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: This will be the 50th session logged there now, with 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, go get your own tricks.
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
grizz: 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: nope, i don't want declarer play!   next hand
grizz: the bots play 2/1, so 2!d is a strong bid, using Inverted Minors
grizz: there are some clues on this auction
grizz: Inverted Minor denies a 4 card major
grizz: so majors are a good place to go hunting for tricks
grizz: good result, but a strange shift at Trick 2
grizz: good one as it turned out
grizz: a !d lead would run around to E's tenace and give up a trick
grizz: and a !c lead would probably crash pard's Qx
jannshaw->Club: I suppose they were trying to illiminate the risk from the weak suit
grizz: unbid majors are frequently good places to go hunting for tricks, especially when one op denies any major interest
grizz: there is another good reason on an auction like this
grizz: frequently one or both ops is long in one or both minors, and our major tricks may go away unless we go about setting them up right away
grizz: any questions on this one?
bluehi: n
grizz: the bots play this as forcing
grizz: but otherwise undefined
grizz: one tip on that last trick, where i had to discard
grizz: other things being equal, pitch a card you are known to have
grizz: or use the opportunity to give a lead direction signal, if you have a message to send
grizz: well, i guess that's as good as we can do
grizz: it makes if the bot guesses the !cs right
grizz: and i guess it also answers the question "can the bots see all the hands?"
grizz: guess not!
robzim: rofl  many think they do
JohnnyHiLo: no . only during double dummy play
grizz: since it makes if E plays the J at the second trick from the end
grizz: y, bots also do double dummy analysis if you want, and if you rent them
grizz: but it's nice to know that they don't peek otherwise  :)
JohnnyHiLo: right. fred gitelman sent me email saying just that
bluehi: but they remember
grizz: oh sure, they remember the cards that have been played
grizz: ok, nice to know that we have a fighting chance against them
JohnnyHiLo: they seem to be pretty tough in those master solver problems too
murphyslaw: do they give count and signals
Pearls23->Club: ruffing on the table when winning J in hand?
grizz: according to the notes, they theoretically give signals, but they false card a lot
Montana909: sure, just feed them eletronic tidbits and they're happy!!!
grizz: lol
grizz: i don't like that lead much
grizz: high from AKTxx
grizz: there are no entries in the N hand outside the !h suit, so a low lead will work better more often
grizz: it didn't make much difference on this layout, but let's try it again with a low !h lead
grizz: no difference on this hand, as i said before
grizz: but what if !hs were 3-3 in W and S?
grizz: then the 2nd !h lead from S would let N clear the suit
wyoming33: west bid !Hs
grizz: sure
grizz: but didn't guarantee an honor, only 4 long
grizz: point is, NS can't attack !hs from N
grizz: lead must come from S
grizz: or from declarer, of course
grizz: and the general rule about leading low from AK without an outside entry will pay dividends down the road for you
grizz: and the corollary is that if pard DOES lead from the AK, he DOES have an entry somewhere
grizz: any questions on this one?
grizz: lol   i play XX as transfer to 2!c here
Montana909: good thing you told me because I was lost
grizz: sidebar issue here, is system on over ops' X?
grizz: most experts play it is
maysie: hope Yr P knows - rofl
grizz: and some play system on over 2!c too, though a smaller number
grizz: and does it make any difference if the NT is an opening bid or an overcall?
grizz: again, most experts play system on even when NT is overcalled
grizz: ok, what do we know about the ops' hands from the auction?
grizz: E has a nice hand
Montana909: what else is played over intervening double--Lebensohl?
grizz: no, Lebensohl only applies after a suit overcall, absent some special partnership agreement
Montana909: okay--thanks
murphyslaw: alot easier to count west hand as you know were 10 of his cards lie 
grizz: the X does not take any bidding space, so all system bids are available
grizz: that is not true of a suit overcall, where you might need the Leb gadgets
Montana909: I see the rationale--thanks
grizz: y, and we also know that W has a 2-suiter in !s and !d
grizz: and E has a 2-suiter in !s and !h
grizz: sounds like this might be a cross ruff hand
grizz: and in a case like that, the best strategy is to reduce ruffs
grizz: so, how did our strategy work?
