Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Do you count points, or losers?


1st seat, vulnerable, in a team game, you have:



This is the final of the annual Montreal-Toronto friendly match which dates back to 1967. Montreal leads 23-22! The match plays at Irving Litvack's Regal St-Clair in Toronto. Irving has been a warm and perfect host for the Montrealers since Friday night. This is the Sunday morning session.

You play against Canadian champions. This is the 3rd of 4 quarters (24 brds per segment). You are behind by some 40 imps, which is not too big a deficit. If you can win this 3rd segment, you will be within striking distance in the 4th segment.

Board 21



1♠ with only 4 points, some would say? Yes, bridge is a bidder's game and you are behind. So bid first, think later. What do you do over 2♠?

If you were already shaking from fear when you bid 1♠, you will pass in a flash. But then you are not playing bridge and you lack some knowledge about re-evaluation. Maybe you don't read bridge books and magazines. If you did, you would have read Bergen's "Points Schmoints" and also a book called "The losing trick count". I won't enter into details but, when you partner raised you to 2♠, your hand, losing trick count-wise, is worth an opening hand. So what do you do?

First, how many points partner has? Can he have only 12 points?

No. Knowing you have already passed, there is no point in bidding 2♠, even with a fit, if there is no hope for game. So partner must have a good hand, like 14 points, to raise you to 2♠. You might have passed in first seat with 10-11 points. 11 + 14 is 25. But if opener in 3rd seat has only 12 points, 12 + 11 is 23, he would pass 1♠ and raise later if opponents compete.

So you are sure partner has a good hand. Do you still pass 2♠?

If you know the losing trick count and listen to Bergen's preach, you have to bid 4♠! With only 4 points, you still ask? Yes.

The lead is 8 of .



Told you partner had 14 points. You go up Ace, play the Ace, ruff a , play small spade: King pops up. You make 5, losing one diamond and one club.

You feel good? I hope so. You think this might even be a swing board? Get real. You are not playing against Mom and Pop. No offense intended.

When you compare, you find out you LOSE 8 imps. Your partners doubled them in 4♠! Opponents were also in 4♠. They are champions, I told you. First they bid game and then they try to make the hand. In the long run, bidding game first and then look if the contract is makeable is the winning strategy at imps.

If you had not bid 4♠, you would have lost 13 imps. Will you pass the next time you have 4 points?

By the way, you win the 3rd segment by 11. So you manage to stay in striking distance for the 4th segment.

(WE lost in the end :( ).

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Cappalligator

Cappalligator: prehistoric animal of noble extract who, when provoked, feigns to run away, then turns against his aggressor; he has developed this technique to combat his traditional enemies, the Cappellettians.

One school of thought teaches us to double 1NT with a hand of equivalent strength, or stronger.

Practitioners of Cappelletti will then double, penalty, only to hear their partner take it out because they have no points.

Here's a very good question, in my opinion:
"If Cappelletti is for penalty, why does your partner take it out?"

Cappellettians will answer:
"Because he has no points."
"Then the double is not penalty."
"Yes, it is."
"So why doesn't your partner leave it?"
"Because he has no points."
"So it is not penalty, it is optional."
"No, it's penalty."
"So, I say, a bit irritated, if your partner has 20 points and his RHO opens 1nt, 8-10, 10-12, 11-14, 12-14, 14-16, 15-17, 16-18, whatever, he will double and you will take it out because you have no points???"

Discussion with Cappellettians never ends. So I repeat my question:
"Is Cappelletti for penalty or not?"

Like the woman who played Lavinthal in defense, but not always she added (!), Cappelletti, as played by the majority of players, is penalty, but not always.

And if you have:



You won't double 1NT for penalty? You are certain to beat 1NT (unless declarer has 6 club tricks and the Ace of hearts), will you pass because you don't have as many points as the 1NT opener? Here is a good occasion to repeat that bridge is about tricks, not only points.

You open 1NT 15-17 with:



I know, I know, it is not perfect. Your LHO, Cappellettian of good family, doubles. Your partner passes and RHO, also Cappellettian of good standing, starts to think. You thank Heaven, Cappelletti himself and all the saints in paradise. At bridge, when a player starts to think after a Cappelletti double by his partner, it is always a good sign. Cappellettian daughter (they really look like mother and daughter) ends up bidding 2♠, you pass, Cappellettian mother passes and your partner doubles.



Cappellettian daughter asks about the double.
"Cappalligator!" You reply.
"I'm sorry?"

You resist the urge to explain her the noble origins of this extraordinary animal, skipping all the historic part, and go right to the point:
"My partner thinks we will kill you."
"Come again..."
"Penalty!"

You lead the heart King. Here is dummy, cause of Cappellettian mother's double:



Isn't that a Cappelletti of good extraction? Would not all Cappellettians double with this hand?

The heart King wins and you continue heart for dummy's Ace, your partner signaling doubleton.

Declarer then plays small club to her hand (!), you win the 10 and play Heart and Heart, your partner signalling diamond on the 3rd heart, declarer ruffing the 4th heart.

Declarer then plays another club, you win the Ace. You play the diamond Jack for the king and Ace from your partner. She plays back a diamond. Dummy wins the Queen. Declarer continues with the club King, partner ruffs with the spade 9, over ruffed with the Queen!

Declarer plays diamond, you ruff with the spade Jack, under ruffed by partner, and we have now the famous coup, the Alligator Coup, or Cappaligator. The Alligator coup is a small cousin of the Crocodile Coup. This last coup consists of playing a big honour, Ace or King, to overtake partner's stiff honour, to avoid him being end played. Cappaligator, which I have invented, consists of ruffing with the Jack, to allow partner to underruff. Rare, you say ? Very rare. Cappalligator is a very, very rare animal.

You play back a spade, your partner takes the rest, +800.



Poor Cappellettians! Cappaligator's revenge is really terrible, no?

Believe me, if you play Cappelleti penalty, but not always, you will have one day to face the wrath of Cappaligator, and you will repent!