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Double Dummy 16

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - Thu, 29/02/2024 - 8:52pm

Davids Question

The answer:

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 14

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Vil's Tips - 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

Double Dummy 04

Vil's Tips - Mon, 11/12/2023 - 4:17pm

Here is an easy double dummy problem. Easy double dummy but it proved far from easy when played at X-Clubs
Board 25 from Tuesday 5/12/23
Dealer N EW Vul
T9AKJTJ975AJ5K6543765863T6AQ72Q84QT4298J8932AKKQ7432

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 03

Vil's Tips - Mon, 11/12/2023 - 9:18am

Heart in Mouth Stuff:
This one might possibly have been bid to 6H but never was. It might have made 6H but almost never was, in fact only three Souths made six on the obvious queen of diamonds lead. That is a good double dummy exercise in itself, how to make six the obvious and only sensible way, or how to make 6H the more risky Deep Finesse way. And finally we will have the real double dummy problem that would never occur in play, or in fact going to be executed by any declarer unless he was Deep Finesse or was clairvoyant or maybe obsessed with finessing everything that can be finessed!

Board 15 From Friday 8/12/23
Dealer S NS Vul
642KQ8K632J8673J6QJT987543KJ95973A5T972AQT8AT5424AKQ

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes

Double Dummy 02

Vil's Tips - Thu, 07/12/2023 - 10:04am

This one is a double double dummy problem. You get two for the price of one in the same deal! At the table, it appears that neither double dummy problem was solved easily, though they don’t seem too difficult. This one consists of a declarer problem for both NS and EW. Really, it should be a problem only for NS because when EW bid to 4H, 4S seems to be the obvious answer. Despite the vulnerability, because 4H is likely to make and 4S is sure to be a good sacrifice. But, double dummy, both 4H and 4S should make. Let’s see how, and why.

Board 19 from Monday 4-Dec
Dealer S EW Vul
AKQJ84T65AKJ6T932A2Q9AK843KQJ97438729527658JT6543QT7

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Categories: Vil Gravis Writes