Chat log of Bridge Base Online session for vugraph137 starting at: Wed Aug 04 19:52:46 2004 Walddk2 (Broadcast): Live broadcast from Melbourne resuming now migry: hi everybody from sunny Tel Aviv :) beto: Hello migry, welcome all migry: Hi Roberto:) Walddk2: Good morning/afternoon/evening and welcome to Melbourne for the 2004 Australian Interstate Teams. 24 boards to be played ... Walddk2: in this match from round 9 between South Australia and Victoria Walddk2: My co-commentators are Migry Zur Campanile, Israel, and Roberto Barbosa de Oliveira from Brazil Walddk2: Hello to you migry: i guess North South are playing a strong club system, right? or a weak NT? Walddk2: Not quite sure who our operator is today, but maybe he/she will tell us migry: Hi Roland !h:) vugraph137: Mike Phillips, welc all Walddk2: Good evening Mike migry: Hi Mike:) beto: hello mike :) Walddk2: The format is a double round-robin of 8 teams (each Australian state and territory) followed by a 60-board final on ... Walddk2: Friday and Saturday (6 segments of 10 boards) Walddk2: Information about the Australian National Championships and this event, including system cards, can be found at: ... Walddk2: http://www.abf.com.au/events/anc/index.html migry: this looks like a nice nad easy contract on a !s lead Walddk2: http://members.iinet.net.au/~mrdct/ is the link for live pictures. Automatic reload every 30 seconds migry: declarer will take at least 4 spade tricks, 2 diamonds, 2 hearts and a club with lots of options for overtricks in the ... migry: club suit migry: that 6!s is a nasty card - east would have done better to duck this trick vugraph137: =================================24 Walddk2: The last board without comparison. We will get those when we reach board 1 vugraph137: N/S are playing Acol with short club beto: good slam here migry: this is a very nice 6!c:) Walddk2: 6NT scores better migry: true Walddk2: And isa of course safer Walddk2: I don't think it's allowed to take ruffs in NT :-) beto: after N opening bid, bidding the slam looks easy migry: not even in australia?:) migry: the contract u really want to be in is 6NT from the south hand - solid as a rock:) migry: and nagy took the practical approach migry: not that 7 is out of question opposite xx QXX AQx Kxxxxx Walddk2: Quick claim beto: yes, 12 top tricks migry: sry Axx xx Aqx Kxxxxx vugraph137: ===================================1 Walddk2: Perfect fit for NS migry: not easy to bid the game Walddk2: Please welcome our Australian expert player and analyst, Tim Bourke beto: hi tim migry: hi Tim:) welcome:) timb: thanks migry: lot of bidding here vugraph137: director has just been called, insufficient bid by Jacobs migry: chan might try game now knowing about the singleton !s beto: yes, EW are getting too high Walddk2: Yes, 4!H is cold. EW can't stop declarer from ruffing two diamonds timb: Interesting table. Zoli Nagy, one of the greats in Australian Bridge timb: Bill Jacobs, a generation later and Rob Fruewirth a further generation on timb: all great players timb: Peter Chan hasn't played as much as the others but is a fine player too nickf: what did he call ? timb: My advice is don't get between Zolu and a game timb: Zoli (oops) Walddk2: A great board for South Australia timb: as I said... Walddk2: There is no defence. Jacobs' cards are too good Walddk2: Can't get his partner in to lead a heart through ->nickf: 2S nickf: who's the fat slug blocking the webcam ? timb: I think every expert in Australia has suffered a similar fate to this at Zoli's hands timb: a fantastic, active player who backs his hunches vugraph137: the play has escaped me now... Walddk2: Doesn't matter much Mike vugraph137: saved by the claim vugraph137: =============================5 migry: Mike- you are moving from board to board in a very helpful way:) it helps us to stop saying silly things about the ... migry: previous one and move on:)) Walddk2: Dave Thompson invented that. Very useful indeed timb: 3NT seems obvious now. Makes too vugraph137: yes I'm acting under instruction :-) beto: destructive 3!C? Walddk2: The raise from Jacobs was pre-emptive I suppose migry: :)) Walddk2: I think the hand is a tad too good for that timb: I like to play 3C as a light limit raise rather than preemptive. Any thoughts by the panel? timb: sort of 4-8 with 8 losers migry: it's a matter of style i guess - i play that 3!c is a hand that doesn't make game opp 18-19 Walddk2: My jump raises in competition are *very* weak Walddk2: Same here Migry vugraph137: ===========================2 