Recap of 9/9/2013 28 board IMP individual

No BBO this time, we played in person.  As a result, my data entry is likely less than perfect.  It is SO nice when BBO has the bidding and play of every card by everyone saved for posterity.  No typos.   No confusion about the bidding/play at the other table (or even failing to remember what happened at my table!).

It seemed like I lost IMPs on nearly every hand, finishing a distant last.  That is the way it goes sometimes in IMP individual games.  IMHO, I didn’t cause the IMP losses.  You be the judge.  The swing was at the other table.

My first 3 hands are going to be pushes, because they generated the greatest discussion at the post mortem when comparing scores.

Board 11

 

Identical auctions at both tables until the double at my table ended the auction.  Same lead at both tables.  Bruce (declarer at the other table) ducked trick 1 (by FAR the best play – the contract is now assured except for the unlikely diamond shift at trick 2).  When hearts were continued against Bruce at trick 2, the ♠K was knocked out and, too late, a diamond was led.  Declarer was up to 8 tricks.  In the end, a diamond endplay provided the 9th trick (3+2+3+1).  At my table, Dan won the heart lead at trick 1 and was in serious danger.  There are now many lines of defeat, but the contract still slipped through.  Dan cashed ♠A at trick 2 and led a spade to dummy, Bill pitching the only card in his hand that still allows defeat, the ♣6.   Now Dan took the diamond finesse, exposing himself to a fatal diamond lead when West is in with the ♠K.  But, after winning the ♦Q, as Dan knocked out the ♠K, Bill pitched a heart while partner won the ♠K (removing the threat of heart communication and, in the process, suggesting to Jack that a heart lead was OK).  Had Bill kept all of his hearts, virtually all defenses lead to -1 because Dan did not duck the heart at trick 1 to cut heart suit communication.  With Bill’s heart gone, diamonds had to be led now and when Jack led hearts, Bill was subject to the same diamond end play for the 9th trick.  So, the tricks won at both tables (3+2+3+1) were the same, but the order was significantly different.  So this wasn’t literally a push.  Win 4 IMPs for (partner) making the doubled contract.  One of my very few IMP pickups of the day!

Board 27

Suppose you win the ♦A and must lead to trick 2.  What is your lead to trick 2?

I chose the diamond lead, presenting the problem above for my partner.  The ♠9 was led at the other table, covered and won with the ♠A.  Now you have the same ‘trick 2’ problem as presented above (except on the spade lead you do not have the added inference that declarer is unlikely to score many diamond tricks).  You are in.  Where do you go for tricks?  Hearts is the answer, however unlikely it looks.  Unlike when the diamond was led, if the ♠9 is covered by the ♠Q and ♠A, no lead but a heart at trick 2 can lead to defeating 3NT.  However, if you don’t take your ♠A at trick 1 (simply duck), then some variations arise but it can still be set.  Bottom line, the easy, sure (and not obvious at the table) path to defeat 3NT, is to use your 3 entries for heart leads.  Both declarers made 3NT (3+1+2+3) – push.

Board 2

Another great hand, another push.  With spades, clubs and diamonds locked up, a trump lead should have been obvious.  It was obvious to Mark Ralph (holding my hand at the other table), but when spades were led from dummy, Mark’s partner rose with the ♠A and the defense was over since no more heart plays were possible.  Rather than the ‘obvious’ heart, I led a lame ♠K, and partner, thinking I had 3 spades for my raise, overtook with the ♠A and the defense was over.  With the trump lead, 8 tricks are the maximum for declarer with correct subsequent defense (no spade ruffs allowed by drawing declarer’s trumps and no source of tricks).  If the spade K holds and I wake up, ♥A and another will still lead to defeat – 9 tricks with only 1 spade ruff allowed.  Instead 11 tricks at both tables.  Push.  

Now we will move on to some of the swing hands.

Board 3, a diamond lead at the other table found the ♦J for declarer, making 1NT.  My partner did not guess the ♦J and was down 1, lose 4 IMPs.  I didn’t bother entering this hand, because the ♦J was the whole hand.

Board 4 

This hand also involved the ♦J in a different way.  The auction was similar at both tables, 3NT by West with a spade lead.  Declarer won the spade continuation at trick 2 and placed the ♦J on the table.  Fearing 3 diamonds with declarer (♦KJx fishing for the ♦Q or ♦Jxx fishing for a cover), I ducked.  A later finesse of the ♦10 picked up the suit and declarer had 9 tricks losing 2 spades a diamond and a club.  At the other table, with the same start, Mark Ralph covered the ♦J with the ♦Q and declarer Jack Scott ducked the ♦Q.  A later finesse eventually resulted in down 2.  How should declarer play diamonds?  How should the defense play diamonds?  Beats me.  Lose 13 IMPs.

