The Tao of Gaming

The first board is a routine part score — we set them 1 in two hearts. The second hand had north open a solid 14 count, south weak jump shifted with a four count, and north (with four card support) bid a game that made. Looking at the hands, I now realize it took rather a lot to make game (trump King onsides and another ace onsides), but with a 10 card fit and three bullets...

Then I picked up KQJ84 KQ98632 9 -

North passed (both vul). What's your plan?

I see two reasonable plans.

1. Open 1 heart and rebid hearts (assuming partner doesn't bid spades). If you get a 3rd bid, then consider bidding spades. Given that I'm light, I could easily see an 1H-2m;2H-2N;3S auction).
2. Open 1 spade and rebid hearts forever. (Pretending the hand is 6-6).

I don't envision opening 2C.

I decided to open 1H. It may have been right or wrong. I'm not sure I feel strongly about it. Partner bids 2NT (Alert!), showing a strong heart raise. Now we're on solid ground (so I think), I bid 4 Spades showing a good five card side suit. Partner bids 5 Diamonds, which I like (since we hadn't discussed how to handle Blackwood with a void). I assume partner has the diamond ace.

After some thought, I bid six hearts. My thinking was that partner could carry on to seven hearts seeing both major suit aces, but perhaps I should bid six clubs to make it clearer.

Unfortunately for me, LHO led the spade ace and dummy hit with: 5 T754 AK864 KQJ

Oops. Down one. Opening 1H jinxed us after all. Perhaps Betsy should just splinter, but she has a good five card side suit. Another auction is:

Me   Betsy
----------
1S   2D[1]  [1]=Likely game force
2H   3H[2]  [2]=Confirm fit and non-minimum GF

Now exclusionary blackwood would be great ... if we played it. (Exclusionary Blackwood asks for aces, not counting a specific suit). But I've been resisting adding that to our card (since we have much bigger gaps I'd like to fill in first). A "Great once every year or two" convention has now shown up twice in one night. (Hand #20 earlier would have liked it).

Without that, over 3H I could bid 4C (showing first round control of clubs and denying it of spades), but the auction looks like it could easily get confused. (4C-4D;4S-5C;5D-?;Betsy could now bid 5H under the theory that we have a spade loser and I need AKQx of trumps to go)...

Or, round #6.

Board #25 -- I hold 84 QJ32 A876 K93. (E-W vul). I'm in second seat, and pass after north. South opens 2 Spades (weak) and it passes all the way back to me. I'd present this as a problem, but I don't think there's any debate. I balance with a double. Partner is marked with 10+ points, and probably more. Anyway, partner bid 3 clubs ...

	A2 8764 QT2 T874
T76 AT K543 AQ65		84 QJ32 A876 K93
	KQJ953 K95 J9 J2

3 Clubs making was 8 points. I have no idea why the auction wasn't repeated throughout the entire room. (Some enterprising EW may have even gotten to diamonds). But the fact is that I took a position the rest of the field didn't like. Seems to me to be a LAW of total tricks issue ... and if partner happens to have 4 spades, double will also work out just fine...

Board #26.

I'll show you a hand, you tell me the final contract:

	AKQ7 9 AKJ5 QJT6
532 AQT7 Q9864 9		T96 KJ8643 7 854
	52 T32 AK732

East is dealer. Both vul.

Please check your incredulity at the door. N/S played 1NT. I (as East) didn't want to preempt,so I passed and after North opened 1 club I still didn't see any reason to do anything. South bid 1NT and North had a huge mental lapse and passed. My partner found the heart 7 lead and we managed to untangle our heart tricks. -80 is another top.

Another guess the contract:

South dealer, none vul.

