D which gives a better view of the hand? 4H also has virtues. There’s no doubt that the double has woken up partner. With two spades would he have bid 3S? I can’t criticise partner over the 4N – it’s about as clear as some of my bids. My t/o double might be inferred to show 4144, so partner might be asking about minors in which case 5D might correct the faulty picture.
G) 3S. Having been told off for obscuring my long spades on F with the co-operative double instead of bidding 4D, I can hardly repeat the mistake (at least not so soon). Sure, the spades are patchy and who knows how useful the heart queen will be, but this feels right.
H) CT. Maybe the reason I struggle with lead problems is that by the time I get here, my brain is asking for a rest or drugs. Let’s put the lead question as Problem A from now on! Partner looks to have 4 spades, but he might also have just one honour there (the K). So let’s not kill that straightaway.
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PROBLEM A: 3♦. Partner’s most likely hand imvho has five cards in one of the majors and ten points – so I rejected my first choice of a very aggressive 3NT and went low. Plus 100 from 3♣ doubled is going to lose against plus 140 in three of a major and that’s what we need to win the board.
PROBLEM B: Yes, 4♣ initially and didn’t change it since partner can always retreat to diamonds.
PROBLEM C: 3NT – since I do have two stoppers in clubs. Many advocate passing but plus 200, even plus 500, is not as good as plus 600. And partner’s double is in the direct seat, not the balancing seat.
PROBLEM D: 2♣ gets both suits into play; 2♦ was my first choice but that would only be “right” if I were to come in with 3♣ next round – but if partner can’t do more than bid 2♠ I don’t want to go any higher.
PROBLEM E: Pass. Let’s hear what partner’s cue bid was based on – and if we hear a heart or club bid we can still move towards slam. Pass and then 4♥ (if partner redoubles) is stronger than an immediate 4♥.
PROBLEM F: Yes / 5♦. Tough – my inclination was to bid 6♦ but the discussion on this thread encouraged me to go low rather than high, but have no logical explanation for that.
PROBLEM G: 3♠. The problem I see with 2♣ is that we may well be playing there is partner has five clubs and K-x of spades with only a minimum hand.
PROBLEM H: I’m dithering between the “standard” ♣10 and the ♥4 – but never the ♥A which asks partner to unblock from K-x.
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Re: the lead problem: For any club leaders, Thornbury has the right idea--keeping all 3 high clubs for later. the book interior sequence lead only wins when dummy has a (non-stiff) club Jack and pard has K43 etc.. Otherwise we are hardly worse off if we have given trick one away to their club EIGHT than if we have forced the jack--still 3 for them and 4th round stopped. Meanwhile we have avoided crashing his lone jack or 8 at trick one. Academic, for me anyway- I am still enchanted by the heart ace-- hoping for K8xx in dummy and 9xx with partner leaving 2NT opener with Jx (which I will squish at trick two:) And what fun to drop the stiff king, in 2NT openers hand ! I have hardly ever done one of those.
There are 3 deals with slam possibilities in this set, and I am all in on every one of them. The 'action-double" deal--#F is going to 6 diamonds, unless pard answers our 5 H with 5 Spades. Fortunately, there is not part three quizzing what we will be doing over THAT suprizing development. The one with 4 lousy hearts + 9 gorgeous points in the minors is headed STRAIGHT for slam in whichever minor Mr. Big rebids. Hoki opened the can of worms that openers cue, while denying delayed heart support might be about to show a super-max one-bid with FOUR hearts as was true when dinosaurs roamed the earth. But, again, there is no part-B question about what we will do if that happens, so, passing the cue-bid doubled around is still working. And for problem E, where we balancing-doubled the 3D opener, I would love for partner to show up with Axxxx, Qx, ---, Qxxxxx or any 3 of those 4 goodies, rather than a routine "pick your major" hand, for his cuebid reply. but either way, I am meandering to slam in hearts or clubs depending on her next call.
Finally, leaving in the Neg. double on A is OUT. +100 will not win the board any more than -470 will, and i have zero prayer of gathering +300. Thime to follow Edgar Kaplan's best maxim: "Take our your partners takeout doubles."
SOLUTIONS FOR: Jock McQuade, 3 Bag End Hobbiton OR 97030U.S.A.
PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump 100 ----->80
PROBLEM B: Pass 100 ----->90
PROBLEM C: Pass 90 ----->100
PROBLEM D: 2 Diamonds 80 ----->100
PROBLEM E: 5 Diamonds 100 ----->ZERO (did any of us even MENTION passing??)
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Hearts 100 ----->zero whimper
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades 100 ----->100
PROBLEM H: Heart Ace .60 ---->60 :(
710---->550 >:(
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SOLVER: Babs Giesbrecht
Qualicum Beach BC
Your Solutions for the April 2021 Contest
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PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 5 Hearts
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Spade 7
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April
a 3n
b.4c
c.4s
d.2d
e. 4h
f. yes, pass
g.3H
h.4h
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Wladislaus Dragwlya
Tin Street No.1
Castrum Sex 545400
Romania
PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: Pass
PROBLEM C: 3 Spades
PROBLEM D: Pass
PROBLEM E: 4 Notrump
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Clubs
PROBLEM G: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM H: Club 2
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SOLVER: Kenneth Berg
320 Quail Dr
Sykesville MD 21784
U.S.A.
Your Solutions for the April 2021 Contest
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PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM C: 4 Spades
PROBLEM D: Pass
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM H: Club 2
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SOLUTIONS FOR:
Francisco Lizana
PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: Pass
PROBLEM E: 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Club 10
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Problem A: 3N
Problem B: 4H
Problem C: 3S
Problem D: Pass
Problem E: 4H
Problem F1: yes // F2: 5D
Problem G: 3S
Problem H: c2
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Problem A: 3NT
Bidding a major would be wrong. 3NT? Assuming, East has no more than 3 clubs west has no outside entry then we are likely to make 9 tricks in no trumps. Pass the double is an alternative but 3♣x-1 with 3NT= looks quite possible. So, I go for 3N.
Problem B: 4 !D
This is so messy. Partner should be telling and not asking with his first re-bid. Nevertheless, I have to trust partner is doing the right thing. So, what have I got to tell partner? Pass is out because I have 11HCP, 6 more than I might have. Partner wants me to describe my hand and so passing now to catch up later could lead to misunderstandings and reproach. 3NT is out because I do not have a spade guard. So, the choice is between 4♣ and 4♦. I think it is more important to show that I have ♦ support rather than long clubs as at least 4♣s is implied. I am not happy and I do hope that partner is asking rather than telling for a very good reason. Let’s hope partner has something like: ♠xxx, ♥ AK, ♦ AQJxxx, ♣Ax and we roar into the ♦ slam. In fact could partner have anything less? It is very difficult to see less than a slam now. Perhaps ♠Jxx, ♥ KQ, ♦ AQJxxx, ♣Ax. That is 17 which could have been opened 1NT and was uprated with the very good 6 card ♦ suit. If we finish in 5♦ let us hope that the ♠ lead in 3NT with South declaring does not give us a ♠ stop and so 11 tricks in no trumps. Very unlikely.
