Some Problems from the Reno Regional 12/04


  1. S: —
    H: J1098xx
    D: Q10xx
    C: A92
    S: AKQ1098x
    H: A
    D: A
    C: Q1064
    DeclarerDummy
    2C: 2D: (art gf)
    3S: 4C:
    4NT 5D:
    5NT 6S:
    Pass
    a) do you agree with the bidding (despite its reaching an awful contract?)
    b) opening lead is a small spade to the jack. You win, of course, and play a bunch of trumps. RHO has four (phew... lucky lead). LHO agonizedly discards hearts, hearts, and more hearts. How do you play the clubs? (Sorry—on the actual lie, nothing works; LHO's clubs are KJ87. He kept clubs because he mispitched a club on the previous hand.)
    c) In a vacuum, how do you play this club suit?

  2. S: AQ87x
    H: xx
    D: Kxx
    C: Kxx    		 S: KJ
    H: Axx
    D: Axx
    C: AQ109x
    a) Can you find an intelligent auction to 7NT?
    We bid
    DealerResponder
    1S: 2C:
    2S: 2NT
    3C: 3S:
    4C: 4D:
    4S: 5H:
    6C: Pass

    b) What went wrong?

  3. S: AKxx
    H: x
    D: AKxx
    C: Q10xx    		 S: QJxx
    H: Ax
    D: xx
    C: AKJxx
    a) Can you find an intelligent auction to 7C: or 7S:? (But not this time—the really good bidders stopped in six; spades were 5-0.)
    b) We bid
    DealerResponder
    1D: 2C:
    3H: 4H:
    4S: 6C:
    Pass
    What went wrong? (Yeah, yeah, nothing; spades were 5-0.)
    Answers
    Jeff Goldsmith, jeff@gg.caltech.edu, Jan. 16, 2005