February 2nd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
2 Comments 
Friday was an interesting article in the Toronto Globe and Mail entitled “I’ve entered the world of duplicate bridge”. It’s always good to see and hear what others think of our ‘world’. Here is the article itself, since they don’t stay long on the newspaper’s website. My thanks to the writer Carla Sandrin (a fellow blogger), and the Toronto Globe and Mail.
January 29, 2010
I’ve entered the world of duplicate bridge
By Carla Sandrin
From Monday’s Globe and Mail
Unlike my social bridge group, playing duplicate with the big boys is serious business. No talking, no dawdling – and no wine
“One diamond.”
“One heart.”
“One no-trump.”
“Four hearts.”
“Pass, pass, pass.”
And so the bidding goes. My parents taught us to play bridge at our cottage when we were kids. In those days we didn’t have television or video games or even a radio with decent reception up north. So when the weather was bad we’d play bridge – or attempt to play given the game’s complexity. We learned the basic conventions, which helped in later years when my sister and I picked up the game again.
More recently, I’ve taken lessons, read bridge books and begun playing Thursday evenings with a group of five women. We play at each other’s homes and since this is a four-person game, we can still play if one person can’t make it.
Playing bridge with my family is the most casual. We chat, we laugh, we argue and we constantly change our bids and take cards back when we realize we’ve goofed.
Likewise, playing with my women friends is social and fun. There is usually good food and wine involved. And we are quite forgiving when it comes to mistakes. We keep score but don’t care who wins, although there has been talk of playing for money to make us a little more competitive.
A while back, my keen bridge-playing friend Nancy thought it was time for our social kitchen bridge group to start playing with the big boys. Having found a duplicate bridge organization in our community, she put us on the waiting list. After a year or so, we got the call. We were in.
Duplicate is serious business. There is no talking, no dawdling, no moaning when you don’t like your cards, and no wine. A card laid is a card played. One time I changed my mind after pulling a card, and even though I had not yet played it and no one had seen it, I was told it was too late. Seems like a card touched is also a card played.
The average age of my women’s group is 50. The average age of the duplicate players is about 80. The men like us. They call us the young chicks, which is probably the last time in our lives we’ll ever be called that. A couple of women in their 90s play like pros and keep us on our toes.
At duplicate, all tables play the same hands. After two or three hands you move on to the next table and in one session you play about 12 tables. The only time you can talk is between rounds. During this short interval we slowly get to know one another. We’ve learned about grown children scattered across the country, about grandchildren and great-grandchildren and retirement residences.
There are widows and widowers and people who have been predeceased by their own children. Some of the folks are grumpy and some are gracious and fun. Most are excellent bridge players.
We’ve had our hands slapped when we don’t follow protocol (we’re still learning), and we’ve been congratulated for good playing. One time I made a mistake and didn’t follow suit (which is called reneging) and was put in my place in short order.
Our opponent yelled across the room, “Director!” to get the leader’s attention. All heads turned toward us and the accuser continued in a loud voice, “She reneged!”
“I’m sorry,” I said with my face turning crimson. “It was a mistake.” I felt like I had committed some terrible crime.
“It’s a two trick deduction. Don’t worry about it,” the director said.
The accuser looked smugly at her partner as if she had achieved a great triumph by having justice served and the criminal adequately punished.
This is when I realized how competitive and serious the card game can be. It’s dog-eat-dog in the duplicate world, and we’re not even playing for money. You’ve got to have thick skin to swim with some of these seniors.
Some people collect master points, which is a way of determining one’s ranking in the bridge world. The more master points you have, the more prestige and respect you garner among your peers. Having high master points is to bridge players like a low handicap is to golfers. It sets you apart from the riffraff.
But I’m not in the game for master points, nor do I care about my golf handicap. What I do care about is improving my game, keeping my mind sharp, enjoying the camaraderie and learning something new.
