grizz: Hi everybody, thanks for attending another of 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. grizz: I teach private individual, pair, and small group lessons. I am available for tournaments as well. If you would like to know more please email me at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: Archives of old sessions are available at GrizzBridge.com, on the Lessons and Archives page. grizz: i have been lazy about posting the last several session, but i plan to catch up this weekend and over thanksgiving 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: I encourage participation by all kibs. grizz: So jump right in with a comment, question, or bid at any time, but please do it in open chat... grizz: ...since I can't always respond to private chat. grizz: There have been a lot of dropouts today, so if I disappear without notice please rejoin me here. grizz: The opening lead depends on your defensive strategy - as in chess, you must be thinking several moves ahead. 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. Create trump tricks - lead away 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: That is the difference between strategy and tactics. 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: I will try to remember to insert the board numbers in the Chat Log, so you can match up the log with the hands file in the future. grizz: If you wonder what a GIB bid means, click on it - the bots play 2/1. grizz: Here is the GIB convention card: http://online.bridgebase.com/doc/gib_system_notes.php grizz: grizz: don't you just hate this auction? chaps2: y grizz: i feel like we might be missing something, but it's danger to go looking for a fit at the 3 level grizz: oh well, here goes grizz: if we are ever to grab a !d trick, it must be earlier rather than later grizz: E would not duck the first trick if he had a stiff !d, so maybe pard does grizz: so here is a signal opportunity. grizz: when you lead a card that you expect pard to ruff, the size of that card shows Suit Preference for your entry so he can get back to you for another ruff grizz: unfortunately this hand doesn't have an entry :( grizz: so the best i can do is lead a middle card to show no preference wyoming33: good you didnt bid - drive them to game grizz: well, it turns out that i booted a trick with the !d play at trick 2 - oh well wyoming33: think west shd bid forcing 1NT grizz: y, and back to the decision not to compete - grizz: it's a bidder's game, we all know that grizz: so we get conditioned to bid when it's our turn! grizz: and it's part of the process of developing bridge judgment to know when NOT to compete grizz: several things can happen when ops bid 2!s grizz: they might not make it! and a plus for our side is a good score kate_fr: is borderline with the 4x3 distr grizz: right wyoming33: yes grizz: or maybe they have underbid, as here grizz: maybe we can compete and make 3 of something, but that's a longshot grizz: and by giving away our shape we might push them into a makeable game grizz: dont' you just hate it when that happens? lol zewzew: pls explain that grizz: if we compete over 2!s, then EW may also compete and discover that pard was a little better than expected pzee: "The three-level is dangerous." grizz: exactly grizz: any questions on this one? wyoming33: n chaps2: n grizz: grizz: If you wonder what a GIB bid means, click on it - the bots play 2/1. grizz: Here is the GIB convention card: http://online.bridgebase.com/doc/gib_system_notes.php chaps2: why transfer and then bid game? grizz: here the 2!s is Minor Suit Stayman chaps2: ok, i see grizz: 2!s is not a transfer, it asks for a 4 card minor brijluvr: how do you know when it's a transfer? grizz: you must have an agreement before play starts grizz: there are a lot of different treatments chaps2: y grizz: 2!s may be a transfer to !c for responder to pass or correct with a minor bust hand grizz: or if you play 4-way transfers it would be a transfer to 3!c brijluvr: thats what i know grizz: or it could be Minor Suit Stayman, asking for a 4 card minor grizz: there are other uses for the bid too, but those are the 3 most popular ones brijluvr: well then why go back to nt? grizz: hard to know for sure, the bots don't explain their bids in depth grizz: but sounds like a mild minor slam try kate_fr: http://homepage.mac.com/bridgeguys/Conventions/MinorSuitStayman.html grizz: minor slams are always hard to find over 1NT openers grizz: MSS is one method to help grizz: thx Liliana kate_fr: yw :) grizz: if opener has some minor shape, max values and good stoppers... grizz: opener might be encouraged to bypass 3NT and explore for slam grizz: all these are good questions, and things that N should think about before leading grizz: sounds like EW have extras grizz: so N has a problem grizz: make the normal !s lead? grizz: or go Active and try to guess right on a side suit? grizz: or go Passive and try not to give anything away? grizz: let's deal with Passive first - grizz: in NT when ops have extras, a Passive lead is likely to give away a trick grizz: and an Active lead is also likely to give something away grizz: if N does NOT lead a !s, then what? stefsched: !s is passive? sascha3: maybe club since they have them anyway? grizz: sounds like a major lead is necessary on this auction wyoming33: it looks like the gibs have the minors pretty much sewed up pzee: East has shown !cs and !ds grizz: right grizz: defenders have a small advantage at Trick 1 - grizz: kind of like the small advantage that White has at chess with the first move grizz: so if defenders don't take advantage of that edge, they lose a tempo later in the play grizz: the auction sounds like a major suit is indicated grizz: N has a bad !s suit but it is 