Author Topic: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC  (Read 9152 times)

Masse24

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2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« on: September 02, 2021, 02:11:24 PM »
NOVEMBER 2021 MSC
Deadline: SEPT 30 at 11:59 p.m. (ET)

Submit your NOVEMBER MSC responses here: The Bridge World - MASTER SOLVERS CLUB

BWS 2017 System: BWS 2017
BWS 2017 POLLS, CHANGES AND ADDITIONS: BWS 2017 - Polls, Changes, and Additions
  • 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


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« Last Edit: September 04, 2021, 12:24:08 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

Masse24

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2021, 03:41:12 PM »
There is still a problem with the forum platform. I was not allowed to attach the MSC problem set. I received an error message.

 :-\  :-\  :-\  :-\  :-\
“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: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2021, 06:35:19 PM »
Problem A
ImpsEast-West vulnerableYou, South, hold:
Q J 8 6
Q 10[size=0px][/size] A Q 2 8 6 3 2
1 Pass1 2 Double[size=0px]*[/size]Pass ?*BWS: three spades
What call do you make?Problem B
MatchpointsNorth-South vulnerableYou, South, hold:....etcetera..... :(

WELL!  it was beautiful when I PASTED it, but not after hitting 'save' :(

Good grief.  Here are 7 or 8 REAL LIFE seeming problems!  But that doesn't mean they aren't TOUGH.... The only one that is well settled is to say Amen to Pat's  "What's the problem"  for the simple heart raise on problem F :D
« Last Edit: September 02, 2021, 10:22:26 PM by blubayou »
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ccr3

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2021, 06:47:10 PM »
First peak, first presentations:
Problem A: 3C: Tells partner I don't have 5 spades but do have clubs with him, a waiting bid. His next
                        bid will determine what I will do next.
Problem B: 3NT: Need to think more about this. Yes, he has 19 pts but, first, could be a 3-card suit,
                         and second, with 10 pts, may not make enough for slam.
Problem C: 4C: Not sure about this. May change my mind later. 3D shows interested in slam, 4th suit
                       forcing. Need to think about this some more, or raising clubs. I can show D control
                       later.
Problem D: 3D for now. Partner made a game force bid so I can take my time, always rebid hearts
                       later to show 6.
Problem E: 3NT: Seems we had a hand like this recently. The winning bid was 3nt holding the J10x
                        of the unbid suit. OFC more thought needed.
Problem F: 2H: What's the catch? Too simple.
Problem G: Dble: I have both majors. Hope partner names his best major.
Problem H: The lead, always, always a big problem. Passive? Attaching? I hate leading the S Ace.
                 Club 4?, 7? 5?
Ok everyone, this may be the one and only time I'll have the guts to do this. Have at it, anyone who cares to do so. >:(  :-\  ???
                     
                 

jcreech

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2021, 01:28:22 PM »
My initial thoughts:

Problem A: 3 !C I agree with Pat that the bid shows clubs and denies 5 spades, but does it convey invitational values?  I am not so certain, so I am still thinking about a red suit bid at this point as well.

Problem B: 3 !D With my most regular partners this would be agreeing clubs, showing a max forcing NT, and cue-bidding a diamond control.  With BWS, this may be showing long weak diamonds, so I need to be sure before making this bid in the contest.  Where are my research assistants - Todd, Dick, Jock?  3NT is my current backup plan.

Problem C: 4 !C  I generally agree with Pat on what alternative bids would mean, but I am less certain that partner is necessarily as strong as she thinks; there was no immediate jump shift as there was in the previous problem.  I will raise, and if partner is interested in more, there will be a cue-bid.

Problem D: 3 !D Let's show the support, then see if I can find out about a spade control later.

Problem E: 3NT  Deja vu all over again!  Poor to no stopper in the unbid, but only 15 HCPs.  If there had only been one flaw (second flaw the stiff A) to the hand, I might have opened 1NT and been just following orders.  I didn't, so now the opponents have more information and I am bidding the now unsatisfying NT.

Problem F: Dbl  I can show both places my hand lives in a single bid.  I choose the HINT!  If there is any way we can bid a makeable heart game, it is by telling partner that I have clubs and a fit.

Problem G: Pass  I'd feel so much more comfortable bidding 2 !C to show both majors than 4 !C hoping to show two suits.  Double could work, but with only 11 HCPs and partner unable or unwilling to bid over 1 !C, I am just hoping for a plus.  Besides, sometimes preempts work.