	AK9632 T84 Q J62
8 K62 T642 AKT85		J7 A973 AK83 Q97
	QT54 QJ5 J975 43

Our table went

South Betsy North Me
--------------------
P     P     2S    X
3S    4C    Float

Precision bidding or just luck? Probably both. We got a 6.5, but this table is interesting for the (flight A) pair who managed to play in Four spades, E-W, redoubled. There's a story here, but I haven't been able to piece it together. Anyway, since one E-W pair scored 3400 points, our +130 had to settle for 6.5.

In this round, Betsy starts with: AJT JT874 A5 A54

and opens 1 Heart. Now I bid 3 spades. Here's the thing: we didn't really agree to play splinter bids until last month. So Betsy bid 4 spades, and then woke up when I bid five hearts. [A splinter bid shows 4 card trump support, a singleton in the bid suit (spades), and enough to force to game but not much extra.] Betsy called the director, retroactively alerted my 3S bid, the opponents decided to not change their bids, and she had to decide what to do after my 5H bid.

Now this is an interesting problem. By the law (of unauthorized information), I (Brian) had to assume that Betsy's 4 Spade bid showed the ace of spades, slam interest, and denied the ace of clubs and diamonds. So my five heart bid is pretty much forced ... (I "know" we're off two aces).

Betsy is allowed to know all of this (I think). Given that my five heart bid is basically meaningless ... Do you pass 5 Hearts, hoping that it makes five, or bid 6 Hearts under the theory that you are going to get a zero if four hearts is the limit, and may be getting a bad score if six makes, so five has to make exactly for this to break even?

Unfortunately the nerves carried onto the next hand...

Betsy held:

87 T765 AK76 AT6

Betsy passed, then over my 1 Heart bid (in 3rd seat), bid 3 Diamonds, intending it as a Bergen raise (4+ hearts, 10+ points). The auction continued ...

Betsy  Brian
------------
 P     1H
 3D    3S
 4H    5C
 5D    5H
 P

I held AKQ4 AJ932 -- KQ83

Slam requires one heart honor onside, which happens. (I did interpret 3D is 'probably Bergen and not a Weak jump in diamonds'). I guess with a fit I should go even expecting that half the points would be wasted in diamonds. Either she's going to have the club ace or the KQ of hearts, and may very well have the spade jack. In fact, a grand is still possible, although it won't be cold. Another 2.5

The last hand was just a routine 23 count (held by Betsy). AKQJ AJ9 A94 A87.

Since I had the club king and heart queen (and 2434 distribution) 3NT making four was the typical result, although a few people held themselves to three... 5.5

Needless to say, we were late finishing this round.

Update: Fixed the first full hand.

Board #13 -- Both vul, you are in second seat.
Opener bids 1NT (15-17). You hold -- T64 7 KQ98542 T2

(You are playing Cappelliti/Hamilton defense, so you can bid 2C showing a 1 suited hand if you want to compete cheaply, or you can bid 3 or more diamonds, or you can pass or or psyche).

Board #14 -- You are dealer, none vulnerable.

KT2 A98 QT KJ987

You South Partner North
-----------------------
1C  P     1N      P
 P  X     P       2S
 ?

What do you do?

Board #15 -- White vs Red. Opponents silent.

You hold KJ32 AT 87 KJ973

Partner opens 1NT (15-17). What's your plan? (You are playing Jacoby Transfers, but with no good/bad acceptance into minors, if that matters).

If you bid stayman then ...

What I did and results below...

Or, round #3.

Board #7, both vulnerable, south deals. I hold:
84 AQJT532 QT A5

The auction seems normal at the time:

South Pard North Me
----------------------
 P    P    1C    1H
 P    1N    P    2H
 P    P     X     P
 2S   3H    All Pass

	????
Q75 96 K86 KQ863		84 AQJT532 QT A5
	5 led

Partner has full values to compete, although I'd have been tempted to sit with so much defense. I probably would have bid 3H in any case. So ... win the Club ace and play hearts from the top, or win the club king and hook?

