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Thursday Tips 11

Vil's Tips - Tue, 09/09/2025 - 5:04pm

This week’s tip: Count your tricks. Not just your certain top tricks but your potential tricks. There are actually EIGHTEEN highly likely tricks for NS in the following deal, so getting to 7NT should be easy wouldn’t you think?

Board 5. Dealer N NS Vul
J52AAQT7653A4K863294T8763283J9754J82Q95AKQT9764QTKKJ

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 10

Vil's Tips - Sun, 31/08/2025 - 10:09pm

Another one that does not come from a Thursday, but from Tuesday 26/08/2025. Very much worth discussion. What is YOUR understanding of ‘fourth suit forcing”? Whatever it is, I would wager that is different to mine, and that you have no clear understanding with your partner about it. But let’s see.

Board 5. Dealer N NS Vul
AK42AQ3AT628298586J9873KQ4QT76K42KQ4T96J3JT9755AJ753

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 09

Vil's Tips - Sun, 17/08/2025 - 2:05pm

This “Thursday Tip” actually comes from a Friday at X-Clubs, on 15-Aug. There are TWO tips, and they are both contradictory, yet complementary. Let me first quote the American great Mike Lawrence (apologies all round if I have the wrong person) who said: “God did not deal you the ace and king in the same suit for you to lead any other suit”. I totally agree, why wouldn’t I? But now let me remind you of the number of times I have documented my advice about trump leads, the general gist being: “Trump leads usually only help declarer because the first thing most declarers do is to draw trumps, so why do it for them? Singleton trump leads can be particularly disastrous because they often allow declarer to pick up a lower honour like the queen or jack when declarer would have been unlikely to do so himself. But there are always exceptions.” One such exception that I have cited often enough is when declarer has bid to a game or slam all on their own, with an obviously self sufficient suit and no regard for partner’s negative response or responses. The only thing of value in dummy might be a queen or jack, about which we can do nothing about or, an unlikely “ruffing value” (which we can do something about). When declarer has all the strength, it is vital that the defenders give nothing away, and a trump lead is therefore the only option, unless it is clearly evident that there is a better lead. Take a look at the following deal and I must admit that the bidding may have been a bit different some of the time, but I believe South has a clear 2C opening and then a 4H bid opposite North’s negative 2D. What should West lead?

Board 1 from X-Clubs 15/09/2025
Dealer N Nil Vul
962T7JT98764JJT884AQ53AK85Q74395K2T6432AK5AKQJ632Q97

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

One Over One

Vil's Tips - Wed, 13/08/2025 - 5:25pm

In a new collection of articles under the Vil's Books tab above Vil offers something different .. and yet the same. His One Over One system is a variation on strong opening bids and five card majors which allows more accurate communication with partner in game forcing situations and low level contracts. The full 'system' may not be acceptable by the powers that be for play at Junior tournaments but if you and your partner are interested in trying something different then Vil's "One Over One" system will be presented here as PDF attachments as he produces them. You may find it helpful to be able to communicate freely with your partner in all bidding situations, but .. be warned. There will always be a need to THINK. If you're not prepared to do that, then Vil recommends that you stick with what you know.

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 08

Vil's Tips - Fri, 08/08/2025 - 5:19pm

This deal comes from X-Clubs on Thursday 7/08/2025. I seem to find quotations that either don’t mean anything, or are of dubious origin. One that comes to mind this week is “Don’t hide your bushel under a tree” or something like that. I have no idea of the origin nor exactly what it means, but the hiding part seems very appropriate to what took place in a Swiss Pairs session at our club, and was also played in a match point format at other X-clubs. Take a look at the deal.

Board 17. Dealer N Nil Vul
KJT5KAKQ943T7986AQ86JA6532Q79754T82KJ94A432JT32765Q8

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 07

Vil's Tips - Sat, 02/08/2025 - 12:24pm

These questions arose at X-Clubs on Thursday 31/7/25

Board 4. This is your hand as South, Dealer W All Vul
964AT83AJ87Q8

After three passes, what would you bid?

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 05

Vil's Tips - Sun, 27/07/2025 - 2:20pm

Vil thought last Thursday night's X-Clubs hands quite boring compared to what they usually get to play .. but this one seemed to give his readers a bit of grief.

Board 1 from Thursday 24/7/25. . Dealer N Nil Vul
653KJ6AQJT863T943J62AQ7427QJ87QT8793K52AK2AK954T8594

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Opening Leads and Signals 06

Vil's Tips - Tue, 22/07/2025 - 9:33am

EUREKA II

Let’s take another look at the “Eureka” moment and see where it has led to my somewhat left field thinking about defence and opening leads.

