Author Topic: Playing downstream  (Read 5644 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline Jimmy

  • Boar
  • ****
  • Posts: 482
  • Karma: +9/-0
    • View Profile
Playing downstream
« on: January 13, 2018, 03:32:00 PM »
Couple of interesting playing hands for all.  Taken from the Jan. 2018 Bridge Bulletin.  Brian-m should enjoy both of these.   ;)

First One is from Bridge with the Abbot by David Bird

Dealer South N/S Vul
Declarer is North in 6S (after a transfer bid by South)
Opening lead is the 10 !H.  What do you do?

                  North
                 !S AQJ10983
                 !H 2
                 !D 42
                 !C Q54


                 South
                 !S K5
                 !H AK3
                 !D AQ6
                 !C A7632


Here is the complete layout:












                  North
                 !S AJ10983
                 !H 2
                 !D 42
                 !C Q54

West                          East
!S 762                        !S 4
!H 10985                     !H QJ764
!D KJ95                       !D 10873
!C 108                        !C KJ9
                 South
                 !S K5
                 !H AK3
                 !D AQ6
                 !C A7632







Second Hand is from Mike's Advice by Mike Lawrence and comes from a BBO hand.

Dealer East
N/S Vul
Contract 5 !D by South
Opening Lead is a low Spade which you win with the A   What do you play next? 




 North
                 !S 103
                 !H AKQ95
                 !D 863
                 !C 986


                 South
                 !S AK
                 !H
                 !D AQJ9752
                 !C AQ42

Here is the complete layout:







                 North
                 !S 103
                 !H AKQ95
                 !D 863
                 !C 986

West                          East
!S 765                        !S QJ9842
!H 10632                     !H J874
!D K104                       !D
!C K105                       !C J73
                 South
                 !S AK
                 !H
                 !D AQJ9752
                 !C AQ42
« Last Edit: January 13, 2018, 11:39:49 PM by Jimmy »

Offline OliverC

  • Sifu
  • Administrator
  • Hog
  • *****
  • Posts: 1695
  • Karma: +19/-1
    • View Profile
    • Pigpen
Re: Playing downstream
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2018, 05:01:30 PM »
Hand 1 (Complete Layout). I demand a redeal - the !S Queen is missing and North only has 12 cards :)

Hand 2 is lovely. You have to assess this hand accurately: You need to engineer an entry to the North hand in Diamonds. No other suit will do. You can afford to lose 2 Diamonds tricks in order to achieve that, as long as you give yourself the best chance of reaching Dummy's Hearts.

(a) If the Diamonds are 2-1, reaching Dummy is never a problem (neither is getting 12 tricks). (b) If East has all three, you're irrevocably stuffed, but (c) when West has all three outstanding Diamonds, you can assure yourself of the entry by cashing the !S Ace at trick 2 and leading the !D 7 at trick 3. If West follows small, you overtake in Dummy. If East wins, the !D's are 2-1 and (a) above applies. If West wins trick 3 and East shows out, you simply win the return in hand, and lead the !D 5, once again overtaking if West plays low. If West goes up with the King, the 5 is now an entry with your carefully preserved 2. Cashing the other top !S at trick 2 is just in case Opps decide to give me a ruff 'n' sluff in Spades - doesn't really change anything)

Like I said, a peach of a hand. I just wish I could be confident that I would find the answer if presented just as a hand, without any suggestion that it was a problem! :) This is more of a problem at Match-pointed Pairs, of course. Do you give up the chance for 1 or 2 overtricks (by playing as above) or do you just lay down the Ace, hoping for a stiff King or any 2-1 split? At IMP scoring you would definitely play as above, assuming you analysed the problem correctly, but at MP Pairs I think you're effectively forced to get this one wrong by the scoring method.
Oliver

Offline brian_m

  • Administrator
  • Hog
  • *****
  • Posts: 2330
  • Karma: +25/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Playing downstream
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2018, 05:33:24 PM »
Hand 1 (Complete Layout). I demand a redeal - the !S Queen is missing and North only has 12 cards :)

Hand 2 is lovely. You have to assess this hand accurately: You need to engineer an entry to the North hand in Diamonds. No other suit will do. You can afford to lose 2 Diamonds tricks in order to achieve that, as long as you give yourself the best chance of reaching Dummy's Hearts.

(a) If the Diamonds are 2-1, reaching Dummy is never a problem (neither is getting 12 tricks). (b) If East has all three, you're irrevocably stuffed, but (c) when West has all three outstanding Diamonds, you can assure yourself of the entry by cashing the !S Ace at trick 2 and leading the !D 7 at trick 3. If West follows small, you overtake in Dummy. If East wins, the !D's are 2-1 and (a) above applies. If West wins trick 3 and East shows out, you simply win the return in hand, and lead the !D 5, once again overtaking if West plays low. If West goes up with the King, the 5 is now an entry with your carefully preserved 2. Cashing the other top !S at trick 2 is just in case Opps decide to give me a ruff 'n' sluff in Spades - doesn't really change anything)

Like I said, a peach of a hand. I just wish I could be confident that I would find the answer if presented just as a hand, without any suggestion that it was a problem! :) This is more of a problem at Match-pointed Pairs, of course. Do you give up the chance for 1 or 2 overtricks (by playing as above) or do you just lay down the Ace, hoping for a stiff King or any 2-1 split? At IMP scoring you would definitely play as above, assuming you analysed the problem correctly, but at MP Pairs I think you're effectively forced to get this one wrong by the scoring method.


There's a lot of these 'Concede a trick you don't have to in order to get more back in exchange' hands. One of Mollo's books has one where the Hog concedes a trump trick holding AKQJ1098 of trumps in order to endplay one of the opponents. There was also that hand from a simultaneous which I think I posted here a while back, you have to persuade one opponent to grab an opportunity to overruff in order to promote an entry card in dummy.

All good stuff, and a way to pass the time, but VERY long odds against you meeting the situation at the table, let alone recognising it if you do! As Oliver implies, it's much easier when you know it's a problem, because then you know that normal solutions won't work.



Please note that the responses I give are based on my current understanding of the system, and I've checked the website if in any doubt. I didn't attend Oliver's classes until 2021-22, so if Oliver has said anything different in his lessons in earlier years, I don't know about it!

Offline Jimmy

  • Boar
  • ****
  • Posts: 482
  • Karma: +9/-0
    • View Profile
Re: Playing downstream
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2018, 03:03:51 PM »
Yes,  accidentally left out the Q !S.  Scuzzi.  The hand is now corrected.

And yes,  the way to make the 1st deal is to duck (concede) the heart opening lead,  then discard two clubs and setting up the other clubs via ruffs.