How To Play The Diamond Suit - Weekly Free

[@pmarjora]

I guess this week’s theme is “a trouble shared is a trouble halved”. Here’s how I got my own bad score (42%) 1. Played in 4S, making, for 89%. 2. Same 3. Gave up one more trick by only cashing 1 Spade, for 35%. (North played low when I cashed the SA, which I took to be discouraging, so I just switched to a club. But you explained why I should have just continued with Spades anyway.) 4. Defended 3S+1 for 89%, but after this it was all downhill. 5. Same. 6. Same. 7. Held it to 3D for 14%. I agree that North’s bidding, or lack there of, seems crazy here. 8. Played 3NT from the south on a H lead after overcalling 2D rather than 1NT. Mis-guessed the diamond suit to go down 1 for 42%.

[@BridgeWithPete]

It was a pretty awful week all up.

[@runeljungstrommer331]

Welcome back Pete!

[@Trochtchanovitch]

Many similar boards, also went sharply downhill after the first few. I can confirm that on Board 8 the robot responds 3C to a 2D overcall.

[@BridgeWithPete]

It sounds like the theme of the week.

[@rlaburlingtonia]

Thx for sharing. I was one of the 3HW+3 on brd 3, as you say, just not thinking about the shape of the hands. Hopefully I'll learn something there... Bd 7 I bid 2NT rather than 2H got to 4S making easily, people going down not playing Hearts well I guess. GIB says that 2NT showed 21 HCP, but that doesn't seem right to me; how to show 18-19 balanced?... fwiw, brd8 diamond to the Q led E to cash out their honors and exit a spade into the board's KJ tenace taking only 4 defensive tricks, so making 3NT... not sure if that's better play though.

[@BridgeWithPete]

B7 is strange. I don't think you should be bidding 2NT with 18-19 bal opposite a passed hand. The chances of game are not really there when partner passes so trying to compete to 2NT doesn't seem like a good idea. 2NT being 21 points as well is very weird as you wouldn't of opened the hand 1S. I think 2NT should be 18-19 bal, but I just wouldn't bid that way. B8 assuming the robot doesn't do the strange misdefense and you need to pick up the diamonds I did the math and diamond to the 9 is right using vacant places. I should of cashed the jack and ace of clubs first though and find out clubs broke that badly and then played diamond to the queen.

[@andyeastwood71]

I made 3NT on b6 by taking a spade finesse and a heart up twice. Although you do not have the entries to get back to the QH, you can endplay East in diamonds to lead away from KC. I made 3NT on b8 by winning the first trick in hand and playing a diamond to the king. Both opponents looked to start a high-low, so I decided to believe them and switched to a spade to 10. Because of best hand, it looked like East probably had AS KQH AD and therefore could not hold QS. Otherwise, I had the same results s you on 1, 2, 3, 5, 7. On b4 I let them play in 3S, which got 89%

[@michaelbodell7740]

I made many similar decisions and got out for just over 37%. On the extra overtrick on the hand that opened 1C and won the heart cheaply trick one the full play is....interesting with really bad defense gifting tricks. I got the cash out wrong for stupid reasons. On that hand though any consideration to low spade playing partner for kx, or is that too risky? On the 4H board where you doubled 3S, I tried 4C and partner raised to 5 which was a disaster on the 5-1 split. On the 3nt I did finesse the spades first but ended up playing for hearts 3-3 and messing up the entries so I forced west to break clubs, not east, so no endplay and down one too. The only hand I did much better was the double fit hand where I overcompeted to 3S and made.

[@BridgeWithPete]

These hands had lots of traps in them.

[@nickanand8087]

Which day's tourney are you playing this week? I will play the same? Remember to use the 2 account

[@BridgeWithPete]

I am playing the Wednesday tournament (American time zone)

[@BridgeWithPete]

I play the weekly free on Tuesdays in Australia but that won't show friends results. I play the Free daylong on Thursday Australian time

[@manudude02]

I was also 3H+3 on board 3, I decided to duck the diamond hoping they would misread the layout. Board 4, felt it was close, but I just passed 3S, felt like -200 was just too likely. Board 6 was fun. I took a spade finesse first, heart to hand, another spade finesse and cashed the ace. I played another heart to hand unblocking when East won and now they cleared the diamonds (I ducked once) and West pitched a spade. I now tried for hearts 3-3 and when that didn't happen, exited a heart. West cashed their spade trick and squeezed their partner! tinyurl.com/yaztd3dp Board 7, I doubled 2D and so when partner bid 2S, I was more confident they actually had support and so I competed to 3S. I spent a while trying to work out how to take a spade finesse while catering for a 4-1 heart break and decided to take a first round heart finesse and then took the winning spade finesse for 10 tricks. Board 8, I played a diamond to the queen and East cleared the hearts, I then cashed 4 clubs and East becomes a little squeezed. They actually pitched a high heart, so I just crossed to hand leaving a diamond winner stranded and took a spade finesse. I ended with 9 tricks (1 spade, 3 hearts, 1 diamond and 4 clubs). Ended up with 71% despite 2 bad boards (B3 and B5)

[@fredwills8872]

Board 7 argh! This hand illustrates why programming computer for bidding is so tough. A double fit and responder didn't take the push to 3s. In fact I think responder after hearing partner bid hearts mite well bid 3s not 2!! Responder can't have much in hcp, he passed over the x. Oh right , why did responder pass over x with 5 hcp and 4 trump? Yes the jacks aren't worth much but come on, I just don't get it.

[@BridgeWithPete]

yeah the robots are crazy for under bidding this hand so much.