I'm only missing 17 HCP ... north has at least one spade honor and the JT of clubs, but everything else could be anywhere. Arguing for the hook is the fact that north has the preponderance of points. Arguing against is that south clearly thought it reasonable to lead from shortness. Kxx in trumps makes that look good. So what do you do?

To cleanse the palate, I pick up another hefty hand.
AKT2 AKJT4 QT Q3
In 3rd seat, I get to open...

Pard North Me   South
---------------------
P    P     1H   2D
P    2N     ?

What does north have? Presumably the heart queen, Probably with three small hearts. A club honor. The spade queen. Diamonds look like they'll run. I think their likely to make it. Should I bid on? Partner looks to have a whole lot of nothing. I pass. What do you lead?

If I can find an entry and get a heart through we can set. (Two spades, "Entry", three hearts) as long as I find it before they run their tricks. So I lead the Spade. Dummy hits with: 8 97 AKJ932 JT52.

Partner plays the spade three (standard signals). Now I have to decide ... cash out (if Declarer has AKxx of clubs, he can run 9 tricks as soon as he gets in) or play for partner to have a club stopper (or a declarer error). I honestly have no idea what to do. It seems to me that declarer could have Qxx Qxxx xx AKxx and pass in the second seat. I can't decide. I decide to risk cashing the HK. Partner plays the 5, declarer the 2. Is partner really signalling in hearts? I play the Ace. Partner completes the echo! I lead the Jack and partner shows out. Declarer runs the diamonds and cashes the club ace, and partner is apologizing...

	J74 Q862 8 A9874
Q9853 53 7654 K6		AKT2 AKJT4 QT Q3
	6 97 AKJ932 JT52

OK, that is a pretty shocking error. (See title of post). Not that my defensive logic (after trick one) was very good, but ... man. -120 when we could make +150 ... or +420 (four spades making) is a deserved zero.

Examine the following routine Heart Game by North-South

	T3 QJT82 AKT9 J6
		K led
	A9642 AK3 85 A53

Do you see any way to make five? There are several reasonable ways to make an overtrick:

• Play two diamonds (risking a ruff) then rough a diamond high in dummy, cross to HQ, ruff the other diamond. You'll lose a spade and a club if it works. This requires trumps to behave as well.
• Lead a spade. Win the return, cross in trump, ruff a spade high. If they break, pull trumps and pitch a club and diamond on the spades. Requires a 3-3 spade break, but trumps don't have to behave.

Trumps behave. Spades are 3-3. Diamond honors are split (and diamonds are 4-3). Everything works, but declarer made four. Despite this, several pairs missed game or went to 3N, which should only make 3. Apparently we're all flight Cs, sometimes. (It's just a question of how often).

New round, I pick up AQ64 KJT652 T4 2

Another light, distributional opener. I don't think anyone would hate this one (unlike board 30). As always, I don't think I can be embarrassed by the most likely rebids (1S, 1NT or 2 of a minor). The wheels don't come off, unlike last time, since there is no interference. (Neither side is vulnerable).

Me Partner
-----------
1 - 1
2 - 3
3 - 4
Pass

Betsy held K983 8 KQJ73 QJ5

Her hand doesn't mesh well with mine, especially when I turn the invitation back around with 3H. On the other hand, with a 12 count I'd have probably just bid game over 2S. In any case we lose the non-trump aces and make 4 (partner finessing against the heart queen, which wins, to provide a discard). This is worth seven out of eight. Looking at the scores, one pair went down, two pairs defended against clubs (N-S have a 9 card fit, but it requires south to overcall an A9xxx suit if I open. But S has 12 HCP and can easily open in 3rd seat...), and the rest played in a spade partial.