 

Board 5

Is the West hand a 1 suited major, mild slam invitation (Dan’s view) or a 2 suited major (Mark’s view) or simply a Texas signoff?  Dan transferred and raised, mildly inviting slam.  Mike Schneider didn’t move towards the decent slam, but in the fullness of time, scored 12 tricks on the club lead, losing to the trump K but nothing else.  Lots of discards for dummy’s hearts on the club and diamonds.  However, those ‘discards’ don’t work when hearts are trump.  Mark tried Stayman, then RKCB and hearing 2 with the trump Q, proceeded to 6♥.  Losing the 2 trumps and the ♠K resulted in -2, lose 11 IMPs.

Board 16

 

Another huge swing this time on a bidding variation.  Manfred decided the hand was worth a 2 level negative double, Bruce did not.  Both tables got to 3NT.  But only Bruce stayed there.  Manfred’s partner Mike Schneider (based on the negative double?) felt that a club slam had play and pulled 3NT.  Manfred thought 4♣ was Gerber and bid 4♥.  4♠ ended the auction but 4♠ did not fetch.  Down 1.  3NT made 5 on the ‘automatic’ heart lead.  Bruce safely ducked a club establishing 11 tricks in all.  Lose 13 IMPs

Board 18

 

The loses kept coming.  This one was really frustrating.  I don’t know the auction at the other table, but you can see our auction above.  I decided, even vulnerable, that the opponents might be stealing and made an off shape balancing double of 1NT (if pard chose diamonds, I would sit).  1NT cannot be beaten.  Mark Ralph tried 2♠ and bought the contract.  Somehow at the other table, NT was never mentioned and our side was able to play 1♠, making.  I would always open West in 3rd seat and 3 quick tricks argue to open in 1st/2nd seat as well, even though the hand doesn’t quite measure up to a ‘rule of 20’ opening bid.  I only know our auction.  Had I chosen a 1♠ overcall, I know Dan would try 1NT and Mark would likely raise to 2♠, resulting in the same -1 that we had when Mark played it.  Frustrating.  7 tricks at both tables,  -80 coupled with 2♠, down 1, -100, lose 5 IMPs.  

Board 19

 

More losses.  Different auctions resulted in the opponents bidding 4♠ at my table, defending 4♥ at the other (after a 3♠ weak jump raise over the negative double).  Against 4♥, going for the diamond ruff, the defense (our teammates) led the ♦9, won the ♥K, underled in spades to score the diamond ruff, but those were the only 3 tricks scored as the club losers went away on the top diamonds.  -420.  Leading the ♣K ensures 4 tricks for the defense.  Declarer will likely duck, but either way they are down.  If the ♣K holds, the diamond shift scores the same 3 subsequent tricks for -1.  If declarer grabs the ♣A, then underleading the ♠A after winning the ♥K for a club through the ♣J scores 4 tricks for -1.  As it was, +100 against -420. We avoided the double game swing (4♠ makes with the timing right, the ♠Q coming down and a finesse against the ♣J), but still lose 8 IMPs by beating 4♠. 

Board 24

 

And the losses continue.  Same auction, same contract at both tables.  It is trivial to achieve -1, -100 at both tables for a push (either set up hearts for a discard or strip hearts and duck a spade for an end play.  But, Manfred thought he remembered an opening bid of 1♣ (even though that meant that the hand that made the 5♣ preempt over 1♣X made the penalty double at the 5 level).  In any case, late in the hand, when he went to make the hand, playing West for the ♠A, he played a spade to the ♠K, the defense cashed their 3 spade tricks for -2, -300 vs. -100.  Lose 5.

Board 26

 

Last hand (to report).  There are others (lose 2, 1, 2, 1, 1) that aren’t worthy.  Board 26 is (again, IMHO) the first time I contributed to the loss.  I think partner might have passed over the 3♣ mixed raise.  The other table had the same start, the player with my partner’s hand passed the mixed raise and the opening bidder (my teammate), with nothing extra, bounced to 4♥, ending the auction.  This was not a success.  -200.  Hearing 3♠, I bid a rather exuberant 4♠.  Incredibly, I actually had a chance!  I took the ‘free finesse’ of the ♥10 at trick 1, since I can later do a ruffing finesse if the ♥J wins trick 1.  But, RHO was so stunned by my play of a ‘low’ heart and they played a low heart!  No extra discard, but I have avoided a heart loser.  In principle, the end result should be the same (instead of 2 discards on the ♥KQ, I get one discard and 1 winner).  At trick 2, I ruffed out the ♥A, finessed the ♠Q, cashed the ♠A and took a discard on the heart winner.  Playing for ♦AK onside, I chose a club discard and lost the obvious 4 tricks (3 diamonds and a club).  But, since the ♣KQ were tight, I could have discarded a diamond, then won ♣A, surrender a club to the remaining honor and score the ♣J as my game trick.  But, all of this is only because of a very lucky club lie (rather than the lucky diamond holding I was hoping for) coupled with the ♥A not being played at trick one.  All in all, a serious overbid by me resulting in a nearly hopeless contract -100, lose 7 IMPs.

Net loss for the day (for me) was -61 IMPs for the 28 boards.  I should have stayed home.