Problem C: pass
Give partner ♠ KJ10x, ♥ QJxx, ♦AKxx, x a well fitting 14 and it looks like we would make 4♠ and 3♣x would not go more than 1 off. OTOH give partner this fitting 13 HCP: ♠ Axxx, ♥Axxx, ♦ KQxx. ♣ x and we may not make even 3♠ and yet 3♣ is likely at least 1 off. I will narrowly go for pass.
Problem D: 2 !S
2♠ on a doubleton is not ideal but better than bidding a minor because West is very likely to rebid 2♥ over a minor whereas might be shut up if I raise to 2♠.
Problem E: 5 !D
4♦ by partner says you choose and surely a ♦ shortage. In the other 3 suits the remaining picture cards are ♠AJ, ♥QJ, ♣QJ = 11 points. So a small slam is almost certain and a grand if partner has a void in ♦s or A♦s. What do I find out if I bid 5♦? Blu’s analysis looks convincing but we would still miss a grand if partner has a ♦ void. I don’t think I have got a mechanism to find out if partner has a ♦ void so I will go with 5♦.
Problem F: yes/ 6 !D
(F1) Do you agree with the double [BWS: cooperative-takeout]? (yes|no)
Yes given partner’s failure to make a support double ’s I echo what Blu said.
(F2) What call do you make?
4NT must be saying “choose a minor” so do I bid 5♦ or 6♦? Could partner have ♠x, ♥xxx, ♦AQJx, ♣AQJxx. Yes. Or could partner have ♠ x, ♥ Kxx, ♦ AQJx, ♣ QJ10xx? Yes perhaps. Or perhaps bid 3N here. This is a tough one. My gut feeling is that partner is more likely to have 2 aces than 1 ace when she bids 4NT. So I go for 6♦
Problem G: 3 !S
Assume no Gazzilli so 3♠. The 7643 tail looks bad and partner with a singleton ♠ may be loth to bid 3N but all other bids are worse.
3♠.
Problem H: 7 !S
I think with only 4 card suits it pays to be passive. So 7♠. Yes partner may well have ♠ Hxxx but likely would get it finessed anyway. Alternative is 10♣. The most I can expect is partner to have 4HCP. If partner has the J♣ or K♣ then I like a ♣ lead. OK if I lead a ♠ and declarer reels off 4♠ tricks I have to discard twice 4♥ and when I see dummy I will know which other. I fear being endplayed but to give away a trick on the lead would be worse.
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SOLUTIONS FOR:
James Creech
Fredericksburg VA 22407
U.S.A.
PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump - My only change. I checked BWS understandings, and found that negative doubles are through 3 !S, so I felt an increased responsibility to pull the takeout double. Since nothing else seemed better, I decided that I would show my stopper and hope for the best.
PROBLEM B: Pass
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 5 Hearts
PROBLEM F: No | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Spade 7
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PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: Pass
PROBLEM E: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Spade 7
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Late to the game and on my second glass of wine...so in other words, how I play most of my bridge! Here are the bids that popped into my head:
A - 3nt - hoping those half stops in my hand will lead to some good finesse of whatever other honor west has
B - 4C - I would like to let partner know I have a good side suit besides hearts
C - 4S - Rule of 9 says to pass here, but even two down is a bad score in Matchpoints. as I write this, it occurs to me 3nt might score even better. might need to think more on this one
D - 2D - taking the hints
E - 5H - because 4h just doesn't tell the story of that hand at all. east's X doesn't make sense to me, they should just bid 5d, only thing that gives me pause
F - yes, 5D. Very difficult to make sense of that 4nt bid. Can't be BW in spades, although maybe partner wants to know if I have the AK of spades..but what possible hand could they have and pass 2h. yikes.
G - 3D - decided not to go low on this one, and not to bid 3c. This is probably completely wrong as 3C seems more normal if I'm making this a GF hand.
H - probably 7 of spades for me, I'm being influenced by a lot of robot play lately where they don't give up anything on their leads.
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Late to the game and on my second glass of wine...so in other words, how I play most of my bridge! Here are the bids that popped into my head:
A - 3nt - hoping those half stops in my hand will lead to some good finesse of whatever other honor west has
B - 4C - I would like to let partner know I have a good side suit besides hearts
C - 4S - Rule of 9 says to pass here, but even two down is a bad score in Matchpoints. as I write this, it occurs to me 3nt might score even better. might need to think more on this one
D - 2D - taking the hints
E - 5H - because 4h just doesn't tell the story of that hand at all. east's X doesn't make sense to me, they should just bid 5d, only thing that gives me pause
F - yes, 5D. Very difficult to make sense of that 4nt bid. Can't be BW in spades, although maybe partner wants to know if I have the AK of spades..but what possible hand could they have and pass 2h. yikes.
G - 3D - decided not to go low on this one, and not to bid 3c. This is probably completely wrong as 3C seems more normal if I'm making this a GF hand.
H - probably 7 of spades for me, I'm being influenced by a lot of robot play lately where they don't give up anything on their leads.
C - I am reconsidering now that I've taken a quick look at other's thoughts too. don't think I can play in 4s, might get the club lead trumped be east and get off to a bad start. I have 2 club stoppers....but they are also club tricks. still I think the math here is to take our NT score, not the X for -2. can we get -3?? not sure enough.
G looks like I'm going too far off the field's bid. if p doesn't have heart though, we might end up in either a bad 3nt or a kooky diamond contract if I don't show the spades. so, I bow to the crowd wisdom on this one.
H - think I'm sticking to 7 of spades, glad wackojack is with me, but I doubt the solvers are going to choose this much.
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SOLUTIONS FOR:
Jack Goody
England
PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: 4 Diamonds
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: 2 Spades
PROBLEM E: 5 Diamonds
PROBLEM F: Yes | 6 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Spade 7
I note that I am entirely alone in my choice of 6 Diamonds for problem F. So be it.
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PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B: 4 Diamonds I hope partner likes to hear about the diamonds rather than my clubs
PROBLEM C: Pass
PROBLEM D: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: Pass
PROBLEM F: Yes | 5 Diamonds By doubling first, we don't lose the oppotunity to play 3NT. 4NT by partner typically shows 6+/4+ in Clubs and Diamonds asking me to pick a minor
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades If partner doesn't have Spades fit, my hand doesn't look that good any more.
PROBLEM H: Club 10
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Although I am happy to have you and Jack join me with the !S 7 lead, I dislike being ignored more than I dislike lead problems. I was there before either of you - lol. And gives no credit for either Babs or Vee getting there before you as well. Nonetheless, I agree with you about this lead not being a favorite of the BW solvers; I just hope it is a favorite with the Panelists - the two groups diverge more frequently than you would think.
H - think I'm sticking to 7 of spades, glad wackojack is with me, but I doubt the solvers are going to choose this much.
Initial toiughts.
...
PROBLEM H: !S 7. The majors are in front of me, while the minors behind, so I will try hitting partner's length and go passive.