Walddk2: So I would have to bid 2!S with the hand beto: same here :),, i would bid 3!C with something like !CQxxxxxx and nothing else timb: good to hear the views Walddk2: Back to board 2 Walddk2: Is this an upgraded 15-17? Walddk2: Sorry, miscounted Walddk2: The shape is interesting though migry: i think most of wd open 1NT and regret it later when pd has 5-5 in the majors and we can't stop in 3 NT timb: 1NT seems unecessary on this shape. Swap hearts and clubs... Walddk2: I don't mind opening 1NT with 5422 hands if I have a rebid problem Walddk2: But I don't have one here if I open 1!D Walddk2: 2-4-5-2 15 count .... then 1NT is fine with me migry: i think 1NT has a few advantages - 1 - it is preemptive if the opps have majors 2- u just get across some information Walddk2: I agree, but it also deceives partner when you're 2-2 in the majors ... and he is 5-5 timb: As long as partner doesn't have bid to 4H to show 5!S and 5!H... Walddk2: He will obviously expect at least one fit migry: yep - this is the only BIG problem - not to mention the minor suit slam u may miss beto: south may be endplayed, he must unblock his !CA Walddk2: Well spotted Beto timb: !CA then a heart Walddk2: And well done Nagy timb: he is a classy player beto: :) Walddk2: Information about the Australian National Championships and this event, including system cards, can be found at: ... Walddk2: http://www.abf.com.au/events/anc/index.html Walddk2: http://members.iinet.net.au/~mrdct/ is the link for live pictures. Automatic reload every 30 seconds Walddk2: Victoria are the defending champions vugraph137: ===============================3 Walddk2: There is a very complicated scoreing system in this event. IMPs are not converted to VP. I have given up on ... Walddk2: understanding how it works Walddk2: Maybe Tim can enlighten us timb: Victoria won all the championships in 1934-1938 migry: i expect it to be flat - but if played by south on a spade lead and small !d back declarer will probably go down migry: Club beto: 4!H looks good here, bu, if played by S, defence can try a club to the !CA and a small club back... migry: i type faster Roberto:)) timb: From 1947 to 1988 NSW won about 35, thanks largely to the greatest player I've seen - Tim Seres beto: :) timb: Since then it's been shared around a little more but NSW stil winning most of them vugraph137: ===============================4 Walddk2: There is even a squeeze named the after Tim Seres Walddk2: A rare triple squeeze timb: yes it was of a type that Geza Ottlik later named the Backwash Squeeze, which has become the standard name timb: More importantly Tim won a large amount of money as a result (it was rubber bridge) Walddk2: Tim Seres discovered that squeeze in 1965 when he was declarer in 6!C Walddk2: All to be read in the Encyclopedia of Bridge timb: have to stop at 5!D here -shouldn't be hard with 3 missing key cards Walddk2: I am told that you have the world's largest collection of bridge books on your shelves, Tim. Can you confirm? migry: 3NT is much better than 5 !d Walddk2: Books, magazines, journals beto: he will pitch his !S the club :) timb: In English, I expect so. I have about 5300 books and pamphlets on bridge that were sold commercially timb: and about 10,000 magazines Walddk2: wowww migry: okay - u beat us - but we have a huge ITALIAN section as well:) beto: good play by Nagy again :) vugraph137: ====================================6 beto: declarer only needed trumps to be 2-1 migry: now he had a losing option beto: so he went up with the ace and then no way to make it :) timb: Now you know why I have a love-hate relationship with Zoli at the table; I love playing against him because he's such a ... timb: fantastic sportsman timb: but I hate it because he gives me so many losing options Walddk2: 2!S seems strange. They surely have a method to show both majors timb: maybe Peter hand a mis-sort Walddk2: Now East and West are both waiting for a heart ruff :-) timb: exactly timb: well done Walddk2: For all our new specs at this table: South Australia against Victoria. 24 boards timb: another swing to South Australia vugraph137: ===============================7 migry: 4!s looks like a very good result beto: 2!H is described as either a weak 2 is !S or both minors 6-10 beto: in migry: no bid for west - i guess he must wait migry: no bid for west - he sd wait migry: well wrote it twice and twice was wrong migry: not many tricks for east west here - this is one of those "normal" almost pushes timb: I've a couple of old German books too that I can include migry: nagy made a little mistake here but can he really be blamed? migry: i have romanian books - and i'm sure u can't beat that:))) migry: only 3 down now Walddk2: For those of you who arrived late. Tim Bourke, one of our commentators and an expert player and analyst, has the ... Walddk2: world's largest collection of bridge books, pamphlets and magazines on his shelves. 