[mikl_plkcc]

We used weak suit game try so there was no way to show a second fit. Our concern was one held xxx in a suit which could easily lose 3 quick tricks in a game.

[P_Marlowe]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-February-22, 14:32, said:

Anyway, I turned up at another bridge club today as a visitor and played with the host, and I finally broke even for the first time this year, at 54.2% MP in a 9-table 2-winner Mitchell truncated to 8x3-board rounds.

https://www.bridgewe...&club=wimbledon

I have marked a few boards which I want to discuss:

Board 4

---

I collected +500 for a top.

I bid 3♠ to strength, but I started to unsure if 4♠ would make as I held marginal game values. Was my 4♠ bid right? Should I doubled their 4♥ instead of risking a 4♠ that would be doubled?
<snip>

I think your p should make a XX to show a max.
And I am not sold on bidding 4S without encouragement from opener.

[mikl_plkcc]

It's another week of mess again.

https://www.bridgewe...ub=youngchelsea

On the very first board I played (board 3), our opponents bid a slam which was makeable. I then misjudged the auction (my partner raised my preempt on 2 trumps when I expected 3, and they bid the slam with a 7-card fit when I expected 8 to 9) and made a bad sacrifice and got down 7 (my target was down 4). The slam was solid but no other table could bid it.

Board 9, I didn't know what to do after LHO preempted 3S on my 1C opening and passed back to me, holding 16 points, as my shape was not the correct shape to make a takeout double. We let them played for 3S-4 instead of our making game in clubs. Possibly my partner should have bid 4C instead.

Board 17 was a misbid, the auction went (1D)-1H-(1S) and my partner suddenly bid 3D out of the blue which our agreement was unusual vs unusual (but we didn't expect a jump!), so I bid 4C, thinking we had a double fit, and partner corrected to 4H, and we should be in 2H instead.

Although we also gained some IMPs due to their partnership misunderstanding, including a sequence on board 24,
(/) - / - (1C) - X
(XX) - 1H - (X) - //
which ended up making due to a misunderstanding of the meaning of the final X, and on board 14 the opponents playing Polish Club misunderstood a splinter bid as natural resulting in a bad contract. Their auction went 1H - 1S - 3D (intended as splinter but treated as natural) - 3NT - 4H - 5D - 5H which ended up down 2 with 4H at other tables making.

Finally, I made 2 marginal doubles during the session, 1 paid off and 1 didn't. The one which paid off was board 4, my partner opened 1C, they bid to 4S and I held JT987 in spades and no other values, I doubled. Everyone was in the hopeless 4S but only 3 tables doubled.

The other one, board 27, the auction went
(/) - / - (1C) - X
(/) - 1S - (1NT) - X, judging that the points likely split 20-20 between me and RHO. My partner holding 6 ♠ didn't pull it and it ended up making.

And, for board 2, this time my partner finally remembered our convention of Checkback Stayman and reached a good 4H contract, whereas a number of tables ended up at 2H by the short hand, possibly as a result of opening 1NT on 18 count (2 AK, an unsupported K, and Jx doubleton) and Jacoby transfer.

On board 20, it might be better off to pass my partners preempt instead of raising from 3D to 5D, holding a 4333 quacky hand in the side suits.

I still perform badly in competitive auctions, having little idea when to balance / bid / double / sacrifice and misjudging the exact number of trumps each side has, losing us a lot of IMPs in the process.

In terms of play, there was a board 13 where the opponents bid a bad 4S contract. We played the first few tricks brilliantly, partner led a K, covered by dummy's A, the trump finesse failed and partner played a small H. I ate it and returned for a ruff, but my partner didn't return the setting club for me anymore and played to the dummy's ♦A instead, and they discarded all their clubs afterwards, giving away our opportunity to earn big IMPs.

[smerriman]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-February-28, 18:31, said:

I then misjudged the auction (my partner raised my preempt on 2 trumps when I expected 3, and they bid the slam with a 7-card fit when I expected 8 to 9) and made a bad sacrifice and got down 7 (my target was down 4).

