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 almost 50 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 Bridge 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, let the lead come to you.
grizz: 4.  Reduce ruffs.
grizz: 5.  Create trump tricks.
grizz: Again, 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 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 - lead 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: This week we are going to continue looking at example hands and auctions, consider defensive plans and choose leads.  
grizz: 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.  
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 kibitz 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.
grizz: let's move on to a hand we defend
grizz: a question about balancing
grizz: S has the right shape to balance here, with 4!s and shortness in !h
grizz: but not anywhere nearly enough hcp
grizz: Mike Lawrence says that in an auction like this, assume that pard has an average 7 hcp and go from there
grizz: E has passed, but that does not mean he is broke!
grizz: ok, when ops have preempted that is a prime case for Active Defense
grizz: try to find your side suit winners before they go away
grizz: and when you have AK in a side suit, there must be a powerful reason to lead anything else
grizz: no defense beats this one
cdt: how did Gib know to switch to club?
grizz: good question, i thought the 8 would encourage the bot to continue the suit
grizz: maybe the bot didn't want to set up the Q for a discard
dae: no other logical  lead?
dae: looking at dummy
grizz: and if that is the logic at Trick 2, a !c is the only logical switch
wyoming33: do you think the bots read your signals?
grizz: they ought to
grizz: there is a file somewhere on BBO that tells you how the bots bid and defend, but i don't know where that is offhand
nome: do u think they know the hands
grizz: hard to say, they do seem to play better than they bid
grizz: to find out what a bot bid means, click on it
nome: I think Fred has them impowered to see other hands
grizz: could be, i have no inside information on that
wyoming33: i doubt that 
JohnnyHiLo: i believe the gib software does have an option for the program to peek
grizz: could be
dae: it's under   Help        at a table      Gibs
wyoming33: LOL then no one would play in the Gib money tournies 
grizz: ok, the bot has violated a basic principle of leads
grizz: when ops have bid NT behind your bid or overcall, does that mean that pard should not lead your suit?
dae: why     ?  4th from ln=ongest suit?
grizz: 4th from longest suit makes sense if there is any entry to cash tricks later
grizz: the only entry in N is in !cs, and that's a longshot
wyoming33: I would think twice before leading it with NT bid behind it
bwd1: North has no entries so no reason not to lead !H
grizz: right
grizz: the only time when it makes sense to lead something else is when leader has a GOOD suit of his own, AND outside entry(s) so he can cash the long tricks
grizz: so !cs is not a good suit
grizz: and there are no entries
grizz: so lead the suit of the hand that does have the entries
boom1925: Maybe the bot thought w has double stopper for hearts and he only has 2 hearts so is hoping pt has clubs?
grizz: makes an overtrick on the !c lead
grizz: lets see what happens on a !h lead
grizz: y, there is that possibility
grizz: but frequently the NT bidder will only have a single stop
grizz: or even just a psychic stop!
grizz: slightly different bidding sequence, with a different dealer, but this is an important point
grizz: first time around, the bot lead 4th best !c from the N hand
grizz: and i wanted you all to see what happens if N leads a !h instead
grizz: aha!
grizz: now we have the timing on the hand
grizz: btw, the lead of this card has an embedded signal
grizz: in case N ever gets in
grizz: S had 3 left, the 852
grizz: and the card that i lead here to clear the suit shows where my entry is
grizz: big card, big suit = Spades
grizz: little card, little suit = Clubs
grizz: middle card, middle suit = Diamonds, on this hand
grizz: makes no difference here, since N will never be on lead
grizz: but it is a good habit to develop
grizz: since you never know when it might be a critical piece of information for pard to have
wyoming33: yes
PedroG: y
grizz: aha!
robzim: go out and come back in -- that helps sometimes
grizz: no overtrick that time
grizz: and there is another little trick to see on this hand too - i will resend the hand, and if bbo blows up again please follow me to another new table
grizz: so far, all the same
grizz: but this time N is a little cagier about discards
grizz: seeing a possible endplay coming, he saves a small one
grizz: lol     the bot followed a different line of play this time
grizz: and you can see that the !h lead here made a 3 trick difference in the result
JohnnyHiLo: right. the bot computes different scenarios each time by dealing out several possible deals and will play a different line. 