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About being in with crowd versus lone-wolfing it:
Usually I look over the choices others made just before I submit my answers, just in case I might want to re-think something. This time I was busy so I just submitted.
But now I have looked a bit. Some thoughts:
A. I expected to be close to a lone wolf on 1 bypassing but no, many others agree. It seems to me that the club A and four tricks in the side suits are the best path for a plus, and if we cannot do that we also are very unlikely to make 3NT. I wouldn't be surprised to find that we can make 8 tricks in NT and they can make 8 tricks in clubs.
E. Here I can sit on a cliff and do my lone wolf howl. But I have a great deal more than I need for my reopening double and pard still thinks we should play this at the four level. I can't imagine how to explore carelully so 6H seems right. We shall see. I am confident that this would be my choice at the table, less confident that it will be anynone else's choice.
F. We have discused this some and I have nothing new to say so I am sticking with 5D
H. Some, a reasonably sized group, agree with my small club lead. The opponents have values but I "only" have an eleven count so partner probably, or at least perhaps, has something. Like maybe the J of clubs. Rho lacks a major so he probably has some length in clubs. Partner probably does not have much length. Maybe partner has the club Jx. If so, a small club is much better than the club ten. And there are variants. Maybe he has the stiff J. He could have the stiff K. Or Kx. If I am going to lead a club, I am going with the club spot here. I can't say I like leading a club, but I don't like leading anything else either. So club deuce it is, no doubt pard can tell me how wrong this is after the hand is over.
As always, I have no idea which choices will score well. All? None? Some?
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I usually feel good about three or four of my choices. This time, only one . . . Problem E where I chose 5 !H. This is often a harbinger of doom. My "best" pick has historically done poorly. Sigh . . .
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Nobody is giving poor partner leeway to hold a little MAFIA hand, instead of specifically Both Majors on problem E.....Anyone who jumped to only 5 Hearts will probably survive, since when a pard with 11 blacks corrects to spades, we can re-correct to the club slam, ..But that might not fly if the correcting is to 6 spades, then onward to SEVEN clubs:) -- or it might be cold for 13 wheeeee!
All MONTH, I never noticed we had an opp's DOUBLE in front of our deciding-point, hence the chance to just pass! The panel went for this in a big way, and so would have I--as a better form of "listening for clarification" then the re-cuebid which deservedly scored a zero given this option. How can it be that NONE of us mulled over this chance to pass the buck back to our friend?
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April Results
Lots of plus 700 scores this month! There were 7!
BabsG won this month with 770 and was tied for second on the Bridge World Honor Roll!
Also making the BW Honor Roll were the following IAC solvers. In second was MarilynLi with 760. And Masse24 and YleeXotee tied with 740 place! Jcreech also made the Honor Roll with 730, but lost out on 2nd when he mistakenly clicked on the No portion of F. (Apparently the undo button was not working.) And VeeRee made the Honor Roll with 710. Congratulations to all!
| NAME | BW-SCORE | RANK | MPs |
| BabsG | 770 | 1 | 30 |
| MarilynLi | 760 | 2 | 25 |
| YleeXotee | 740 | 3 | 20 |
| Masse24 | 740 | 3 | 20 |
| Jcreech | 730 | 5 | 11 |
| VeeRee | 710 | 6 | 11 |
| . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . . . . . . | . . . . . . . | . . . . |
|
Also participating were Blubayou, CCR3, Curls77, DickHy, DrAculea, Hoki, KenBerg, Msphola, Peuco, Thornbury, WackoJack
and one anonymous solver.
Note: There were corrections made to JCreech and YleeXotee to reflect what they actually submitted to both IAC and BW.
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Joe was on The Bridge World Honor Roll with a 740, but his garbled submission on this forum was nowhere near that.
Help me . . . please . . . by submitting a clearly understandable reflection of your choices. Otherwise, I do not know what to enter on our little spreadsheet! Please save me the hassle of attempting to decipher your hieroglyphics if that is the language you prefer to write with. I'm too old to try to learn that one! ;)
A copy/paste of your BW submission is of course best.
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Congratulations, Babs! Nice score--you're consistently placing high. Great bidding! :)
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Quote: wackojack-- "I note that I am entirely alone in my choice of 6 Diamonds for problem F. So be it." I am with you Jack! We 5H bidders have just forced 6 Diamonds (leaving out the problem we do not have to solve IF this brings a suprize "5S" reply). Also, I see Joe did NOTICE the double in front of us on problem E, but brushed aside the chance to make the winning PASS. :(
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April MSC SUMMARY (Part 1)– Kit Woolsey, Director
Problem A -- Pass (Masse24, KenBerg, MarilynLi, CCR3, Peuco)
Board-a-match
Neither side vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ J 8 6 ♥ Q 7 4 ♦ K Q J 9 ♣ A 9 3
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 ♦ 3 ♣ Double Pass
?
What call do you make?
Board-a-Match, like matchpoints is a brutal form of scoring. Your sole goal is to come back with a better result than your counterparts at the other table. You have a minimum balanced opener, there is nothing to gain from a vulnerability difference, and partner has made a negative double, showing length in your three-card majors. What should you do? If you have game, you will need to set them three tricks. If you have a part score, you will still need to set them two tricks. Yet, if you bid, you still have to establish the appropriate strain. Is a single stop enough for 3NT? At the 3-level, partner should have at least invitational values, but will it be enough for game? Or will it be enough to set the opponents two or more tricks? These are the sort of questions that mark a good problem hand.
Pass (100). 56% of the Bridge World panelists decided to take their chances in 3 !C X and passed. They were joined by 27% of the IAC solvers and 37% of the BW solvers. KenBerg: “I expected to be close to a lone wolf on 1 bypassing but no, many others agree. It seems to me that the club A and four tricks in the side suits are the best path for a plus, and if we cannot do that we also are very unlikely to make 3NT. I wouldn't be surprised to find that we can make 8 tricks in NT and they can make 8 tricks in clubs.” Peuco thinka that ” Pass going for a plus better than a partial” Masse24 says it is a “Crapshoot. I see three perfectly viable choices. I am usually a strong advocate for Hamman's Rule, so this Pass is extremely uncomfortable.” From the Panel, Karen McCallum believes “If partner’s hand will produce nine tricks at notrump, it will probably produce seven tricks against three clubs doubled. It is much more likely that three notrump will fail and that three clubs doubled is our last plus score.” The moderator (Kit Woolsey) agrees “…that defending against three clubs might be the last achievable plus score, but it won’t be a large plus score. … West will almost surely find at least one more trick, so the penalty won’t compensate for a game. And, if West can find two more tricks, the penalty won’t compensate for a partscore.” Why did Pass get the top score then? Too many experts believing as Jeff Rubens does “The default (three-level) action with three trumps and nothing descriptive to bid.” Indeed, Zia “… tried to write three notrump, but it came out pass. Must be a sign.” And Eric Kokish gets on his soap box “If BWS switches to weak notrumps, we will never again need to see this type of problem. Is that not worth the price of admission?” Perhaps expressing the wish and a prayer approach to this problem is CCR3: “Close but hope to cash in for the reward.” She may not have reaped the reward at the table, but in the MSC contest, she certainly did!
