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Vil's Tips

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Updated: 2 days 19 hours ago

Double Dummy 19

Wed, 10/04/2024 - 5:38pm

Surprisingly few players seem to play suit preference signals, though they are not at all difficult to understand or make use of when required. Here is an example of the very basic suit preference signal, though in the actual deal, Deep Finesse would have made the contract despite the defenders’ use of the signal. Yes, the suit preference signal can also help declarer if declarer knows that that is what it is!

Board 8 from Friday 5/04/24
Dealer W Nil Vul
9Q765J742QJ64Q85KJ942KT8K5J73283AQ653A9AKT64AT9T8732

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 18

Sat, 06/04/2024 - 7:01pm

This deal from the archives is particularly significant to me because it was played in the days when we had no modern tools like computer deals or Deep Finesse analyses. Back to the future about 40 years ago, but even in those days some of the players knew how to defend without the help of Deep Finesse. At least, I would like to think so.

Dealer West All Vul; Teams
982A8522QT65356AQJT75AKJ94KQT63QJT7K962AJ74K94384387

This was the bidding in a teams match:
SouthWestNorthEast-1Pass1Pass3Pass3Pass4Pass4Pass5PassPassPass

What is the ONLY way for the defence to defeat 5D and why should the defenders defend that way?

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 17

Wed, 03/04/2024 - 12:16pm

This deal comes from the archives because I had a question from one of my regular readers, Sam, who asked about opening leads of singleton trumps. He has heard me say often enough that the lead of a singleton trump is one of the worst imaginable, because a) the first thing every declarer does when playing a hand is to draw trumps, so why do it for him and b) it is almost certain to solve any two way finesse problem if there is one. However, just to put it into context, I always add the proviso that there should always be a reason for doing what you do, especially when you make an opening lead, because the opening lead sets the scene for the rest of your defence, and the opening lead should tell your partner what you are hoping to achieve on defence. I then dug out this particular deal from my archives, a series I labelled “Ultimate Defence”. The reader may like to look at the deal and treat it as a double dummy problem before I continue the story in DD18.

Dealer West All Vul; Teams
982A8522QT65356AQJT75AKJ94KQT63QJT7K962AJ74K94384387

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 16

Sat, 16/03/2024 - 8:21pm

Most of the time, you shouldn’t need to be Deep Finesse to make the best opening lead. Nor should you have needed to have read some of my earlier articles stressing the need to have a full set of agreements with your partner as well a full repertoire of opening leads, including the opening lead of the ACE when holding specifically AKx or AQx against a No Trump contract.

Board 11 from Thursday 14/03/24
Dealer S EW Vul
Q32K86AJ987528752AQ8QT54QTJT96KT6549763AK43J97AJ32K4

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 15

Thu, 07/03/2024 - 10:50am

This defence should not have needed to be ‘double dummy’ but escaped quite a few NS pairs when East played in 4S after a competitive auction. I suggest that NS should bid to 4H and EW take the sacrifice in 4S, which should be doubled. But let’s not talk about the bidding because there are lessons to be learnt about defence.

Board 20 from Tuesday 5/02/24
Dealer W All Vul
JT9853AT86A82K642KQJ4KQJ95Q987537Q52763ATA642KJ973T4

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

David Asks About Handicaps

Thu, 29/02/2024 - 8:52pm

Davids Question

The answer:

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 14

Thu, 29/02/2024 - 5:49pm

The obsession with No Trumps has the potential to either win in a big way, or deservedly crash in flames. Why do so many bridge players have this obsession with bidding No Trump slams rather than the far easier to make minor suit slam? I don’t have a ready answer for that, but Deep Finesse does, because DF can see all the hands and knows that 7NT can be made by NS on this deal. So can 7D but 7D does not require the same virtually impossible layout that 7NT requires.

Board 19 from Wednesday 28/02/24
Dealer S EW Vul
A6A964KQ76AJ7J532KQJT53J95T747283Q98642KQ988AT542KT3

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 13

Thu, 22/02/2024 - 10:59am

What can we learn from Deep Finesse on the following deal?

