Author Topic: 2022 April MSC  (Read 6561 times)

Masse24

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2022 April MSC
« on: February 02, 2022, 07:35:58 PM »
APRIL 2022 MSC
Deadline: FEB 28 at 11:59 p.m. (ET)

Submit your APRIL 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: March 06, 2022, 12:07:19 AM by Masse24 »
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duffer66

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2022, 10:15:04 PM »
duffer
A  4S
B  2NT
C  1S
D  X
E  P
F  3D
G  2S
H  Cl 7

blubayou

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2022, 04:12:54 PM »
PROBLEM A:  Partner may well have  AQJx, AJxx, xxx, Ax   etc. facing our 10xxx,  KQ, AKQxx, xx  so some slam move is 'a must'.   I like this MILD one they footnoted on account of my ridiculous trumps which could put us down at the 5-level with a million different north hands.  Need to hear 4 !C  over this 3NT then cue my diamonds and she can take it from there, with the hand above  (etc.).  Over 4 !H  or4 !S   I will subside [but they didn't ask did they]                                              --- Three Notrump ---


PROBLEM D:  Passing is for chickens even though we have only a king more than we should have.  The chickens ma live,  but I will die like a hero,  doubling again.         
                                                                   ---Double---

PROBLEM E:  Before considering what BID to reopen with, I first check to see if I can do the normal expected thing of reopening with a double.  the 6 goodish spades and the unbid suit Qx are flaws,  but I dont wait for 15 point three-suiters to do this. (after all, on the problem above,  we did a similar thing  with a flat hand  and xx in diamonds)                                                                      ---Double---

PROBLEM F:  We saw this footnote last year, attached to a hand with Q9xxx in clubs and damn little else: "*weak but strong enough for three notrump opposite 18-19 HCP"  The panel went HEAVY to ignore the hint and made the preempt anyway and they will again.  And actually this 109, xx, 109xxxx,  Kxx WILL help many a balanced 18 bring home that 3NT so 'going heavy'  might become "choosing unanimously"?
                                                              ---Three Diamonds---
PROBLEM G:  A couple of years catching MSC panelists' comments when support doubles come up have revealed that there is a RED team and a BLUE team over when to use them:  One group says something like "My supp. doubles LOOK LIKE RAISES of partner's response--not merely opening bids that happen to have three of his suit."   The larger group [ I am guessing] almost never passes up the chance to show three spades [or whatever].  Now, if our partner agrees with this first group, South may take courage and bid his eleven points eg:  jumping to 3 in our Moysean fit?  If his north ALWAYS gives the support double with three, I cant see going over the 2-level -- 11 points or not, with this            K1085, KQx, Qxx, Jxx.        I know from experience that showing those 3 spades cheaply even with a blahh opener  has its upside,  but with this hand I wish we were on the Red Team :(                                                                 --- 3 !S , 2 !S  or even 2 !D ---   ??
« Last Edit: February 15, 2022, 04:09:37 PM by blubayou »
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jcreech

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2022, 04:31:47 PM »
My initial thoughts:

Problem A:  3NT  I will take the hint.  If partner has a club control and good spades, slam is a possibility.  A friendly defensive layout and a perfecto 14, slam is gin, so there is reason to explore the prospect below game.

Problem B:  Dbl  My suit is not so strong that I want to overcall at the three-level, so hopefully partner will have a sense of humor when I pull diamonds to hearts with only 15 and a probably double stop in spades.

Problem C:  3 NT  Thoughts are to force with a cue-bid and then steer toward 3NT, or just bull my way there.  Right now, I am more inclined toward avoiding partner thinking I have a fit.

Problem D:  Dbl  I wish that I had made the horrible call of 2NT on the first round, but at least I would have this hand out of my system.  Not good because only Ax as a stop, but otherwise fairly descriptive.  Now I don't know whether to bid 3NT opposite a quiet partner, 4 !C or double; double is the most flexible, so I am headed that direction.

Problem E:  Dbl My distribution is not so wild that I will not make the reopening double. 

Problem F:  4 !D  Too weak for either 2 or 3 !D, so I will go to the max without committing to game.  At the table, I would be sorely tempted to bid a major in the attempt to steal their suit; question is, which is their suit?

Problem G:  2 !S  I am wishing that I did not ignore that fourth spade and bid notrump before the clubs became a worry.  I'd rather go down in ignorance, than play in the wrong strain.  Since I did not, I will go low; its matchpoints and a Moysian, both suggesting a bit of conservativism.

Problem H:  !C 7  My initial thought is this is the unshown suit, and if declarer is 5-4-1-3 with Qxx in clubs, then we can take four off the top, and hope for a setting trick somewhere.  However, more thought is warranted.
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

blubayou

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2022, 11:09:38 PM »
#B, #C, and the lead problem  continue to drive me crazy...  but on Feb15 I am going UBER-passive   leading dummy's 6-bagger.  but this is not sane.  COME ON PARD!  SOME in-card, then nice fillers in clubs for the easy set!---This will not get any support, here or from the panel. 
                                         --- Diamond 10 ---
  B and C  are the most impossible questions in 2 years..I will be guided by the IAC "majority" on them in a shameless attempt to at least REACH the podiums:(


   Jim: It worries me that on the 5 problems that HAVE an answer we are solid (punting in diamonds is a boozy fantasy)on  four of them :o .  So  those madness inducing  #B  and C  become the battleground.
   
« Last Edit: February 15, 2022, 11:24:05 PM by blubayou »
often it is better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission

drac

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #5 on: February 17, 2022, 10:23:32 AM »
SOLVER: Wladislaus Dragwlya
        Tin Street No. 1
        Castrum Sex  545400
        Romania

Your Solutions for the April 2022 Contest
-------------------
PROBLEM A: 4 Diamonds
PROBLEM B: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM C: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM D: Double
PROBLEM E: Double
PROBLEM F: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM H: Diamond 10

peuco

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2022, 04:41:25 PM »
A. 3NT take the hint
B. 3H X will get 4D in the real world and then i wuld have to bid 4H on a lousy suit
C. 3NT what else
D. 4C again X will get 4D (i hate 4D lol)
E. 3S when I make a reopening X and p does not pass he always bids my singleton
F. 3D
G. 2S 4333 and the J of C only add up to 10
H. D 10 If Ds are solid leading C probably gives an overtrick, if not they can go down

hoki

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #7 on: February 22, 2022, 07:47:33 AM »
Being stubborn, I'd rather make the bids I can stand to rather than the
bids that score well on the MSC panel, so of course I'm going to ignore
the hints and all the slam moves where nothing is clear, like 4♠ on A; 3
on B (so I won't have the headache of deciding what to do if pard bids
5 in response to my double - my partners do that but no MSC panellist
ever would); 5 on C which rates to go down less than 3NT where my
pard can't stop clubs more than once if that; and 3NT on D, a pure guessing
situation.

On E the old school to which I belonged always claimed that if we are fixed
we stay fixed - so I pass when today's world always takes a view with half
gaining on me and the other half paying out.

I'll be in a minority of one no doubt with making the book bid of 2 on F.

G: 2♠, having run out of arguments by now.

H: ♣7, really what else? How can a diamond ever be right?

Oliver

jcreech

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2022, 03:42:27 PM »
Oliver,

I don't always agree with your bids or your thoughts, but I always learn from them.  I know your bridge background is different than mine, but then everyone's background is at least somewhat unique.

What I do know, is that you give each problem, and, in your classes, each hand, reasonable (if not careful) thought.  I appreciate what you bring to MSC and to your classes, and am a better bidder and player for it.

Thank you.

Jim
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran

blubayou

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2022, 10:21:34 PM »
An excellent player refusing to bother to consider the merits of the 3NT hint on problem A simply because it's beyond the pale of natural bidding ....hmmm.  come to the party o master


A---mild slam try.
B---I would rather pass  than either double,  or bid those hearts.   Two Notrump   
C---I put the simulator to work--doing a job that is beyond its capabilities, BUT... at least I did learn the suprizing news that west will not always have diamonds double- or triple-stopped and that even if so 3NT  did not always automatically go down, as I have feared for three weeks [shocking news]   Three Notrump
D---Double

E---Double
F---ignore the hint!  Three Diamonds
G---  :( Two Spades
H--- Diamond Ten
« Last Edit: February 25, 2022, 01:27:58 PM by blubayou »
often it is better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission

peuco

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #10 on: February 25, 2022, 04:02:15 PM »
SOLUTIONS FOR:
Frank
Magdalena 75 D 62
Santiago 7550109
Chile

PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: 3 Hearts
PROBLEM C: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM D: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM E: 3 Spades
PROBLEM F: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 2 Spades
PROBLEM H: Diamond 10

Masse24

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #11 on: February 25, 2022, 07:01:14 PM »
Guesses for April:


PROBLEM A: 3NT. The “mild” slam try at best. With such a poor trump suit, I hesitate to show more interest by showing the diamond control. This merely shows that I would cooperate with a further slam move by my already limited partner.

PROBLEM B: 2NT. Ugly, but the heart suit (my second choice) needs to gain some weight before I introduce it at the three-level.

PROBLEM C: 1 !S. We have the values for game, so the kneejerk 3NT seems reasonable. But I would like to know more about who has what. Though non-forcing, this “temporizing” bid is the only way to get the information I need to make a more informed decision.

