Author Topic: Master Solvers Club - September 2019  (Read 26371 times)

toasterln

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #30 on: August 08, 2019, 09:24:44 PM »
Hi Folks,  Thank you for starting this discussion.
A.  3  !S  Let's find out more about p's hand
B.  4  !S   We have at least 10 cards in  !S's.  If p has a fit in  !D , he can go forward. 
C.  3 !S  No help for p, but I want to be invitational.  4sf  seems too much.
D.  3 !D  4SF ...  We have at least game in  !H 
E.  6  !H  Opps bid sound preemptive to me... Partner has "stuff" or would Dbl the 4 !S bid since we are VUL
F.  Pass then 3 !D
G.  4 !H  7 card suits are meant to be trump.  The AQ !C rates to be in the right location.
H.  J !S  , looks passive to me

DickHy

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #31 on: August 09, 2019, 06:13:36 PM »
Here's a view from the intermediate side of the tracks.  I decided on my entries before reading beyond Ken's discussion of the first two problems.  It was good fun after making my selections to read what you guys (who are much better than me) thought.  Doubt it will entertaining for you to read my thoughts, but I may enter regularly just to see if I improve.

A.  3S.

Partner didn’t double – but 3H would be the bid (irrespective of the S holding) with AKxxxx in H and some HCP in minors (even with 4 cards in one of the minors).  We could run into A of S lead and a S ruff, and then find Qxx in trumps with East.  Still, slam could be on.  If partner cue-bids 4C, then I sign-off in 4H.  If partner cue-bids 4C, then I will bid 4N, passing a 5H response and raising 5S to 6H (with a prayer that partner has xx or x in S).

B.  4C

Partner will be able to work out from the bidding that I am short/void in H, so I will show the C shortage with a splinter bid.  Partner looks to be 5512/5503/5413 so a C shortage could be of great interest, and leaves room for a 4D cue-bid.

C.  2D

I am happy to force here because of the good spades.  If partner continues with 2N, 2H or 2S then the choice of game is obvious.  After 3C, however (probably showing a 2515/1525 hand), I would bid 3S thinking partner might raise to 4S (holding 2515) which looks a decent spot or bid 4C (holding 1525).  I might pass 4C, knowing we have 2 diamonds losers at T1 and T2.  I would worry that my 3S bid after partner continues 3C over 2D is not crystal clear, but with 6 spades I would have rebid 3S instead of 2D, so perhaps partner can work out it shows a solid 5c suit?

D.  3D

Slam looks possible even if partner has only a moderate opening hand (say xx Axxx KJx KQxx).  Much depends on agreements on game tries.  The BWS First Slam-Try [“When the first slam-try after suit agreement is made by a player who has shown no suit other than the agreed suit, it shows length in the bid suit (or, when applicable, where a high-card value will be especially useful).”] suggests 3D – asking partner if he has values in the suit – and that seems a reasonable start.  Certainly, if partner has no high cards or control (void/x) in D slam is not on (especially after advertising the D weakness!) 

E.  6H

Defensively it looks as though we’re not going to make a H trick, but the two diamond tricks look safe.  What have we got in C?  Partner probably is 36xx, but not 36xx with both the A and K of clubs (surely 5H is a little shy then?).  6H is on with 3631/3640 or 3622 with either the K or A of C, but looks dicey with 3613 and Kxx/Axx in C.  Partner maybe not have bid 5H (holding 3613 or 3622) without the K or A of C.  However, if he did, we look unlikely to beat 5S.  So, in that case 6H-2 would be a good result.

F.  2N

Assuming East’s jump overcall is 6-9 and shows a 6c suit, we may have game as West is a passed hand: (partner 16, me 10, East 7, West 7).  Partner figures to be short in H, so with 16 HCP could not have opened 1N.   Alternatively, E could have 9, West 8 and partner 13, so a GF bid looks dodgy.  2N shows partner the H stop and a decent point count (if partner asks where the 11th HCP is, I can point to the combined 10 and 9 of diamonds to distract him while I make my escape). 