3 NT. (80) 26% of the panelists, 67% of the IAC solvers and 43% of the BW solvers tried their luck at the NT game. Echoing the moderator from above, DickHy: argues for 3NT “Partner should have 10/11 (+) HCP for a negative double at the 3-level, and they all figure to be outside clubs. What are the chances of us making 3N? We have to hope the pre-emptor doesn’t have the diamond ace. Perhaps that’s reasonable given the vulnerability? We will need 5 major suit tricks if partner does not have the diamond ace. In that case his HCP will be split between the majors; AQxx(x) and AJxx(x) say. But if partner has that minimum we could well lose 5 tricks (2 major suit kings, two clubs and the diamond ace). With that same minimum hand can we take 5 tricks against 3Cx? We’re unlikely to get two tricks in both majors alongside the trump ace (unless West is 3316, and partner is exactly 44 in the majors). I might be bidding 3N to avoid the risk of 3Cx making when partner is minimum, knowing that if he is not, I’ll be scoring 400 against 300.” The moderator seems to endorse this choice, writing, “Some panelists went for the biggest plus, a reasonable move when one doesn’t know what trump suit to pick.” WackoJack thinks “Bidding a major would be wrong. 3NT? Assuming, East has no more than 3 clubs west has no outside entry then we are likely to make 9 tricks in no trumps. Pass the double is an alternative but 3♣x-1 with 3NT= looks quite possible. So, I go for 3N.” JCreech writes “I checked BWS understandings, and found that negative doubles are through 3 !S, so I felt an increased responsibility to pull the takeout double. Since nothing else seemed better, I decided that I would show my stopper and hope for the best.” YleeXotee pulls out the wish and prayer technique for a different purpose, “hoping those half stops in my hand will lead to some good finesse of whatever other honor west has” Larry Robbins, for the panel, has one of the best discussions: "I can hold off in clubs and hope that the preemptor is entryless. Sometimes pard will hold the queen of clubs or jack-low (and there will be a stiff honor on my right). Three notrump would not be as attractive with only ace-low of clubs. Passing is an option, but three notrump will often make opposite a random 10-count. Searching for a five-three major-suit fit would be reasonable, but every possible bid is moderately flawed.”
3 !D (70). 15% the panelists, 5% from IAC and 10% of the BW solvers tried rebidding their four-card suit. Hoki explained his reasoning as follows: “Partner’s most likely hand imvho has five cards in one of the majors and ten points – so I rejected my first choice of a very aggressive 3NT and went low. Plus 100 from 3♣ doubled is going to lose against plus 140 in three of a major and that’s what we need to win the board.” Panelist John Carruthers argues, “If we must play in a four-three fit, the three will be in the hand that takes the tap.” Danny Kleinman waxes philosophical: “Maybe standard negative doubles don’t work so well at the three-level. Maybe Marty Bergen is right to prefer thrump doubles. Maybe the author of the American Contract Bridge League’s Yellow Card was right to suggest negative doubles only through two spades. But in our agreed methods, I’m willing to rebid diamonds on four in a pinch. I’m thankful to have a beefy four-bagger, but I’m not thankful to have opened this wretched, flat hand. Where are the 3 honor tricks?”
Problem B -- 4 !C (Hoki, BabsG, DickHy, Yleexotee, Msphola, VeeRee, KenBerg, CCR3, Peuco, Anonymous)
Matchpoints
Both sides vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ Q ♥ 10 6 5 2 ♦ K 9 3 ♣ K Q J 10 2
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
—— —— 1 ♦ Pass
1 ♥ 1 ♠ 2 ♠* 3 ♠
?
*BWS: general game-force
What call do you make?
In Problem B, partner has made a general game-forcing bid, and the opponents have made a bid that allows you a choice between passing the bid back to partner, so the cue bid can be clarified or making a bid yourself. The argument for bidding is that you have not shown the full value of your hand yet as the responder; the argument for not bidding is that partner seems to have an idea where this auction is going, and may need room to show you as well. If you bid, do you continue to bid out your shape, or tell partner about the fitting diamonds right away? Let’s start with the simpler choice.
Pass (90) One-third of the BW Panel, 22% of the IAC solvers and 18% of the BW solvers wait patiently for partner to share. JCreech described his thinking: “Partner put on the game force, and my primary responsibility was to keep the auction open. Should I bid the clubs? Maybe, but partner needs to clarify the cue. If he wants to take a piece of 3 !S, I will pass; otherwise I listen.” Fred Stewart says “Let’s not get in partner’s way. With four hearts, he would have raised. Why should I take us beyond three notrump, which may be our most-likely game?” Billy Eisenberg believes that “A bid should be descriptive; a new suit would be a slam try.” While Howard Weinstein thinks that “Pass seems the best way to discover his hand-type. North will likely double with the strong, balanced hand, bid three notrump with shape and a stopper, or bid a new suit with shape and no stopper.”
4 !C (100) 37% of the BW Panel, 56% of the IAC and 66% of the BW solvers continued to bid out their shape. The moderator seems to favor this selection, writing “West may be about to ram it into four spades, after which we will be flying blind, so if South has something to say, it may be vital to say it now.” Leonard Helfgott argues that “A minor figures to be the best trump suit. Now or never for four clubs.” Peuco agrees: “A good suit worth showing it now.” CCR3: “Partner has no idea I have anything more than 6 pts. Didn’t finish describing my hand.” Hoki: “Yes, 4♣ initially and didn’t change it since partner can always retreat to diamonds.” YleeXotee: “I would like to let partner know I have a good side suit besides hearts” Similarly, John Diamond says “Might as well tell partner I have something and where.” Carl Hudecek points out that it is “What I have, awaiting clarification. Freely bid, this implies a good suit.” Though Danny Klienman thinks this is “The last train to perhaps the best strain.”
4 !D (80) 22% of the panelists, 17% of the IAC solvers and 6% of the BW solvers chose to show their support for opener’s suit. Masse24 thinks “Partner has all sorts of ways to support hearts. Attempting to do so with 2 !S would be rare. I think the popular solver choice will be the “bid what you have” 4 !C. But in an attempt to “see” into partner’s hand--I’m thinking he has a one-suiter in diamonds. So although a pass allows him more room to tell me that, and 4 !C is certainly “showing” my suit, 4 !D is telling partner that indeed I do have support.” WackoJack believes “Partner should be telling and not asking with his first re-bid. Nevertheless, I have to trust partner is doing the right thing. So, what have I got to tell partner? Pass is out because I have 11HCP, 6 more than I might have. Partner wants me to describe my hand and so passing now to catch up later could lead to misunderstandings and reproach. … So, the choice is between 4♣ and 4♦. I think it is more important to show that I have ♦ support rather than long clubs as at least 4♣s implied.” MarilynLi is just thinking of partner: “I hope partner likes to hear about diamonds rather than my clubs.” Bart Bramley summarizes nicely: “Practical. Should be our best strain. Ambiguities still exist if partner bids four hearts. Four clubs by me would muddy the waters.” Ultimately, the moderator comes down on the side of 4 !D, “Four clubs certainly shows clubs, but it sounds like a two-suiter. If North bids four spades, the diamond support will be left on the shelf. Perhaps that is the most important feture of South’s hand.”