5.300 books and pamphlets and about ... Walddk2: 10.000 magazines! migry: are you collecting Tim or actually read each and every one of them? timb: I've written reviews for over 3000 items migry: very impressive Walddk2: Oh my vugraph137: ==============================22 migry: so Tim you are the best person to tell us which would be your best choice 3 books timb: I like very old beginner's books particulalry as the hands given to the students would test the world's best today! timb: I have three favorite authors; Eddie Kantar, David Bird and Victor Mollo when writing about the menagerie migry: i think that the menagerie books are masterpieces in every sense:) Walddk2: Tim does not only read all the books and magazines, he can also put his hand on anything that comes up referencing it ... Walddk2: from written literature. That is truly phenominal! timb: I've contributed perhaps 60%about half The Abbot series timb: 60% of the hands for the Abbot over the last 10 years Walddk2: phenomenal even migry: :) migry: a !d wd be okay now timb: but I'm amazed at what David Bird does with the hands I provide. He is a master Walddk2: Back to the match here. 2!D looks like a comfortable spot timb: does'nt look in any danger migry: not really if east wd have played a diamond at trick 2 migry: as declarer can give 2 diamonds 1 spade 1 club and 2 hearts timb: I thought !DK from Zoli as it would be more spectacular vugraph137: ============================8 Walddk2: Strange order of boards down under :-) Walddk2: From 7 to 22 and back to 8 vugraph137: yes slow play at the table ahead of us here Walddk2: Jacobs had a tough rebid. The hand is a little too good for 3!D I think timb: The heart stopper will seem tenuous until dummy's king is eend Walddk2: 5 loser hand, solid suit and 3-card support for spades beto: we here in brazil uses a jump reverse to show this kinf of hand beto: 3!H would show 3!S , singleton heart and a good diamond suit timb: Some would bid 2!H (if partner raise hearts he must have five spades) but EW have to be aware tjat 2!H could be a ... timb: phantom suit migry: what do u mean Roberto? migry: ok:) Walddk2: 3!H? migry: nice treatment beto: y :) migry: west 's hand is just too strong for a 3!d rebid timb: The Victorian style has been to use 3!H and 3!C as splinter's agreeing spades Walddk2: So how do you show a heart splinter with 4-card support for spades? 4!D? migry: which of course is what roland said 4 minutes ago :) beto: splinters only at the 4-lvl migry: and if the suit is hearts? beto: then 3!S :) timb: however Jacobs-Fruewirth are playing standard whereas (for many years) the popular style amongst the leading players in ... timb: Victoria was a variant of Acol vugraph137: =============================9 timb: (It's 15 years since we moved to Canberra) Walddk2: The wasteland as Nick Fahrer described it yesterday :-) Walddk2: 2!D Astro-like, spades and another suit timb: We are an artifical national capital city, like Brazilia. But it's like a big country town (300,000) and has its ... timb: positives! Walddk2: Nice partscore swing for Victoria here timb: Has to ruff high to m,ake four timb: then do some fancy stuff timb: in trumps Walddk2: p or 10 tricks, doesn't matter. 7 IMPs it will be in any case Walddk2: 9 or 10 timb: I think Jacobs will settle for 9 Walddk2: Please welcome another great analyst: David Greenwood from Ireland Walddk2: Good afternoon to you David timb: now 10 jtr: Afternoon Roland and Good evening Australia! beto: hello david vugraph137: ===========================10 migry: Hi David:) timb: Hi David timb: an easy 4!H jtr: Hi Tim:-) Walddk2: NS must be playing weak NT migry: coffee time:) beto: :) vugraph137: Yes Acol with short club timb: good pass by chan; avoided 800 jtr: We play an interesting gadget here 4!h is weak and 4!c shows a good 4!h bid like this jtr: as in opening bids knon as namyats jtr: Learnt from Kokish Walddk2: Interesting gadget timb: I was once a (mad) scientist too; now I play pretty simple stuff timb: with eveyone being so active, a simple approach seems to work at imps again jtr: might have been interesting on a trump lead? vugraph137: running the heart now.... jtr: South witholds their !hJ vugraph137: ======================11 jtr: Goodish 4!s south might just bid it jtr: oh he did migry: it's a good game and it will pose no problems to declarer jtr: Notice South kept the !s3 timb: As I said earlier, don't stand between Zoli and a game - you'll get crushed in the rush jtr: as a potential entry to dummy Walddk2: Yes, excellent technique which is standard for the expert player jtr: wouldnt we all bid 4? 