5 long grizz: and the !hK might be an entry grizz: so back to NT basics - grizz: NT defense is about long suits and entries grizz: set up the long suit early, and use the entry(s) to cash the slow tricks later grizz: so the !s lead is Active, but not in the sense that an Active lead usually involves an element of risk that you would not ordinarily take grizz: let me explain that further grizz: Active defense is indicated when: grizz: 1. any time tricks can go away, such as on a long side suit in either op hand grizz: 2. declarer's side suit is breaking favorably grizz: 3. ops have bid strongly, showing slam interest grizz: 4. one op has a long running suit, like a gambling 3nt opener grizz: when an Active lead is indicated, you take risks that you would ordinarily avoid grizz: like leading from KJx in an unbid suit grizz: normally it is suicidal to lead from that combination grizz: but if an Active lead is indicated, it may be worth the risk grizz: back to the real hand here grizz: !s IS an Active lead, but it's not a risky one grizz: so here goes grizz: notice that leader played his 5th card at trick 2, showing an original 5 card holding or a doubleton grizz: S can figure out that N has 5 grizz: more basics of NT defense grizz: on lead from declarer or dummy, you give count grizz: playing standard signals, a hi-lo echo shows an even number grizz: so N plays the 8 grizz: and S follows low, showing 1, 3 or 5 grizz: now that was just silly, leading a !h when S should return a !s and knock out the A in dummy grizz: step aside, Tin Man grizz: S knows that N has 5!ss grizz: so S can lead a !s here and clear the suit while pard MAY still have an entry grizz: and there is another signal opportunity now - grizz: one that is not widely known, but useful nonetheless grizz: when you lead to clear a suit, you can signal where your entry is grizz: likewise when you FOLLOW to a lead that clears a suit, you can show where the entry is, thusly: grizz: the !s J was unnecessarily high, showing an entry in the higher side suit - !hs - can't be !s, with the AKQ in dummy grizz: so now the stage is set, let's see if we can administer the coup de grace grizz: nope, ops have too many minor cards grizz: but they gave themselves the maximum chance kate_fr->Club: you can't set them but you did great to take all your tricks anyway kate_fr: very good lesson :) grizz: if declarer takes the !h hook, then N cashes the 2 long !ss for down 2 grizz: y, we did well to take all the tricks we were entitled to grizz: and we did especially well to create the conditions to set the contract grizz: but see how both players must cooperate? grizz: there is no chance to set this one if S does not clear the !sA while N still has the !hK grizz: basics - long suits and entries grizz: remember those 4 words, and NT defense will be crystal clear for you grizz: any questions about this one? wyoming33: n grizz: i want to follow up on that signal opportunity i talked about earlier, give me just a minute to find a hand grizz: S bids 1NT whether playing SAYC or 2/1 grizz: in the case of 2/1, it's forcing for 1 round grizz: and 2NT shows a balanced 18-19... grizz: ... IF you assume that N would bid 1NT with a 15-17, even with 5!ss grizz: otherwise it shows 15-19, a rather inconveniently large range grizz: and S bids game, an apparent slam-dunk with 27-28 hcp between the 2 hands, and 2 5-card major suits grizz: but watch this grizz: first issue - 3rd hand should play high - grizz: there is no honor in dummy to finesse, and if he plays the J he just finesses his partner grizz: first problem is solved grizz: now - grizz: normally with a doubleton in pard's suit, if 3rd hand wins then he returns his higher card to show count and unblock grizz: but see what happens here? if E does that, he sets up the T in dummy as a 3rd round stopper grizz: solution? underlead the J grizz: hope that pard started with 5, and S must play an honor here - either A or Q grizz: cool! grizz: now what? grizz: W must clear the !d suit and hope for a !h lead lilchief: 8!d pzee: high !d to show !h entry grizz: yes!!!!! wyoming33: cause !S wouldnt make much sense so must be !H grizz: when leading a card that clears a suit, the size of that card shows Suit Preference for a side suit entry grizz: and the !s suit is obviously not under consideration, so it must be asking for a !h lead grizz: and see how this takes E completely off the guess? grizz: if he leads a !c, S takes 5!s and 4!c and scampers home with the contract grizz: nope, 5!s and 3!c, but EW have to make a lot of discards grizz: but if E returns the !h, then defense wins grizz: and a good contract goes off 2 grizz: with a good lead, heads-up 3rd hand play, and a great SP signal zewzew: nice :) grizz: superb defense! grizz: any questions on this one? wyoming33: n learning: yup.....is there a link to some good information on signalling? grizz: y, hang on grizz: http://www.bridgeworld.com/default.asp?d=bw_standard&f=bwsall.html - scroll down to the end for a section on Defense learning: lovely.....thanks Pete!! sascha3: thx Pete:0 grizz: this is an outline, not a teaching tool - so it has a lot of meat packed into a very few words grizz: but most of the standard treatments of 2/1 are contained in that document, and the section on Defense has some very solid info grizz: also, BWS is a great source for settling questions or arguments grizz: i carry it around with me all the time :) 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. grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Rosemary, Eileen, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible. pzee: thanks, Pete :) grizz: Thanks all for coming, i'll see you next week. wyoming33: thank you very much frederica: ty pete :o) grizz: Bye now.