Board 19 from Tuesday 20/02/24Dealer S EW Vul
763K764769843AQA5AT9853752J2QJT32QJ2KQ6KT985498K4AJT

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 12

Mon, 19/02/2024 - 8:14am

What can we learn, if anything, from this deal, which tells us that Deep Finesse can make 4S EW but not 4H! So, what’s the difference? When you see the deal for Board 5 you’ll see little difference between the hearts and spades: both have a 5-3 fit but there appear to be two heart losers and only one spade loser. Yet, DF says EW can make 4H but not 4S. Let’s see if we can work out why, then, 4H makes but not 4S.

Board 5 from Wednesday 14/02/24
Dealer N NS Vul
QJ7QT9KQ9A952A8543A6432Q73KT6J87AJ5KJ8492K5T876432T6

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 11

Sun, 04/02/2024 - 12:55pm

This deal was reviewed in my previous article but wasn’t done explicitly enough and needs some more analysis.

Board 6 from Tuesday 30/01/24
Dealer E EW Vul
9Q9742T73A985KJT7653J86AQ4Q23J9642QJT32A84AKT5K85K76

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 10

Thu, 01/02/2024 - 7:24pm

As South, how would you play 4H when West leads the four of clubs? Let’s say South has opened 1H and West has bid spades quite strongly. We can look at the full deal to make the problem into another double dummy one.

Board 6 from Tuesday 30/01/24
Dealer E EW Vul
9Q9742T73A985KJT7653J86AQ4Q23J9642QJT32A84AKT5K85K76

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 09

Thu, 25/01/2024 - 6:26pm

Double dummy problems seldom arise in part score situations, because there are too many variations to go through, but this one is worth taking a look at.

Board 16 from Tuesday 23/01/24
Dealer W EW Vul
42AK986K75K52T973Q53QT93J9AKQ5J2AJ86Q76J86T7442AT843

You are sitting West and North opens 1H and partner doubles. South bids 2H. Do you bid 2S or not?

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 08

Sun, 21/01/2024 - 6:59pm

Few declarers made twelve tricks in a 4H contract on Board 18. Needless to say, there were none in 6H which can be made, if you have the help of Deep Finesse.
Board 18 from Wednesday 17/01/24
Dealer E NS Vul
KQ862AK6A432TAJ753T2QJ6A72T94J53T959843Q9874K87KQJ65

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 07

Wed, 10/01/2024 - 3:14pm

Monday X-Clubs provided this ‘double dummy’ problem The problem is: how does North end up in 2H after East opens a weak 1NT?

Board 10 from Monday 8/01/2024
Dealer E All Vul
T62KQJ83874Q7987554KT63K65K3A962QJ52A94AQJ4T7A9JT832

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Roman Key Card Blackwood

Sun, 07/01/2024 - 3:43pm

Normal Blackwood 4NT or even Gerber (4C) will work well enough in most situations but there will be times when the RKC asking bid is crucial to being able to find the best final contract, which of course will nearly always be a slam, though sometimes it may be a five level contract when you find that a slam is unlikely or even impossible.

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 06

Fri, 05/01/2024 - 2:49pm

Earlier, we saw how EW can best defend a 1NT contract given ‘double dummy’ vision. Now let’s look at what might happen if WEST is the dealer and opens 1NT, which is passed out.

Dealer W Nil Vul
765742743AKT7983AQ85AQ6864KJ4T93KT852J2AQT2KJ6J9Q953

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 05

Fri, 05/01/2024 - 2:42pm

Before we start reviewing ‘double dummy’ problems from play in 2024, I would like to take another look at an interesting deal that I have reviewed some time ago, because it features one of my pet ‘likes’, the opening lead of an ace from specifically AQx against a No Trump contract.

Dealer N Nil Vul
765742743AKT7983AQ85AQ6864KJ4T93KT852J2AQT2KJ6J9Q953

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Vil's Red Book

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