One of my favourite things about our weekly games is when the senior gents greet us with big grins and friendly banter. They can be sly old foxes who cream us at cards, but they aren’t as tough on us as the women if we break protocol. They inform us of the correct rules, but with a whisper and a smile.
Playing duplicate with seniors is a microcosm of daily life. You’re exposed to all kinds of people – friendly, nasty, uptight, easygoing, smart and slow. And there’s always someone in the crowd who warms your heart and makes you feel glad to be there.
Carla Sandrin [http://www.carlasandrin.blogspot.com] lives in Toronto.
January 31st, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
9 Comments
Sometimes an innocuous hand is worth looking at, even though it’s a partscore. In this case, our hero found a way to go down only one vulnerable, playing a contract of 2 spades in the final stages of an important pairs competition. Here was the layout:
| Dealer: North
Vul: NS
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
862 |
| ♥ |
A73 |
| ♦ |
A1098 |
| ♣ |
AQ10 |
| West |
 |
East |
| ♠ |
A104 |
♠ |
QJ |
| ♥ |
K10984 |
♥ |
QJ6 |
| ♦ |
J532 |
♦ |
Q76 |
| ♣ |
4 |
♣ |
KJ976 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K9753 |
| ♥ |
52 |
| ♦ |
K4 |
| ♣ |
8532 |
North opened the bidding one diamond; South responded one spade, and North rebid 1NT. South decided it was percentage to play the hand in spades, and so he rebid two spades, which ended the auction.
The opening lead was West’s singleton club. South not unreasonably finessed the queen, losing to East’s king.
East returned the spade queen. South ducked. Then came the spade jack, and South ducked again, hoping the ace would pop up on his left. No such luck – so now all the trumps were gone except for West’s ace.
East now played the heart queen; South won dummy’s ace as West overtook with the king.
South was oblivious to the club split at this point. He travelled to his diamond king and led a club towards the board’s A10. West showed out (pitching a heart) and now South realized he was in very real danger of going down two for minus 200.
He won the club Ace, and saw one last extra chance. He cashed the diamond Ace, and played another diamond from dummy. When East followed suit with the queen, South eschewed the obvious ruff, but instead pitched his losing heart.
A classic Scissors Coup – severing communications between the defenders’ hands and preserving a score of down only 1. Here was the layout at the pivotal moment, with dummy leading the diamond ten :
| Dealer: North
Vul: NS
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
8 |
| ♥ |
73 |
| ♦ |
109 |
| ♣ |
10 |
| West |
|
East |
| ♠ |
A |
♠ |
void |
| ♥ |
1098 |
♥ |
J6 |
| ♦ |
J2 |
♦ |
Q |
| ♣ |
void |
♣ |
J96 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
K97 |
| ♥ |
5 |
| ♦ |
void |
| ♣ |
82 |
When South pitched his heart on East’s diamond queen (an exchange of losers) , the defense could do no better than beat the contract one trick. (West’s hand could not now be reached in hearts for the final trump play)
Minus 100 was an above average board for North -South – several pairs went down two in 2 spades, and some others were down one or two in 1NT.
This was just enough matchpoints to preserve the overall win. Of such small things are events often won and lost.
January 23rd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
7 Comments
You’re cruising along as South in a local Imp League match, when you’re dealt 64 Q75 KJ953 1082. East and you pass, and the auction continues
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| 1 H |
1 S |
2 H |
pass |
| 2 S * |
3 S |
pass |
pass |
| 4 H |
pass |
pass |
pass |
Partner leads the spade ace, after finding out the 2 spade bid asked West’s partner to bid the 1st suit in which he would accept a game try. (An interesting, albeit unfamiliar treatment to you)
Dummy is S K85
H 643
D 104
C QJ653
And you have S 64
H Q75
D KJ953
C 1082
Declarer follows with the 7, and partner presses on with the spade queen. Dummy’s king wins, as declarer pitches the king of clubs.
West now plays a heart to his ace, dropping your partner’s king, and leads out the jack of hearts. Partner pitches an unhelpful club 7, and you win the queen. Now what?
