grizz: Hi everybody, thanks for attending another in a series of lessons on Defense. grizz: Chat logs and hand records are stored in your computer for later review. For information on how to retrieve them, go the BIL homepage or email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons. If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: Archives of previous sessions are available at GrizzBridge.com, on the Lessons and Archives page located at: http://www.grizzbridge.com/Lessons_and_Archives.php grizz: There are 40+ sessions logged there now, lots of good information. grizz: There will be lots of questions. I want to address them all, but in a manner helpful to all, so please ask them in open chat. grizz: If I forget a question while answering another, please remind me. grizz: I encourage participation by all kibitzers grizz: So jump right in with a comment, question, or bid at any time, but please do so in open chat. grizz: There are only 5 basic types of defensive strategy at the beginning of a hand. grizz: These concepts are out of the book "How The Experts Win At Bridge" by Burt Hall and Lynn Rose-Hall, the Book of the Year in 1997. grizz: By way of review, and for those who are new here, the 5 lines of defense are: grizz: 1. Force declarer to ruff, and lose control of his own trump suit. grizz: 2. Active defense. grizz: 3. Passive defense. grizz: 4. Reduce ruffs. grizz: 5. Create trump tricks. grizz: if you need review on the 5 Lines of Defense check out http://www.grizzbridge.com/Lessons_and_Archives.php and scroll down the page until you find those lessons under the BIL ... grizz: listings grizz: Briefly, here are the lead guidelines for each of these different strategies. grizz: 1. Forcing defense - lead your side's strongest suit. grizz: 2. Active defense - also, lead your side's strongest suit. grizz: 3. Passive defense - top of a sequence, or a worthless suit grizz: 4. Reduce ruffs - start a trump grizz: 5. Creating trump tricks - lead from your own or toward partner's shortness grizz: So choosing a lead depends on what your defensive game plan is, referring back to the 5 Lines of Defense. grizz: When you know WHAT you intend to accomplish, it is easier to decide HOW to get it done. grizz: In addition to the 5 Lines of Defense the special situations requiring special leads are as follows: grizz: 1. Gambling NT - lead an ace, look at dummy and try to locate declarer's weakness. grizz: 2. NT slams - if you and partner have not bid, lead top of a sequence or a worthless suit, avoid giving declarer a free finesse or other help. grizz: 3. Suit grand slams - a trump is almost mandatory, unless both ops have bid and raised a suit and you have the Ace. grizz: 4. Doubled part-score contracts - lead trump, try to kill ruffs in side suits. grizz: There are also some special rules for lead-directing doubles: grizz: 1. If neither defender has bid, ops bid a NT game or slam and partner doubles, lead dummy's first bid suit. grizz: 2. If only partner bid and later doubles, lead his suit. grizz: 3. If only you bid and later partner doubles, lead your own suit. grizz: 4. If both you and partner have bid and partner doubles, lead the suit of the stronger hand - that is where the entries are. grizz: 5. If ops have not bid any suits (e.g. 1NT-3NT) and partner doubles, lead your SHORTER major. grizz: This week we are going to look at example hands and auctions, consider defensive plans and choose leads. grizz: Shall we start? kyno40: y ydannac: y grizz: Today we are going to do something a little different. These example hands are not predealt, they are random. grizz: So I have not analyzed them, rather we are all looking at them for the first time. kyno40: can i ask why shorter M. pl. ? grizz: sure grizz: in that auction, ops have shown no interest in a major fit grizz: but they have the balance of power grizz: and 3rd hand is telling opening leader that he has a good major, a source of tricks grizz: either solid and 5+, or broken but with an outside entry grizz: good enough to take 5 tricks, in any case grizz: and that special double caters to that special hand grizz: so lead a major with no honors, which