grizz: what i wanted to show you was how N can avoid the !c endplay by saving a small one at the end
grizz: which is a great trick to keep in mind on hands like this
grizz: a kib asks "why did E bid 3!H?  I always am puzzled by cue bids"
grizz: that is Western Cue, a method of dealing with op overcall suit and asking whether pard has a stopper for NT
grizz: on this hand, NS bid !hs
grizz: and EW had bid !d and !s
grizz: the 3!h bid says that E has GF values, and interest in NT, but concern about !hs
grizz: so if W has a !h stopper, then W should bid NT
grizz: so Western Cue is an Asking Bid, not a telling bid
grizz: but be very careful when using this bid, especially if you have not played with pard before
robzim: but with a singleton Club, is that enough to want to be in NT?
grizz: Western Cue is old stuff for those of us who live on the left coast, but this bid has a cousin -
grizz: !c is not as much of a concern as the ops overcall suit
grizz: Eastern Cue is the cousin of Western Cue
grizz: Western Cue asks, but Eastern Cue tells
grizz: so it is important that you and pard be on the same page when making that cuebid!
cdt: Do you have to show that on cc or alert?
grizz: cuebids are considered self-alerting
grizz: and it would be a good idea to put it on the cc, just in case
grizz: on bbo, we sometimes don't know where pard is from
grizz: overall i think more players use Western than Eastern, but it should not be assumed
Dianne0516: Why not just bid nt (not Eastern)?
grizz: E or W?
Dianne0516: If you are playing Eastern
grizz: W can't do that unilaterally
nome: is it true that E-cuebid is after three suits bid and Western after two suit has been bid?
grizz: without knowing whether pard has values for game
Dianne0516: doesn't apply here, just wondered why not bid nt instead of Eastern if playingit
grizz: E bid NT?  is that the question?
grizz: dangerous without a !h stop
dae: or C stop
grizz: y, that too
Dianne0516: No--you said some ptnrships bid Eastern--so with these ptnrships--why don't they bid nt instead of Eastern Cue
wyoming33: she is saying since you are telling why not just bid 3NT 
grizz: ah
PedroG: maybe Stop in one but not all
grizz: i don't play Eastern cue, so am not an authority
JohnnyHiLo: she is saying the 3nt is saying that she doesnt have a stop
grizz: ok, and what does W do then if W doesn't have one either?
grizz: scramble for a fit at the 4 level?
cdt: yes I think so
grizz: and that is the danger of the Eastern cue
maysie: alternatively - could E bid 3C's?
grizz: somebody asked earlier about east vs west after 2 or 3 suits are bid
grizz: i don't think there is any widespread agreement about that, though of course a pair could have that agreement
nome: I did ty
grizz: alternatively - could E bid 3C's?
grizz: also dangerous
grizz: since it could be a natural suit bid, looking for safe haven with no !h stop
grizz: so !c is not an asking bid playing WQ if ops have not bid that suit
grizz: when ops overcall, that is the dangerous suit in NT
grizz: so that is the one you need info about when considering a NT game
ydannac: ty
grizz: ok, any other questions on this one?
grizz: it should be clear that the !h lead is superior
grizz: even though N has that 7-card !c suit, there are no entries
grizz: and establishing a long suit only produces tricks when there are entries that let you cash the slow tricks
grizz: so the rule is -
grizz: when pard overcalls and ops play NT,
grizz: which is almost never!
JohnnyHiLo: ok. sorry. 
grizz: if pard has a good enough suit and enough points to overcall, and ops have enough stuff to bid 3NT,
grizz: the odds of the 4th hand having both a good suit and outside entries is very low
grizz: not impossible, but very rare
grizz: and would only happen when ops were gambling with a long suit and outside controls
grizz: ok, let's move on
grizz: S is a very nice hand for Unusual 2NT
grizz: so N must decide here
grizz: is 4!h likely to make?
ydannac: y
grizz: if so, can 5!c be held to only down 2 doubled?
ydannac: 6
grizz: y, we can see that, but N has to guess
grizz: so N must figure that W has a hand like what you see here
grizz: too good for a preempt, but not good enough for a 2!c opener
grizz: so what does S need for an Unusual 2NT?
grizz: not much besides shape
sascha3: 4 losers not good enough for 2C?
grizz: depends a little on agreement
sascha3: ok
grizz: most use 2!c with a 9 winner hand
grizz: some will with 8.5
sascha3: yes
grizz: so how to calculate winners with the W hand?
anegada: 4
grizz: one way is to count losers, per Losing Trick Count, and subtract from 13
grizz: W is a 4-loser hand
sascha3: 9
grizz: y, darn close
Wanda21: y
sascha3: lol hard to judge tho
grizz: if the !HQ were the K, that would be worth a 2!c opener
sascha3: yes ok:)
grizz: ok, so N knows what kind of hand W has
grizz: back to what S needs for Unu 2NT
grizz: should be at least 5-5 in the minors
grizz: so max 3 cards in the majors
grizz: so max 3 losers in !h and !s, from N's POV
grizz: monster !c fit
grizz: and stiff !d, so great cross ruff possibilities
grizz: with the !CKJ, there rate to be no trump losers
grizz: so if N is counting tricks, he comes up with max 3 major losers and 1!d
grizz: down 2!