You’d better play a diamond – preferably the jack, enveloping the ten, though any diamond should work in this case. Partner has A87 of diamonds, and if you don’t play the suit now, it’s curtains for the defense.
The full layout was as follows :
| Dealer: East
Vul: NS
|
North |
|
| ♠ |
AQJ10932 |
| ♥ |
K |
| ♦ |
A87 |
| ♣ |
74 |
| Gabriel Nita-Saguna
|
|
Mike Neagu |
| ♠ |
7 |
♠ |
K85 |
| ♥ |
AJ10982 |
♥ |
643 |
| ♦ |
Q62 |
♦ |
104 |
| ♣ |
AK9 |
♣ |
QJ653 |
| |
South |
|
| ♠ |
64 |
| ♥ |
Q75 |
| ♦ |
KJ953 |
| ♣ |
1082 |
Declarer, Gabriel Nita-Saguna, made a beautiful play when he dropped his club king under the spade king. He recognized a diamond pitch would not help him in the slightest, as he would still have two losers there, so he decided to create some confusion, and it paid a huge dividend for him.
South, not seeing a screaming suit preference signal from his partner, decided he should eliminate a potential diamond ruff in dummy, and thus played back his last trump. All declarer’s diamonds went away on the dummy’s clubs. +450 thank you very much.
Pitching from a suit where your partner knows your every card can be useful on defense, since the particular card you pitch is very often a suit preference signal. So North could pitch a high spade (like the jack) to indicate a high honor in diamonds and help out her partner.
There is a problem with that though – what if declarer had KJx of diamonds? An honest jack of spades will eliminate the diamond guess. So sometimes you have to give false suit preference or play neutral cards as in here, and hope partner will do the right thing regardless.
South may have got this right anyway, inferring no diamond ruff was needed as declarer tackled trumps first, but who knows – maybe declarer was simply playing for a 2-2 trump split, and did not want a nasty over ruff.
The fact is the spectacular pitch of the club king gave South fits – had Gabi simply pitched a diamond and played hearts next, the winning defense would be easier to find.
Gabriel (Gabi) and his partner Mihai (Mike) are Romanian ex pats now living in the Toronto area. With plays like this one, they won’t remain our team’s secret weapon for much longer.
{In poker parlance, kings are cowboys, hence the blog title – “a pair of cowboys”}
January 22nd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
9 Comments
Playing in the local club’s money game last weekend, one of the stronger players opened the bidding 2 diamonds on my left in first chair, equal red. He held 105 86 AK6543 Q105.
His partner alerted, and explained this bid as Flannery (five spades, four hearts, 11-15 HCP)
His partner now responded 2NT (no alert by the opening bidder)
I was next to speak with K642 AK753 8 A64
The opponents had picked off my two best suits, and they were in a forcing auction, so I naturally passed.
The opening bidder also passed !!
Thus ended the auction.
Had this been a purely recreational player, I would not have called the director. I would have accepted the fix, and gently explained after the hand there is a better (and necessary) way to deal with this situation.
Of course, partner’s explanation of Flannery was for the benefit of the opponents, not for the 2D opener. The opening bidder should have continued to bid his hand as a weak two opener. Passing was not an acceptable alternative.
However, the guy who did this has two or three times as many masterpoints as I do (they do count don’t they) and so I called the director. She told us to complete the play in 2NT, but later reasonably adjudicated the score to an adjusted result of 4H doubled down three. The guy was profusely and sincerely apologetic, citing he did not know what he was supposed to do.
I have always found this particular opponent to play honestly and with good tempo. If it is possble for someone so experienced to do something like this, heaven knows what is going on below his level at the tables.
January 22nd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
4 Comments
Unfortunately, I see many players have developed a lazy habit of failing to use the bidding box at all times – almost always towards the end of an auction. And the other players at the table usually accept this lapse in due process, which is leading the game down the wrong path in my opinion.