will tend to be your shorter one kyno40: ok ty grizz: there is no other very good reason to double 3NT grizz: NT systems are very tight these days grizz: when ops voluntarily bid to 3NT they usually have plenty of total power grizz: so doubling 3NT is risky, unless it conveys a very specific message grizz: this one is in 2 parts - grizz: 1. we have enough tricks to beat it, and grizz: 2. hit my major, PLEASE!!!! onoway: :) kyno40: yes i undrstand now kyno40: ty grizz: any other questions before we get rolling? grizz: The bidding will be done by the bots, though I must sit in one of the seats during play to control the pace. grizz: I have no idea who the declarer will be or which seat will be on lead, so you may kib all 4 hands. grizz: We will put our heads together and come up with a defensive strategy based on the auction, the hand on lead, and the 5 Lines of Defense. (passout) grizz->Club: rofl! onoway->Club: lol wyoming33->Club: :) grizz: well, i can even come up with a salient point on a hand like this :) wyoming33: wd anyone bid west hand grizz: on every hand, one side will take at least 7 tricks grizz: so in theory every hand makes at least 1NT grizz: but in practice, that is not necessarily the case! grizz: i have seen some hands that go down no matter who plays it grizz: and experience has shown us that sometimes a passout average is better than an attempt for a top that reaches bottom instead grizz: whoa! grizz: sidebar grizz: any time you can interfere with ops' 2!c auction, go for it robzim: LOL defending against this hand ---- wyoming33: even vul:) - grizz: yes, even vul grizz: but if you are 3rd hand, don't take it seriously! grizz: 2!s was daring, but 3!s was insane grizz: interference in this kind of auction throws sand in the gears wyoming33: east shd bid 5!D whiz: here we make 4spades why insane :) onoway: LOTT? robzim: forgot you didn't have a live partner -- and your comment threw me for a minute grizz: lol grizz: lucky accident that this one makes :) grizz: if GIB had bid 2!s, i'm sure it would have been a different hand than this! grizz: so N took me seriously grizz: but seriously, if you can derail the 2!c-2!d express, you will get good scores more often than not grizz: one of my lesson hands has a 2!s overcall on 3 hcp! grizz: for a top!! maysie: Ya don't just sit there watching THEM bid - rofl grizz: anyway grizz: this is just by way of pointing out that there is more to defense than just cardplay grizz: defensive bidding enters into the picture as well grizz: and lead directing doubles and overcalls grizz: all these things add up to give you a defensive advantage grizz: any questions before we move on? robzim: surprised that GIB E didn't take a chance on 5!D grizz: you may wonder why i burned my entries early on grizz: since i have talked so much about setting up long tricks while you still have entries to cash them grizz: but in this auction, do we expect to have any slow tricks? grizz: noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo lol grizz: get 'em while they're hot! whiz: heehehe grizz: ok grizz: now W is on lead grizz: first devise a strategy, then choose a lead grizz: so what are the clues on the auction? grizz: ops have not bid a strong side suit pzee: declarer has a 2-suiter grizz: y wyoming33: looks like south is 646 or 656 whiz: 2single grizz: or maybe 5422, or 5431 grizz: more clues grizz: dummy is weak, declarer is strong grizz: and pd doubled, showing some values grizz: strongly implying a !h suit whiz: nottp dbl maysie: S jumped to game - then could have H control? grizz: it's possible of course that the !d suit is real, and chunky too grizz: if so, the Active Defense is indicated grizz: since S may pitch losers on !d grizz: and W can see that !ds are breaking well for S grizz: ditto !s grizz: so let's rule out some lines wyoming33: anyway looks like south is short in !H and !C grizz: Reduce ruffs won't work, if declarer doesn't need them grizz: Create Trump Tricks won't work, with no shortness in this hand nor reason to expect shortness in E grizz: Forcing won't work either, with neither defender having 4+ trumps grizz: so we are left with Active or Passive