G.  3S

North may well have KQxxxx in S and not a great deal else.  East has shown 4 hearts offering us a choice of declaring with trumps 6-2 (S; with the top 3) or 7-1/7-0 (H, probably missing the A).   3S looks a better spot than 3H - which looks a decent bid if it wasn’t non-forcing.   EW look to be heading to D, but 5 may be too many for them.  Am not sure about xx here, would partner think 10-13 and no S fit?  And is 3S now rather than later stronger?  Whatever, partner being a good egg will raise to 4S when holding the C K!
           

H.  CJ

A 3H response to 2C shows a one-loser suit apparently so perhaps 2H shows none or two losers.  West with his 6C bid suggests he is missing a black suit ace or the KC. East offers reassurance so must have S covered as well as the red suits.  A club lead looks safest – not always a selling point.  I want to avoid a red suit lead.  A club lead might result in East playing off clubs, then I can discard from the red suits after East does.     

 

DickHy

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #32 on: August 09, 2019, 06:25:57 PM »
Dick Harvey
Southampton
U.K.

PROBLEM A: 3 Spades
PROBLEM B: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM D: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 3 Spades
PROBLEM H: Club Jack

drac

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #33 on: August 10, 2019, 05:08:09 AM »
SOLVER: Wladislaus Dragwlya
        Castrum Sex
        Romania

Your Solutions for the September 2019 Contest
-------------------
PROBLEM A: 3 Spades
PROBLEM B: 4 Spades
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM D: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 4 Spades
PROBLEM H: Club Jack

waiting for the deep embarrassing ... again and again  ;D

kenberg

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #34 on: August 10, 2019, 12:26:39 PM »

Your Solutions for the September 2019 Contest 
-------------------
PROBLEM A: 4 Notrump
PROBLEM B: 4 Spades
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM D: 3 Clubs
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM G: Redouble
PROBLEM H: Spade Jack


I made one change, problem F, from what I posted earlier. This was not from some great insight but rather because I read the problem more carefully and found that the 3 !D bid I was going to make would be game forcing.  I had chosen 3 !D saying I assumed it was forcing but not game forcing. Always helps to read what is written. In competitive auctions I like having new suits, even at teh non-jump 3 level, be forcing but not game forcing, maybe with some exceptions. This wouldn't be one of my exceptions. But I am glad I read the conditions of contest!

As always, I can easily imagine other choices being right. If it were not so, we would not be doing these.
Ken

Isabelle10

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #35 on: August 10, 2019, 09:12:25 PM »
Your Solutions for the September 2019 Contest 
-------------------
PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM B: 3 Hearts
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM D: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM H: Heart Queen

Masse24

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #36 on: August 10, 2019, 10:05:41 PM »
Good job Ken and Jim ----- Honor Roll this month!!!  :)

PROBLEM B is one for the record books. The most answers with a score I've ever seen. 32!! I wonder if it's a Bridge World record?
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kenberg

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #37 on: August 10, 2019, 11:34:51 PM »
Thanks. Here are my scores:


PROBLEM A: 4 Notrump              80
PROBLEM B: 4 Spades               100
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds             60
PROBLEM D: 3 Clubs                   90
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts                  90
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump             100
PROBLEM G: Redouble               100
PROBLEM H: Spade Jack              70
 
                                                690

I get some amusement from the 70 on the last problem. That's the one I thought to be the mot obvious. On reflection, I guess I see the point of the lead of the !H Q. I am happy anyway.  I usually get one score of approximately 0, and I have avoided that.

Time for some (more) wine.




Ken

jcreech

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #38 on: August 11, 2019, 02:30:51 AM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
James Creech
Glen Allen VA
U.S.A.

PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts             60
PROBLEM B: 4 Spades           100
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds         60
PROBLEM D: 2 Spades           100
PROBLEM E: Pass                    90
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump          100
PROBLEM G: Redouble            100
PROBLEM H: Diamond Jack       80

            Total                          690

Getting the same score as the person I designated as partner should count for something, but, alas, no.  The percentage of matched choices, though, has improved to 50%.  Congrats, Ken for good scores on a tough set.

