He Who Hesitate Is Lost.

November 28th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  No Comments 

Playing with Mavis Bergquist, Maurice De La Salle and Steve Clements we won the KO yesterday by 11 imps. The following hand won us 14 imp.

Dealer South. N-S Vul.

At the table where I was South and Mavis was North the auction went this way.

We got plus 500 for the board.

At the other table where Maurice was West and Steve was East, this was the auction.

South hesitated for a long time before passing after the four heart bid and East called the director after the five diamond bid. The director disallowed the five diamond bid and East- West made four hearts plus 420.

Steve, Michael, Mavis and Maurice.

The Jack Q Bid.

November 25th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  2 Comments 

Playing in the Nail Life Master Pairs, you hold

Board 23 Dealer South. East-West Vul.

Partner open the bidding with one club and this was the rest of the auction.

No sooner have I made the four diamond bid, I realized that I have given the opponents a road map for a spade lead. I was very lucky to get a small diamond lead anyway and made all the tricks for a good score.

While scoring up the board, it dawn on me that if instead of Q bidding the diamond control I Q bid the fourth round spade Jack control. What a great idea, this saved room and give partner a chance to return Q bid below game. It will not be easy for opponents to find a spade lead against our final contract.

This are the four hands.

By the way Bridge Pad is being use in Boston to record and transmit the results at each table.

Is this a forcing pass?

November 23rd, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  No Comments 

Most partnerships have agreements on when a pass is forcing. I watched this hand played on BBO and you can be the judge.

Dealer South. All Vul.

Most players would think South’s pass of 5D is 100% forcing, but not this North!

Better talk about partnership agreement in forcing pass situations.

Tea Party

November 22nd, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  3 Comments 

As we headed to Boston for the Fall North American Bridge Championships (NABC) I can not help myself thinking of the historical event The Boston Tea Party in 1773 that ignited the series of events leading to American independence. It will be exciting to walk the Freedom Trail and see some of the well known sites of the city. 

This NABC runs from the 20th to 30th of November. All events will be played at the Copley Connection, which includes the Westin and the Marriott Hotels.

Maurice and I played well the first day and made the cut for the Life Master Pairs final.

Double The Fun

November 13th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  No Comments 

Playing with Roy Li last weekend at the Vancouver Sectional Tournament. This interesting hand came up.

As south, Roy held

This was the auction.

West led spade queen, the dummy came down. Before reading on, how would you play this hand?

Roy ducked the spade queen, four, three and two. West cashed the diamond ace, four, two and five. diamond queen, spade seven. six and king. Roy then played club eight, four, ace and two. heart two, seven, ace and six. Club seven, nine, king and five. From dummy club six, three, ruffed with heart three, ten. Now heart four, king, five and eight. Roy had the right idea and was playing West to hold Q, Kx, AQxxxxx, Qxx West would have been end played to give a ruff and sluff. Unlucky for Roy, West had the fourth club was able to exit with it.

The whole hand was.

Dealer North. EW Vulnerable.

On the auction West is known to have most of the high cards. His likely shape is 1264 as he bid two diamond rather then two no trump (Minors). East should have four spade and two hearts, if he had only one heart then he may have preemptive raise in diamond.

Roy’s line would have worked if he had taken the club finesse after winning the diamond king.

Another line to play is win the spade queen lead with the ace. Take the club finesse to the jack. Cash the club ace. On the club king discard the diamond five from hand. Then ruff dummy’s club six with a heart. If East ruff the 4th club, overruff. Now play the diamond king and West is end played the first time for a ruff and sluff. On a diamond from West, discard a spade from dummy and ruff in hand. Cash the heart ace and exit heart jack. West is end played second time when winning with heart king for another ruff and sluff. After that draw the outstanding trump, four hearts made.

The Morning News

November 6th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  2 Comments 

The 1st World Mind Sports Games in Beijing China is now history. China TV stations have been covering the games and have now make their video available. If you like to watch just click TV Program ( Click into “World Mind Sports Games 2008” and download each file separately)

“Yes We Can”

November 6th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  3 Comments 

If you watched Barack Obama’s speech last night in Chicago after he won the election, you will know that hope is in the air and everything is possible. 

I was playing with Brad Bart in a team game when this hand came up.

Dealer North. Both sides vulnerable.

In the auction, 2C was 4th suit game forcing.  4S was Key card ask for hearts and 5C was 0 or 3 key cards. 5S was King ask. 

West led the club four, dummy the nine, jack and I won the queen. After two rounds of trumps I played diamond ace and low diamond towards the queen in dummy. West won the king and I now have 12 easy tricks. “Yes We Can”

It was interesting hand as West was end played on opening lead. Even if he led a trump, after three rounds of trumps he will be put back on lead with the diamond king. “Yes We Can”

The Evening News

November 3rd, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  No Comments 

German Women Team and supporters.

The German TV station ZDF.de sent a film crew to cover the 1st World Mind Sports Games in Beijing. If you like to see the news story, you can click here  http://www.zdf.de/ZDFmediathek/content/616192?inPopup=true It will load and play.

If it does not load. You may have to click on Video: Training Furs Gehirn. (The link is on the right hand side)  It will take a few seconds to load and play. Depending on the programs on your computer. It may ask you to click Window Media Player. Then click one of three options. Slow Internet connection on top and fast connection on bottom. Then click on Ubernehmen to play.

Drinking Song for Bridge Players

October 20th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  No Comments 

Mountain Drinking Song

To drown the ancient sorrows,

we drank a hundred jugs of wine

there in the beautiful night.

We couldn’t go to bed with the moon so bright.

Then finally the wine overcame us

and we lay down on the empty mountain–

the earth for a pillow,

and a blanket made of heaven.

Li T’ai-Po

tr.Hamill

This was suggested by my good friend Guy Coutanche.

Did You See THAT!

October 15th, 2008  ~  Mike Yuen  ~  No Comments 

In the Transnational Mixed Teams Canada’s Susan Culham (South) was playing with Bryan Maksymetz (North) round 12 when board 24 arrived at the table.

Dealer West. None Vul. This was the auction.

West led the diamond six, seven, ace and two. The diamond queen came back, king, ruffed by west with the heart two, four. He led back the Heart jack, ace, three and four. Susan played the Heart five, six, queen and west discarded the club three.

Susan can see she is short a trick for her contract even if she guessed the club position and came up with a fantastic play of the spade ten, three, two and four. After spade ace, six, eight and seven. Susan played heart nine, club five, king, ten. She was able to discard her diamond losers on the king and queen of spade. Led club eight, seven, finessed the jack and ace. The club king was her tenth trick. Made four hearts for plus 420.

At this point the west player turned around to his friends that were watching and asked “Did you see THAT!”