Problem H: !S A  Perhaps the least bad of many bad options.  I am not starting a diamond, I don't want to pickle anything partner has in the rounds.  At least partner has show spades, as have I, and since I don't have anything in the suit to protect, maybe it won't be bad, plus it gives me a chance to switch based on dummy and possibly partner's signal.
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

ccr3

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2021, 02:32:10 PM »
Thanks Jim referring to problem F: I missed the hint. I agree: double.

blubayou

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #6 on: September 03, 2021, 09:13:51 PM »
Good News,  Pat & JIM!  research has uncovered this jewel  for problem B:   "(d) After one of a major — one notrump — two of a lower-ranking suit — ? or a one-notrump response and a jump-shift, four of a suit ranking below opener's second suit is a control-bid supporting opener's second suit."   So 4 Diamonds  avoids all the vagueness  that might come up from trying to get "3D" understood as an advance cue-bid  rather than  "it was my turn and i cant bid spades or notrump" It's just perfect, except if we hear 4 spades and decide to pass it--for the matchpoints. Just re-read what was pasted from  BWS2017 and realized the rule only applies if we bid four of a suit LOWER THAN CLUBS --sheesh. Well,  it was fun while it lasted :-[ .

Now back to problem A:  Some of these guys and gals are goint to rebid 2NT here as it shows the right amount of invitational, and probably denies 5+ spades, and is CHEAP.  Also  it right-sides notrump  if someone on our team has an actual heart card.  "2 Spades"  and "3C"  both need SERIOUS extras for partner to make a move toward game.   If I don't choose the stopperless 2NT,  I like accepting the 4-3 spade fit.  At least I can make a 'cards' double then  if some fool E-W  finds another call.


PROBLEM C:>>  THE RESEARCH THAT FAILED TO SOLVE PROBLEM B, ABOVE, HAS NOT BEEN IN VAIN! jumping to 4 diamonds is indeed 'a suit lower than opener's second suit"!  And the "agrees partner's 2nd suit" clause  is rendered impossible, as we bid 1NTover it last round,  so we MUST be loving clubs.  I choose to ignore the little detail that pard's 3rd-round jump to 3 Clubs  is not exactly a jump-shift.                                                                                             ---Falling on my sword with 5 more answers to score 500 on, I bid..                                                                                ---Four Diamonds ---

PROBLEM D:>>  the dreaded "What's the Problem"    --Three Diamonds --

PROBLEM E:>>   True extras, but barely.  I hope they will consider this is a pretty-good heart suit, because..
                                                                      -- Three Hearts --

PROBLEM F:>>  With a looser-count of NINE  (really?)  this is a single raise straight up.  Let partner HOPE  i have some clubs if he wants to go adventuring. The Snapdragon  is done with J-x in hearts, not AJ third,  so if we use it now, it will serve is right if we are 'forced' to cross-bid partner (or never show that we have actual support), should opps' THREE spades come around to us     -- TWO Hearts -- 

PROBLEM G:>>
 
PROBLEM H:>>
« Last Edit: September 17, 2021, 05:02:03 PM by blubayou »
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DickHy

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #7 on: September 04, 2021, 11:52:09 AM »
Just the first four for now.  Aside from proper cricket, I'm taking part in the British Chess Solving Competition (the MSC might be tough, but the 8 problems for this are crazy devilish).

A.  Pass? Yuck! Support doubles are great when partner does have a 5-card major, but they can lead to this type of mess.  2 !S means being tapped in hearts - West is making a 2-level vulnerable overcall so probably has AKxxx(x).  2N from me gives the wrong message and, if East has 2 or 3 hearts (which is possible), fatal.  On the other hand, partner could have J9xx in hearts.  In that case would he not have then bid 2N?  Faced with showing a heart stop or 3-card spade support what would partner’s priority be?  3 !D looks fine if partner does have a heart stop, but without one we’re suddenly in a dark alley with mist descending: 4 !C? 3 !S
 
Can I pass 2 !H doubled and hope that with 23/24 HCP between us we can sneak 200 or more.  To make 3N partner needs to have Jxxx in hearts.  If he does, what are our chances of putting 2Hx two off for 500?   If we only have a part score (or a horrible spade Moysian or 4 !C contract), passing and aiming for +200 doesn’t look too bad. 

B.  3N or 4 !C.  Suppose partner has 19/20 HCP, where are we heading?  At MPs isn’t 3N better than 5 !C? But can we make 6 !C?  I have good red suit controls, so if partner’s HCP are largely in the black suits, 6 !C might make.  However, partner may not be 55 and with AKxx in clubs opposite my holding, 6 !C looks likely to be one off.

