Friday the Rabbi Used Judgment

July 1st, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

In 1965 Harry Kemelman won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel, Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, featuring the Rabbi David Small, which became a huge bestseller. If the Rabbi Small had been a bridge player the title might have been different.

Rabbi Leonard Helman, a mere 82 years young, suffers from Parkinson’s disease, but still engages his mind at the bridge table, trying to solve problems that can be just as taxing as your average murder mystery.

Here are a few interesting deals from the final of the Lebhar IMP Pairs on most of which some judgment was required:

Dealer: North Vul: None		North
		♠	K 8 4
		♥	5 4 3 2
		♦	J 5
		♣	A K 7 6
West				East
♠	10 6			♠	J 5 3
♥	A 6			♥	K Q J 10 9 8 7
♦	Q 10 9 8 7 6			♦	K
♣	9 4 3			♣	8 5
		South
		♠	A Q 9 7 2
		♥	—
		♦	A 4 3 2
		♣	Q J 10 2

With a big fit for a club suit that the bidding has suggested is likely to be natural and spades having being supported there is a strong case for South moving in search of a slam.

However, in an auction where bad breaks could be expected the Rabbi decided to take the conservative route. +420 was worth 2.10 IMPs.

Dealer: East Vul: Both		North
		♠	K Q J 9 5
		♥	9 5 2
		♦	Q J
		♣	J 7 3
West				East
♠	2			♠	7 3
♥	Q 10 7 6 4 3			♥	K 8
♦	A 9 6 5 3			♦	K 10 7 4 2
♣	Q			♣	A 8 4 2
		South
		♠	A 10 8 6 4
		♥	A J
		♦	8
		♣	K 10 9 6 5

Facing a passed partner West’s overcall reminds me of a line from Horace’s Odes: ‘Oak and triple bronze encompassed the breast of him who first entrusted his frail craft to the wild sea.’

With such a defenseless hand I might have done better to bid a direct Four Spades, which at least emphasizes the powerful trump support.

As an aside, this deal is much easier for North/South if the opening bid is One Club. If East/West bid in analogous style the auction might go:

1cx-(2hx)-2sx-(3hx)-4sx-(5hx) and now, knowing of the secondary fit in clubs it is easier for North to go on to Five Spades.

Losing 850 cost a whopping 11.70 IMPs.

Dealer: North Vul: Both		North
		♠	9 7 6 5
		♥	7
		♦	J 10 7
		♣	A 8 7 6 4
West				East
♠	A Q 3 2			♠	K J 8 4
♥	Q J 4 3			♥	6 2
♦	Q 8 4 2			♦	9 6
♣	J			♣	K 10 5 3 2
		South
		♠	10
		♥	A K 10 9 8 5
		♦	A K 5 3
		♣	Q 9

Let’s put the Rabbi’s rebid down to the enthusiasm of youth. I doubt West would have doubled Three Hearts, but he was happy enough to take a shot at four. This misadventure cost 9.06 IMPs.

Dealer: West Vul: Both		North
		♠	K 5
		♥	4
		♦	K Q 7 5 3
		♣	Q 10 7 3 2
West				East
♠	Q 10 8 7 6 4			♠	A J 9
♥	K 5			♥	A 10 8 6 3
♦	J 6			♦	A 4 2
♣	J 9 4			♣	A 6
		South
		♠	3 2
		♥	Q J 9 7 2
		♦	10 9 8
		♣	K 8 5

Everyone had some sort of decision to make on this deal.

Should West open Two Spades?

Should North open?

If North does open what should East bid?

After East overcalls One Heart what should South do?

After East overcalls One Heart what should West do if South passes or bids 1NT?

Here are my suggestions:

Unless I had some strict rules about suit quality I would open Two Spades with the West hand. (Better still I would open with a Multicoloured Two Diamonds, but that is not allowed in any type of Pairs game.)

The absence of majors from the North hand is a major concern, even when one player has passed. That argues in favour of bidding on the North hand (a few players might be able to open 2NT to show the minors).

Once North opens East is awkwardly placed. You have to choose between One Heart and 1NT – I would prefer the latter, which at least gets across the high card values.