PedroG: 6!h
grizz: y, but darn hard to find it after the Unu 2NT
PedroG: :)
grizz: and clearly this is the best way to play trumps - if W is long in !hs, he is probably short in !c
grizz: interesting hand
maysie: W could start cuebidding? 1H P 1S 2nt 2C?......
grizz: it does make 6!h EW
PedroG->Club: !d lsoing only 
grizz: y
grizz: but the Unu 2NT bid really threw sand in the gears
ydannac: finese the !D Q and make 7
grizz: and this hand really shows the power of shape
grizz: y
grizz: with only 12 hcp, and worthless !s and !h values, NS take 10 tricks!
grizz: only 8 working points!
cdt: If west oprnrf 2Clubs could unusual 2 NT get in ?
grizz: yes
TapTap->Club: e shd bid 5h
grizz: then the auction would have gone 2!c-P-2!S-2NT
cdt: ok thanks 
grizz: and same from there on out
grizz: so it is clear to us looking at all 4 hands that E should compete, not X
cdt: yes
PedroG: and W may have bid 5!h
grizz: but would it be so clear if you were looking at only the E cards?
PedroG: he know that he doesn't lose !c and probably only 1!d
cdt: no
wyoming33: without any !C prob west shd bid 5!H over the X
->cdt: and maybe 2!s too
TapTap: 5 and 5 in c and e has 3 so p cannopt have any
grizz: E can't know for sure
grizz: and W can't either, with 2 losing !ss
grizz: so we have a game of high stakes poker, and nobody knows for sure!
PedroG: :)
grizz: if S does not jump in with 2NT, EW probably find the slam
grizz: let's just see, shall we?
PedroG: y
grizz: and if bbo blows up again, we will call this session over and i'll see you all next week   :)
grizz: tada!
grizz: lol
PedroG: chiken GIB's
grizz: they miss a cold slam
grizz: but then again, 680 sure beats 200!
dee_dee_20: bid 3!h as W
grizz: i can't, the bots are bidding
dee_dee_20: oh
wyoming33: and that is passable
grizz: but i can fire them    :)
Dianne0516: drinking oil with alcohol again
Wanda21: tks bye !h :)
PedroG: ty for a great Lesson Pete :)
Dianne0516: lol
PedroG: hehe
wyoming33: west is showing 20 pts - maybe east should do something with those 13 pts - dont know what though
grizz: lol    we can't get there  :)
grizz: so maybe E must find a forcing bid, or just jump to 4NT
Dianne0516: lol
grizz: now we get to see whether the bots play Voidwood
wyoming33: dangerous 
grizz: seems they don't
grizz: if they play Voidwood, then 5NT shows 2 controls and a useful void
grizz: if not, who knows?
jaymac: which they have.........
grizz: y, W has exactly that hand, but the bid explanation shows something different
grizz: well gang, time is up
wyoming33: explanations sometimes make no sense
grizz: Do we have any final questions?
PedroG: :) ty Pete
Dianne0516: Thanks Grizz :)
jaymac: Many thanks
ydannac: Thanks Grizz, see you later!H!H
dotfl: tks
LadyStar17: Thanks, Grizz!!!!! super great lesson!H!H
grizz: y, and sometimes the explanation is correct, but the bot makes the wrong bid anyway
ladygolf: ty Pete :)
cdt: Great pete thans :)
JohnnyHiLo: thanks. 
grizz: That concludes today's lesson, and next week we will have more quiz hands on opening leads.
grizz: If anybody needs help retrieving the hand records or chat log, please email me at 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.
PedroG: Lisa told me Jana will replace her
grizz: Thanks all for coming, i'll see you in a week
anegada: still interested in small group
->anegada: ok, please drop me an email   :)
PedroG: ty :)
grizz: Bye now
anegada: ok
->PedroG: y, and it turns out that Jana and I have a connection -
wyoming33->Club: need 2 for a few boards practice
PedroG (Lobby): ?
->PedroG: she used to teach Linguistics at the University of Oregon, where i received a degree in Russian in 1971
PedroG (Lobby): hehe it's a small world
->PedroG: :)
->PedroG: seeya a little later