Author Topic: Master Solvers Club - October 2019  (Read 15597 times)

Masse24

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #15 on: September 07, 2019, 08:06:38 PM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
Todd Holes
Glen Ellyn IL
U.S.A.

PROBLEM A: Pass.              Matchpoints--who knows.
PROBLEM B: 3 Notrump.     I see it as a "two bites at the apple" bid. Is the loss of the preemptive value of 5 !D worth it?
PROBLEM C: 2 Notrump.     I’m not overcalling 3 !H with that suit quality and only five of them. 
PROBLEM D: 1 Notrump.     Coin flip. Came up tails.
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades.       Treating as a GF. Will support !H next.
PROBLEM F: Double | Pass. No guarantee that 4 !S makes, so forcing partner to choose a red suit at the five level is high risk.
PROBLEM G: 3 Diamonds.   Forcing.
PROBLEM H: Club 6.           Leads are tough for me. I also like the !C T.
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DickHy

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #16 on: September 08, 2019, 08:20:41 PM »
There may be hoots of derision, but ...

A.  Pass.  Partner looks to have 16/17 HCP and 4504 (ish); each of the rest of us with 8 or so.  3N is tempting, but if E (who’s likely to have an outside honour) has Qxx in H, 3N is doomed.  In that case defending 3Dx, we would take 3 black suit tricks (presumably), 2 H tricks, a H ruff and a D for +500.  If H break badly, say with Q98x in W, 3N would go off, but defending 3Dx would score +300 (3 blacks, 2H and a D).  If E had only one H we only score +100 defending 3Dx: could we make 4C against opps with x54x and x16x for +130?  Not sure.

B.  4D.  West and partner figure to have 24 HCP between them, either side may have game or we might both have just part-scores.  Vulnerable I don’t want to go too crazy and discover a 20/20 hand.  However, I don’t need much from partner to make 5D, but I need fast tricks: Ks and Qs won’t be useful - but they will be useful if I opened a Gambling 3N and diamonds break.  It is not clear from the BWI system notes what partner will do opposite a Gambling 3N with a void in my suit (which will be clear).  If he bids 4N (System Change No. 425 asking for my minor) all might be ok.  If he passes with a void in my suit (say with 10-14) and opponents then pass, my diamonds will be useless and he will be trying to make 9 tricks with 12 out of 32 points.  Given that uncertainty I will have to settle for 4D.

C.  3H.  Double might work, but I worry that partner holding a hand with which I could make 4H (say 0346/1345 and 8-10 HCP) will pass my 3C after a Lebensohl sequence.

D.  Pass.   E has passed twice so has 5 or fewer HCP, say 3.  Partner and opener have 28 between them.  Partner figures to be short in H, but didn’t x, so perhaps has 10/11.  In that case, as we’re vulnerable and quite a few of my points may not pull much weight (J of C, QJ of H), I’m inclined to be cautious and see what happens.  After passing now, I can always bid diamonds or 2S later, depending on how the auction develops.

E.  2S.  3C is a possibility, but I’d like to bid 2S asking for a S stop.  Am struggling to find that bid in the BWI system; surely it’s available?   

F.   F1: x and F2: x.  Partner could have 5 spades and, even though he might have as little as just one honour card, that break could pose problems for declarer.  Alternatively, he could hold 5 clubs.  Either way I don’t want to impose a red suit on him (through a 4N overcall showing two suits).  So, x first and then, after (4S) – p – (p), x again.

G.   5C.  We’re vulnerable so my ever-reliable partner will have KQxxxxx in C and an honour card outside.  Even so, we could have 3 or 4 losers.  The HA is very useful if it survives as an entry until after the finesse or ruffing finesse in D, but will it?  Opponents don’t have game, so pass or 5C seems the choice.  What the heck.       

H.    Club T.  Partner has 6 HCP and 5 hearts.  He might have QJxxx in H and an outside entry, but I don’t really want to be banging down the HK at T1.  Call me simple, but a club lead seems reasonable.  Sure, opener may be 4315 but he could also be 4333.  I have entries (including probably the failed H finesse) to press on with clubs.  Left to my own devices I would lead the CT.  BWI may insist on 4th highest though, and a duck will be in the offing.       


SOLUTIONS FOR:
Dick Harvey
Southampton
U.K.

PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B: 4 Diamonds
PROBLEM C: 3 Hearts
PROBLEM D: Pass
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades
PROBLEM F: Double | Double
PROBLEM G: 5 Clubs
PROBLEM H: Club 10


wackojack

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #17 on: September 09, 2019, 04:59:33 PM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
Jack Goody
Guildford
England

PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts                                Stick to my guns
PROBLEM B: 5 Diamonds                           That is what I have got
PROBLEM C: 2 Notrump                             Reluctantly rejected double 
PROBLEM D: 2 Diamonds                           Looks right
PROBLEM F: 4 Spades                                4  !S Michaels?  Out on a limb here
PROBLEM G: 3 Diamonds                           Take it easy
PROBLEM H: Spade 4                                 Partner I believe on the bidding  has at least 3 spades; if K10x it will be my lucky day

wackojack

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #18 on: September 09, 2019, 09:04:55 PM »
Missing was:
E: 2  !S

drac

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #19 on: September 10, 2019, 09:05:33 AM »
SOLVER: Wladislaus Dragwlya     
        Castrum Sex
        Romania

Your Solutions for the October 2019 Contest
-------------------
PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM C: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM D: 1 Notrump
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades
PROBLEM F: Double | Double
PROBLEM G: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM H: Heart King

kenberg

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #20 on: September 10, 2019, 12:04:47 PM »
SOLVER: Ken Berg
        Eldersburg MD
        U.S.A.

Your Solutions for the October 2019 Contest
-------------------
PROBLEM A: Pass
PROBLEM B:  1 Diamond
PROBLEM C:  Double
PROBLEM D:  1 Notrump
PROBLEM E:  2 Spades
PROBLEM F:  4 Spades
PROBLEM G: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM H:  Club 6

Some of these might be a bit eccentric


Ken

Masse24

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #21 on: September 10, 2019, 02:00:20 PM »

Some of these might be a bit eccentric

No doubt a result of your Minnesota upbringing. Heck, you probably even double up on the tater tots in your hot dish.

Now that's eccentric!  ;)
“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

kenberg

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #22 on: September 10, 2019, 05:17:33 PM »
SOLVER: Ken Berg
        Eldersburg MD
        U.S.A.

Your Solutions for the October 2019 Contest
-------------------
PROBLEM A: Pass                    100
PROBLEM B: 1 Diamond             70
PROBLEM C: Double                   70
PROBLEM D: 1 Notrump             70
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades              100
PROBLEM F: 4 Spades                60
PROBLEM G: 3 Notrump             70
PROBLEM H: Club 6                   90

                                               630

All in all I'm satisfied. I thought some answers, such as 1 !D on B, might be scored as  "You gotta be kidding". But it seemed to me that partner could have a hand where 6 !D was on ice but he would not raise 5 !D to 6 !D.  And for the lead problem I considered the !C 2 instead of the !C 6, both were given the same score but the 2 got more panel votes. I was far from confident either would be seen as worthwhile.

As to Minnesota, I am pleased to say that my wife Becky has now been ice fishing. (I might have said this before.) Pretty good for someone who, as a teen in the 1960s, lived a few blocks from Haight Asbury.  "One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small..."  She tells me that she stayed pretty clear of it. But she did see Jefferson Airplane live.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2019, 06:06:41 PM by kenberg »
Ken

Masse24

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #23 on: September 10, 2019, 06:08:01 PM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
Todd Holes
Glen Ellyn IL
U.S.A.

PROBLEM A: Pass.              100
PROBLEM B: 3 Notrump.       50
PROBLEM C: 2 Notrump.     100
PROBLEM D: 1 Notrump.       70
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades.       100
PROBLEM F: Double | Pass.   70
PROBLEM G: 3 Diamonds.   100
PROBLEM H: Club 6.            90

                                           680

Nothing shocking. I am, however, mildly surprised that 3NT did not garner more support from the panel on problem B. But I suspected that might be the case. I'm curious how the panel voices their strong preference. Presumably, it's due to the preemptive nature of the bid. What else?

I wonder, too, about problem D. I chose 1NT over my original thought of 2 !D because I was unsure how BWS treats 2 !D there. I like it to show a tolerance (Qx or better?) for partner's suit, but could not find this mentioned in the system. The panel's thinking will interest me here. Contested auctions and "what means what" can get rather convoluted.

ToasterLn, by the way, rocked this month with a 740. Nice score!  :) 
« Last Edit: September 10, 2019, 11:58:58 PM by Masse24 »
“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

jcreech

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #24 on: September 11, 2019, 03:48:57 AM »
I feel like a kindergartner doing these problems.  However, I feel they have real value..  Wish more of the IAC players would participate.  .....maybe then I would not be embarrassed at my poor decisions.   ;)


I wish my decisions this month were as good as yours.  740 the makes Bridge World honor roll.  Well done.

The full list follows:

Name      Score    Rank Pl Pts  HR Pts         
ToasterLn   740       1     20       10
Masse24      680     2   15   
WackoJack   670        3      10   
DrAculea      670      3   10   
KenBerg      630      5   1   
Jcreech      600        6   1   
DickHy      570        7   1   
BabsG      510        8   1   
Blubayou      510        8   1   
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

Masse24

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #25 on: September 17, 2019, 11:26:44 AM »
My Bridge World arrived so I've added some panel opinions below.

