Bridge of AngST

A hand which both EWs didn’t distinguish themselves in the bidding:

<table style=”width:250px”><tr><td><table><tr><td>Dealer</td><td>W</td></tr><tr><td>Vul</td><td>All</td></tr><tr><td>Scoring</td><td>Imp</td></tr><tr><td>Lead</td><td> </td></tr></table></td><td><table><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&spades;</span></td><td>53</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&hearts;</span></td><td>K</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&diams;</span></td><td>JT7543</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&clubs;</span></td><td>J874</td></tr></table></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><table><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&spades;</span></td><td>QJT642</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&hearts;</span></td><td>632</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&diams;</span></td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&clubs;</span></td><td>AKT</td></tr></table></td><td><img style=”width:50px;height:50px;padding:0px;margin:0px; ” src=”http://firmit.awardspace.com/v2/img.php?value=2&dealer=1&vulnerable=3&font=2″/></td><td><table><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&spades;</span></td><td>A</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&hearts;</span></td><td>AT854</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&diams;</span></td><td>AKQ9</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&clubs;</span></td><td>532</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td></td><td><table><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&spades;</span></td><td>K987</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&hearts;</span></td><td>QJ97</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:red;”>&diams;</span></td><td>82</td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:black;”>&clubs;</span></td><td>Q96</td></tr></table></td><td></td></tr></table>

Polish EW auction:

<table><tr><td style=”color:#FF0000″>West</td><td style=”color:#FF0000″>North</td><td style=”color:#FF0000″>East</td><td style=”color:#FF0000″>South</td></tr><tr><td><span>1</span><span style=”color:#000000″>&spades;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span>2</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&hearts;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr><tr><td><span>4</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&hearts;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span>4</span><span style=”color:#000000″>NT</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr><tr><td><span>5</span><span style=”color:#000000″>&clubs;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span>5</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&hearts;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr></table>

Hungarian EW auction:

<table><tr><td style=”color:#FF0000″>West</td><td style=”color:#FF0000″>North</td><td style=”color:#FF0000″>East</td><td style=”color:#FF0000″>South</td></tr><tr><td><span>1</span><span style=”color:#000000″>&spades;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span>2</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&hearts;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr><tr><td><span>4</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&hearts;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span>4</span><span style=”color:#000000″>&spades;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr><tr><td><span>5</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&diams;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span>5</span><span style=”color:#FF0000″>&hearts;</span></td><td><span style=”color:#DD0000″>X</span></td></tr><tr><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td><td><span style=”color:#005500″>p</span></td></tr></table>

Where would you lay the blame? On the minimal opening by West or the 4H raise on 3 small?

The title sounds ambitious doesn’t it? No, I am not writing a research article! Far from it, I am just outlining my views and insights on university bridge from my very limited perspective.

It is quite interesting seeing the difference between bridge in universities in Singapore and in the UK. The quality and quantity of University clubs in the UK varies quite a lot and the two tend to be correlated. Cambridge, with Trinity College in particular boasts of a large membership and good playing standard. At the other end, there is Bristol (our second round opponents in Portland Bowl) with just 7 members in total! Bridge membership is also declining in Warwick, which I find particular worrying.

Back in Singapore, NUS and NTU bridge clubs are both expanding in terms of membership. Having some of the national U-21 and U-26 players around can only improve the playing standard as well. Heng Liang showed me something from the NUS bridge club yahoogroups before and I thought it would be pretty good to have a group for discussion for WUBC as well. I have set this up and invited members. Hopefully more discussion will result in more thinking and practice, thus improving playing skill and technique.

The problem is, how do we get people sufficiently interested in bridge to continue playing? NUS and NTU seem to be able to attract enough people who are determined enough to spend months learning and playing. Granted, they may not be very good, but one has to start somewhere right? On the other hand, I am currently looking at less than 20 people left in WUBC.

How then do I get people interested enough to start learning and continue to do so? Minibridge would be one way. In addition to this, maybe it would be good to have proper lessons for those interested to further teach them the basic of bridge. Once they are hooked, they will stay and continue to improve.

Will this work?

This was the last hand of Friday evening.

♠ AK84 ♥ K82 ♦ KQ4 ♣ Q86

♠ QT95 ♥ AJT ♦ J873 ♣ AK

The bidding went…let’s not talk about it for the time being. After a lead of the club 4, how do you play for 12 tricks?

I made the poor choice of driving out the diamond Ace, playing spades, and finessing West for the heart Queen after finding West short in both hearts and diamonds. East took the Queen of hearts and cashed the Jack of Diamonds. 10 tricks. The full hand was:

	♠ AK84 ♥ K82 ♦ KQ4 ♣ Q86
♠ J6 ♥ 9764 ♦ T2 ♣ T7543		♠ 732 ♥ Q53 ♦ A965 ♣ J92
	♠ QT95 ♥ AJT ♦ J873 ♣ AK

The bidding at my table was 1NT-4NT-AP. Everyone else was in 6NT making except for a pair who were in 4NT+2! So I had lost just half a matchpoint. But this was the least of my concerns, one of which was partner underbidding. Okay, that was half in jest. How did I manage to misdeclare this hand?

Kelvin had seen the play as he had a sitout in the last round and this was what he offered me: Play only 2 rounds of diamonds, cash out the black suits. Now the play would be consistent with West having 5 clubs, spades and 4 hearts. It is now possible to throw East in with a heart and endplay him in diamonds.

Looks like I have much work to do for the next 3 months before school restarts.