ydannac: great
grizz: turned out that W didn't have anything to ruff on the board
grizz: but still didn't cost a trick
grizz: and we have seen that happen before
JohnnyHiLo: also they seem to have overbid a bit
grizz: the right strategy might not work as we expected, but then it doesn't cost us either
wyoming33: unable to get to south to lead through west
grizz: if N chooses not to lead a trump, what should he do instead?
grizz: y, no entries for S
grizz: but just as important as choosing a good line of defense is avoiding a bad one
maysie: lead AC?
wyoming33: terrible hand to lead from !S probably best
grizz: here N would be in error to go Active
grizz: y, those Ks may take tricks, but it may be suicide to lead from them
Montana909: leading ace of clubs followed by jack would work nicely.
grizz: not very often
grizz: unless it's a long suit that you bid, and pard did not support
grizz: then you expect pard to ruff the 2nd or 3rd round
grizz: N is much better advised to hang onto the AJ tenace
grizz: and hope to trap a singleton honor in W
grizz: UNLESS he winds up on lead, and the A is the setting trick
Montana909: Oh I'm sorry I was thinking this was nt contract
grizz: ah, yes - if this were a NT contract, the !CA-J would be dynamite
kuritsa: would best lead be hearts, because that's dummy's suit?
grizz: and the rule is Lead Through Strength?
grizz: that rule is much-misunderstood
Montana909: so did we settle on a low heart lead?
kuritsa: i refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me !
grizz: lol
idee fixe: describe more detail - lead thru strength
grizz: Lead Through Strength means to lead through strength but not length!
kuritsa: ok
grizz: because if you do that, you just help declarer establish his good suit
grizz: rather, the Lead Through Strength rule applies when dummy is strong, but short
Montana909: if anyone is afraid to answer just whisper it in my ear, then I'll put it out there, and if it is good answer you can chime in and take credit for it.
grizz: :)
grizz: like AQx
grizz: or KJx
grizz: there is no danger there of setting up the suit for pitches
grizz: and if declarer has not bid it, then pard might have a missing honor or 2
grizz: that was a good question, keep them coming   :)
grizz: any others on this hand?
Cvet: this is not the lesson on declarer's play, but W could make it endplaying N?
ArLady: clubs is the   only unbid suit
grizz: sry, too late
Cvet: sorry, slow typist :)
grizz: :)
ArLady: why not open one nt with west
grizz: good question, and only the bot knows for sure
leonora3: bot is nuts
grizz: 99 out of 100 players would open that 1NT, and the 100th plays weak NT!
murphyslaw: bot is not nuts 
Cvet: two 10s are wort 1 pt, so 18 :)
grizz: maybe
grizz: in computer analysis of honor value, it has been established that the 4321 system is not exactly accurate
Montana909: I gtg everyone; thanks gizz ; and bye all
grizz: as a predictor for trick-taking ability of the cards
grizz: adios
grizz: turns out that aces are really worth about 4.5
leonora3: maybe it discounts supported honors
grizz: kings are right at 3
grizz: but Qs are overvalued, worth about 1.5
grizz: likewise Js, worth about .75
grizz: and Ts are worth about .25
grizz: with adjustments upward for supported honors
grizz: so maybe the bot counted an extra point for the nice spot cards
leonora3: i c
grizz: i think that's about as good as we can do on defense here - any other opinions?
grizz: and another sidebar issue - should N bid 2!s instead of just 1?
grizz: to show a 6 card suit?
meshmeshaa: no
grizz: might work on some hands, but will be disastrous on many more
Cvet: how would the auction go if W had opened 1NT?
maysie->Club: 3S? because has only 6 losers
grizz: the suit quality is poor
leonora3->Club: would N be showing a weaker hand with 2!s?
grizz: the !dQ must be counted as a loser, though the !CQ is supported
wyoming33: 2 vul - ugh
grizz: the point count is OK for a 2 level overcall, but the suit quality is awful
grizz: and if ops don't have game, they may settle for doubling it off
ArLady: dont meet my qualifications for a two spade opener suit two weak need two of top three honor
grizz: right
leonora3: y awful
grizz: i am a big fan of disciplined weak 2s also
grizz: not just any 6-bagger and scattered faces in other suits
Cvet: how would the auction go if W had opened 1NT?