A lot of participants this month.  Congrats to all!  Just the process of thinking through your choice on a set like this makes problems at the table easier to tackle.

A couple of comments about the scores:

Problem A - I underestimated the degree to which experts expect light weak twos from partner.  I thought by bringing 4 tricks to the party that more would be aggressive and cue to show strength.  As usual, when Todd has a strong feeling about an answer, he is usually correct.

Problem E - I really thought that a forcing pass was the correct bid to make in an expert field, and was stunned to see 5NT.  It will be interesting to see what 5NT is expected to elicit as a response since I am holding two of the top three honors, it is not a grand slam force as I am acquainted.  This is where you start to see where changes are occurring among top players.

Problem H:  Since 2 !H was not alerted as a double negative, I took it for a good suit and a positive response.  Therefore, I was unwilling to solve the suit for declarer.  If I was right that the !D stop might be a single stop only, then I wanted to knock it out before they found out that the clubs may not run (opener's primary suit) and entries may be slim for setting up the !H suit.  It will be interesting to see what the experts were thinking on this one.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2019, 11:32:59 AM by jcreech »
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

jcreech

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #39 on: August 11, 2019, 02:34:07 AM »
Monster Points winners

for September 2019

Name     BW Pts MP Award MP Bonus 
kenberg    690    20       10
jcreech    690    20       10
babsg      650    10
masse24    650    10
blubayou   640    1
Isabelle10 630    1
DrAculea   590    1
Wackojack  590    1
Isabelle10 550    1
DickHy  500     1
Curls77    500    1
ToasterLn  500    1
and two private participants  1 each

We had two players make the Bridge World Honor Roll this month, earning that bonus as well. 

Thank you for participating.  Your comments were good and thought provoking.

Scoring correction:  Thank you Isabelle10, the error was with the lookup function for Problem D.  The score has been corrected and the leaderboard adjusted.  Added blubayou, who sumitted to Bridge World, but missed how to submit for IAC credit.  Added DickHy, who accidently got missed when I put together the posting.

To submit publicly, you can hit reply in the appropriate forum month, then paste a copy of the email submission, and finally submit.

To submit privately, you can send your responses to either Masse24 or jcreech either here in iac.pigpen.org.uk or in BBO.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2019, 12:05:57 AM by jcreech »
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

Isabelle10

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #40 on: August 11, 2019, 07:34:52 AM »
I would like to appeal against the result noted for me.  Unless I am mistaken I scored 630.

Your Solutions for the September 2019 Contest 
-------------------
PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts               60
PROBLEM B: 3 Hearts               70
PROBLEM C: 2 Diamonds          60
PROBLEM D: 3 Diamonds          80
PROBLEM E: 6 Hearts               90
PROBLEM F: 2 Notrump            100
PROBLEM G: 4 Hearts               70
PROBLEM H: Heart Queen         100

Total                                        630

I was particularly pleased with problem H.  I cannot see anyone else choosing the heart queen!



« Last Edit: August 11, 2019, 11:55:42 AM by Isabelle10 »

wackojack

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #41 on: August 11, 2019, 10:12:53 AM »
Very interested in how the marks are allocated by BW.  The is a very low correlation between the % of votes and the marks given. 

I happened to score zero on the lead problem H and the Q  !H and J  !H both scored 100.  The Q  !H got 10 (out of 28) expert panel votes and 14% of solvers and the J  !H got 3 expert votes and 1% of solvers. It appears that some panel votes get more marks than others.  Also I would be very interested in the reasons for each vote.  Is this a marketing ploy for BW in that you have to buy the magazine to find out?     


jcreech

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #42 on: August 11, 2019, 11:04:12 AM »
Jack,

I think the top score is generally reserved for the answer that has the most panel votes or its justifiable equivalent.  That is why the !H Q was selected, and the J was probably selected as the deceptive equivalent.  (Though when the moderator has strong feelings, or the panelists do not have strong feelings, the moderator will sometimes go with their inclination - as seems to have happened in Problem D of this set.) 

Todd usually summarizes the panel discussion of problems that either interested him or were points of discussion in our forum.  Since only Isabelle10 selected that answer, I suspect it will be something Todd will bring to the forum's discussion.

Some moderators seem to be affected by the non-panel votes when assigning scores, others do not.  But that may be a misperception on my part.  It may be that the non-panel votes for a secondary score happens to correspond with the moderators own preferences.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2019, 11:37:19 AM by jcreech »
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

kenberg

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #43 on: August 11, 2019, 01:16:08 PM »
My scores have been all over the place, decent this month, pitiful other months, I don't much worry about it. I enjoy discussing hands, I like seeing what other posters have to say, and when I re-think things it can be  useful. Here are a couple of useful tings for me from the just scored contest..

1. On problem G I redoubled. Thursday I was at the local club and I asked partner what he thought the difference was between an immediate 4 !H over the X, and an XX followed by 4 !H, and he said he thought the second route showed some values in !S.  Right. That doesn't mean that XX is best, but it was a chance to discuss understandings.

2. On H, the lead problem, I chose the "safe" !S J.  I did not think much about it, it seemed obvious. Huh!  Not for the first time I later realized that I should have thought a little more. The !H Q is also safe, and in fact even safer. It is impossible on the auction that dummy will hit with !H Kxx. probably not Kx either, but if so that would not cost a trick. So leading the !H Q is completely safe. It also might be very useful. If declarer holds AKTxx(x) and dummy hits with a stiff, there is at least the possibility that declarer might hope to run a squeeze to establish his 13th trick with the !H T. . Taking out his entry to the !H suit might disrupt this, or at least make it more difficult. So the !H Q it is.

Anyway, I do subscribe to Bridge World and sometimes I even read it. I see it as one source among many.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2019, 01:19:34 PM by kenberg »
Ken

Masse24

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Re: Master Solvers Club - September 2019
« Reply #44 on: August 11, 2019, 01:33:01 PM »
Yup, Jack.

The scores are not always what we might think they should be. For example, on problem "G," there were more panel votes for 4 !H than for any other. Should score 100, right? (Works for me since it was my choice!) Not necessarily. Ken and I had this discussion a year ago on this same topic. Unless the top vote-getter is a majority, the director is given wide latitude in assigning scores.

The conditions of contest read as follows:

Directors and Scoring

Each contest is directed by a member of the Bridge World editorial staff. After the contest deadline, the contest's director assigns scores to answers on each problem, giving a highest score of 100 and lower scores generally in multiples of 10. The director does the scoring according to a personal view of the merits of different possibilities but is guided by the votes and comments of a panel of experts. However, the director must award 100 to an action receiving a majority panel vote, at least 10 to any action receiving at least one panel vote, and some score (even if zero) to every legal action.


So, according to the rules, only an action receiving a "majority of panel votes" must receive a score of 100. If not, the highest vote-getter (the one receiving a plurality of votes) usually . . . almost always . . . just about every time receives a score of 100. In those cases--as we see with "G" this month--the director is given wide latitude in choosing which action scores 100. Also lesser scores.

It is what it is . . .

I am always anxious to read the panel's thoughts when the magazine arrives. For me, this is the point of the whole exercise! I enjoy the slow deliberate thought process for each problem and, since we've started this discussion, the back and forth between IAC'ers. After reading the panel's thoughts, I try to incorporate those principles into my own thought process. While I would never take the time it takes for these problems at the table, I am hopeful that these problems can influence my thinking when it counts.

My own personal choice for "WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?" for this month goes to problem "C." I chose a game-force 2 !D . A clear choice for me. I was more confident on that problem than any other. I thought it out carefully. I eliminated the bad choices. I thought about it some more. Then, I chose wisely . . . or so I thought. But I scored a fourth best 60.
“Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and will be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded away.” Abraham Lincoln