Dealer S All Vul
K9437654AKJ97JT8AQ393AQT42765KT92754653AQ2J8QT862KJ8

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Opening Leads and Signals 05

Vil's Tips - Tue, 22/07/2025 - 9:25am

EUREKA!!

Let me now relate a very special “Eureka” moment, one that revolutionised my way of thinking about what’s right and what isn’t when it comes to opening leads and defence. I was West in this very mundane deal in a match point session.

Dealer S All Vul
K9437654AKJ97JT8AQ393AQT42765KT92754653AQ2J8QT862KJ8

South opened 1NT. I passed. North bid 2C (Stayman) and South answered the question with 2D. North now bid 2NT and everyone passed.

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 04

Vil's Tips - Sun, 20/07/2025 - 7:28pm

Continuing with the theme “It’s better to underbid and overplay than to overbid and overplay”. This time it’s an easy to bid part score where many pairs were unable to stop where their cards told them they should. This deal comes from X-Clubs on Thursday 17/7/25

Board 16. Dealer W EW Vul
83QT83K42JT32AK94KJ94AJ398QJ57Q9865KQ75T762A652T7A64

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 03

Vil's Tips - Tue, 15/07/2025 - 7:29am

“It’s better to underbid and overplay than to overbid and overplay” has been a favourite adage of mine, but in fact it is best to bid accurately and play accurately, especially when it comes to slams. This board, from X-Clubs on Thursday 10/7/25 gave contestants every chance to bid, and make, an excellent 6H slam, but few did. I’m pleased to say that at our club, the only pair that bid 6H also made 6H, whereas those who conservatively underbid to 4H failed to make more than eleven tricks. I understand why they did if they were only in game, but there should be no excuse for failing to make the slam if you have bid well to get to it, which should not be difficult once North opens the bidding and South locates the heart fit.

Board 20. Dealer W All Vul
QJ75K9652A43KK32J3KQ72J865T9864T84JT573AAQ7986AQT942

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 02

Vil's Tips - Mon, 07/07/2025 - 2:05pm

“Fourth Highest from Longest and Strongest”. There is good reason for this ‘rule of thumb’ for making an opening lead against a No Trump contract. Board 16 from Thursday 3/7/5 at X-Clubs gives us a wonderful example.

Board 16. Dealer W EW Vul
4JT4KT843AT98AT96Q853QJJ63KJ75K96252K72Q832A7A976Q54

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Basic Opening Leads and Signals 03

Vil's Tips - Thu, 03/07/2025 - 11:25am

Rules. What rules? This deal comes from play at X-Clubs on Tuesday 1/7/25

Board 2. Dealer E NS Vul
9893KT98753235AK65QJ64K864KJT6J742AQJT5AQ7432QT8A972

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Basic Opening Leads and Signals 02

Vil's Tips - Thu, 03/07/2025 - 11:18am

Now that I have given a basic summary of opening leads, we need to look a bit further and introduce some important and very useful additions and variations:

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Basic Opening Leads and Signals 01

Vil's Tips - Tue, 01/07/2025 - 9:02pm

Good defence requires good players and a good communication system.

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Thursday Tips 01

Vil's Tips - Mon, 30/06/2025 - 10:03am

Vil is starting a new series to be emailed to Hutt's Thursday players (but I'm sure he wouldn't say "no" to including you if you sent him your email address to villyn@xtra.co.nz). He's billing it as Thursday Tips. Here's the first installment

Board 4 from last Thursday is a good example of when you need STAYMAN, and not only that - but when you need Stayman at its most effective, and that is, when you can use it without restriction on point count, from zero to 20!

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

The Guessing Game 10

Vil's Tips - Fri, 06/06/2025 - 7:52am

This second board at X-Clubs is even more basic than the first, yet few Wests, as declarers in 4S, managed to arrive at eleven tricks. This should have been a near universal 4S contract for EW, and competent declarer play should have resulted in eleven tricks. But no, even when North made the very favourable opening lead of the diamond seven.

Board 5 from Tuesday 3/06/2025
Dealer N NS Vul
92T7653272T75AQ6439AQ543K4K85KQ86QJ9632JT7AJ84KJT9A8

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Your Call 22

Vil's Tips - Mon, 26/05/2025 - 11:54am

What part of “Fourth Suit Forcing” do people not understand? It seems very simple to me, but clearly not so simple to some others. Even natural bidding without any need for the confusion of the idea of the fourth suit should land EW on this deal in 4H and not the very much inferior 3NT or 4S. But let’s see this full deal:

Board 14 from Thursday 22/05/2025
Dealer E Nil Vul
K54KQJT843T93QJT872A743KJJ9852AQ762AQ72A963T695K8654

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Vil's Red Book

X-Club Blog

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