Although I do not approve, it is less heinous to fail to place your pass card on the table when you are last to speak (the bidding having gone pass pass to you). Many players simply tap the table or pick up their bidding cards to indicate a pass. Personally I always use the pass card in such situations, and urge my partners and opponents to do the same.
{ Also, it’s not hard to imagine scenarios whereby if the table is tapped, partner may draw one type of inference, but if the pass card is placed on the table, partner may draw a different inference}
What really upsets me though is players tapping the table to indicate they are passing when the auction is still live – i.e. when there has only been one pass to their right.
It seems to me this happens more often in competitive auctions – which to my mind, makes the transgression worse – since there is an increased likelihood of further bidding. And if all players tacitly accept the table tap as a pass, and then the final bidder (to the left of the table tapper) makes a call other than pass, the whole scene can deteriorate quickly.
A respected director recently advised me this sloppiness has led to ugly disputes in some instances over whether or not a final contract was doubled.
I played in a large duplicate game earlier this week where this in fact happened – in a live auction, my RHO tapped the table, and I planned to take a further call.
When I asked her nicely to please use a bidding card, my LHO got prickly with me and said ” we run a friendly table here!”
Well so do I, but the rules are there for a reason lady, so let’s all please abide by them.
January 11th, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
8 Comments
As many of you know, my alter ego is learning No Limit Hold Em Poker – playing tournaments live and online; occasional cash games; and studying the game like a fiend. If this is not interesting to you dear bridge reader, please skip to the next blog entry.
If you would like to read an update on my travels and travails at a tournament being held in Niagara Falls Canada right now, please click the link below.
Oh, and before I forget, Poker Stars is hosting a free roll Poker tournament this month for established bloggers of any subject matter. This is a chance for all www.bridgeblogging.com bloggers to have a taste of the dark side.
http://rosstaylorcardsandlife.blogspot.com/
January 3rd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
2 Comments
During today’s KO semi final at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto, David Grainger found his way home playing this delicate slam in spades to win 14 imps for his side against our team today. The cards were as follows :
| Dealer:
Vul:
|
Woolridge |
|
| ♠ |
Q9x |
| ♥ |
AQ10 |
| ♦ |
A876xx |
| ♣ |
A |
| Taylor |
|
Balcombe |
| ♠ |
876 |
♠ |
K10 |
| ♥ |
8x |
♥ |
Jxxx |
| ♦ |
J106 |
♦ |
K9x |
| ♣ |
Q98xx |
♣ |
J10xx |
| |
Grainger |
|
| ♠ |
AJxxx |
| ♥ |
K9xx |
| ♦ |
Q |
| ♣ |
Kxx |
Grainger opened 1 spade as South, and shortly therafter was in 6 spades on a power auction, having shown a singleton diamond along the way. I led the Jack of diamonds, which Grainger won with the Ace in dummy.
Looking at all four hands, we can see spades 3-2 with the king onside, and the diamonds 3-3 to boot. But bridge is a single dummy game, and Grainger had no idea he was ‘cold’ for thirteen tricks at that point.
He cashed the club Ace, and came to his hand with the Ace of spades, first looking long and hard at the spade ten on his right.
He ruffed a club in dummy, and led the spade queen, losing to Balcombe’s king. Keith exited a club, which Grainger won in his hand with the king, and drew the last trump. He played one more trump, pitching a diamond from dummy as we both pitched clubs, and came down to :
| Dealer: South
Vul: None
|
Woolridge |
|
| ♠ |
void |
| ♥ |
AQ10 |
| ♦ |
87 |
| ♣ |
void |
| Taylor |
|
Balcombe |
| ♠ |
void |
♠ |
void |
| ♥ |
8x |
♥ |
Jxxx |
| ♦ |
10x |
♦ |
K |
| ♣ |
Q |
♣ |
void |
| |
Grainger |
|
| ♠ |
5 |
| ♥ |
K9xx |
| ♦ |
void |
| ♣ |
void |
Relying on instinct and his card reading skills, Grainger played the AQ of hearts from dummy, and boldly ran the ten of hearts on the third round of the suit.