If you preempted then there's nothing to misjudge, your partner is the only one allowed to make later decisions..

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-February-28, 18:31, said:

In terms of play, there was a board 13 where the opponents bid a bad 4S contract. We played the first few tricks brilliantly, partner led a K, covered by dummy's A, the trump finesse failed and partner played a small H. I ate it and returned for a ruff, but my partner didn't return the setting club for me anymore and played to the dummy's ♦A instead, and they discarded all their clubs afterwards, giving away our opportunity to earn big IMPs.

Which heart did you return? The ♥2 (or 3, if 2 was encouragement on the first round) should be a pretty strong request for a club.

[P_Marlowe]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-February-28, 18:31, said:

It's another week of mess again.

https://www.bridgewe...ub=youngchelsea

On the very first board I played (board 3), our opponents bid a slam which was makeable. I then misjudged the auction (my partner raised my preempt on 2 trumps when I expected 3, and they bid the slam with a 7-card fit when I expected 8 to 9) and made a bad sacrifice and got down 7 (my target was down 4). The slam was solid but no other table could bid it.
<nsip>

The quality of the opponents fit does not matter. Similar, the actions of your p dont really matter,
in the given auction p made a move, selling Qx as xxx is not bad.

It is quite simple: you made your preempt, and after that you shut up, if you feel sry, remember this
next time and preempt higher.

#20: I would not have made the 3D preempt, in 1st pos. and all being Red, I may not even have opened with a w2
due to suit quality and position, but this is a style question.
A equal vul. you are asking for -1100. Anyway, you only have 2-3 tricks and you are raising the bar by 2 tricks,
the 4333 has nothing to do with this AQ in the trump suit should be 2 tricks.
I.e. if you have agreed to go all in with the first preemptive move (the opening) you need to put on the brakes
in the follow up.
The take away from this hand is, that you should discuss your preempt style.

#27 Your p should pull. A advice from Ron Klinger: Go for your own contract.

[mikl_plkcc]

On board 13, the first ♥ I played was 2 (encourage), the second was 3 (opponent led, therefore give count as even), so when I returned, I played the 4.

Sorry I was speaking bull, please disregard the above.

On board 3, my initial preempt was 2♠, and the auction went
S - W - N - E
/ - (1H) - 2S - (3D)
3S - (4H) - / - (4NT)
/ - (5S) - X - (6H)
/ - (/) - 6S - (X)
//

All other tables stopped at 3NT by E or 4H by W due to the misfit.

It was obvious that the opponents held the majority of values, but my suit quality was not enough to preempt 3S right at the beginning.

[P_Marlowe]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-March-01, 05:20, said:

On board 13, the first ♥ I played was 2 (encourage), the second was 3 (opponent led, therefore give count as even), so when I returned, I played the 4.

On board 3, my initial preempt was 2♠, and the auction went
S - W - N - E
/ - (1H) - 2S - (3D)
3S - (4H) - / - (4NT)
/ - (5S) - X - (6H)
/ - (/) - 6S - (X)
//

All other tables stopped at 3NT by E or 4H by W due to the misfit.

It was obvious that the opponents held the majority of values, but my suit quality was not enough to preempt 3S right at the beginning.

The suit quality did not improve during the bidding, if it was not good enough to preempt higher, it was not good enough later.

[smerriman]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-March-01, 05:20, said:

On board 13, the first ♥ I played was 2 (encourage), the second was 3 (opponent led, therefore give count as even), so when I returned, I played the 4.

When did the opponents lead a heart? You said your partner led the ♥K (to your 2), then after winning the trump finesse led their other heart (which you won with your ♥Q). So you must still have the 3 to return..

[mikl_plkcc]

smerriman, on 2025-March-01, 13:27, said:

When did the opponents lead a heart? You said your partner led the ♥K (to your 2), then after winning the trump finesse led their other heart (which you won with your ♥Q). So you must still have the 3 to return..

Sorry, I can't remember now exactly which card I pulled out from my hand, probably a small card but I can't remember if I pulled the 3 or just randomly pulled out a small card.