After East bids One Heart South should bid 1NT. Passing suggests that you are willing to defend One Heart doubled if partner re opens – and this is not the right sort of hand for that.

Finally, if South passes West should bid One Spade, and might consider bidding Two Spades over 1NT.

Failing to reach the spade game cost East/West 8.58 IMPs.

I’ll sign off with an illustration of how easy it is to make a mistake at this demanding game:

Dealer: East Vul: N-S		North
		♠	K 5 4
		♥	—
		♦	A 10 4 3 2
		♣	K J 9 7 5
West				East
♠	Q J 6			♠	10 8 7
♥	9 6 4			♥	A J 10 7
♦	K Q 8 7 6			♦	J 9
♣	4 2			♣	A 8 6 3
		South
		♠	A 9 3 2
		♥	K Q 8 5 3 2
		♦	5
		♣	Q 10

East led the ten of spade and when that held he continued the suit. Declarer won in hand and attacked clubs, playing one to dummy’s queen and then overtaking the ten with the jack. East won and played a third spade, so declarer won in dummy, cashed the long spade and played a diamond to the ace. Declarer cashed his clubs and this was the four card ending:

Dealer: Vul:		North
		♠	—
		♥	—
		♦	10 4 3
		♣	7
West				East
♠	—			♠	—
♥	—			♥	A J 10
♦	K Q 8 7			♦	J
♣	—			♣	—
		South
		♠	—
		♥	K Q 8 5
		♦	—
		♣	—

On the seven of clubs East made the fatal mistake of retaining the jack of diamonds. Now when declarer exited with a diamond on defender or the other had to surrender the ninth trick.

Clerical Error

June 22nd, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  1 Comment 

Bridge is tough enough without the addition of mechanical mistakes. You know the type of thing I mean, a revoke, a lead out of turn, pulling the wrong card etc.

One of my occasional teammates describes such lapses as ‘clerical errors’. They are usually fatal, but every now and then a resourceful player may survive. Here is a perfect illustration from the final of the Lebhar IMP Pairs:

Dealer: North Vul: Both		North
		♠	5 2
		♥	J 10 9 5 4
		♦	Q J 3
		♣	10 8 3
West				East
♠	9 4 3			♠	A K Q 10
♥	A 6 2			♥	Q 8 7 3
♦	9 8 7 6			♦	K
♣	A 9 7			♣	J 6 5
		South
		♠	J 8 6
		♥	K
		♦	A 10 5 4 2
		♣	K Q 4 2

Bulgarian star Valio Kovachev’s inadvertent opening bid landed his side in a moysian fit, but the deal served to illustrate how well the declarer can cope with only seven trumps.

South led the king of clubs and declarer made the natural play of ducking. South switched to a spade and declarer won in hand and continued with two top spades, discarding a diamond from dummy. North ruffed and switched to a diamond for the king and ace and South exited with a diamond, ruffed by declarer.

Valio played a heart to the king and ace, ruffed a diamond and ruffed a spade. North overruffed and returned a trump but declarer won and played a winning spade. North had to ruff and lead away from the ten of clubs.

That gave declarer eight tricks which matched the total achieved by those who played in spades.

(With open cards, declarer does best to win the ace of clubs at trick one and then follow the line adopted by Valio. After the king of clubs is ducked South can cash the ace of diamonds and then exit with the king of hearts, which upsets declarer’s timing.)

Absolute Zero

June 12th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

Unless you post a really dreadful result you can usually expect to collect the odd matchpoint, but from time to time the dreaded zero is bound to appear on the card. If you have to donate one there may be no more deserving recipient than the hard working CEO of the ACBL, Jay Baum, as witness this deal from the Silodor Open Pairs:

Dealer: West Vul: None		North
		♠	A 2
		♥	A K J
		♦	10 4
		♣	K 10 9 8 5 2
West				East
♠	8 7 6 5 4			♠	Q 10
♥	9 7 5 2			♥	8 4 3
♦	6			♦	A Q 9 7 5
♣	Q 7 6			♣	3
		South
		♠	K J 9 3
		♥	Q 10 6
		♦	K J 8
		♣	A J 4

When East came into the auction with a double that promised a single suited hand his side looked booked for a poor result, as the Rabbi had more than enough to redouble, and when East retreated to his suit he doubled and led the three of spades. North won with the ace and cashed the king of hearts, putting the defenders on the way to collecting the maximum penalty, before switching back to the two of spades. The Rabbi took East’s queen with the king – at least he would have done had he known that card was in his hand!