I wished we had been playing Rusinow leads, for then I would still have the diamond Jack in my hand and could have played it now, causing at least a flutter, if not a mild heart attack in David!
As it is, I showed out, Grainger exhaled, and the slam was bid and made. Well done.
January 3rd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
2 Comments
The tournament continued today at the venerable Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto. Once again we played team Korbel in the KO teams, this time in the semi final. Their team line up was slightly different with Joel Woolridge, Hazel and Darren Wolpert, David Grainger, and Daniel Korbel.
Our team included Ian Coats, Ken Marden, David Hutton, Jim Colvin, Keith Balcombe and myself.
Our team was up by only 1 imp at the half, Ian and Ken having held their own very well against Joel and David. Early in the second half, this beastie came up.
| Dealer: West
Vul: Both
|
Ross/Darren |
|
| ♠ |
KQ9x |
| ♥ |
Q7xx |
| ♦ |
KJ10 |
| ♣ |
Kx |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
Keith/Daniel |
|
| ♠ |
void |
| ♥ |
AJ10xxxxx |
| ♦ |
Axxx |
| ♣ |
x |
West passed in first chair, and I opened 1NT (weak) as North. Joel Woolridge bid 2 spades, showing spades and a minor. Keith was looking at an 0-8-4-1 shaped hand, and chirped 3 hearts (forcing of course).
West passed, and I raised to 4 hearts. I was maximum in HCP with four card trump support yes, but I did not cue bid as my values looked a bit soft in light of the two suited overcall on my left.
Keith looked long and hard at his unusual hand, and finally decided to pass. He smoothly picked off the stiff king of trumps offside (sic), and chalked up twelve tricks.
To their credit, Daniel Korbel and Darren Wolpert bid and made the slam at the other table, though I don’t yet know their auction. As you can see, missing two aces and the king of trumps, this slam is legitimate.
If the defense cashes their Ace of clubs on the opening lead, declarer must locate the diamond queen in West’s hand. If they do not cash it (I gather West has a natural spade lead, his partner having the Ace), the spade honours provide a club discard, and the diamond guess is the cherry on top.
Team Korbel picked up 13 imps here, enroute to a 23 imp victory.
January 2nd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
13 Comments
Late in the final match vs Woolridge, Grainber, Korbel, and Lebi, it felt we were down at our table, when I picked up J A10xx K9 108xxxx.
Keith opened the bidding 1 spade, and I responded 1 forcing NT. Keith now jumped to 3 clubs, which is 100% game forcing of course. I now had to decide if I should play the role of “ captain or crew”. (I think it was Eddie Manfield who wrote on that topic many years ago in the Bridge World)
A crew member would raise to 4 clubs, and let the big hand control and dictate the flow of the auction. A captain would effectively pirate the auction by asking for key cards and driving to slam.
I chose to take over – I jumped to 4 diamonds, which we play is KCB for clubs. Keith responded 4 spades, showing 1 or 4 key cards, clearly 4 in this case.
Now I bid 5D, suggesting a grand slam and asking for specific kings in the event he could not simply bid a grand at that point.
Keith bid 5NT. This meant he had no outside kings, but he felt he had extra values, otherwise he would sign off in 6 clubs.
So having chosen to captain the auction, the final decision was mine. I knew he had the spade Ace with length; the diamond Ace, and at least AKxx of clubs. Clearly more, since he had jump shifted to 4 clubs, but not the spade king, nor any red kings.
What should I do? I now feel I should have bid 7 clubs. Although no one likes to bid a grand going down, as I said, it felt we were down at our table (we were) and this was a chance to recoup.
Possibly 7 clubs would have a poor or no play, but other times it could be golden – for example if Keith has 6 spades.