Next, I get an opener nobody can complain about.
Board #2 — AK3 KT853 JT2 K8
Despite having full points, I'll have to rebid 2 Diamonds over my partner's expected forcing-1NT response. (Since we play a new suit at the two level is a near GF, we need to use 1NT to handle lots of intermediate hands). But I needn't have worried, we have a simple auction. Partner bids 2NT (Jacoby 2NT - a strong forcing heart raise) and I show a minimum by signing off in four hearts. LHO cashes the diamond ace and king and I have the rest of the tricks. (Betsy held QT AQ984 87 A653). We get slightly below average (3). Apparently a few souths decided not to cash out on the lead.

Board #3 finds me in fourth seat, vulnerable, with
KQJT K874 5 AKQ5. Will I get to open my 18 count? I'd be surprised. But the auction I witness is even more surprising....

SOUTH Betsy North Me
--------------------
1NT   P     2C    P
 2D   P     2S    P
  P   P

1NT showed 15-17, leaving precious little for everyone else. North bid stayman, asking for a major, and then showed 5-4 in the majors. I play that sequence has some values, but it's hardly universal. Since partner has few points and north has the majors, I go quietly.

	98752 AT63 42 93
63 J2 JT87 JT864		KQJT K874 5 AKQ5
	A4 Q95 AKQ963 72

The play is routine. I lead the SK, dummy wins and ... leads a club? Huh? I win, play the ST (a mistake. I shouldn't advertise that the suit is 4-2) and lead clubs twice. Declarer leads a diamond to dummy and then runs the HQ. While declarer has every reason to expect the points to be more evenly split, if my partner does have the King and Jack, she'll surely cover. In any case, I win, pull trump, cash my good club. For some reason we only get them down two, +100. (Did Betsy pitch her fifth club on the last trump to hold her diamond guard and HJ? I guess so, but I don't remember). We get slightly above average, some E-W are competing to 3C (for +130). Most N/S are in diamonds making 2 or down a trick in three.

I agree with South's choice of opening, but it's a matter of taste. I'll admit I'm tempted to bid 1D and then rebid diamonds cheaply (for fear of a transfer into spades and getting dropped).

After two rounds I'm averaging over 12 points a hand (and with many of the 9-11 point hands being highly distributional, enough to consider opening). That average would slip little over the rest of the night....

Update: Fixed my table macro so that South has clubs instead of two diamond suits.

Larry, in an apparently serious move, rates another dozen games from the Gathering. To quote Tom.Hancock:

I figure you were just baiting the haters with this article until I read that last comment. Yikes

To be honest, so did I.

Larry, in his comments:

There are other gamers--Chris Farrell is an outstanding example--who seem to have such high standards that they apparently dislike (or at least find fault with) most of the games they try.

You know, I've written an article or two about "Avoiding becoming or sounding like the Anton Ego of game reviewing." (But I didn't post it. It sounded pompous). It's perfectly reasonable to say:

• "This game has mild novelty value, isn't bad, but isn't special."
• "I enjoy this despite the flaws."
• "There's a good idea buried here, and I want to explore it a few more times, then I'm done."

For Larry, it seems that all of these statements will earn a "7" rating from him. He's trying to map multiple axis of information (innovation, lack of flaws, depth, time/fun ratio, etc) into one degree of freedom.

A publisher wouldn't (knowingly) publish a game that was universally considered too long, boring, unbalanced and derivative. A fast, enjoyable, deep, innovative & elegant game shows up a few times a decade (if we're lucky). Most games score high marks in some areas, and low in others. If they are good enough to get published (by a "big" company) odds are the good outweighs the bad, or it's catering to a niche that focuses on the 'good' aspects. FFG's games are catering to people who don't mind 3+ hour games with lots of chrome.

I don't think I go out of my way to play games I'll hate, but I've reported several flawed games that I still played 5+ times. Larry, have you considered just switching to a 1-5 (or four) star system? Three stars can be your seven....

There's a local sectional this week, and I've been playing a session a day. Tonight's session contained a bestiary of odd hands, bizarre contracts, fumbles, flusters, what-the-hells. I picked up a constant stream of huge hands, heard unexpected bids, and was perpetually astonished. I'm just going to write the whole thing up over the next few days. If you don't play bridge, then learn. These will be worth it.