Alas, it was not on view and when East’s queen held the trick declarer escaped for -300 and a complete top.

Bidding Misadventures

June 2nd, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  1 Comment 

Scylla and Charybdis are two sea monsters of Greek mythology who were situated on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and Calabria, in Italy. They were located in close enough proximity to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too closely to Scylla and vice versa.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus was forced to choose which monster to confront while passing through the strait and he opted to pass by Scylla and lose only a few sailors, rather than risk the loss of his entire ship into the whirlpool created by Charybdis.

Although infrequently used today, the phrase has meant having to choose between two unattractive choices, and is the progenitor of the phrase ‘between a rock and a hard place’.

Here are a couple of deals from the Lebhar IMP Pairs where a player faced a problem, although it they were not perhaps as taxing as that which faced Homer’s eponymous hero.

Dealer: West Vul: None		North
		♠	A 6 2
		♥	A
		♦	A K Q 10
		♣	A Q 9 7 6
West				East
♠	K 9			♠	J 10 8
♥	K 9 8 6 5 4			♥	3 2
♦	4			♦	9 8 6 5 3 2
♣	K 8 3 2			♣	10 4
		South
		♠	Q 7 5 4 3
		♥	Q J 10 7
		♦	J 7
		♣	J 5

Modern expert theory is to use Leaping Michaels over a weak two in a major to show a powerful two suiter with the other major, while a cue bid asks for a heart stopper.

If neither of these bids are in your armoury then the cue bid simply shows a

powerful hand.

It left South with an awkward choice between spades and notrumps and when the Rabbi opted for the former North came again with a second cue bid. South rebid his spades and there is now a very strong case for passing, especially as the South hand could be completely worthless, but as Oscar Wilde said ‘I can resist everything except temptation’ and I pressed on with Five Spades which was passed out.

In the face of such aggressive bidding South should probably press on to the slam, which can be made if declarer takes the right view in trumps.

I would like to tell you how the play went in Five Spades, but like the Giant Rat of Sumatra, it a story for which the world is not yet prepared.

Dealer: East Vul: Both		North
		♠	K 6 5 2
		♥	7 4
		♦	J 7 3
		♣	7 6 5 3
West				East
♠	9 8 7			♠	Q J 3
♥	K 5 2			♥	A Q 10 8 6 3
♦	K 10 8 2			♦	6 4
♣	Q 8 4			♣	J 2
		South
		♠	A 10 4
		♥	J 9
		♦	A Q 9 5
		♣	A K 10 9

According to the world’s most eminent bidding theorist, one EOK, in this sequence Three Hearts should ask for a stopper, although on the actual hand it is at best a marginal decision, as just as in the previous deal the spade bidder may have a worthless hand.

Over Three Spades the Rabbi’s raise required considerably more divine intervention than was available!

Treble Dutch

May 27th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

Having made an excellent decision in the bidding, English International David Kendrick made a fine play in the final of the Blue Ribbon Pairs to bring home a fascinating 3NT.

The added twist was that the three other players at the table were all Dutchmen.

Dealer: West Vul: All		North
		♠	K 6 5 4 3
		♥	K 8 2
		♦	Q 3
		♣	9 8 5
West				East
♠	10			♠	Q 8 7 2
♥	J 9 7 5			♥	10 6 4
♦	J 7 4 2			♦	K 9 8 6
♣	A 10 7 2			♣	K Q
		South
		♠	A J 9
		♥	A Q 3
		♦	A 10 5
		♣	J 6 4 3

After North transferred and then invited South followed the sound policy with a balanced hand of opting for the nine trick game, thereby avoiding the doomed 4♠ .

West led a heart and declarer won with dummy’s king and played a spade to the jack. The appearance of West’s ten was ominous and keeping his options open, declarer exited with a club. East took the king and played a heart and when declarer won and played another club East continued the game of ping pong by winning and exiting with a third heart.

Declarer won that and now played three rounds of spades putting East on play and forcing him to lead away from the king of diamonds.

When East got in with the queen of clubs he missed a difficult chance to defeat the contact by finding a switch to a low diamond which removes the entry to the long spades.

My finessing friend tells me that declarer can always make the contact if he wins the first trick in hand. Say he then exits with a club. East will win, but a diamond exit will not help now, as there is still an entry to dummy and on a heart continuation declarer has more than one way to arrive at nine tricks provide he takes the right view.

Perhaps the neatest is to win in dummy and play a spade to the jack, exiting with a club when the ten falls. To avoid the endplay declarer achieved at the table East must exit with a diamond immediately after winning this trick, but declarer runs that to dummy’s jack, plays a spade to the nine, cashes the major suit aces. West will have to keep two clubs s  and then plays ace of diamonds so in the four card ending declarer simply plays ace of diamonds and a diamond. If East wins he will end up giving the last trick to dummy’s king of spades and if West wins he will have to give declarer a club trick.

This could get to be a Habert

May 17th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

When an expert makes what they consider to be a routine play they are frequently surprised when it arouses the admiration of others.

When Canada’s Rhoda Habert made a spectacular opening lead that resulted in the defeat of a grand slam, the first person to congratulate her afterward was the unlucky declarer.

Dealer: East Vul: East/West		North
		♠	Q 7 3
		♥	–
		♦	A Q J 7 6
		♣	A Q J 8 5
West				East
♠	J 6			♠	9 2
♥	A Q 10 8			♥	J 9 6 5 3 2
♦	K 8			♦	10 5 4 2
♣	10 9 4 3 2			♣	7
		South
		♠	A K 10 8 5 4
		♥	K 7 4
		♦	9 3
		♣	K 6

After using Exclusion Blackwood North made a grand slam try which South was happy to accept.

From West’s point of view her holding in diamonds was horrendous, so in an attempt to deflect declarer from what might be a contract winning finesse she led the eight of diamonds!

Declarer won with dummy’s ace and when she tried to cash two rounds of clubs East ruffed to scupper the contract.

On a more passive lead, say for example a trump, declarer wins in hand, ruffs a heart and then plays all her trumps, squeezing West in three suits.

I hate to mention it, but after the diamond lead there is a winning line even if East has the king:

After taking the ace, declarer comes to hand with a trump, ruffs a heart and then runs the trumps to reach this position (I have moved the king of diamonds to the East hand for effect):

		North
		♠
		♥
		♦	Q
		♣	A Q J 8 5
West				East
♠				♠
♥	A			♥	J 9 6
♦				♦	K 10
♣	10 9 4 3 2			♣	7
		South
		♠	4
		♥	K 7
		♦	9
		♣	K 6

When declarer plays the last spade West has to surrender. Notice that this squeeze operates against either defender who happens to hold five clubs and the ace of hearts.

There will be Blood

April 28th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

If you have seen the epic movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis you may recall that it is set in the town of Little Boston. That and the fact that at match points it is not unusual for someone’s blood to be spilt was sufficient inspiration for the title of this piece.

Here is my first gruesome offering:

Dealer: North Vul: North/South		North
		♠	J 5 3 2
		♥	9 5
		♦	J 6 5 2
		♣	A 8 6
West				East
♠	9 8 6			♠	A Q 10 4
♥	Q 8 6 3			♥	A K J 4 2
♦	Q 10 8 4			♦	7
♣	J 10			♣	K Q 2
		South
		♠	K 7
		♥	10 7
		♦	A K 9 3
		♣	9 7 5 4 3

Despite the warning note sounded by East’s 1NT I felt I had enough to compete. East’s double and the appearance of dummy (the Rabbi had a couple of clubs in with his spades) quickly shattered that illusion. -1100 proved to be a modest result.