I in fact bid 6 clubs, very much in tempo, just in case Keith wanted to rethink his own hand evaluation, and to avoid ethically barring him. He passed anyway.
The layout was as follows:
| Dealer: North
Vul: None |
Keith Balcombe
|
|
| ♠ |
AQ1097 |
| ♥ |
x |
| ♦ |
Axx |
| ♣ |
AKQx |
| Robert Lebi
|
|
Daniel Korbel
|
| ♠ |
xxxx |
♠ |
Kxx |
| ♥ |
Jxx |
♥ |
KQxxx |
| ♦ |
QJ10xxx |
♦ |
xx |
| ♣ |
void |
♣ |
Jxx |
| |
Ross Taylor
|
|
| ♠ |
J |
| ♥ |
A10xx |
| ♦ |
Kx |
| ♣ |
108xxxx |
6 clubs making 7 was a push. The grand salami was there for the taking – a reasonable contract for a team down in imps near the end of a tough match.
After the match I discussed the hand with Daniel, who felt a 4 club raise by my hand might lead to a more effective auction. Keith was ok with my taking control, but felt that his 5NT bid was enough to allow me to jump to 7 clubs.
To each his own of course. But the principle of captaincy comes up an awful lot in slam bidding – and it does not always have to be the big hand who takes control of an auction. Frequent bidding practise with your favorite partner will sharpen your skills in this regard.
January 2nd, 2010 ~ Ross Taylor ~
3 Comments
Got the juices flowing early this year. We are playing in the New Year Toronto Sectional at the gorgeous Royal York Fairmont hotel, in one of their magnificent ballrooms. Sorry tournament organizers, but cheaper locations in the boonies just don’t cut the mustard.
Friday was a one day KO event. Our team, Keith Balcombe and myself, playing with Ken Marden and Ian Coats, met the pre event favorites in the final. Robert Lebi, Daniel Korbel, Joel Woolridge, and David Grainger.
There were four slams bid and made in this short match, only one creating a swing. As is often the case, the match was won by the favorites in the trenches of bidding judgment, undertricks, and partscore bidding.
Early in the match, I picked up AKQJ9x Q10x Ax xx.
White versus red, Keith opened 2H weak in first position. RHO passed, and what would you bid?
If your methods allow you to explore for a club control together with the AKxxxx of hearts, then fill your boots and go for it! If you can diagnose all that you may end up in a very light but effective small slam.
I eschewed science in favor of practicality, and jumped to game. But I bid 4 spades. David Grainger, at the other table, chose 4 hearts.
| Dealer: NVul: EW
|
Keith/Joel |
|
| ♠ |
x |
| ♥ |
J98xxx |
| ♦ |
10x |
| ♣ |
K10xx |
| Robert/Ian |
|
Daniel/Ken
|
| ♠ |
x |
♠ |
10xxxx |
| ♥ |
AK |
♥ |
xx |
| ♦ |
J9xxx |
♦ |
KQxx |
| ♣ |
AJ9xx |
♣ |
Qx |
| |
Ross/David |
|
| ♠ |
AKQJ9x |
| ♥ |
Q10x |
| ♦ |
Ax |
| ♣ |
xx |
At my table, Robert cashed his heart honors and the Ace of clubs, and trusted his partner would furnish a spade trick to set the contract.
Not being able to peek so deep into Robert’s hand, I had no reason to take a first round hook of the spade 9, and thus went down 1 when spades broke 5-1. ***
At the other table, 4 hearts could not be touched, even with the poor spade break. 10 imps for the winners.
So was my 4 spade bid an error? Did I deserve to lose ten imps? I leave that to you all to tell me – I am too close to the hand, (and the result) to decide impartially. I felt I had the element of disguise going for me in bidding 4 spades – if it came down to a cash out situation, the defense would not know my hand.
But the result speaks for itself. And of a total margin, of 15 imps, this was ten of them.
*** Please dear readers – no Active Ethics comments – that was a joke – perhaps in poor taste
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