Opener: xx-AKxx-Ax-QJxxx
Responder: AKQ-x-KQJxxx-xxx
The four top teams in the Bermuda Bowl played this hand. Two played in 3NT, one in 5D down one after club Ace, club King, club ruff. One tried 6D and met the same defense.
The four teams in the Venice Cup also played this hand. Two played in 3NT, one in 5D down one after club Ace, club King, club ruff. One tried 6D and met the same defense.
The Seniors had more variation. Only one opted a notrump contract -- 4NT-- making the same 11 top tricks everyone else in notrump claimed. Two tried 5D, one managing to slip through 11 tricks. One tried 6D, again.
So, of the 12 best teams in the world, presumably, only five, a minority, played in the normal notrump contract, and three actually tried for a slam off three cashing tricks.
Just plain weird.
I missed the bidding, but maybe I'll see a few later and have a better understanding of what went wrong. Anyone know?
3 comments:
Well, I just found the auctions on Swan Bridge. That did not help me much, except to find out that this is worse than I thought.
Uncontested sequences, without any plausible reason for a breakdown. Every screwed up auction seems to have a point where some bid along the way seems absurd. Kind of like my mind, as reading the sequences, is saying, "Ok, well, OK, sure, OK" and then "WTF?!?!?!"
I don't get it.
I was commentating on BBO when Zia - Hamman stopped in 3NT: 1C -
1D - 1H - 1S - 2D - 2S - 2NT - 3D -3H - 3S - 3NT- Pass. The Nickell team's coach Eric Kokish sent me a short message about what a good auction it was. It seems that you and Eric differ in style - he is impressed by the pairs that stop in 3NT, and you seem distresed by the pairs that don't.
I think the difference is stopping in 3NT versus stopping in 4NT.
Stopping in 3NT requires a tight sequence, and is impressive.
Not stopping in 4NT seems really difficult, as there is no club control.
I mean, consider an auction I saw. 1NT opening (one of the "OK" thoughts), transfer showing diamonds, 3H eventually by Responder, showing short hearts, signoff at 3NT, and then some move at the four-level that does not show a club control, followed by 5D by Opener. Not being able to make a slam move in a minor and then escape at 4NT seems odd. Only one team ended at 4NT, which seemed like a reasonably likely end point.
This is not exactly a regional event. I would expect a lot of 3NT and 4NT contracts, and maybe one pair taking a flier or losing communications somewhere. Not this.
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