Background — I'm playing with Betsy. Betsy is a recent Life Master, but I've been playing longer. You'll see flaws a plenty from everyone, but since Betsy's my partner (and we're both Flight C players, the weakest flight) you'll see more of hers and mine. Of course, my mistakes are all tactical judgements that may not have worked at the time, and in no way indicate a lack of skill on my part. (I apologize to Betsy for that).

I have a tendency to take a position on a hand when I could just inform partner ("masterminding"). I'm sitting East most hands (so Betsy is West and our opponents are North-South). I'll give the score after each hand. 8 is top in a board (but because there is a half table the computer does bizarre fractional stuff). We're playing 2/1 (Lawrence style) with not too many gadgets. I firmly believe in getting in and out, so I'll open light routinely. Betsy is more disciplined than that.

First Hand — I pick up Q7532 Q75 853 62

Betsy deals and opens 1. North passes and I do too. (I could bid 1 Spade, and arguably should, but we open light and I want to get my weakness out of the way. I'm perfectly willing to believe that it's better in general to bid one spade, but I always seem to get too high, and rarely get passed out in 1C when our opponents should defend it). South balances with 1 and Betsy bids 3. She gets to play it there. To my surprise, undoubled. I don't really watch the play carefully, but she makes 3 clubs exactly. Double Dummy play can can make 3 spades (since she has K84), but since spades break 4-1 with North having AJTx, down one (or more) is probably the real world result.

As it turns out, we get a frigid top score for this. A perfect 8. But it's not terribly interesting.

The fireworks start ... now. Next board (#29), both are vulnerable and I pick up
AQJT87 AQ82 J A5

I'm second seat, but I don't get to open. North opens 1. I have an easy Double. South bids 1NT, North bids 2, I bid 2 and south competes to 3.

It's arguable that I've bid my hand, but I give another push with 3, which floats.

Earlier today, I've been re-reading Hand Evaluation by Mike Lawrence, and he points out how difficult (and how important) it is to know when to bid with bad hands. Dummy has a monster: 953 K43 T5432 T8

Result — 3 Spades making four (with the spade finesse losing) but hearts breaking 3-3. +170 is only slightly below average at 3.5.

Board #30 — I pick up (as dealer) Q943 K54 -- KJT842

Lots of potential here, but if partner has long diamonds I'm in trouble. Despite having only 9 HCP, this hand has an easy rebid (the only really annoying bid would be a weak jump shift), and has 6.5 losing tricks (using Losing Trick Count). It does lack defense I'd like for an opener, but when I open it's so I don't have to defend.

EAST South West North
---------------------
1C    P    1D   Double
 P[1] 1N   P    3H
Float

[1] I now realize that my easy rebid assumes that either partner or N/S bid, but not both. For my first pass, I'm sticking with my philosophy that having opened light, I should let partner know. My hand has downgraded significantly ... North stepped into a live auction announcing the major suits. I believe him. So, do I bid two clubs to show the six card suit and risk partner going on with something, or risk letting partner play a massacre of 1 diamond? Like all right thinking players, I let partner hang and hope that they can't catch us. The rest of the auction is fairly normal, and let's look at the full hand:

	AKT AQJ86 AJ84 6
J86 T2 KQ953 Q93		Q943 K54 -- KJT842
	752 973 T762 A75

Poor south. If only he'd known partner had four good diamonds, he could have passed. As it was, he had an unenviable choice. He decided to bid NT, which I wouldn't do. If I'd bid two clubs he'd have passed thankfully....

Declarer won the club jack with the ace and hooked the heart and ruffed the club return and pulled trumps. Unfortunately, without a way to finesse in diamonds, he had to play them the wrong way and managed to go down one. +50 was worth 5.5

Don't worry, round two doesn't have anything namby-pamby, like four point hands for me.... To be continued.