PROBLEM D: 4 !C. Not fond of another double with only a doubleton diamond.

PROBLEM E: Pass. Double is probably right. The MSC panelists lean towards aggression. I hate this problem and am uncommitted on any of the possible choices. Might go another direction on this.
Decided on the double. I went back and forth on this. No strong feelings either way.

PROBLEM F: 3 !D. I hate this, but only because of the tip provided. At the table this is an easy 3 !D for me. I wish Blu could find the previous example of this as I would like to compare the hands.

PROBLEM G: 2 !S. Not brave enough to pass. A slight underbid, but at MP prefer to play the 4-3 spade fit. If partner has extras he can bid again.
2 !D. Basically conveys the same thing that 2 !S does, however, it has the added benefit of showing moderate diamond support and bringing partner in on the final decision.

PROBLEM H: !C 7. A little worried about blockage. Would the J or 9 be better?
Really like the 9, but no guts.



SOLUTIONS FOR:
Todd Holes

PROBLEM A: 3 Notrump
PROBLEM B: 2 Notrump
PROBLEM C: 1 Spade
PROBLEM D: 4 Clubs
PROBLEM E: Double
PROBLEM F: 3 Diamonds
PROBLEM G: 2 Diamonds
PROBLEM H: Club 7

Not confident (what's new?)!  :o
« Last Edit: March 01, 2022, 12:48:32 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

Masse24

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2022, 07:06:58 PM »
Have you heard the news? February is a short month! The rumor is . . . there are only 28 days! Please submit your MSC responses soon.
“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: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #13 on: February 26, 2022, 12:12:05 AM »
MY, MY, Todd--How time flies!   it came in the April 2020  contest  [problem C]  :
      IMPS  opps only vul;      J2, J72, 762, QT642  ->>  1C, [pass] , ___?

     If you have the hard copy or (cached files of the club's spreadsheet)  let us know how big the win was for '3 clubs' , spitting in the face of the same HINT as shows under our current PROBLEM F :o .   Feel free to include an intelligent comment or two, if you have the energy.
  If I recall,  I was having one of my best sets  until following the hint  by passing got clobbered by the panel.  As indicated by the fact that I never ever forgot what they did to me  TWENTYFIVE MONTHS AGO years ago :'(
   
« Last Edit: February 26, 2022, 12:15:56 AM by blubayou »
often it is better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission

jcreech

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Re: 2022 April MSC
« Reply #14 on: February 26, 2022, 02:08:03 AM »
D**N!! Jock,

Good sleuthing.  What I see as being the principal differences between the two hands are as follows:

April 2020      
My initial comment:
Problem C:  4 !C – Without the note, I would bid 3 !C without much thought.  With the note, do I lie, taking a chance that partner does not have a 3NT conversion?  Do I pass, leaving the auction wide open for the opponents to enter cheaply?  Or do I jump to 4 !C and lie about my club length?  At this vulnerability, I feel like the least lie is to bid 4 !C, plus it difficult for the opponents to find the right strain and level.
My final comment:
Uncharacteristically, I made a change to my choice, but failed to say why.  I think it had to do with 4 !C just seemed too high with only five-card support.
New commentary
As for the hand, it contained four HCPs all in quacks - which made the pass more attractive.  Nonetheless, I hate to make any auction too easy for the opponents, so my inclination is to preempt.  The hint suggests 4 or pass, but the hand suggests lie or pass.  I finally decided to lie and hope that partner would pass - 3 !C.

April 2022
My initial comment:
Problem F:  4 !D  Too weak for either 2 or 3 !D, so I will go to the max without committing to game.  At the table, I would be sorely tempted to bid a major in the attempt to steal their suit; question is, which is their suit?
My final comment:
TBD - but I am giving strong consideration to 3 !D, but for different reasons.  See below.
New commentary
The hand contains only 3 HCPs, but what a difference this time.  It is a K, which translates into a reasonable chance of a trick.  Given that partner is highly likely to hold four diamonds for the opening bid, that gives the partnership a minimum of nine, while also likely to have ten diamonds - now I can almost count seven tricks in my own hand, and if partner is strong, then 3NT may easily be a laydown.

So in sum, in 2020, my hand is probably at best only able to contribute five tricks with slow side tricks, so the bid can only be meant preemptively.  The bid is clearly a lie, but the panel decided it was worth the mild risk.  While in 2022, my hand is likely to contribute seven tricks, so if partner has a strong hand, there is likely to be a reasonable play for game.  Technically, the bid is again a lie, but the intent is to get the partnership to 3NT opposite a strong hand.
A stairway to nowhere is better than no stairway at all.  -Kehlog Albran