grizz: Hi everybody, thanks for attending another of a series of lessons on Defense. tita955: very intersting MARLE: BI TX grizz: Here we go with the usual stuff. 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. If you would like to know more please email me. MARLE: HI LOL grizz: My old email at grizz.den@gmail.com still works, but I have a new one too, Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. grizz: The new website is not up yet, and won't be for a while. The site is still under development. tita955: so now what grizz: If you have any ideas about what you would like to see on the site, please let me know. grizz: I plan to use it as an archive for lesson chat logs and hand records, but there must be other things you folks would like to see there too. grizz: Please email me with any ideas at Grizz@GrizzBridge.com. LadyStar17: he is starting now listen to what he says tita955: i would like to see a lesson 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. bluehi: tita lighten up grizz: I cannot respond to private chat during a lesson. grizz: Last week we talked about notrump defense, talked about 3rd hand play to Trick 1, and started work on signalling. grizz: We will do more of that today, but first we will look at a real hand. This is to remind us of what this is all about. grizz: When you see how and why they work, they will make more sense as we continue to work on them. grizz: OK, what should the opening lead be? fifa: thursday analisals: S4 grizz: righto grizz: unbid major is usually a good place to look for tricks grizz: especially when you have a nice 5 card suit and side entries grizz: What should East play here? grizz: When you are on lead defending a NT contract, and partner cannot have an honor in your led suit, he does not give attitude. tita955: 3 analisals: 3 grizz: You already know he hates the suit. He does not have to tell you twice! grizz: But there is still important information he can give you, to help you figure out who has what and how many. condor8565: 9 wyoming33: count grizz: That would be his Count in the suit. It is seldom possible to give count with just the play of one card on one trick, so the smart guys of bridge long ago invented the "echo". bluehi: 8 tita955: 8 grizz: Using standard signals, a high card followed by a low card on a later trick is called a "high-low echo", and it means that you have an even number of cards in that suit. spum1: 3 gillyfleur: low grizz: It could be 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12, but generally partner can gather clues from his hand, dummy and the auction to narrow it down to a choice between just two options. grizz: The choice almost always comes down to 2 or 4, though it is always possible that a high spot card is singleton. grizz: Likewise, a low card followed by a high card on a later trick is called a "low-high echo", and it means that you have an odd number of cards in that suit. grizz: It could be 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13, but generally partner can gather clues from his hand, dummy and the auction to narrow it down to a choice between just two options. isabable: hi grizz: The choice almost always comes down to 1 or 3, though it is always possible that a low spot card is singleton. grizz: So when partner plays a spot card in a situation where he is giving count, you must assume that he is leading the first card of an echo, and try to figure out what the second card ... grizz: would be. grizz: Sometimes it happens on the very next trick, and the position is immediately clear. grizz: But many times the second half of the echo is played on a later trick, so it is very important to remember what partner played on the first trick in that suit. grizz: Consider always in a count signal situation that partner has played the first card of an echo, and use all your senses to figure out whether it is high-low or low-high (or ... grizz: singleton). grizz: The inferences that you draw from that card will largely shape the defense strategy on the hand. grizz: So there is another example of a very important rule in bridge card play: Make every card mean something. grizz: While it is true that declarer can see these signals too, and they may be of some value to him, they are far more valuable to your