The director for October was Kit Woolsey.

A few snippets from the panel:

PROBLEM A: Pass was the majority panel choice. Our IAC forum solvers were pretty much in line with the panel vote for Pass. Danny Kleinman stated it best with, “Not expecting to be able to run clubs, I don’t like my prospects for nine tricks quickly enough to make three notrump; so, with two ace I’ll hope for a moderate penalty, trusting North to have ample high cards.”

Kit summarized with, “One of the problems with bidding anything is that even if there is a better spot than defending against three diamonds doubled, we might not find it. That is often a good reason to pass a takeout double of a preempt when there is no attractive alternative.”

PROBLEM B:!D . This was a landslide majority. Kit started off with, “The obvious five-diamond bid speaks for itself,” later asking, “What’s the problem?”

Darn it! Not so “obvious” to me.

Kit’s words pretty much summarized everyone else’s. But Bobby Wolff quipped, “I love two-suiters, especially when both suits are only one.” Yup! 😊

PROBLEM C: 2NT. Although 2NT was the plurality panel choice (as well as the IAC forum), there was plenty of dissention on this one. Kit states, “Yes, the singleton club is the big flaw. A five-four heart fit can be located, and three-notrump might be better than a five-three heart fit. However, if West leads a club and partner doesn’t have the suit well-stopped, nothing will save the notrumpers.”

PROBLEM D:!D . The runaway panel choice, receiving 19 of 27 votes.

I went with 1NT after long contemplation. A flip of the coin, which did not pan out as planned.

Kit: “It is true that South has a great heart holding for notrump. Otherwise though, there is nothing about the hand that looks like notrump. A singleton. A broken six-card suit that will take time and entries to establish. If this is a part-score deal, diamonds figures to play a lot better than notrump.”

PROBLEM E:!S . Universally considered a game-force, which was part of our forum discussion. Maybe I'm wrong but, I'm not sure that everyone on our forum understood the GF nature of this bid, so this was a good "what means what" moment.

Kit: Opining about 2 !S , “I don’t get it, isn’t that game-forcing?” (Kit obviously disagreed with the GF strength evaluation by bidding 2NT).

Karen McCallum: “A slight overbid (game-forcing), but this is our best shot at reaching the right strain.

Zia: “Confucius: better to overbid a little than underbid a lot.”

There were several other 2 !S bidders who slipped in comments alluding to the fact that it was a mild overbid, but the flexibility (also expressed by some of our forum) made up for the mild over-evaluation.

PROBLEM F: Double | Double. A wide variance on this one, which makes sense since it was a two-parter.

Kokish (with Bramley, Berkowitz, and Robinson) believed the Double | Double route to be the most flexible. Kit disagreed stating, “Double then double may seem more flexible, but that is an illusion. Unless partner happens to have an unlikely spade stack, how will he know whether or not to pass? . . . Bidding five diamonds may leave only two options, but these are likely to be the right ones.”

PROBLEM G: 3 !D . Kit summarized with, “If the choice were between pass and five clubs, I would agree that bidding is the percentage action. But there are other options. As long as South makes a forcing bid, five clubs won’t run away. (Exactly!) Three-notrump or even five diamonds might be the best game. Probing does little damage. . . . It must be better to try to find the best game . . . .

PROBLEM H: LOW !S . A low !S received 10 panel votes, a low !C received 9. Close – hence the close scores of 100 and 90 respectively. 
There was wide agreement that dummy showed a 4=3=1=5 with roughly 16 HCP.

Although there were a few who chose the !H King, Karen McCallum voiced the negatives for that lead best with, “Partner probably has five hearts but not enough strength to establish and run the suit, even if the hearts are strong.” Kokish, however, had other ideas, choosing the !H K with the following, “Likely to be productive to lead North’s five-card suit rather than to guess which black suit card will not concede a trick.” Good point! 

That's all folks!
Attempting to reproduce all the panel responses would take forever, however, if you have a question about a particular problem and how the panel voted, just ask.
« Last Edit: September 17, 2019, 11:29:16 AM by Masse24 »
“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

bAbsG

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #26 on: September 17, 2019, 04:50:22 PM »
Wonderful summary Todd!  Thanks for taking the time to do this.   !H

blubayou

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Re: Master Solvers Club - October 2019
« Reply #27 on: September 25, 2019, 02:00:59 AM »
where the heck is an avalanch of ABSTAAIN!! s   from failure to open 1NT????
and  who has any respect for free 1S bids?  :):)
often it is better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission