Author Topic: Sept 2021 MSC  (Read 7647 times)

blubayou

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #15 on: July 25, 2021, 10:53:50 PM »
Frank/Peuco:  you  grock my early thoughts,  but a few of them are flawed:)   Ihope you continue  to "paddle your own  canoe"  by voting time,  my friend  ( I sure have)
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yleexotee

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2021, 06:59:05 PM »
Current thoughts. trying to finalize soon
A. 4H
B. 2nt (wondering if there is a relay over 2c if it can be short so that 2D or something is ok. 2h if I don't want to wrong side the NT)
C. X
D. X
E. 2S
F. 5C but this is iffy, need someway to mention diamonds
G. 2H
H. 10S boring, but hopefully the popular lead.

Masse24

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #17 on: July 28, 2021, 02:25:31 AM »
September Guesses:

PROBLEM A: 4 !H. I want grand. If partner has the right hand, I can see a path via 4 !H. 5 !C at once to show the void could create later problems. Although I would like it to be EKCB in this auction, I do not believe that it is. The panel should clear this up for us. As mentioned elsewhere, I do not have the cue-bidding tools (via 5 !C now) to find the grand.


PROBLEM B: 2 !D. Conservation of space principle. 2NT with those nondescript spades is not a viable choice. Although 2 !H in BWS does not promise six, it does have the potential to waste a level. By staying below 2 !H, I allow partner to show delayed support at the two level, potentially saving an entire level of bidding.

I have more confidence in this choice than any other this month. A bad omen.


PROBLEM C: 2 !H. Hate this. The hand is better than 2 !H, not good enough for 3 !H, and double with a void scares me. Might flip-flop on this one.


PROBLEM D: 4 !C. Lots of clubs, so I show them. 3 !D also intrigues me, but I will shy away from it this time since it accomplishes little other than to force. By the way—WHERE ARE THE !D ? I think LHO has a mittful of !D. So while I think 3 !D now is the sexy choice, it wll be immediately swallowed up by some level of red suit rebid by the opps.

However, 4 !C now followed by 4 !S (if room permits) over their 4 red should draw a good picture of my hand. If partner doubles 4 red, I leave it.


PROBLEM E: 2 !S. Go low. Some will bid 3 !C to force game and elicit more information from partner. It is, after all, a hand we would all open in first seat.

Another option is 3 !S. Certainly the value bid. And descriptive. But the heart void is screaming misfit. Time to get out low. Surely one or two of these MSC panelists has written something along these lines in one of his books about bridge?


PROBLEM F: 4NT. Both minors, presumably showing primary clubs.


PROBLEM G: 2 !H. Too early to commit to a strain or a level. This is the best way to get more information from partner. That spade suit is close to just bidding game, but not quite.


PROBLEM H: !S T. MSC lead problems generally have quite a few possible answers. Will this be the first unanimous lead problem? No, probably not. I did consider the mildly sneaky !S 9.




FINAL PICKS:

PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM B: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM C: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM D: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades
PROBLEM F: 4 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM H: Spade 10
« Last Edit: July 31, 2021, 07:51:54 PM by Masse24 »
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kenberg

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #18 on: July 28, 2021, 12:53:00 PM »
Todd,

I am still hung up on A. I agree both that it would be good if 5C were EKCB and that it probably isn't.

But now a question: How do you see the auction going after 5C? Otherwise put, who will be making the final decision?

partner's 4D call was encouraging but could have been made with the diamond K rather than the A. If he has the A he will presumably bid 5D over 5C (and so if he doesn't bit 5D over 5C I think we forget the grand). So suppose he bids 5D. I suppose we now bid 5H. Crunch time. Partner's next bid could be 5S or 6S or 7S. It might also be 5D. The thing is, I have more than the ace of hearts, I have the four top hearts and probably two more heart tricks. Partner can hear my enthusiastic bidding but he has vo reason to think I have H:AKQJxx. So who is going to place the final contract?

This heart suit is sort of a mixed blessing. It's a great source of tricks, but I'm the only one who knows I have it. Pard knows I have hearts, but he doesn't know I have these hearts. Otoh, pard might have a minimum 4D call or he might have more than that. So who decides? As is probably clear, these are questions that I don't know the answer to.

Time for me to move on to B.
Ken

msphola

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #19 on: July 28, 2021, 01:26:26 PM »
A. 4 !H
B. 2 !D
C. X
D. 4 !S
E. 3 !C
F. 4N
G. 3 !S
H. 10 !S

jcreech

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #20 on: July 28, 2021, 03:32:40 PM »
Ken,

This is not intended to slow you down and make you reconsider Problem A, but ...  You might want to ponder this from BWS 2017:

"Exclusion Blackwood: When a call is defined as Exclusion Blackwood (EB), the replies are in steps similar to Key-Card Blackwood, but the replier does not count the ace of an excluded suit. The EB interpretation applies to certain jumps that name an excluded suit, and also when a player makes a slam-try, indicates a short suit, receives no encouragement, and then bids four notrump (in which case the indicated short suit is an excluded suit)." (emphasis mine).

The situation does not map exactly to the Problem, but it suggests that 4 NT might be an EB situation, or that the 4 !H (last train) needs to included in order to make 4 NT EB.  In other words, there may be a route to EB, it just is not clear what that route may be.  Regardless, it does not seem that 5 !C is an asking bid; it looks to be a telling bid, whether you go through last train or not.
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

Masse24

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #21 on: July 28, 2021, 03:37:59 PM »
But now a question: How do you see the auction going after 5C? Otherwise put, who will be making the final decision?

I wish I knew! 

Ideally, if I bid 4 !H partner rolls out RKCB. I respond 5NT to show my void and two keys. Depending on his holding, he can "ask" for the queen with the next step. Since we are already committed to 6 !S, this is surely a try for grand. With the trump Q and solid hearts, you could just go.

That would be my dream auction to grand. And maybe that's better than any continuations over 5 !C?

I don't know. I've not yet submitted. The thing about the immediate 5 !C is we do not know partner's trump holding. Does he "cooperate" with !S Jxxx or xxxx?

This is where kicks under the table could come in handy!  ;)
“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

blubayou

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #22 on: July 28, 2021, 04:50:19 PM »
Early in this thread, some wise analyst said "After 4 diamonds,  we are in 6 or 7 spades."  Agreeing with this, I think showing all my goodies and dragging mister unwilling to 6 is pretty good deciding,   and may wake him up to how nice KJxxx, ?, A??, x??  is to have under the circumstances. (IF he actually did sign off with such after both our 4H and then 5C !?)
SOLUTIONS FOR: Jock McQuade, 3 Bag End, Hobbiton OR 97030U.S.A.
PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts  then show  void, then drive to slam even with no further co-operation
PROBLEM B: 2 Hearts. We can play game in "anything"   but if we get to six,  I want to be dummy.
PROBLEM C: Double.    3 hearts instead seems reasonable
PROBLEM D: 3 Spades. No safety-net;  pard will come through with the goods and the  K may not be trash
PROBLEM E: 3 Clubs.   apparent winners and the L.T.C. outvote the heart misfit.  Go for it!
PROBLEM F:  5 Clubs  If this has no play,  why didn't partner hit it (4 spades)?    (see rejected first thought just below)
  deleting-->   Double. "No "STOP_DOUBLE" from partner is the only thing that worries me about this one."     PROBLEM G:4 Spades. Oppos' silence doesn't mean partner is loaded-- it means he has several hearts.  We                                      are on our own with this spade suit, perhaps too much on our own?
PROBLEM H: Spade 10. Undoubtedly the most boring lead problem in 2 years, unless
  (This entry is now official to  the B.W.)
   5C-  80, 2NT-80, 2H-20, 3D-60, 3S-90, 5C-90, 4S-100, S 10-100...= 640
   4H-100, 2NT-80,Dbl=80,Dbl=0, 2S-20, 4NT-50, 2H-70,   S 10-100...= 500
« Last Edit: July 31, 2021, 12:58:47 AM by blubayou »
often it is better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission

bAbsG

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #23 on: July 28, 2021, 08:23:53 PM »
SOLVER: Babs Giesbrecht
Your Solutions for the September 2021 Contest 
-------------------
PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM B: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM C: 3 Hearts
PROBLEM D: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 3 Clubs
PROBLEM F: 4 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM H: Spade 10

ccr3

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #24 on: July 28, 2021, 11:35:49 PM »
Problem A: 4H
Problem B: 2d
Problem C: 2H
Problem D: 3c
Problem E: 3c
Problem F: 4NT
Problem G: 2H
Problem H: 10 S  :'(

Masse24

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #25 on: July 29, 2021, 02:32:54 AM »
Was thinking about "A" again. I'll probably go with 4 !H for the reasons posted upthread. The smoothest route to the grand--which is what we're all hoping for--is via partner trotting out 4NT.

Isn't it?  :-\

If I bid 5 !C instead of the Last Train 4 !H, I honestly do not have the cue-bidding tools to get to the grand. Of course . . . the panelists likely do.
“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

wackojack

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #26 on: July 29, 2021, 08:49:44 PM »
Problem A  5 !C
Already discussed

Problem B  2NT
For me 2NT tells the truth about the hand and 2♥ and 2♦ both tell porkies.  If we don’t bid 2NT what spade holding would partner have to (a) bid 2NT or (b) 2♠.  With ♠ Qxx or ♠Qx and balanced partner might avoid bidding no trumps unnecessarily.  With ♠Kx and balanced I assume partner will be bold and bid notrumps, but with this holding a no trump contract by South is just as good.

Problem C  2♥
Obviously

Problem D  3 !D
Just a bit too strong to bid 2♠.  So lets try 3♦.  If partner has a min take-out double like:
 ♠ Kxxx, ♥ Axxx, ♦ KQx, ♣xx and bids 3♠ I will pass.

Problem E  3 !S
Too strong to bid 2♠.  Try 3♣.  However, I dread 3♥ now.

Problem F  5 !C
Lets assume that opps made a LAW bid of 4♠.  Then partner has a doubleton ♠.  Maybe 6♥ and say 3♦ and 2♣s.  I think that 5♣ looks better than double or 4NT.

Problem G  2 !H
2♦ is non-forcing which I don’t like.  Nevertheless it should not be a rescue and so partner is likely to have 2 card ♠ support. Lazy bid is 4♠.  Maybe 2♥ is better as a ♦ slam is a possibility.

Problem G  10 !S
♦ lead is more likely to give away a trick than 10♠



wackojack

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #27 on: July 30, 2021, 05:29:17 PM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
Jack Goody
Guildford
England

PROBLEM A: 5 Clubs
PROBLEM B: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM C: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM D: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM E: 3 Clubs
PROBLEM F: 5 Clubs
PROBLEM G: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM H: Spade 10

yleexotee

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #28 on: July 30, 2021, 11:55:23 PM »
PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM B: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM C: Double
PROBLEM D: Double
PROBLEM E: 2 Spades
PROBLEM F: 4 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM H: Spade 10

jcreech

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Re: Sept 2021 MSC
« Reply #29 on: July 31, 2021, 12:07:09 PM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
James Creech
5107 Sewells Pointe Dr.
Fredericksburg VA 22407
U.S.A.

PROBLEM A: 4 Hearts
PROBLEM B: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM C: Double  My one change - I think I'm a little too light to bid 3 !H (maybe one or two of the right HCPs), and 2 !H is not enough.  And while I am afraid of partner passing my double, it is not because I do not think the contract will go down, but that it won't go down enough.  Double seemed to me to be the least lie.
PROBLEM D: 3 Clubs
PROBLEM E: 3 Clubs
PROBLEM F: 4 Notrump
PROBLEM G: 2 Hearts
PROBLEM H: Spade 10
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran