Recent Posts

Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 10
31
Bidding Challenges / Re: Positive responder with 55+
« Last post by lute57 on June 28, 2019, 10:43:54 PM »
Hi Dick,

Good to see you playing OCP and discussing tweaks with partner.

IMO, you perfectly bid the sequence according to OCP doctrine. In regards to partner showing  !D first, I think everyone would do the same. With 8+ HCP and 5-card  !H & 6-card  !D, the only time I would show the 5-card Major first is when the Minor is significantly weaker. I believe that is Oliver's doctrine, too.

Anyway, Brian created a nice gadget for showing two-suited Responder hands with 8+ HCP. 1 !C-2 !H [alert] showing 8+HCP and promising two-suits. Of course, to incorporate this in your system, you need to modify your 4441 8-11 HCP Responder responses. I believe Brian suggested making 1 !C-2 !S showing 4441 8-11 HCP and showing a singleton in one of the Major-suits. Similar to 1 !C-2NT [generic singleton in the Minors]. You would also have to adjust your subsequent Eta responses to allow the additional first step "oops! you Eta Asked in my singleton suit."

Brian can elaborate better (and correct me as needed). I think Oliver has no problem with OCP partnerships playing in this matter; but I seriously doubt if it will ever become part of OCP standard. Although it is a tweak I use, and I believe Brian continues to endorse it, adding it as standard OCP just adds another level of complexity to a standard system that is already quite complex [and we are talking the Simple System  :D].

John
32
Bidding Challenges / Re: Positive responder with 55+
« Last post by Jimmy on June 28, 2019, 10:03:06 PM »
Quote from: DickHy on June 28, 2019, 07:45:24 PM
Perhaps someone would help with this, please.

I held AKxxx Kxx - AKQxx and partner had xx AQxxx KQJxxx -

The bidding (not necessarily correct!) went 1C - 2D - 2S (alpha) - 2N - 3C (iota) - 3D - 3N sign-off

My partner wondered if 1H would have been a better positive response to 1C, but the diamond suit seemed too strong to ignore.  But whichever suit was first bid by responder, the second suit seemingly might be lost.  We started discussing a special scheme for a positive responder who is 55(+), then realised we had soon gone beyond our grasp.

Admittedly this is an unusual hand.  Is there a scheme in OCP after 1C to handle a 55/65 positive responder?

best wishes

Dick     

Hi Dick,  I am a novice OCP player,  but do play a modified precision system using some of the OCP sequences.  It is my general understanding that it is best to bid the 5 card major over the 6 card minor (with a few exceptions). 

But,  on the other side of the coin is this,  what if Opener had this hand:


 !S  AKxxx
 !H 
 !D  Axx
 !C AKQxx

Opener has one HCP more.   ;D

I am sure experienced OCP er's will comment.  JMO

Jim
33
Bidding Challenges / Positive responder with 55+
« Last post by DickHy on June 28, 2019, 07:45:24 PM »
Perhaps someone would help with this, please.

I held AKxxx Kxx - AKQxx and partner had xx AQxxx KQJxxx -

The bidding (not necessarily correct!) went 1C - 2D - 2S (alpha) - 2N - 3C (iota) - 3D - 3N sign-off

My partner wondered if 1H would have been a better positive response to 1C, but the diamond suit seemed too strong to ignore.  But whichever suit was first bid by responder, the second suit seemingly might be lost.  We started discussing a special scheme for a positive responder who is 55(+), then realised we had soon gone beyond our grasp.

Admittedly this is an unusual hand.  Is there a scheme in OCP after 1C to handle a 55/65 positive responder?

best wishes

Dick     
34
Interesting Play Hands / Re: A Nice Burns Law Violation
« Last post by brian_m on June 27, 2019, 11:49:18 AM »
The hand was in a duplicate at Stratford-on-Avon BC, when I still lived in the UK. Not surprisingly, we got a visit from the TD on the following round because the next table just couldn't believe the contract. We'd been waiting for the TD call.  ::)

When I told him what had happened, the (playing) TD probably violated Law on providing UI (can a TD's announcement provide UI? Interesting theoretical question...) by telling the room there was a very unusual contract on board number whatever it was, the entry on the traveller was correct, and please don't call him to query it! 