C.  4 !C/4 !D.  I’m with Jock in his interpretation of BWS.  The idea that 4 !D is a control bid showing club support, as we didn’t support spades is cunning but will these MSC blighters who tend to ignore BWS when it suits them be as clever as Jock?  Where does that leave 3 !D?   

Going back two steps, does the 1 !S bid show 4xx5: BWS: with 4=3=5=1 or 4=3=1=5 distribution, opener should rebid in spades after a one-heart response. Then 2 !C over 1N would be 4xx6 and a minimum opener, which means 3 !C over 1N doesn’t necessarily show a huge hand.  However,  partner would have bid the same with 20/21 HCP and 4xx6.  That makes a sign-off in 3N at this stage a tad wimpish.  So, let’s pursue 6 !C with 5 !C as the fallback.  With a lovely spade K and diamond Ace, 4 !C or 4 !D gives partner the opportunity to show heart control.

D.  3 !D.  BWS is not clear about whether 2 !D promises a 5c suit (as I’ve seen often on vugraph), but let’s agree diamonds now.  Excitement or deflation will be immediate, as partner will next show the state of his spades.  If partner bids 3 !S, my 4 !C gives him a chance to show second round spade control.  Alternatively, I think a 4 !D RKC bid here would leave space for a king ask, but not sure that BWS allows it.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2021, 11:56:05 AM by DickHy »

DickHy

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #8 on: September 04, 2021, 12:27:54 PM »
Actually, the second four too, then I can do other stuff and wait for the derision:

E.  3N or 3 !H.  With clubs stopped, wouldn’t North would have bid 2N instead of 3 !D (say, holding 5143 or 5044)?  3N hopes he has a half stop.  Anything else?  3 !H as cue?

F.  Double.  Looks as if West is going to bid 2 !S anyway, so a bid which describes my hand accurately looks best.  2 !H would cover all manner of hands.  The double gives a better picture. 

G.  4 !C.  Non-vulnerable East can have tram-tickets.  Encouragingly, partner did not overcall 1 !D (he still might have 5 of them but his points there are weak) or 2 !D.  So perhaps he has 5 or 6 cards in the major suits.  If I don’t show 55 major holdings, the Great Dealer will decide they are wasted on me. 

H.  Spade A or Spade 6.  I’m with Jim – all other leads are going to kill partner or diamonds - so a spade it is.  Partner didn’t have a chance to cue, so I don’t know how good his hand is, just that he has three spades.  He might have the king, in which case the spade Ace will work.   But hold on ... a little voice has just whispered “suit preference lead.”  Some months ago this came up in the MSC; underleading the ace in suit you have bid and partner has supported hoping that partner holds the king.  There, if memory serves, a suit preference card asked for a lead back into a heart AQx tenace.   How about I lead the spade 6? Of course if spades are 4-1 and partner does not have the spade king this might be expensive, but partner will still know to lead a diamond when he is in.

« Last Edit: September 04, 2021, 12:30:43 PM by DickHy »

Masse24

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2021, 12:53:56 PM »
PROBLEM B:

1 !S - 1NT
3 !C -  ?

What is your call with?
!S x - !H xxx - !D AKJxxx - !C xxx

Wouldn't we all bid 3 !D? Natural? We'd prefer to keep 3NT open as strain if partner can bid it wouldn't we?
Defining 3 !D as "agreeing clubs" seems too narrow a target.

With our actual hand: !S J3 - !H KQ4 - !D A962 - !C T643 I may also choose 3 !D, but as a "waiting" bid, not agreeing trump. Strain is still in doubt. Maybe partner has a sixth spade? Maybe the club jump-shift was a fakey? How might partner bid with: !S AKQT9xx - !H Ax - !D 7 - !C AJx? Is the auction provided possible with that holding?

So . . . because of the difficulty in bidding over a jump-shift, the 3 !D call must wear many hats. One of them is "waiting." I may go with it.

3 !S is also possible. It does not promise three spades. It is not a three-card limit-raise in spades. 4 !S accomplishes that.

I can also hear the little guy on my shoulder whispering in my ear, "3NT . . . 3NT . . . 3NT." Maybe, but I think my hand has too much slam potential (it's borderline) with the right "fit" with partner.