Problem C -- Pass (DickHy, VeeRee, CCR3, Peuco, WackoJack, Masse24, BabsG, MarilynLi, Jcreech, Thornbury, Blubayou)
Matchpoints
Both sides vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ Q 9 4 2 ♥ K 7 6 ♦ 9 7 ♣ A 10 6 4
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
—— 3 ♣ Double Pass
?
What call do you make?
Preempts are meant to make things difficult for the opponents, and this one is no different. Partner should have a decent hand for the direct seat double, but do you have enough for game? Also, partner is marked with shortness, so there was added pressure to act, and may not have ideal shape for the double. Do you want to play in a 4-3 fit when there may be a 5-3 available? You also have a stopper in clubs, in fact, with a bit of luck, you may have a double stop. Should you bid 3NT? Should you pass, hoping to get better than your game or partscore?
Pass (100) 63% of the BW Panel passed, along with 50% of the BW solvers and 44% of the IAC solvers. We start here because it is the option that will not lead to other considerations. Zach Grossack gives this a lot of thought: “Pass. At imps, I would just slam down four spades; at matchpoints, it’s a tricky expected-value problem, because I don’t know how many spades to bid. If I bid three, we will miss game a lot of the time when we have one, but, with imminent bad breaks, four spades would be an overbid – RHO overruffing in clubs, and , more importantly, there is no guarantee of an eight-card fit. … I expect to defeat three clubs, usually beating those who stopped in a partscore when our side has a game, and winning big when our side has no game. Sometimes we will catch the opponents speeding and collect a large number.” JCreech has similar thoughts: “This should beat the partscore contracts, and may lose to game contracts (which may not always make). I will go for the plus results.” Masse24: “Difficult problem, but Pass will be popular.” CCR3: “Hope to pick up the marbles. No where to go.” DickHy: “I would expect both majors from partner … One problem with 3N is that the missing high cards are likely to be over partner. One problem with 3S is that partner may pass (?) and leave us with a measly 140. Maybe it’s time for the axe for 200.” Daniel Korbel thinks “We could make game, but it’s not a certainty, and I wouldn’t know which game to bid.” John Diamond is particularly succinct: “Take the money when game and fit are questionable.”
3 !S (80) 22% of the panel guessed at 3 !S, joined by 13% of the BW solvers and two of our IAC solvers. Neither from IAC discussed their reason, so we are left with the expert opinions. Mark Cohen bids “Three spades. Conservative, yes, but I’m not passing, don’t play top-or-bottom matchpoints, and am not convinced that we are a big favorite to beat three clubs.” Steve Robinson: “Partner made a takeout double, so I’m taking it out. I very rarely pass partner’s takeout double.” Brian Glubok: “A stick-out, because often best when right and only rarely worst when wrong. Partner will raise with four spades and 16-17 HCP, so there are few hands with which North will pass and miss game. If South jumped to four spades, North might get rambunctious …”
3 NT (70) 25% of the BW solvers tried 3NT, but it was less popular for the BW Panel (15%) and IAC solvers (12%). Hoki: “since I do have two stoppers in clubs. Many advocate passing but plus 200, even plus 500, is not as good as plus 600. And partner’s double is in the direct seat, not the balancing seat.” YleeXotee: “Rule of 9 says to pass here, but even two down is a bad score in Matchpoints. … I have 2 club stoppers….but they are also club tricks. still I think the math here is to take our NT score, not the x for -2. can we get -3?? not sure enough.” Billy Eisenberg agrees “Three notrump. Expect to make. 500 is the most we could expect on defense.” Eric Kokish wished for the talents of BluBayou in MSC months of yore: “Three notrump. We desperately need a very good simulation to know the percentage action (and why). Then we could eliminate this family of problems.”
Problem D -- 2 !D (Blubayou, Jcreech, Yleexotee, MarilynLi, Masse24, Msphola, CCR3, BabsG)
Imps
Both sides vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ Q 3 ♥ 6 ♦ K J 10 8 2 ♣ J 10 9 7 6
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
—— 1 ♥ 1 ♠ Pass
?*
*BWS: simple new-suit advance nonforcing; jump new-suit advance invitational
What call do you make?
To advance, or not to advance, that is the question. You only have 7 HCPs and less than a three-card fit for partner – so perhaps, you should not take a bid until you are forced. On the other hand, you have two potential places to play and an excellent doubleton for partner, so if you chose to bid, you have several possibilities, particularly since a simple new suit is not forcing.
Pass (80) The easiest path to justify is to pass, which is what more than half (51%) of the BW solvers did, as did large segments of the panel (37%) and IAC solvers (32%). DickHy: “I seem to be considering an awful lot of passes for an MSC bidding quiz! West figures to have a big hand and this feels a little like a trap. I can offer a trick – two on a non-trump led, with perhaps a club too.” Peuco: “Pass maybe I can show minors later.” Similarly, Larry Robbins writes, “I will bid later. Two diamonds would be reasonable, but, with East passing, it is very likely that partner has four hearts. If opener reopens with two hearts, passed around to me, I will bid two spades (rather than two notrump for the minors).” Nik Demirev wants more information: “Pass. Heresy, but there isn’t game on every deal. Can we miss one? Sure. Is there a remotely-straightforward bid to develop an auction catering for spades or either minor that can’t backfire? No. If opener and partner bid one more time, I will be much-better placed.”
2 !D (100) Most (56%) of the panel, and large portions of both the 37% BW (37%) and IAC 32% solvers took the hint about the new suit not being forcing. Sharp in his prediction (not), Zia says “Nobody else I know will do this; but when the final contract is in hearts, I will feel smug.” A bit worried, CCR3 states that “If this is a trap, I fell for it hook, line and sinker. If it weren’t for the foot note I’d bid 2 S.” BluBayou embraces the hint: “It’s nice to hear that both “2D” and “3D” are not forcing (how strange). Otherwise, we would be stuck with the choice between a single raise and passing. It almost always happens that when I raise an overcall on Qx, partner competes to 3 Spades, thinking he is following the LAW (or fudging by one length-card) and we go down instead of the opps doing so. So, I am pleased to call my lead, and come back with 2 Spades later, if the other players don’t blow on past that spot.” JCreech: “Let’s go with the clue and bid one of my minors. 2 !D is a bit of a lead director, and I can always go back to support spades if it goes 2 !H back to me.” Karen McCallum is cautiously optimistic: “A bit to strong to pass. This leaves plenty of room to esxplore, and there is safety with queen-low of spades.”
2 !S (60) The third highest score went to 2 !S, which received less than 10 % from the BW panel, as well as both solver groups. WackoJack: “2♠ on a doubleton is not ideal but better than bidding a minor because West is very likely to rebid 2♥ over a minor whereas might be shut up if I raise to 2♠.” Eric Kokish has “No strong feelings, but I don’t like passing opposite an overcaller whose style meshes with mine. Although both minors are chunky, I’d rather wait for a six-card suit before inviting North to pass with a misfitting near-minimum.” And Carl Hudecek thinks that “Two spades, with honor-low, a stiff heart, nice diamonds, and club pushers can’t be that wrong.”