5 loser hand migry: i would timb: I would. I'd make the standard game try; bid game then try to make it! migry: mind u, he found a very useful dummy:) jtr: Now he used it Only needs one entry however for the !d finesse jtr: as long as partner doesnt have too much in clubs it will be ok vugraph137: =============================12 Walddk2: 10 boards to go; they already played 22, 23 and 24 here jtr: S has an awkward bid now timb: ugly choice mow jtr: best of indelectable alternatives timb: true jtr: S bid 2N in the other room and North surprisingly supported spades jtr: Needs to win this jtr: to take 2!ss and 3Aces jtr: oh that wasnt best hearts are going to disappear now jtr: be 10imps for SA if this makes migry: 9 if it makes only 2 jtr: ah right sorry was thinking they were in 3!s jtr: North thought about raising and confused me:-) migry: :))) jtr: hmm A and another !d? jtr: well done needed to pitch !c jtr: going to lose an awful lot of trump tricks here timb: still makes jtr: E is searching his hand for a !s:-) timb: If the play H, H West is endplayed when he ruffs. He cashes !SA then !CA and not much else migry: AQ !h and it's 1 down jtr: yes they can choose which 3 tricks they make but only 3 migry: well still better than made migry: true jtr: checking for a spade again vugraph137: E conceeded migry: i didn't notice that south is out of clubs:( timb: !C now and it's ruff, !H ruff, !D10 throwing the other !H jtr: Sartan and Hughes vugraph137: =========================13 JGaspar: my sweet adam playing so bad the hog: go mike jtr: did well to get to slam here Walddk2: 6!C is the better slam here ->the hog: howdy migry: nice 6!c jtr: they will start high migry: what wd 4NT mean now? Walddk2: Fruewirth may bid 4NT now Walddk2: Minors surely jtr: some play it as take out but not many migry: i admit that double would not have been my choice but it probably showed a good hand catering for good spades in ... migry: partners hand jtr: well something went wrong then ->the hog: Nagy has messed with their heads here Walddk2: It's getting serious for the defending champions. Please tell us about how they score this Tim migry: west's choice of passing makes sense the hog: yes think so Walddk2: IMPs are not converted to VP, that I know migry: east could have done better timb: Ag vugraph137: max win is 37.5 imps I think vugraph137: max loss -40 imps I think vugraph137: ==================================21 beto: thats one of the problems of opening 1nt with 50-card major migry: when u have a doubleton in the other jtr: the eternal debate:-) beto: y :) jtr: there is a principle to use with opening 1NT or not with a 5cM jtr: well i belive so anyway timb: true. in the early days Culberson players NEVER opened 1NT jtr: with 6 losers open the Major with 7 losers open 1NT timb: so they avoided the problem by never using a truely wonderful bid vugraph137: ==================================14 timb: and it comes down to style in the modern game timb: a better idea Walddk2: A slam with virtually no play jtr: not looking good for Victoria Walddk2: Even with !HQ on side it's a bad slam jtr: poor even by Irish standards:-) jtr: anything in single figures %wise really isnt great timb: Looking at match records over 30+ years, I reckon anything under 55% for a small slam probably loses in th long term in ... timb: practical play timb: that is irrespective of vulnerabilty and based on 2000+ hands from finals in Australia timb: Paul Marston reached similar conclusions looking at World Championship books vugraph137: ===================================15 Walddk2: 6 boards to go Walddk2: Our live broadcast from Prague will resume in about 30 minutes, so the timing is almost perfect jtr: declarer has problems here on a passive defence but will survive jtr: great duck! jtr: more like a goose really:-) jtr: well played too timb: Zoli playing safe now vugraph137: ============================16 jtr: forced to drop the !h in the endgame Walddk2: Same contract here I predict timb: I've discovered that finding the