Recent BBO Action

How I've missed the recent BBO action as Cambridge apparantly bans it... quite not a useful stance since I've missed out on a lot of practising, but well the bridge action week-in-and-out is enough is to compensate for the fun on BBO!

So now I'm back in Singapore... the first thing to do is to BBO! Still the same old place it is!
And lucky to have played with chieh hwee and jack da pro + some random parnters yday! Just some boards for interest...

You are sitting West and holding:-
AKJx
Qxxxx
QJxx
-Void-

And you heard your partner opened 1D! Your RHO passed and a bid of 1H came. LHO doubled and out of nowhere, your LHO bid 4H! Not any all descriptive, but it would promise a lot of points - at least 16-18 pts and 4 hearts. With 13 HCP in your hand and a potential useful void, what do you do next?

Here, I was considering a bid of 5C, which wouldn't have been taken as voidwood and most likely a cue bid, which would potentially be dangerous as i missed the 4S bid (yet it would be imperative to know about the diamond control if you would want anything higher); a 4NT bid that asks for RK, which is slightly more useful; or a direct jump to 6H. I chose the last option and is rewarded when i missed out on just the ace of trumps!

Partner is in fact holding a hand of this as it turns out:-
xx
KJxx
AKTxx
Ax

Total of 15 count, which is already a risk in itself to jump 4. A slow jump to 3H and exploration from there would be useful if it happens to be:-
xx
AKJx
AKTxx
xx

Well, at least we did find the right contract, so i'm not complaining too much!

Since I have the particular penchant for slam, let's consider the board I've played with Chieh Hwee, though there aren't many decision makings on her side. Your RHO opens 3S (weak), what do you bid with this hand?

xx
AKx
AKQJxxx
J

4 loser hand in itself, it would be fully justifiable to open 2C on itself or a 4D opening bid if you do play such system. But with a 3S opening ahead of you, 4D bid might well be passed out considering if your partner has an average hand of around 8 pts and you might have a minimum of 14 points in all with 5 card diamond. Yet, if you are going to bid on 5D, you might be missing out a slam considering that your partner may well be holding two key aces and some dimes. I chose a 6D bid as a result (hoping for an average hand and some good breaks) cos any other bids would have been too off.

As it turns out, my partner (stunned!) is holding such:-
x
Txxx
Txx
AQxxx

First spade was cashed out by the opps, and after a long thought a club is played and I finessed -> down 1! Forced to finesse considering the heart break won't be QJ doubleton and as it turns out I'm one solid entry short to enjoy my extra club length as it happens to be King to 3 xs on RHO. Anyway interestingly, 4 bid 6Ds, 4 bid 5Ds and 2 on 4Ds - same exact sequence that happened!

Break from hiatus of weekly games

Yesterday played the Friday weekly game with Yiwen... and our partnership hasn't played for so long... given yiwen hasn't played a bridge game in berkeley and i've lost touch of scba for such a long time... evident when ppl start asking us what have we been up to these days...

And soon came to the second board, where I was sitting south and holding

AKxx
KJxx
xxx
Qx

Bidding goes:-

South opens
Pass 1C Pass 1D
Double 2C Pass Pass
Double Pass 2S 3C
3S! All pass

and ok... as I couldn't remember the exact layout (sorry if anyone could point out the mistakes), it was a bad bid to go up 3S with such a balanced hand (having shown my hand through the 2 doubles) and i should let it pass considering it is all vulnerable. Bad mistake on my part. Down 2.

Nothing spectacular took place until fortunes took over at this board (all non-vul)

I, sitting east, was holding:-

Kxxxx
AKQxx
92
x

I was pleasantly surprised when North called 1S, having me holding a 5-carder headed by king in the suit, and happily I overcalled 2H. South called 3C and my partner jumped to 4H. North soon followed with a reluctant raise to 4S. Having not known of any support from partner and my partner having some values in justifying her jump to 4H, I doubled. My partner soon pulled to 5H, attracting a double from North.

Dummy came out following a king dime lead and here it is

-Void-
J987xx
64
K6432

The North put up with a 8 dime (perhaps his lowest useless dime to showcase an odd count signal) and I put up with a 9 dime. Luckily, dime was not continued and I err-ed in covering the queen club lead with the king, only to be eaten up by the ace of club. A club is led back and soon I cross-ruffed to this position (having discovered South had 5 clubs and North had 5 spades, all are guarded).

-
J98x
6
6

Kx
AKQ
9
-

A low spade was led and horrors of horrors, south threw his club guard and my club 6 was good to cover the dime loser. Trumps broke 1-1 and 5Hx= made for a top board! Woohoo!

So it isn't hard to imagine our "beginners' luck" had brought us to the 1st position. (and tied with Jack/Chengyen)... had to play better and get rid of stupid mistakes!!! ganbatte!

And jiayou zehan for the trials!!! U can do it!