Welcome to the Hand of the Day.  There are two ways to navigate this section.  You can either right click here to save this file and play the hands (if you have a program that allows you to load and play .PBN files) before seeing any of my commentary or you can scroll down and see what I had to say about the hands.  It is probably more interesting to play the hands but I always like to offer my partner a choice.  If you are curious to see how Larry and I made out, then you can click here to see what events we played or here to see if we placed in those events.

    Tuesday) You (South) are playing with your new partner Jason in the first session of the two session pairs event.  In previous system discussions, you have clearly expressed to him that every redouble made below the 6 level is always for rescue.  Your understanding of this rule is about to be tested.  Take a look at the following auction (they are vulnerable, you are not) and tell me what you would bid.
















    What happened) I admit that redouble was not my best call here but, as I had already made one unusual bid, I thought that one more would not hurt our score much.  I was much more interested in learning if my redouble would really be pulled.  So,

    Larry chose to pass because he thought his best suit was spades.  I thought that in the interest of partnership trust alone he shouldn't have passed my redouble.  He wondered what he could have bid instead of pass.  I suggested 4C or 4S (If he felt he had to bid spades).  As it turns out, 3NT is the best call but neither one of us thought of doing that.

            








            

    Tuesday's Result)  The opponents played nearly flawless defense and I ended up going down 3 for -1000. Amazingly, this was not a bottom as I ended up with 6 out of 38 matchpoints. 

P.S. In case you were wondering, I really did overcall at the 3 level on a 4 card suit.  Larry and I also discussed the merits of that but I did not have any evidence to offer in my defence.

   
    Wednesday) One of the mysteries in life that I am attempting to solve can be stated quite simply.  "What is it exactly that separates Pro level bridge players from me?"  Allow me to enter this hand as evidence.  It is the morning compact knockout and I am kibitzing Canadian Pro, Cam Doner.  You can take a look at both hands and see what you would get to as a final contract.  Assume that no one is vulnerable and you (South) open the bidding.  West overcalls 1S but that is the only bid E/W make.

    




    What Happened) Cam and his partner got to the cold, 27 HCP, 7H contract with little fuss.  I did not stay to see if they won IMPs on this hand but I did enjoy watching them bid it.


            

                 1) Exclusion Key Card Blackwood for spades
                 2) 2 Keycards not counting the Ace of spades


            

    Aside) For those of you that are interested, my current theory is that Pros know hundreds of small things at bridge that I don't know.  Most of these things are not complicated or difficult or frequent but their cumulative effect makes them Pros and me, me.  I would put this hand into that category.





    Thursday) As you have learned by now, I have a reputation for making some unusual bids.  Larry has earned the same reputation so this means that we get into some exciting auctions.  Take a look at this situation from the two session open pairs game and see if you can guess what bid Larry made.

1) 12-14 Balanced   2) at least 0 HCP, transfer to diamonds











    What happened) Larry chose 3NT which was not a response that we had discussed.  I thought about it for a bit before deciding that it "must" show a maximum hand with great diamond support.  Sort of like a super accept if you could play those with a weak 1NT while vulnerable.

     

           1) 12-14 Balanced
           2) 0+ HCP transfer to diamonds



      

    Thursday Result) Thanks to the favourable layout, I was able to make the contract for a clear top board (25 out of 25 matchpoints).  Hands like this were one of the reasons we averaged 62% on the day and I almost became a "Life Master".


   
    Friday) Larry and I are using a concept called Zar opening bids to determine whether we should open hands with a 1 level bid or a pre-empt.  It means that we will open some shapely hands at the 1 level that otherwise look like classic pre-empts.  In this hand, the opponents had to contend with this style of bidding.  Assume that everyone is vulnerable and see how you (South) do.




1) Zar opener or better   2) 10-11 HCP at least 4 spades


















1) Zar opener or better   2) 10-11 HCP at least 4 spades











    What Happened) I was quite impressed with the way South bid his hand.  Unfortunately, his partner was not that strong a player as my records indicate North managed to hold himself to making 5 on this hand.  This is such a poor result that I want to assume the error is mine.

      

          1) Zar opener or better
          2) 10-11 HCP at least 4 spades



        

    Friday's Aside) In order to open a hand you need 26 Zar points. In this system Aces = 6 points, Kings = 4 points, Queens = 2 points, Jacks = 1 point, plus you add up the length of your two longest suits, plus you add the length of your long suit minus the length of your short suit.  In this system, the West hand has (4+4+2+1)+(7+3)+(7-1)=27 Zar points and is slightly more than a minimum opening hand!



    Saturday) This is one of those choices that comes up at least once a session.  You and the opponents each have a suit and at some point you are forced to choose between bidding one more level and doubling for penalty.  Take a look at this equal vulnerabilty problem from the two session BCD pairs game.























    What Happened) If you decided to double then I am sure you have lots of company.  As it turns out, 4S is cold but so is 5H.  We chose the double and they made the contract but I did not record the number of matchpoints we received.

    







      


    Sunday) It's the Sunday BCD Swiss and it's the second last round.  Larry and I are on a team that is playing above average bridge but we probably need two big wins if we want to have a chance of finishing first overall.  Take a look at the strange auction I heard and see what you would do.  In this case, I am South and the opponents are vulnerable while we are not.
























    What Happened) I decided to make a bit of a move so I went with the strange 1H call in the hopes that the opponents had a 4-4 heart fit.  After Larry raised to 2H and the opponents stayed silent, I decided to press my luck and make a game try.  Larry accepted and I found myself in a very poor 4H contract.  I got the Q of diamond lead.  Take a look at all the hands and see if you can figure out the line of play I took.

    







      






    Sunday Result) I managed to make the contract thanks to some sloppy defence.  (Hopefully you can either understand the diagram on the right or use the PBN file above.)  You would think that this led to a blowout win by our team but we only won 3 IMPs on the hand and we only won the match by a small amount. Of course, one of our teammates required a couple of gold to become a Life Master so I wasn't really surprised.