I can't honestly say I blamed him...  ;D


35
Interesting Play Hands / Re: A Nice Burns Law Violation
« Last post by OliverC on June 27, 2019, 07:09:12 AM »
I concede defeat :)


It is one of the really nice things about gadgets such as Amsbury and Panama, because Opps either have to allow you to escape undoubled, or give you a chance to get into something better by doubling.
36
Interesting Play Hands / Re: A Nice Burns Law Violation
« Last post by brian_m on June 26, 2019, 12:57:23 PM »
It's a shame there's not a way to fit the old Blue Club style 1NT opener into Precision, where 1NT was either the genuine 1NT or the 'other' range with a 5 card  !C suit (in the case of Blue Club, that was always 12-14, as the genuine NT was 15-17 bal).

The problem is that it would totally bugger the system of transfers (and the 2-way 2 !D) so there's no possible case to be made for it.

The occasional Burn's Law violation , sometimes spectacular violations against opponents who know what they're doing, are the price to be paid for playing Precision or similar systems.

I still claim at least a joint share of the ultimate, unbeatable record for a Burn's Law violation for playing 2 !D, undoubled (because opps knew I would likely escape) and at adverse, with not one diamond in either hand, and getting a good score for ending up with zero tricks in 2 !D-8 (-800) when opponents had 6 !D cold their way for +920. The culprit was an Amsbury sequence

(1 !C)-2 !D-all pass

1 !C Precision (including, as it turned out, a six card  !D suit)

2 !D showed a weak jump in  !D OR a 3-suiter short  !D OR a major 2-suiter.

My LHO had the other seven  !D, and passed, hoping for a takeout double from her partner.

My partner looked at her  !D void and decided I had to have the WJO in  !D, so she passed

Opener looked at his 6-card  !D suit, assumed that his partner had a weak hand rather than a trap pass, and at the vulnerability decided to play for 100s, as his double would have been for takeout and would also have let me escape if I didn't hold the WJO in  !D.

 ;D



37
Interesting Play Hands / A Nice Burns Law Violation
« Last post by OliverC on June 26, 2019, 10:29:48 AM »
Metin and I had a chuckle about this hand, which played quite nicely (with a little help from Opps): You're North, the Dealer, with NS Vulnerable. You open 1 !D (Complex Sys) and this is passed out. East leads the !H King and this is what you can see:

South (Dummy)
!S J642
!H 86
!D 102
!C KQJ42

!H King led

North
!S 105
!H A95
!D A95
!C A8763

Not promising - this could easily end up as -3 if Opps attack trumps.

Metin took the first trick and exited with a Heart. East won and obligingly continued the suit, allowing Dummy to ruff. Metin exited with a small Spade to his 10 and East's King. East even more obligingly played a 4th round of Hearts allowing Dummy to ruff and Declarer to discard his other losing Spade.

Now a Spade ruff, a Club to Dummy's King and a second Spade ruff allowed Metin to make every single one of his trumps separately. That rare score of +70 was worth 2.2 IMPs even though 3 !C is trivially easy, because 10 tricks in Hearts are fairly easy for EW whether they bid game or not.

Ok, this needed a lot of help from East but there is something very pleasing about escaping the hangman :)
38
Interesting Play Hands / A Unlikely Game
« Last post by OliverC on June 09, 2019, 07:58:47 PM »
Bridge is a really weird game at times. Take this hand that Eszter and I played earlier today. You are North, EW Game and East is the Dealer.