grizz: with some factors that go each way grizz: in this case, you must take your best guess grizz: sounds like any !h or !c tricks that we are entitled to may go away if we don't get them now grizz: looking at the !DJx we know that if S needs any !d finesses, they are onside grizz: so Active Defense gets my vote here grizz: and we take chances on Active that we wouldn't ordinarily take grizz: and at the end of all that, i like the !CA :) wyoming33: so did gib grizz: y, but it's the rationale that is important to us, not the decision grizz: ok, was that strategy decision correct? grizz: seems to be grizz: was there any defense that beats it? grizz: nope grizz: and with a different !d guess it makes another overtrick pzee: why do you think GIB passed 1!s? grizz: good question, i haven't the foggiest! pzee: :) wyoming33: dont think any live player would pass 1!S Dianne0516: Drinking oil with alcohol in it again grizz: at that vul, playing Bergen i would bid 3!s in a heartbeat wyoming33: right grizz: even without a stiff grizz: any other questions? maysie: I have seen top players pass like this - I think bec opps will overcall and a better judgement then can be made by the openers?????? grizz: maybe so, but i would never pass that hand grizz: Barry Crane had 3 rules - grizz: 1. get in early grizz: 2. get out early grizz: 3. the 3 level is dangerous grizz: 3 good ones to remember grizz: students sometimes ask me whether they should bid or balance at the 3 level grizz: and generally i tell that if the hand wasn't good enough to bid at 1 or 2, it hasn't gotten any better :) cdt: lol grizz: and that's funny, but also true grizz: experts get their bids in early grizz: before they can get doubled off for a phone number grizz: and thus avoid tough decisions later grizz: on the last hand i would as North bid 2!S, unless we play Bergen and then 3!s maysie: Ok then - what would Y bidpls? 2S to show points or 3S LOTT? ty grizz: depends on whether we play Bergen raises grizz: 2!s if no, 3!s if yes grizz: runaway robots grizz: gib chose that lead grizz: but we need to go through the drill wyoming33: Ps suit grizz: ok, pd bid 2 suits robzim: what did your 2 !C bid mean? grizz: oh, the 2!c bid grizz: that was a good !h raise grizz: invitational values and !h fit grizz: 10-12 robzim: ty grizz: when you have a cuebid available, that becomes your strength-showing raise bid isabable: hi i thought bergen raise were only by responder? grizz: so simple raises or jumps are defined as weaker hands grizz: and 2, 3 or 4 depending on whether you have 3, 4 or 5 trumps grizz: this is not strictly a Bergen treatment grizz: but a matter of bridge logic and LOTT grizz: so E knows that W has 10+ and 3+!hs grizz: and is better placed later on to decide whether to pass, compete, or X grizz: and as we just saw, the auction got expensive quickly grizz: any other bidding questions? grizz: ok then, what about a Line of D? grizz: when ops are sacrificing, it's almost always right to lead a trump grizz: to reduce ruffs grizz: ops are saccing because we have the balance of power grizz: so it's not likely that our tricks will go away grizz: but there is a risk that they might get to trump a loser grizz: because after all, we have a 2-suit fit grizz: and they probably do too grizz: should S win this one? abrown1: n' grizz: if so, what to do next? Campus61: ur pard bid it grizz: if S had another trump, it would be right to win and pump another trump grizz: but here we must let pard do it grizz: so we give count instead grizz: and a big !d signal grizz: pard was right on the ball! no !c ruffs grizz: well now, that was fun! grizz: but down 2 would not beat the pairs who were allowed to play 4!hs grizz: and there might be some at other tables grizz: so the extra undertrick was worth a lot grizz: and a valuable lesson hand too, on leads when ops sac grizz: which we have not covered yet grizz: seems counterintuitive to lead a trump in that case, doesn't it? grizz: doesn't it seem like Active D would be indicated? grizz: that would be my second choice grizz: but this is a good hand to remember grizz: any questions? cdt: What ablut leading a singleton trump ? grizz: good question grizz: one of my mentors a long time ago said there is a special place in hell for players who lead stiff trumps lol grizz: but sometimes it's right! grizz: on that hand it was cdt: ok thanks but I guess most would not be alone in Hell :) grizz: so i hesitate to use the words "always" or "never" in sentences about bridge cdt: So here all the clues were to play the singleton? grizz: all we needed to know about the last hand was that ops were sacrificing cdt: ok got it grizz: and to get the maximum number of our side suit tricks, we had to eliminate ruffs grizz: ok, what do we know about this hand? grizz: E is weak with long !Ds grizz: and W has 5+!ss grizz: and enough points to make a forcing bid wyoming33: so 10 pts is enough? grizz: the !DQxx rates to be a natural trick grizz: and a lead away from it will likely cost a trick grizz: so let's take trump leads off the table grizz: what about !S? grizz: bad idea grizz: EW have no fit pzee: declarer is likely short in !ss grizz: and that will just get them started establishing the suit grizz: so !h or !c? grizz: and what is our strategy? grizz: Passive seems best grizz: so a sequence or a worthless suit grizz: N has the !hK, so the card he played should be SP for an entry so he can give me a ruff grizz: the 5 was low, so pard must have something in !c grizz: so now i can underlead the A, with a purpose in mind grizz: down 2 undoubled, not a bad result grizz: unless we have some bigger score our way ydannac: super beating GIB grizz: makes only 2!hs grizz: so +100 is as well as can be done here certagen: N/S have 3 H ? ydannac: so GIB gives signals grizz: lose 1!s, 3!d, and 1!h grizz: GIB is supposedly programmed to give standard signals certagen: lose 2D 1S 1 H ydannac: tx cdt->Club: my notes on gibs say they false card a lot :) grizz: y, i have seen that too grizz: !D-!D-!D ruff grizz: then a !h and !s certagen: y txs I see now. grizz: so i don't know for sure whether gib was actually giving those signals grizz: but what i described was what good defenders would be doing cdt: yes the lesson was a pwerful example off the cuff so to speak :) grizz: so i think that out of 5 boards we had 4 good results, and one that didn't matter what we did grizz: so yay for the Defense!!! ydannac: wtg Grizz grizz: and the hands were not cherry-picked grizz: what do you folks think of this format? should we do a couple more weeks like this? maysie: argh - go on - really lol Dianne0516: I like it ladygolf: y cdt: yes that is the important part :) whiz: yes yes pzee: yes! guyb2: y Campus61: I like it tks Grizz grizz: predealt lesson hands are always suspect grizz: but these hands are random, and the bots do the bidding cdt: Please I think this is very helpful grizz: so i have no control over any of it grizz: much more like real live hands at the table certagen: what does GIB stand for,please? grizz: not sure, but have heard it stands for Geek In Box Dianne0516: or Geek in Booze grizz: ok, i will see you all next week for more Fun with GIB Dianne0516: Thanks Grizz :) ydannac: Thanks GRIZZ!H!H guyb2: tks Pete maysie: plus the mistakes and glass in hand - really rofl pzee: thx pete ladygolf: Thanks Pete, whiz: !H!H!H TY D onoway: more interesting for you to have fresh hands to work with? except when they all pass , of course thanks Pete maysie: TY lots of fun grizz: If anybody needs help retrieving the hand records or chat log, please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons. If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. certagen: ty cdt: Thanks Pete much appreciate your time and efforts on the clubs behalf. grizz: I am planning three different one-day courses on Defense, Declarer Play and Balancing, so it you are interested in any or all of these topics please drop me a line at ... grizz: Grizz@GrizzBridge.com grizz: Thanks for your interest and participation, and I hope to see you next week. grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Rosemary, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible. grizz: Thanks all for coming, i'll see you in a week LadyStar17: !h!H thanks Grizz great lesson!H!H grizz: Bye now ->LadyStar17: !H