Dealer: West Vul: North/South		North
		♠	A 10 8 7
		♥	A K 7 4
		♦	J 9 6
		♣	10 5
West				East
♠	J 6			♠	Q 4
♥	J 9 8			♥	Q 6 5 3
♦	K Q 8 5			♦	A 7 3 2
♣				♣	A 6 3
		South
		♠	K 9 5 3 2
		♥	10 2
		♦	10 4
		♣	Q 9 8 2

After West’s 10-13 NT and North’s majors showing overcall East intended his double for take out. When East took a different view it cost -870.

On my next deal the number was smaller, but the match points only went in one direction:

Dealer: West Vul: East/West		North
		♠	A Q 9 8
		♥	8 3
		♦	J 9 8 7 6 4
		♣	10
West				East
♠	K 7 6			♠
♥	K Q J			♥
♦	10 5			♦
♣	A 8 7 4 2			♣
		South
		♠	J 2
		♥	A 10 7 2
		♦	Q 2
		♣	K Q J 9 3

North led the eight of hearts and declarer won with the jack. When he played the ace of clubs and a low club South drew trumps, cashed the ace of hearts and exited with a spade for +300.

I’ll conclude with this neat effort:

Dealer: South Vul: None		North
		♠	A J 10 9 6
		♥	7 5
		♦	A J 8 3 2
		♣	8
West				East
♠	Q 8 7 5 4 2			♠	K
♥	8			♥	K Q J 10 6 4
♦	K Q 10 6			♦	7 4
♣	Q 9			♣	J 10 6 2
		South
		♠	3
		♥	A 9 3 2
		♦	9 5
		♣	A K 7 5 4 3

South cashed his top clubs and switched to the nine of diamonds. Declarer put up dummy’s king and when that was allowed to hold he played a spade. North took the ace and switched to a trump. South took the ace and played a club. North ruffed, cashed the ace of diamonds and could then play any of his remaining cards to promote South’s nine of hearts for +500.

The Way to the Stars

April 18th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

An NABC features events for everyone from the greatest in the game to those taking their first tentative steps into the world of duplicate. The latter may be wondering, can anyone become an expert at bridge with enough practice and/or training?

Does natural talent limit one’s ultimate performance level? The idea of natural talent derives from common everyday observations of some people acquiring a skill much more rapidly than others, and/or very much younger than average, and then reaching a higher ultimate performance level.

A popular view has arisen which disputes the importance of natural talent and holds that expertise just reflects extensive practice. Golfer Gary Player once said ‘The more I practice the better I get.’ Can an individual with no greater natural talent, reach elite performance levels by starting early enough and practicing extensively?

In bridge, deliberate practice might involve receiving coaching, reading bridge books, studying variations that arise in bidding, play and defence, studying deals played by top players, and using computer programmes such as Jack and Deep Finesse to identify one’s weaknesses. This acknowledges that people hit performance ceilings but suggests that this can be overcome with more of and the right kind of practice.

Motivation, amount of practice, initial success, opportunity, and possible natural talent are all interwoven. People tend to like what they are good and successful at and persist in such activities. If I wanted to be a champion boxer but lacked the strength or speed and got knocked out in the first round every time, I would inevitably abandon boxing for other interests.

Playing bridge is an obviously intellectual task and to some extent one’s progress can be monitored by the master point scheme.

A lot of practice is needed to develop bridge skill and knowledge is important.

I asked a number of players to comment on the suggestion that anyone could become an expert.

This is what they had to say:

‘I think there is a ceiling given by your natural talent.’

‘Yes if they start at a very young age.’

‘Bridge can be a nightmare if you are not gifted and want to improve.’

‘Bridge is 90% hard work and 10% talent.’

‘I have two sons. I’ve taught them bridge. One has inherited my talent (a good amateur) the other is extremely talented and a possible expert.’

‘There is always an element of natural ability in the top players.’

‘Definitely not… Top players clearly possess attributes that can’t be taught or learned,

however early one starts.’

‘Study is necessary but not sufficient – you must also play against strong opposition.’

‘Only if you read a lot and play against strong opponents.’

‘Absolutely out of the question. I have seen many players working like professionals but not reaching the same heights as a more lazy but talented player.’

When I asked what specific skills are required to attain expert level these were the most frequent comments:

‘They have a better memory, calculating ability and visualisation skills.. the best players

are able to develop these skills better and more efficiently.’