And thus ends the part. I will return with the second when I have a chance. Until then, please enjoy.
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April MSC SUMMARY (Part 2)– Kit Woolsey, Director
Problem E Pass (MarilynLi, Hoki)
Imps
Both sides vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ K Q ♥ A K 10 5 ♦ Q 6 2 ♣ A K 6 4
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
—— 3 ♦ Pass Pass
Double Pass 4 ♦ Double
?
What call do you make?
Again, we have a preempt, and it has made life difficult. On the previous round of bidding, it wasn’t too hard to find a double. You only have 21 HCPs and need to do something, and without a five card or longer suit, it was the most sensible way to start. But now partner has cue bid, which suggests at least two places to play. If one of those is hearts, then no problem; if spades and clubs, then there might be a problem. What to do? The opponents have graciously doubled, so you can pass to let partner clarify the cue bid. You also have a huge hand and a partner that seems to have some values as well; shouldn’t you try to move things in the right direction?
Pass (100) 44% of the BW Panel chose pass, along with 18% of the BW solvers and two of IAC’s own. Hoki was the only one in IAC to discuss his reason: “Let’s hear what partner’s cue bid was based on – and if we hear a heart or club bid we can still move towards slam. Pass and then 4♥ (if partner redoubles) is stronger than an immediate 4♥.” As the moderator (Kit Woolsey) writes, “If East had not been kind enough to double, South’s options would have been limited. The double provides the opportunity to take a two-step approach first.” Most of the panel took a similar approach to Hoki. For example, Robert Wolff said, “Pass. And raise to six of either rounded suit or bid five hearts over four spades.” Or more colorfully, Mark Cohen: “Pass. I will force to slam. As Ralph Kramden would say, “To the moon, Alice!””
A more sophisticated approach is discussed by Eric Kokish: “Pass. If North redoubles (showing a diamond control), we can move toward slam more comfortably. If North reopens with four spades (no diamond control), he will have spades and clubs (not five spades and four hearts, with which he would bid four hearts, showing his cheapest four-plus-card suit).” This can be an extremely useful understanding to develop with a regular partner, but you should not assume this sort of understanding without discussion.
5 !H (90) Around 30% of all participants went with 5 !H (Panel: 33%; BW solvers: 30%; IAC solvers: 27%). Some of the panel making this choice, were worried that even 5 !H was too high. Daniel Korbel said, “Too much for four hearts, but I don’t want to drive to slam, in case partner was stretching …” Brian Glubok has a more specific nightmare in mind: “Four hearts would be too timid. I fear something like: ♠AJxxx ♥Jxxxx ♦xx ♣Q, down at the five-level after three rounds of diamonds. Worse, partner will have better hearts, say queen-fifth and after three rounds of diamonds I will need to guess the jack of hearts to make five. Sounds like Dante’s Sixth Circle.” IAC solvers were less worried, and thought they were asking either for a diamond control (Masse24: “This hand – “got their suit controlled?”” JCreech: “Partner is asking about my suit, but has no clue about my strength. My problem is the opponent’s suit; this should ask for a control.”) or suit quality (DickHy: “Partner’s 4D suggests equal length majors and East’s x of 4D suggests partner is void in the suit … 4H from me is a woeful underbid. Do I pass and let partner set trumps, and then leap into slam action and what would 4N from me mean? If partner is 4405 we’d prefer a heart slam to a club slam, so I could get us going in that direction with 5H – which maybe has the meaning of “bid 6H if your hearts are Qxxx and not xxxx.” Maybe a straight 6H is better than that.”). YleeXotee bids “5h because 4h just doesn’t tell the story of that hand at all.” But he has a concern that did not even register with anyone else: “east’s X doesn’t make sense to me, they should just bid 5D, only thing that gives me pause”
6 !H (70) Around 10% of all participants went for the gusto and selected 6 !H as their choice (Panel and IAC solvers: 11%; BW solvers: 8%). KenBerg was the only one from IAC to voice their thoughts: “Here I can sit on a cliff and do my lone wolf howl. But I have a great deal more than I need for my reopening double and pard still thinks we should play this at the four level. I can’t imagine how to explore carefully so 6H seems right. We shall see. I am confident that this would be my choice at the table, less confident that it will be anynone else’s choice.” Panel members also talked of the difficulty of having a sensible auction to slam. Carl Hudecek: “Six hearts. I don’t see any scientific way to bid. East-West may take a bloody save with all this diamond bidding and doubling going on.” Rozanne and bill Pollack: “Time to bid like a truck driver. Some wil say that five hearts just asks for a diamond control, but we don’t think life is that simple on an accelerated auction. What is CHO bidding on? Yes it’s important to find the right strain when he’s four-three in the majors, but he did force to game.”
Problem F Yes | 5 !D (KenBerg, Hoki, Peuco, Thornbury, BabsG, VeeRee, Yleexotee, Curls77, MarilynLi, CCR3, Masse24)
Imps
Both sides vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ A Q J 8 7 2 ♥ 5 ♦ K 10 9 4 ♣ K 10
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
—— Pass 1 ♣ Pass
1 ♠ 2 ♥ Pass 3 ♥
Double Pass 4 NT Pass
?
(F1) Do you agree with the double [BWS: cooperative-takeout]? (yes|no)
(F2) What call do you make?
Nearly everyone among the IAC solvers (89%) agreed with the double, and one of the three that did not, voted no by accident. 70% of the BW Panel and 57% of the BW solvers also agreed. Karen McCallum expressed the reason for responding “No” well: “Wouldn’t risk defending with a strong offensive hand (especially when we probably belong in a slam). … If you don’t want double to end the auction, don’t double.” The moderator agrees with the principle, but defends the other perspective, “… is it so clear that you don’t want to defend if North passes? Partner will have every reason to think you might have a singleton heart, so the South hand is about what he will expect.”
First, we need to resolve the meaning of 4NT. As YleeXotee thinks it through: “Very difficult to make sense of that 4nt bid. Can’t be BW in spades, although maybe partner wants to know if I have the AK of spades..but what possible hand could they have and pass 2h. yikes.” However, immediately after one member of the panel does indicate that they are showing one ace, the moderator steps in. “An ask? To play in what suit? Partner can’t have spade support. Four notrump must show the minors.” Now on to the answers that recognize the generally recognized reality that 4NT is for the minors.
Yes | 5 !D (100) Most IAC solvers (61%) thought the double was appropriate and bid 5 !D; they were joined by 37% of the Panel and 30% of the BW solvers. Larry Robbins points out that “Every bid is flawed. A double allows partner to show two spades or to bid his diamonds.” Also discussion flexibility, MarilynLi says “By doubling first, we don’t lose the opportunity to play 3NT. 4NT by partner typically shows 6+/4+ in Clubs and Diamonds asking me to pick a minor.” Hoki: “Tough – my inclination was to bid 6♦ but discussion on this thread encouraged me to go low rather than high, but have no logical explanation for that.” Some of the panel may have Hoki’s answer. Steve Robinson says, “Doubles of raised suits usually stress takeout. North is limited by the earlier pass.” John Diamond (and others) think the clubs are not particularly hardy: “There was no reason to expect the bidding this high. North’s sequence suggests four+six with weak clubs and not a great hand.”