grizz: but give me AQJ98x-A-xxx-xxx and i'm all over it with 2!s
grizz: expecting to preempt the ops' !h fit
grizz: even vul that would be a very nice weak 2 overcall
grizz: with very little danger of going down doubled for a phone number
robzim: if you sat in W and open 1NT what would be bidding be
robzim: would it be 2!C (Capp, 6 card suit?)
grizz: could be either pass or 2!c (single suit) 
ArLady: see as north now i  woukd double showing a one suited hand if playing with reg p
grizz: 2!d is almost automatic in a Capp auction
onoway: how do you decide with a hand like  AQJ98x  A xxx  xxx whether to open 1 or 2?
grizz: i never open a weak 2 with 2 aces
grizz: but sometimes take liberties with overcalls
grizz: let's back this up
grizz: responder is the team captain in a NT auction
grizz: since responder knows a lot about opener's hand, but not vice versa
grizz: so if E had a GF hand here, E would X
grizz: and decide later and in consultation with pard whether to defend or declare
grizz: btw, X should not be a Negative Double
grizz: that would give up a very profitable penalty double on auctions like this
wyoming33: playing systems on shd be stayman
grizz: that is one possible treatment too, i play that with several partners
grizz: but give it another A, and X would be a good bid
grizz: anyway, here is where i was going -
grizz: if action is to be taken, responder must take it
grizz: so it depends to some extent on what the EW agreements are
grizz: if they play System on over 2!c, then X is Stayman
dae: that is not standard
grizz: if they play Lebensohl, then 2!d is natural and nonforcing
dae: 3 cis stayman
grizz: so it largely depends on partnership agreement, and standard doesn't give much guidance
grizz: except that a cuebid would be forcing, and probably Stayman
grizz: so E is not big enough to X, and can't stand a !s answer to Stayman - so pass is best
grizz: and opener can't take unilateral action without a lot of risk, so must pass
grizz: unless he did something weird, like open with a 5-card major
analisals: what strenght would a cue bid show here?
grizz: cue would force to the 3 level, so should have 8+
analisals: ty
grizz: or he has 5+!ds
grizz: which this hand does, IF there is a !s fit - but not otherwise
grizz: so E probably scratches his head and passes
grizz: here is E's last chance 
grizz: and X here should be takeout
grizz: but E is not big enough for that
ArLady: why if hes already passed 
grizz: so ops play a !s part score here
grizz: because the auction is now forced to the 3 level
grizz: and red
ArLady: ok
grizz: so E would need either better shape or more points
Cvet: so it was wise not to open 1NT with such a strong hand as P doesn't have enough to bid
grizz: this is a hand where E might "take a view", if he needs to swing
grizz: late in a team game that he thinks he's losing, and needs to make something happen
leonora3: i agree if imps
grizz: since this hand might have a magic !h fit and a game payoff
grizz: slightly more likely now than last round, since N shows another suit
grizz: but playing straight up, E has a clear pass
grizz: so EW take 2!s, no !hs, 3!d, and a !c
grizz: for down 1 on a hand that makes 3NT
grizz: heavy sigh
grizz: Do we have any final questions?
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: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons.  If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com.
leonora3: tx pete, endlessly fascinating
wyoming33: thanks much for your time
maysie: TY
grizz: Thanks for your interest and participation, and I hope to see you next week.
pennicilin: tks
LadyStar17: Thanks Grizz.....awesome lesson!!
kuritsa: tyty
cdt: Thanks Pete great lesson :)
grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Rosemary, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible.
niccolla: thx pete :):)
JohnnyHiLo: you know even though gib doesn't peek at the cards it would be nice to have it do that when you are practicing your declarer play.
Cvet: Thanks for the excellent lesson
robzim: thank you Pete:)
lenia1: tx pete:)
grizz: Thanks all for coming, i'll see you in a week - I'm not going anywhere for the holiday
grizz: Bye now