‘Bridge expertise demands a high natural skill in many different and distinct fields (calculation, spatial skills, competition, concentration, patience, etc). Top players are highly talented in almost each of these skills.’

‘They have … the killer instinct.’

‘These players have the ability to create.’

‘They are above all hard workers.’

‘Most of the top bridge players I’ve met have not struck me as having great intelligence.’

Other interesting comments on what was required included the foillowing:

‘Need to start early, play and study frequently, analyse deal, and have a mentor to

determine your mistakes.’

‘The most important is effortful study – going beyond one’s limits.’

‘At expert level , studying and preparing for specific opponents have become increasingly important.’

‘Serious analysis of one’s own play and biding system is critical.’

‘Bridge improvement is only possible with an intense study of bridge material.’

‘Not enough to have theoretical knowledge, you have to have practical experience with it as well.’

‘Bridge is about absorbing bits of information and being able to process them naturally.’

‘I find I need to play regularly to maintain form.’

‘Playing is more important than studying. Not every strong player studies the game.’

‘You have to analyse your performances – you learn from doing it.

‘For me, studying the art of calculation raised my level about 100 elo points.’

‘The right mentor is of paramount importance. Reviewing one’s performance with that person is very important.’

What can one conclude from this?

Natural talent for bridge almost certainly exists and limits ultimate performance level. It probably consists of a number of characteristics, both ability and personality. Players do get to performance ceilings after extensive practice. A special kind of practice might help overcome such a limit but ultimately natural talent probably sets a peak level. However, in bridge and in other domains, most people probably do not get anywhere near the limits of their talent because they do not get enough practice. A great deal of study and practice can propel many players further than one might have thought, but not necessarily to expert level. And, as one player suggested, ‘There is a lot of untapped natural talent in the world.’

My own view is that anyone who is prepared to read a lot, take every opportunity to watch top class players either at the table or via the medium of VuGraph or the Internet (www.bridgebase.com) play regularly and not be afraid to ask for advice has every chance of attaining a very high level of play.

I certainly hope to one day.

This article is based on a similar one on Chess by Robert Howard published in November 2008 and parts of that are reproduced with his kind permission.

The Rabbi’s New Rule

April 8th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

By now everyone is aware of the Rabbi’s Rule – ‘the king of clubs is always singleton offside’ but in the first round of KO matches in the Senior Teams the Rabbi showed that even a doubleton queen is far from safe:

Dealer: East Vul: East/West		North
		♠	A K 10 7 4
		♥	A 4
		♦	9 3
		♣	A 10 7 3
West				East
♠	8 2			♠	J 9 3
♥	Q 9			♥	8 7 5
♦	K 10 8 7 2			♦	A Q 6 5
♣	K Q J 4			♣	9 8 6
		South
		♠	Q 6 5
		♥	K J 10 6 3 2
		♦	J 4
		♣	5 2

West led the king of clubs and the Rabbi won with dummy’s ace, cashed the ace of hearts, noting West’s nine and played a heart to his king. When the queen appeared declarer could draw the last trump, and then cash five rounds of spades, +480.

In the replay, declarer, in an identical situation, took the heart finesse and the defenders were not slow to cash a club and two diamonds for +50 and a useful 11 IMPs.

The Green Monster

March 29th, 2009  ~  mark horton  ~  No Comments 

The Green Monster,  is the nickname of the thirty-seven-foot, two-inch (11.3 m) left field wall at Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox baseball team; the highest among Major League Baseball fields. Part of the original ballpark construction of 1912, the wall is made of wood, but was covered in tin and concrete in 1934, and then hard plastic in 1976. Despite the name, the Green Monster was not painted green until 1947; before that it was covered with advertisements. ’m mentioning this because when in Boston I braved the elements to walk over to Fenway Park and take a look at the Monster. I guess it was no surprise when the boards in our subsequent Senior KO match proved to be every bit as dramatic as some of the games that have graced the legendary field of play. As you follow the action, you will see a classic combination of some of the best and worst in bridge, including a few (see if you can spot them) baseball terms – plus you might care to decide who present with what I will call the ‘Bill Buckner Award’ for the most disastrous play of the match. (For non Bostonians in 1986, the Boston Red Sox faced the New York Mets in Game 6 of the World Series. Boston led the best-of-7 series 3 games to 2, and had a two-run lead with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning. New York came back to tie the game with three straight singles off Calvin Schiraldi and a wild pitch by pitcher Bob Stanley. Mookie Wilson fouled off several pitches before hitting a ground ball to Buckner at first base. The ball rolled under Buckner’s glove, through his legs, and into right field, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run, forcing a seventh game, which the Mets won.) Before I move to the main event try this little brain teaser: With plenty of entries how do you play J94 opposite K873 for three tricks? Okay, I start with a real ‘Monster’ of a hand: (I have rotated some of the deals)