No | 5 !D (70) 15% of the Panel disagreed with the double and bid 5 !D, along with 22 % of the BW solvers and two of the IAC solvers. DickHy argues that “I had to do something over 3H, and 3S probably struck me as too weak, but why not 4D which gives a better view of the hand? 4H also has virtues. There’s no doubt that the double has woken up partner. With two spades would he have bid 3S? I can’t criticise partner over the 4NT – it’s clear as some of my bids. My t/o double might be inferred to show 4144, so partner might be asking about minors in which case 5D might correct the faulty picture.” Brian Glubok thinks “Six diamonds could be cold opposite something like: ♠Kx ♥x ♦AQxx ♣Axxxxx, but in real life partners often have less, and sometimes they have something quite different than expected.”
Yes | 6 !D (70) 15% of the Panel agreed with the double and bid 6 !D, along with 12 % of the BW solvers and one of the IAC solvers. WackoJack thinks “4NT must be saying “choose a minor” so do I bid 5♦ or 6D? Could partner have ♠x, ♥xxx, ♦AQJx, ♣AQJxx. Yes. Or could partner have ♠x, ♥Kxx, ♦AQJx, ♣QJ10xx? Yes perhaps. Or perhaps 3N here. This is a tough one. My gut feeling is that partner is more likely to have 2 aces than 1 ace when she bids 4NT. So I go for 6♦” Zia has similar thoughts, “I hope North has ace-jack-fifth/ace-jack-sixth in the minors (rather than queen-jack-fifth/ace-queen-jack-sixth).” Bart Bramley would “… prefer another heart for the double, but I see not good alternative with a strong hand offering many viable strains.”
Problem G 3 !S (Jcreech, Peuco, Yleexotee, WackoJack, Thornbury, Curls77, MarilynLi, VeeRee, BabsG, Blubayou, DickHy, CCR3, Hoki, Anonymous)
Imps
Neither side vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ A Q 7 6 4 3 ♥ Q ♦ A K Q ♣ Q 6 5
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
1 ♠ Pass 1 NT Pass
?
What call do you make?
Unbalanced hands in the 17-19 HCP range can be difficult to describe in certain situations, and this hand is among them. This is particularly true when you also have a stiff honor thrown into the mix. JCreech describes the choices well: “I am not sure whether to over or under bid here. I am the uncertainty of the stiff !H Q from a jump shift. I am afraid of the two of a minor or 3 !S being passed out when game is on. I do not want to unilaterally bit 3NT or 4 !S. I also do not want to manufacture a jump shift into a three-card suit.”
3 !S (100) The IAC solvers (78%) overwhelmingly jump raised themselves; a choice that was not nearly as strongly supported by either the BW Panel or solvers (both 30%). MarilynLi says it simply, “If partner doesn’t have a Spades fit, my hand doesn’t look that good any more.” CCR3 feels there is “No problem here. Dismiss the H queen, 17 pts, what I would do at the table.” BluBayou is either dusting off his philosophy coursework or returning to his commune days: “My glass is half-empty today; Will rebid as if my HQ is a small card rather than jump-shift in either of those minors. … Three days later, I am still seeing loss of a club, a heart, and two spades – if pard is inclined to drop our 3 Spade rebid, so no game-force for me.” DickHy “Sure, the spades are patchy and who knows how useful the heart queen will be, but this feels right.” The panelists hit similar themes: Leonard Hefgott thinks that 3 !S is “Just a trifle of an overbid. Bidding a three-card suit or notrump on an unbalanced hand hasn’t worked out for me.” Carl Hudecek opines: “What is lacking in suit texture is compensated for by high cards. Jumping in a minor would make a spade bid following a raise a control-bid.” Robert Wolff thinks it is “Too much of a distortion not to rebid spades.”
3 !C (90) By contrast, 22% of the Panel, 11% of the BW solvers and no IAC solver decided to jump shift into the three-card club suit. IAC solvers were completely unwilling to make this bid, but it scored too well not to see some of the expert thinking behind this bid. Larry Robbins points out that “Most experts assume that three clubs does not guarantee clubs. Maybe partner has six diamonds, and we want to play game or slam in, diamonds. I need to keep multiple options open.” Similarly, Daniel Korbel says “Partner knows this could be suspect. He will often give preference on a doubleton spade. Yes, it’s an overbid and a little misdirected, but everything else is goofy.” Zack Grossack thinks “Value-wise I should probably be forcing to game. I will bid three notrump over three hearts, raise three spades, or pass three notrump. Three diamonds will excite me.” The moderator cautions that while “Three clubs has the advantage of forcing to game as cheaply as possible, … it doesn’t help reach the best strain. Partner will expect the black suits, look at his three low diamonds, and not accept three notrump.”
3 NT (80) 3NT was a choice considered by some IAC solvers, but always rejected, but 19% of the panelists and 8% of the BW solvers made that their choice. Again the choice scored too well to ignore, but was never chosen by IAC solvers. Bart Bramley gives the honest appraisal: “Shows long spades and extras. The spades should be stronger, and the singleton is a defect (but at least it’s an honor), and I do have lots of extras.” Mark Cohen thinks it is “The value bid. The singleton is a queen, and the spade suit is too ratty to insist on it.” And John Diamond says “Balanced game–force is a decent description of the hand.” The moderator feels that “… three notrump might work, … it could lead to an inferior contract since partner will be guessing. It must be wiser to bid where you live and give partner the information he needs to make a choice.”
2 !C (70) Another significant selection was 2 !C. 15% of the Panel, 4% of the BW solvers, but only one IAC solver went that direction. Masse24 “Just shy of a jump-shift. The choices are, I think, 3 !S (what I would have done three years ago), 3 !D, 3 !C, and I suppose a jump-shift. I think the suit quality to be too poor for 3 !S, a sentiment I hope the panel agrees with. I can see the allure of 2 !D due to the suit quality, but 2 !C is where I’m hoping the panel goes.” While Hoki prefers a different option, he primarily discussed “The problem I see with 2C is that we may well be playing there is partner has five clubs and K-x of spades with only a minimum.” The moderator echos Hoki: “The danger is that two clubs will end the auction; if so, a game may be missed. Granted, this isn’t likely, but does bidding two clubs really gain anything?”
This ends Part 2. Unfortunately, the length requires me to put out a Part 3, which will only have the lead problem.
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April MSC SUMMARY (Part 3)– Kit Woolsey, Director
Problem H !S 7 (VeeRee, BabsG, Yleexotee, Masse24, Jcreech, WackoJack, Anonymous)
Imps
Both sides vulnerable
You, South, hold:
♠ 7 5 ♥ A Q 10 4 ♦ K 10 6 ♣ Q 10 9 2
SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST
—— —— —— 2 NT
Pass 3 ♣ Pass 3 ♦
Pass 3 NT (All Pass)
What is your opening lead?