hands and getting David Bird to write them up is the way to go - even though I had to ... timb: retire a few years ago. Walddk2: Not now. Chan can't rebid 1NT, that would show 15-17 playing weak NT migry: just another coke - roland:) jtr: i like 2!s anyway timb: Using a weak notrump, I like to play 1NT as 12-16 here; either 12-14 with five hearts or 15-16 3433 migry: i bid 1NT whwnever it seems right and i have no reason to believe that 2 !s is better - unless sustematically i can't ... migry: bid it jtr: then Crowhurst? migry: in which case i might consider changing the system Walddk2: You can't rebid 1NT obviously if you play weak NT migry: so i sd just open 1NT and forget about it jtr: unless as Tim says you play it wide range timb: yes Crowhurst; 2!D then shows any minimum with five hearts! timb: other schemes are possible; 2!D min no support for spades, 2!H min with support etc. jtr: meanwhile Migry is right this is going 3 down migry: what can i say.... jtr: You have nothing to declare but your genius?:-) vugraph137: =======================================17 Walddk2: Seems normal to be in game with a combined 26 count timb: The North hand is a "death" hand in 1!H:1!S in an Acolish approach if a 1NT rebid is strong and you can't open 1NT with ... timb: 12-14 and five hearts Walddk2: Don't know why or how they stopped in 2!H at the other table migry: the problem opening a weak NT with a 5 card major is when it goes pass pass 2 of a minor to u and u can't compete timb: I agree 100% timb: Looks comfortable jtr: Needs very careful handling to make this That is a good start! timb: for Chan timb: if he plays carefully, which Peter usally will do jtr: even an overtrick now jtr: he is thinking if he can get an endplay if hearts are 4-2 Walddk2: I don't see the big problem without interference, even playing 4-card majors. Say you are 2-5-3-3 and it goes 1!H ... Walddk2: 1!S. Now 2 of minor will confirm the 5th heart jtr: but will decide against i think Walddk2: Never mind that I only have 3 cards in the minor. Minors you bid, you don't play there vugraph137: =================================18 jtr: Yes i like the 3 card minor idea Roland jtr: a good hand for guessing migry: not much guessing in 4:) migry: 5!d? jtr: I am a purist It is the principle that counts:-) jtr: easier to guess when defending with the N/S cards jtr: must take the !c ruff wehn in with !d jtr: only 500 now Walddk2: 2 boards to go in this room jtr: some play if you lead a King then switch it is to a singleton That would have worked here vugraph137: ======================================20 Walddk2: Play will resume tomorrow at 6:00 am New York, 12:00 Paris, 11:00 am London, 8:00 pm Sydney with another match from the ... Walddk2: round-robin Walddk2: 2 matches simultaneously in fact Walddk2: 1 against 4 and 2 against 3 jtr: prefer X by W migry: west sd double migry: but it wouldn't have been a success here:) jtr: Debbie Rosenberg pointe dout that 3!c has lead advantages migry: good to play 3!s as invitational - u don't get doubled jtr: oh sorry it is Michael in drag:-) migry: if you believe the hand belongs to the opps only because they happen to have the spade suit:) migry: besides partner may lead a club anyway as double implies both suits jtr: yes partner reckons to have 3 spades and diamonds will be overruffed vugraph137: ==================================19 jtr: rather an expensive escapade Walddk2: Last board of the match. Thx to Mike Phillips, our operator in Melbourne. Great job. Also thanks to my co-commentators: ... Walddk2: David Greenwood, Tim Bourke, Migry Zur Campanile and Roberto Barbosa de Oliveira migry: thx Mike:) thx roland , all:)) Walddk2: Finally thanks to the Austrlian Bridge Federation for supporting live broadcasts through BBO - and especially to Dave ... Walddk2: Thompson (mrdct on BBO) who has been instrumental in organising these broadcasts beto: thx all! Walddk2: Thx all for coming. Still a few boards to be scored jtr: thx everybody and thanks for watching Walddk2: Our broadcast from Prague will resume shortly Walddk2 (Broadcast): Live broadcast from Prague resuming now vugraph137: the room will be kept open till the completion of the closed room vugraph137: 3 much needed imps for VIC on brd 20 vugraph137: 2 more brds to be played in the closed room vugraph137: last brd (24) being played in the closed room now vugraph137: 6!C is the closed room contract on 24 vugraph137: !D lead vugraph137: there was 1 trick correction on brd 10. SA win 88-30 vugraph137: good night all