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Vil's Tips

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Updated: 4 days 23 hours ago

Opening Leads and Signals 06

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Slams 15

Thu, 22/05/2025 - 5:37pm

How difficult should it be to count to thirteen tricks? That is what all the Norths who responded with a quiet 1H when South opened the bidding with 1D had to do when South’s next bid was 4H, or even a conservative 3H. Or maybe some Souths might open 1H, a legitimate enough Acol opener. Take a look at Board 2 from Tuesday 20/05/2025 at X-Clubs.

Board 2 Dealer E NS Vul
K4QJ985432KAJJT327QT598743Q876J9862QT62A95AKT6A743K5

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Your Call 23

Mon, 19/05/2025 - 1:43pm

Unusual No Trumps, partner? And how, and when do you play it? What about Michaels? Same question: how and when do you play that? And a final question: have you heard of ‘leaping Michaels’? The answer is possibly that you have, but what about leaping Unusual No Trumps? When you think about it, why not play the Unusual NT and Michaels to include leaps to a higher level depending on your distribution and strength. Here is a great example of the use of the UNT.

Board 10 from Friday 16/05/2025
Dealer E All Vul
KQ8763KKJT764QT875994Q9853AJ9652AQT875AK432AJT4J6322

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Slams 14

Thu, 15/05/2025 - 4:41pm

Put yourself in the NORTH seat. You have landed in 6H. This has been in part thanks to your own bidding as well as partner’s great cooperation. East leads the QUEEN OF CLUBS.

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Slams 13

Tue, 13/05/2025 - 11:05pm

This slam and the results at X-Clubs tells me that our present day players are somewhat lacking in their communication skills. It also tells me that bidding slams is not necessary for a good result, just being in the best denomination at game level and being able to execute the declarer play will get you over 75%, at least it did for the two pairs who played in 4H and made six. Bidding is about talking to partner and being aware of what both partners need to know, not just set rules about bidding suits and 4-4 fits. Let’s take a look at Board 11 and the NS thought processes.

Board 11 from Friday 9/05/2025
Dealer S Nil Vul
K2AQJ9QJ743A89838742T5K652T7665K9862QJ7AQJ54KT3AT943

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Slams 12

Tue, 06/05/2025 - 11:45am

Now put yourself in the West seat and play the 6C slam that you have put yourself in after East has opened 1S and put down the most unhelpful dummy that you have ever seen from an opening bid. North leads the ten of hearts.

Board 13 from 1/05/2025
Dealer N All Vul
QJ42T972652K3AKQ864AAQT974AK87655QJ9765T93J3KT843J82

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Slams 11

Mon, 05/05/2025 - 2:22pm

This deal should have led to a slam, but when it did, it led to the wrong slam. And a lot of the time, it was not even close to a slam, which does make me wonder about how much understanding there is between most partnerships. Let’s see what could, or should, happen in the real world. Take a look at the West hand. Can you imagine not being in a slam after East a) opens a weak two, or b) East opens a legitimate ‘rule of 20’ 1S?
Board 13 from 1/05/2025
Dealer N All Vul
QJ42T972652K3AKQ864AAQT974AK87655QJ9765T93J3KT843J82

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Slams 10

Sun, 27/04/2025 - 9:28pm

This deal occurred at X-Clubs recently but unfortunately it was Board 28 so was only played at some clubs and was not included in the full X-Clubs analysis, but it is of such interest that it is worth discussion.

Board 28 from on Tuesday 22/04/2025
Dealer W NS Vul
984K753276T85AJT76AAAKQJ62Q2Q64QJ985974K53JT98KT4323

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Opening Leads 30

Fri, 18/04/2025 - 5:05pm

Some well thought out opening leads can have unintended consequences. This could have been one such time, but unfortunately not a single EW pair were in what I would have thought would be the best contract if bid properly, so the opening lead was not as potentially productive as it might have been. But let’s see how things might have turned out if EW had reached what I consider the best contract, and South also made what I would rate the best opening lead, despite my constant admonitions to never lead an unsupported ace. Let’s look at the deal from X-Clubs on Tuesday 15/04/2025.

Board 13. Dealer N All Vul
Q7JKT2KJ97543KJ43Q96393AT2AT62AK742Q756985T85AJ864Q8

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

The Guessing Game 08

Fri, 11/04/2025 - 5:04pm

Declarer is South, in 4S doubled. West leads the queen of hearts. How should declarer play to avoidminus 800 and a bottom board?

Board 6 from Tuesday 8/04/2025
Dealer E EW Vul
82K632J6432T3QQJT8AT97KJ87J53A954K5A654AKT97647Q8Q92

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Vil's Red Book

X-Club Blog

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