partner. grizz: Declarer already knows what his total partnership assets are, but defenders are guessing. grizz: The more information that defenders can exchange, the less they have to guess, and the better they get at taking the most tricks. grizz: And that ladies and gentlemen is the name of the game in defense. grizz: Let's get back to the example hand. grizz: East played the !S3 at Trick 1. West is in with the !HK now. Should he continue !S or switch? grizz: Look back to the !S3 at Trick 1, and there lies your answer. Campus61: continue grizz: There is no realistic hope of setting the contract outside of the !c suit. East is broke, West can tell that from his hand, the dummy and the bidding. grizz: sry, !S suit wyoming33: continue - dec may have only 1 more !S since E prob has 3 loubel: only 1 !S south grizz: So West does some counting. tita955: play a low s grizz: South rates to have 2!s, 3!h, 4!d and 2!c tricks once the !HA is knocked out, for 11 tricks, unless West can create some magic in !s. grizz: The !S3 at Trick 1 showed that East has 1 or 3. If East has 3, then South has the bare Ace left, and West can drop it with a small !s lead, while he still has the !HA for an ... grizz: entry. grizz: So again we see that NT defense is about long suits and entries. grizz: The plan works, the Ace drops, and West peels the setting trick when in later with the !hA. grizz: To a kibitzer it might look like West is lucky to catch South with the doubleton Ace, but we have seen that it's just a matter of signals, logic and trust in partner. grizz: Of course you cannot see the thought processes that the experts use, but this in one more example of how they work. grizz: The combination of a good lead, a good signal, counting tricks and counting out the suit led to the only setting defense against a good contract. grizz: With any other defense the contract makes two overtricks. grizz: Now let's go back to Trick 1. Partner played the 3, and we were able to make some deductions and assumptions that shaped the defense thereafter. grizz: What would we be able to tell if partner instead of playing the 3 had shown the 6? Or the 8 or 9? grizz: Let us now look at all the possible combinations in the !s suit on this hand, and what 3rd hand play would show. grizz: You will notice that the West and North hands are always the same, but the East and South hands differ. grizz: Please set your screen to kibitz the West hand by clicking on the yellow gear at the bottom of the screen, going to the "When Kibitzing" box in the lower right, and clicking on ... grizz: "Kibitz West". grizz: You will also notice that BBO requires that the deal and vulnerability rotate from hand to hand, and it is interesting to see how the auction changes with the same hands in ... grizz: different positions relative to the dealer. PedroG: ty Pete grizz: How many of you know about the Lebensohl convention? analisals: y cdt: y myjoy: no loveone: i do ydannac: y bluehi: me meshmeshaa: i dont wyoming33: no Campus61: y PedroG: no meshmeshaa: whats that wyoming33: not on my list dee_dee_20: y grizz: It is a very valuable tool when ops overcall your NT opener tita955: no but i would go to 3nt anyhow grizz: playing Lebensohl, 3!h is forcing to game and natural meshmeshaa: capeletti and landy r there to overcall?? ->meshmeshaa: leb works over all interference, but partners must discuss and agree PedroG: with !H dee_dee_20: promising !h stopper what if N had no !h stopper? dee_dee_20: !s sorry grizz: np, would you all like to talk more about Lebensohl? ydannac: k meshmeshaa: can u pls explain hw lebensol works..briefly mojila: y kyno40: y pl. gillyfleur: yes please loveone: y mojila: y pls grizz: ok wyoming33: not for me - but if you wish PedroG: I would like grizz: i have no example hands, but use your imagination dee_dee_20: W bid capp 5/5 !s and a minor how does N handle that with Leb? analisals: rather stick to signals loveone: y loubel: 2!S,natural? grizz: the most important concept in Leb is that 2NT is a relay to 3!c grizz: pretend that North has that hand, minus the !DAQ grizz: 6 points, 5!hs and a stiff wyoming33: guess we to be kibbing all hands now? grizz: North wants to bid 3!h, but have it nonforcing grizz: sure grizz: we are wandering down a side trail now, but it's an important one grizz: with the hand that you see, with 12 points, North wants to bid 3!h but have it forcing grizz: clearly 3!h can't be both grizz: so let's pretend again that North has the 6 point hand, with no !d honors bluehi: k grizz: 2NT COMMANDS opener to bid 3!c grizz: he might have a hand like xx-xx-xx-xxxxxxx and he will pass grizz: in our hypothetical here, it would continue: wyoming33: does north want to be in 3!H with hypothetical 21 pts grizz: South would now re-evaluate his hand knowing that North has a @h suit grizz: the 2NT must be alerted as a !C transfer grizz: and 3!c as a relay bid grizz: on this hand, with bad doubleton !h, South passes grizz: losing 2!h, 1!S and 1!d grizz: so the relay shows a less-than-game-froce hand NMS04: but u say n does not have a q of d grizz: and any direct 3 level bid is natural and game forcing dee_dee_20: ok let's discuss the direct 3 level bid grizz: if the overcall is a major and North has 4 cards in the other major, he wants to use Stayman wyoming33: lose more than 1!D - grizz: direct 3 level bid shows 9+, is natural and game forcing bluehi: so cue bid is stayman grizz: so we bid Stayman by cuebidding the overcalled major grizz: direct cuebid shows no stopper in the overcalled suit dee_dee_20: yes does it promise stopper in opps 'suit? dee_dee_20: i see alykat: I am sorry was a little late... is the 2nt a minor transfer only over opps bid? or do u always use it .. i thought a spade bid was a trf to minor? grizz: going through the relay first, 2NT=>3!c and then cuebid, shows Stayman WITH a stopper in the overcalled suit kyno40: the only thing how does p. know it is leb and not s. stopper ->alykat: 2!s was ops overcall grizz: if you play Lebensohl, 2NT is ALWAYS a relay to 3!C kyno40: ok ty dee_dee_20: so a slow relay via nt and then cue bid to say values for game but no !s stopper? grizz: for pass, correction, stayman, or 3NT with stopper grizz: no, Slow Shows Stopper in Lebensohl meshmeshaa: so u can play lebensol after opps interferance with cap or landy grizz: Slow meaning the 2NT-3!C relay dee_dee_20: hmmm N here has stopper meshmeshaa: can u use lebensol after opps interfer with cap. or landy. dee_dee_20: he can cue bid ? grizz: y, here North has the trifecta - GF values, 5!Hs, AND a !s stopper grizz: unfortunately, there is no 1 bid that says all that diana_eva: 3nt? diana_eva: directly i mean grizz: we should revisit Lebensohl some time when I have hands prepared for it bluehi: yes that the easy one bluehi: k grizz: 1NT-2!S-3NT shows GF values WITHOUT a !S stopper meshmeshaa: can we pls go back to defence over 1nt grizz: 1NT-2!S-2NT-P=3!c-p-3NT shows GF values WITH a !S stopper grizz: right, let's get back to defense PedroG: kib W wyoming33: thank you PedroG: ? grizz: East plays the 6, West sees South play the 3, so he knows that East cannot have a doubleton !s - otherwise he has a !s higher than the 6 and would play it to show the count. grizz: So East has precisely the stiff 6 or the 986. grizz: Does everybody see that? wyoming33: y bluehi: y grizz: West can see the 2, 3, 4 and 5 grizz: the 6 that East played was the lowest one out grizz: East plays the 3. He has either 1 or 3, but cannot have only 2. grizz: East plays the 3 again. By the same calculation, East can only have 1 or 3, not 2. grizz: grizz: East plays the 8. Again, if East can't beat the dummy he gives count, and high-low shows an even number. grizz: It could be 2 or 4, but West can usually work it out from his hand, dummy and the bidding. grizz: It is not possible for the 8 to be the lowest card from any 3 card holding, so West knows he has 2 or 1. grizz: NB: The 8 is NOT an encouraging signal in !S! He is giving, count, not attitude. grizz: Caitlin: So if you can't beat dummy you give count? grizz: If you CANNOT have an honor, East gives count grizz: There may be finessing situations that differ, but if East CANNOT have an honor, he gives count grizz: East plays the 6. West can't tell much from this card, but when South plays the 8 the position is clear. With an odd number East would have played low. grizz: East would also play the 6 from 986, so West must look at South's card before forming any conclusions. grizz: Hand <7> grizz: East plays the 3. It must either 1 or 3, West can't tell for sure, no matter what South plays. grizz: So the system is not perfect, but notice that this is the only case in which the position is not clear! grizz: All the others can be solved by an "if:then" analysis - "if he held xyz, then he would play the x because..." grizz: Or "if he did not hold the xyz, then he would not have played the x because..." grizz: Before we leave this subject, let us look at a couple related positions that require the same signals and logic. grizz: grizz: What should East play here? spum1: 3 gimit: s 3 meshmeshaa: 6 grizz: Leading from a 4 card suit this time, partner plays the 6 and South the 9. In a count signal situation, East must have 2 or 4. meshmeshaa: high low..to show even grizz: :) grizz: The 8 may be a 3rd or 4th round winner, so East hangs onto it, because the 6 is big enough to be unambiguous grizz: If West can work out from his hand, dummy and the bidding whether East has 2 or 4, he can force out the Ace with a low lead next time he's in, setting up 2 winners for later. nome: does rule 11 help here grizz: someone asks whether the Rule of 11 works here, and yes it does grizz: the contract makes here, but the !s play prevented overtricks grizz: and as we have seen before, every trick is golden analisals->Club: yup beats chicken d grizz: grizz: Leading again from a 4 card suit, dummy wins and partner plays the 2. This is a loud signal, as it can only be from 1 or 3. grizz: West will know that there is no future in the suit and change the defense plan accordingly. dee_dee_20: he can do same with !c's grizz: Notice that South cannot confuse the issue by false carding with the 9. grizz: East MUST have 1 or 3 grizz: That's enough, are there any questions? rq4mulae: lead !cQ bluehi: no tu great lesson Dianne0516: Thanks so much Pete PedroG: ty Pete, nice lesson analisals: thanks Pete really made it clear how to think grizz: So let's cruise back up to 5000 feet for an overview meshmeshaa: thank you bluehi: k grizz: The main question that West needs to answer at Trick 1 is... grizz: Continue or switch? grizz: And from 3rd hand play to Trick, an alert West can almost always figure that out loveone: how can i copy ur lesson :) ->loveone: email me pls :) loveone: have to play in an acbl tourney grizz: All clear? bluehi: y kyno40: y ty gimit: y, tks loubel: y thanks bluehi: see you next week ydannac: thanks Caitlin: I will serve nome: is there a tourney today? grizz: OK, next week we will FINALLY get past Trick 1. Yay!!!! dee_dee_20: what if you want to show suit preference? isabable: ty spum1: yea! Campus61: tks Pete :) dee_dee_20: is count priority? PedroG: ty Pete grizz: I am asked, "what if i want to show suit preference?" ->Campus61: :) ->isabable: :) grizz: There are only 3 kinds of signals grizz: Attitude grizz: Count grizz: and Suit Preference grizz: you can only do one of those at a time LadyStar17: no this is the last one today grizz: So you need to know which signal is expected, and when gillyfleur: ty pete grizz: As 3rd hand on Trick 1, your first duty is to win the trick if it's right grizz: Next is to show attitude, in case you have an honor grizz: 3rd priority is to show count, if you have no honor grizz: Suit Preference is not even on the list at Trick 1 ->gillyfleur: :) rq4mulae: even if opening lead is an ace, or dummy must win with an ace? dee_dee_20: thanks:) grizz: though it could be suit preference later in the hand, or in a suit contract if dummy has a void grizz: But vs NT at Trick 1, the signal by 3rd hand should never be Suit Preference grizz: that would only confuse partner rq4mulae: y grizz: UNLESS you and partner have some non-standard understandings, and then they need to be alerted analisals: the hands today were suit hands , isn't it true for them too? grizz: I played with a guy like that once, and it was BEYOND AWFUL!!!! alykat: but if he could have an honor how does one know if attitude or count?... grizz: high encourages, low discourages in standard signals grizz: we have looked at hands like that in prior sessions Caitlin: end it? grizz: today's hands were all NT defense hands meshmeshaa: which card is right at the midlle ->Caitlin: y grizz: ok, gtg now, see you all next week PedroG: bye Pete and thanks rq4mulae: tx, Pedro grizz: Thanks also to Maureen, Fred and the wonderful people at BBO who make this all possible.