Dealer: West Vul: All		North
		♠	A J
		♥	A K J 8 7 6 3
		♦	A K Q 8
		♣	–
West				East
♠	-K Q 6 4			♠	9 8
♥	10 5			♥	9
♦	J 10 5			♦	9 6 2
♣	A J 9 7			♣	K Q 10 8 6 5 2
		South
		♠	10 7 5 3 2
		♥	Q 4 2
		♦	7 4 2
		♣	4 3

In retrospect I think South should raise to 6♥ , hoping that the queen of hearts will be enough. Assuming North is unwilling to take a gamble and bid a direct 6♥ , another approach is to continue with 5♣ . Then South has a relatively easy bid of 5♥ , which will come as a pleasant surprise to North.

There was not quite enough interference here and the extra space made life very easy for North/South, who put their team on the scoreboard to the tune of 13 IMPs. Soon afterwards someone was caught stealing:

Dealer: East Vul: East/West		North
		♠	10 6
		♥	Q J 4 3
		♦	Q J 9 6
		♣	K Q 2
West				East
♠	9			♠	Q J 8 5 4 3 2
♥	A K 10 8 6			♥	7 5
♦	10 8 7 2			♦	5
♣	A J 3			♣	9 6 4
		South
		♠	A K 7
		♥	9 2
		♦	A K 4 3
		♣	10 8 7 5

Two Hearts was hearts and usually a minor. When North made a card showing double East mysteriously passed, and the combination of four prime cards and the vulnerability made it easy for South to pass. North led the king of clubs and declarer erred significantly by ducking. Now North switched to a trump and declarer was booked for -800. In the other room North/South had an easy time in the regulation game of 3NT but that only served to hold the loss to 9 IMPs. Up next was a potential grand slam:

Dealer: South Vul: North/South		North
		♠	5 4
		♥	A Q 10 5
		♦	A K 4
		♣	A 9 7 2
West				East
♠	K Q J 10 6 3			♠	9 8 7
♥	7 3			♥	8 6 4 2
♦	Q 8 6 5 2			♦	10 9 3
♣	–			♣	J 5 4
		South
		♠	A 2
		♥	K J 9
		♦	J 7
		♣	K Q 10 8 6 3

With some partners I have an arrangement that 4♣ is Keycard in clubs, but that was not the case here. If I had bid 5♠ on the way to the slam North would have taken his chances in 7♣ , hoping to find either the queen of clubs or the jack of hearts in the South hand.

David Kendrick, our team’s designated hitter, gave North no room to maneuver so there was no swing.

Dealer: West Vul: East/West		North
		♠	Q 9 8 5 4
		♥	A J 10 9 5 3
		♦	–
		♣	J 6
West				East
♠	A J 10 2			♠	K 6
♥	–			♥	8 4 2
♦	9 7 5 3			♦	A K Q J 10
♣	A Q 8 4 2			♣	9 7 5
		South
		♠	7 3
		♥	K Q 7 6
		♦	8 6 4 2
		♣	K 10 3

Over North’s cue bid East was able to show a hand with diamonds, but with such poor trumps West was unwilling to do more than jump to game. Five Diamonds was easy enough, especially as North was almost certain to hold the queen of spades.

The East/West auction covered all the bases. South led the king of hearts and declarer ruffed and then went into the tank (he took such a long time that the other three players considered making a call to the Bullpen. Eventually he advanced the jack of spades and when North played low so did declarer. A diamond to the ace made it clear that the club finesse would be needed, so declarer took it. When the queen of clubs held he simply ducked a club and was soon able to claim his contract and 13 IMPs. When you are a team of five it can be difficult to decide who should play, but I am generally the player to be named later.