Bidding
East     South     West     North
2 !S      3 !C         3 !S       4 !H
No        No            X          All Pass

East led a small Diamond against 4 !HX and this is what Eszter could see:

South (Dummy)
 !S Q8
 !H 73
 !D 72
 !C AKJ10965

 !D 4 led

North
 !S 75
 !H AJ1098
 !D AQJ108
 !C 3

Not a very promising looking game. 3 certain losers in the Majors and it doesn't look as if the Hearts will be splitting nicely. Moreover Declarer has only one sure entry to dummy to take a Heart finesse.

Still things look up when West plays the !D King at trick 1. Eszter tried the !D Queen at trick 2, but East ruffed low and exited with a small Club. Eszter rose with the Ace and dropped West's singleton Queen. What now?

Well things are certainly looking a little more promising now the Minor suit position is known. Eszter continued with the !C King, West ruffed low and Eszter overruffed. Now the !D Jack produced the !H King from East and Eszter discarded a Spade from Dummy. East cashed the !S King and then continued with another Club, ruffed by West and overruffed by Eszter (I think a Spade continuation gives Declarer little or no chance). Eszter had now lost 3 tricks, but was in full command: She ruffed a Spade with Dummy's !H 3 and put West to the sword with the !C 10.

At this point, West could have made it slightly more awkward for Eszter by not ruffing. Eszter would then have to deliberately shorten her trumps by ruffing Dummy's winner, then ruff the !D 8 with Dummy's last trump and then lead the !C 9 to leave West nowhere to go. This was the interesting position after Dummy ruffed Eszter's 2nd Spade.

South (Dummy)
 !S
 !H 7
 !D -
 !C 10965

North
 !S -
 !H AJ10
 !D 108
 !C -

West is known to have !H Q6, !D 96 and a Spade (probably the Ace or East would have opened 2 !S with an 11-count). Eszter has to get the timing right if West doesn't ruff the !C 10. If West discards a Diamond and Eszter doesn't shorten her trumps immediately she will be unable to return to Dummy for the final trump coup. As it happened West obligingly ruffed, allowing Eszter to overruff for the 3rd time, return to Dummy by ruffing her !D 8, and then applying the coup de grace by leading the !C 9. If West ruffs with her Queen, Eszter overruffs and her hand is now good. If West discards her !S Ace, Eszter simply discards the !D 10 and can claim the final trick.

Well done Eszter! (...even if I disagree with the 4 !H bid LOL)
39
Interesting Play Hands / Deal attached
« Last post by RogerPfi on May 29, 2019, 12:45:01 PM »
Adding the missing lin file
40
Interesting Play Hands / A Tricky One
« Last post by OliverC on May 28, 2019, 08:14:11 AM »
Eszter shone in her play of this tricky hand. You are North at Love All and the bidding has gone:

South     West     North     East
No           1 !D       2 !C        No
No           X           All Pass

East led the !D 6 and this is what Eszter could see:

South (Dummy)
!S J10
!H QJ2
!D J109532
!C Q6

North
!S AQ84
!H A54
!D 8
!C A10832

Yes, it could have been worse but it was clear East had a Club stack and a Diamond shortage. West took the opening lead and continued with the !D Ace. Eszter ruffed low and was overruffed by East, who exited with a small Heart, which went Queen, King, Ace. Eszter wisely resisted the urge to do anything with trumps early on, crossed back to the !H Jack and led the !S Jack. West covered and Eszter took her Ace.

Now Eszter led a small Club. East played low and West's singleton Jack fell under the Queen. Eszter cashed the !S 10 and exited with a Heart, which was won by East's 9 (Given East's lead of a small Heart earlier, West probably thought this was getting ruffed, but I think they should have risen with the 10 regardless).

East was now comprehensively endplayed. He tried exiting with the !C 9, but Eszter won her 10 and then played the !S Queen and exited with her last Spade to endplay East again for a valuable doubled overtrick.

Well played! The trick here was to resist the urge to play on trumps too early and then to only lead them once. East was always going to be vulnerable to being endplayed by their own trump length.
Pages: 1 2 3 [4] 5 6 ... 10