The real debate with opening leads is whether to be aggressive or passive. The major considerations should be things like: (1) what might be found in partner’s hand, (2) what do I hold that might be compromised by leading, (3) how close do I think declarer is to having the needed tricks, and (4) is there any suit that we must establish while we have an entry? It all begins with trying to place cards around the table while you can still only see the 13 in front of you.
!S 7 (100) More than half of the BW solvers selected the !S 7 as their lead; a lead also chosed by roughly 40% of the Panel and IAC solvers. Masse24 “This was my out-of-the-box first instinct, and what I believe will be the popular solver choice … The !S 7 is the “safe” lead. I still hate lead problems.” JCreech “The majors are in front of me, while the minors behind, so I will try hitting partner’s length and go passive.” WackoJack “I think with only 4 card suits it pays to be passive. So 7♠. Yes partner may well have ♠Hxxx but likely would get it finessed anyway. Alternative is 10♣. The most I can expect is partner to have 4HCP. If partner as the J♣ or K♣ then I like a ♣ lead. OK if I lead a ♦ and declarer reels off 4♠ tricks I have to discard twice 4♥ and when I see dummy I will know which other. I fear being endplayed but to give away a trick on the lead would be worse.” YleeXotee “7 of spades for me, I’m being influenced by a lot of robot play lately where they don’t give up anything on their leads.” The experts agree. Howard Weinstein says “The likelihood of giving away a free trick seems to outweigh needing to set up hearts or clubs and guessing which one. Spade is percentage to be passive.” Sami Kehela, is “Keeping other options in abeyance.” And Billy Eisenberg already feels “Endplayed, as another lead could be disasterous.”
!S 5 (90) No one in IAC, only 1% of the BW solvers, and only 15% of the Panel made this lead, yet it received the second highest score. Bart Bramley is “Avoiding a broken suit until I have more info. The five to delay tipping off my problem as long as possible, fooling partner is less likely to matter than fooling declarer.” Brian Glubok says “Our hand is strong enough that we can probably afford to mislead the others.” The moderator adds “I agree with the falsecard. Partner has so little that he is unlikely to be involved, and he has heard the bidding, so he knows declarer doesn’t havefour spades. It is unlikely that the choice of spot card will cause North to have an accident. However, if declarer thinks we are leading from length, this may cause him to misjudge the play in spades or in general.”
!C 10 (80) 28% of the IAC solvers chose to lead the !C 10 on Problem H; 22% of the Panel and 16% of the BW solvers also made this choice. The primary reason for IAC solvers to lead the !C 10 is to avoid giving up a trick to declarer. For example, CCR3: “No hesitation here. Least likely to lose a trick.” And Peuco thinks “… the best shot at not giving a trick” While DickHy is avoiding the same problem in another suit: “Partner looks to have 4 spades, but he might also have just one honour there (the K). So let’s not kill that straightaway.” The Panel, though viewed it as the means to set up defensive tricks. Danny Klienman argues “Defense against notrump is more about establishing intermediate cards than trying to cash top winners. I’d lead the ten of clubs even at matchpoints, where a stronger case could be made for passivity because a spade lead could pickle partner’s meager strength.” Rozanne and Bill Pollack: “Combines reasonable aggression with controlled risk. A seemingly-safe spade might yield an extra entry for a finesse. A heart could be right, especially if partnr has the jack, but it could easily blow the critical trick.”
!C 2 (70) 11% of the Panel, joined by 8% of the BW solvers and one IAC solver, led the !C 2. KenBerg gave his lead a lot of thought: “The opponents have values but I “only” have an eleven count so partner probably, or at least possibly, has something. Like maybe the J of clubs. Rho lacks a major so he probably has some length in clubs. Partner probably does not have much length. Maybe partner has the club Jx. If so, a small club is much better than the club ten. And there are variants. Maybe he has the stiff J. H could have the stiff K. Or Kx. If I am going to lead a club, I am going with the club spot her. I can’t say I like leading a club, but I don’t like leading anything else either. So club deuce it is, no doubt pard can tell me how wrong this is after the hand is over.” Carl Hudecek says “At imps, I attack. Finding partner with the club king or two minor-suit jacks should give us a good chance.” David Berkowitz also leads the !C 2, “Playing partner for the jack that helps me the most.” However, the moderator thinks “Leading the deuce could give declarer four club tricks with king-jack-low opposite ace-eight-fourth or expose South to a later squeeze.”
The moderator made some interesting points on this lead problem. “Against three no trump, a good tactic is to look for a five-card suit. If you have one, lead it; if not, visualize whether partner might have one, and if so lead that suit. Otherwise make a safe lead. When the leader has most of the defensive strength, plenty of intermediates, and no indication that there is a long suit in the declarer’s hands, there are several reasons to go passive.” So how might this relate to clubs? Elsewhere, the moderator asks, “When does the club lead gain? When it hits parner’s five-card suit, but that isn’t very likely when declarer doesn’t have a major. … The other time a club lead gains is when a spade lead would blow a spade trick. This is possible if partner has a lower spade honor without intermediates, but these layouts involve fairly specific holdings. Declarer doesn’t have four spades, and dummy might not have four either.”
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Thank you, Jim!
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RE: the final comment on problem C: Eric Kokish wished for the talents of BluBayou in MSC months of yore: “Three notrump. We desperately need a very good simulation to know the percentage action (and why). Then we could eliminate this family of problems.”
Yes, this puzzle could use a large simulation (set West to 6-9 Clubs + 3-11? pts, South to the exact hand shown and make 200 examples--discarding the many dozens of deals where North would not hold a hand that would double the 3C opening). Unfortunately, IAC's del-generator cannot define mor than any two hands so requiring North hands to hold more than so-many HCP can't help out this large pruning demand :(
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<<--------June 2021 2nd draft--------->>
Problem A:> Still looks like what I want for a 3NT try facing a vul 2 level overcall
--2NT--
Problem B:> pard might be 4=2=3=4 so rather than trust clubs i will wrong-side the 1NT contract. Still no guts to give the co-op double, light and with one trump.
-- 1NT --
Problem C:> Three Clubs out-simulates passing out, 10 to 5. Didn't look at any other bid choices as it took 320 iterations to even get 15 hands that logically start with 3 passes!
-- 3 Clubs --
Problem D:> RKC is a bad bash; mild slam try bombs out unless pard has a rock where ANY rebid would work. That leaves the self splinter standing, since they left out choice D:"3 Diamonds--natural showing 10 red cards" lol -- (a) [ self-splinter in Clubs] --
Problem E:> in 2S hit, they take 5 trumps somehow or even only 4 and we take the rest.
-- pass --
Problem F:> -- pass --
Problem G:> sometime between now(4/18/21) and curfew, Ken will show us how easy opps' 2H is, with their measly 18-count. -- 2 Spades --
Problem H:> -- Club ACE--
Jock - you really need to park this on your computer, not in other months