Dealer: South Vul: East/West		North
		♠	K J 4 2
		♥	Q 7 4 3
		♦	5
		♣	J 10 6 3
West				East
♠	10 6 5 3			♠	A Q 8 7
♥	K 5			♥	A J 10 9 2
♦	9 6 4			♦	3
♣	9 8 7 2			♣	K 5 4
		South
		♠	9
		♥	8 6
		♦	A K Q J 10 8 7 2
		♣	A Q

As an aside, it’s a good idea to have a bid to show a two suiter after a strong club and a negative response – one easy method is to use double for the majors and 1NT for the minors. Naturally we had forgotten to discuss this situation. West led the three of spades and when declarer called for the king East won with the ace. It was clear that South’s bid was based on a long diamond suit. A heart switch is the only real hope for the defence, and here it would have been very easy for West to switch to the ten of spades when in with the king of hearts. East’s decision to exit with a diamond turned out badly, as declarer claimed his contract. I guess East may eventually be charged with an error.

South’s Acol style strong two in diamonds saw North make a negative response of 2NT. That meant he was declarer in 3NT and there was no longer any defence.

Dealer: South Vul: None		North
		♠	3
		♥	K 9 8 7 6 4 2
		♦	K
		♣	J 8 7 3
West				East
♠	Q J 6 5			♠	10 9 8
♥	5			♥	10 3
♦	A Q J 7 6 2			♦	10 9 5 3
♣	A Q			♣	K 10 6 5
		South
		♠	A K 7 4 2
		♥	A Q J
		♦	8 4
		♣	9 4 2

When our pinch hitter, Rabbi Helman, raised to game, North foolishly went on over Five Diamonds, a contract that would easily have been defeated by a spade lead. I’ll come back to the play in a moment.

East led a diamond and West won and switched to clubs, playing the ace and then the queen. When East failed to overtake and give his partner a ruff declarer could establish a third spade trick and get rid of his club losers. (The theme is similar to a famous defence where Garozzo switched to a spade from ♠ KQ and Forquet, holding ♠ Axx overtook the queen and gave his partner an essential ruff.)With ♣ AQx, West should not play the queen on the second round, so when he does it must be because he started with ♣ AQ alone. The same mistake was made at the other table, but that was still a game swing to the easy winners of the match. Before I sign off here is the solution to the question I posed at the beginning. With plenty of entries how do you play J94 opposite K873 for three tricks? Well, you could take the miniscule chance of running the jack, hoping to pin a singleton ten on your left. An alternative is to play low to the jack. If that holds you play one back to the king and then exit with a third round, hoping the queen and ace (as they surely will) appear on this trick. Impossible do I here you say? Well, ask Brian Senior, who I watched bring off this coup as dummy a year or two ago!

Interference An infraction where a person illegally changes the course of play from what is expected.

Regulation game A game that ends after nine or more innings with one team winning, or a game called by the umpire after at least five innings have been completed.

Caught stealing A runner is charged, and the fielders involved are credited, with a time when the runner attempts to advance or lead off from one base to another without the ball being batted and then is tagged out by a fielder while making the attempt. A time caught stealing can not be charged to a batter-runner, that is, a runner who is still advancing as the direct result of reaching base. Grand Slam A home run hit with all the bases occupied, thereby scoring 4 runs.

Designated Hitter Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter to bat in place of the pitcher.

Cover bases Part of the infielders’ job is to stand next to a base in anticipation of receiving the ball thrown from another fielder, so that they may make a play on an opposing baserunner who is approaching that base.

Bullpen The area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game.

Player to be named later The player to be named later is generally used to postpone a trade’s final conditions or terms. In 1962, when Harry Chiti was traded to the New York Mets from the Cleveland Indians for a PTBNL, and the teams could not agree on a final deal within the six-month timeframe, the PTBNL was, oddly enough, Harry Chiti.

Error A fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance should have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.

Pinch hitter A substitute batter.