If I wanted to "agree clubs," I would probably go with 4 !C on the actual hand. Not today.
« Last Edit: September 04, 2021, 01:03:09 PM by Masse24 »
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peuco

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #10 on: September 08, 2021, 04:55:54 PM »
Problem F. i do not know if BWS plays it but i bid 3C, Cs with support for H

peuco

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #11 on: September 08, 2021, 06:38:37 PM »
A. 2NT the only good invitation and Q10 is good for receiving a H lead.... except when it is bad
B. 4C my computer program never supports the minor in this sequence and i am tired of losing slams
C. 5C i do not think slam is on with this sequence so no waste of time
D. 3D only out of respect for TBW i say almost non problem
E. 3H i can remember Blubayou`s comment in a past hand that p may have Ax in Cs
F. 3C i do not know if BWS plays it but i bid 3C, Cs with support for H
G. X i am a follower of Meckstroth: with good shape bid a lot, with poor stay out
H. S 2 maybe the S K is in dummy or in pd

blubayou

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #12 on: September 09, 2021, 01:55:59 AM »
Mixed good news  for Frank regarding problem F....  "(c) Over a bid by responder, a jump, below-game, new-suit advance is a fit-jump". But here's the rub:  I suspect the panel  will forgo using this because they would prefer to have 10 cards in the two suits,  and CERTAINLY not less than nine :(Still, the Snapdragon double gives me the heebie-jeebies compared to this fit-jump.
« Last Edit: September 10, 2021, 06:49:43 PM by blubayou »
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peuco

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #13 on: September 10, 2021, 03:47:08 PM »
Problem F. if the fit jump is played with 10 cards only, better assign a different meaning to the bid  bec it will arise few times in a lifetime :)

kenberg

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Re: 2021 NOVEMBER MSC
« Reply #14 on: September 14, 2021, 03:41:10 PM »
A couple of thoughts on B and C

First B, Suppose for a moment that 1S-3D is Bergen (with BWS it is not). If the auction begins 1S-1NT-3C-3D then I ask: What would S do if he held a 2=3=6=2 shape with strong diamond? It seems that I would like to bid 3D to show diamonds rather than 3D to show a club fit.
As mentioned, BWS does not play Bergen.
" a jump-shift to three of an underranking suit is invitational;"
So at least with some hands, where I have decent values, the auction would have started 1S-3D.
This allows us to use 1S-1NT-3C-3D to show a club fit, or at least it makes it more likely to be a good agreement.
There is still the possibility that after 1S-1Nt-3C I have long diamonds and inadequate strength to have bid 3D directly over 1S.
Imagine that I have
J / xxx / KQJxxx / xxx
After 1S-1NT-3C I would like to have a call that say "Pard, I realize we are in a game force and I wish you luck. Please don't get the idea that I actually have anything. I do control diamonds if you want to bid 3NT".

Short version: I am not at all sure just what 1S-1Nt-3C-3D should show except that I think it should show something in diamonds.

Now to C, where the problems are different but similar.
As far as I know, 1C-1H-1S-1NT-3C is not game forcing or even forcing.
So I do not think 3D should be a slam try, first we need to decide on whether we are going to game and if so which game.
Sid my 1NT show anything beyond a bare minimum response. Oh, maybe. 1C-1H-1S can be passed, and if I had a bare minimum then I can hope that my shape would warrant either a pass of 1S or a 2C rebid (I think BWS does not play XYZ). But of course I ould have a hand where I decide that after 1C-1H-1S maybe 1NT is the least bad of the dismal options open to me. Probably pard is hoping I have something better than a 2=5=4=2 shape with a 6 count.
Anyway, even with my 9 count I am not at all sure that we can make either 3nT or 6C, let alone make a slam.
Extreme pessimism, in bridge or in life, is the wrong approach so I am going to look for the right game. How? I haven't decided yet. They might be able to take the first five hearts if we play ion NT but then again maybe not. Partner has sic clubs but I am less than certain that the suit is headed by the AKQ.
In an auction such as this, with pard showing 10 black cards, I think 3D should show a stopper in Ds,  with the thought that we maybe can play in NT if ard has a little something in hearts. But very possibly the right call is just 3NT and maybe it's cold or maybe it's not cold but they have to make the right choice of opening lead to beat it.


Back to B for a moment. Playing 1M-3m as invit is not, I think, popular in IAC but it has merit. We get hands where, if we were not playing 2/1, the auction would go 1M-2m-2NT-3m passable. Playing 2/1, it's nice to be able to bid that hand as 1M-3m. Then 1S-1NT-2D-3C is a lesser hand than 1NT-3C.
Ken