coup à blanc, ducking: whatever

you call it, it's nearly always explained as a tool declarer uses to succeed in making a 3NT contract.
It's about a situation (in one suit) like this: Auction 1NT-(P)-3NT- all pass
North:
♥ xxxx
over
South:
♥ Ax
West leads ♥King.
A little bit of card reading will tell you that West will most likely have 4 hearts and East 3.
If that's true than West will at most cash 3 heart-tricks. In itself no danger there. You could afford to lose an other trick (to an outside Ace for example) and still be able to make your contract.

But suppose life is not that fair to you and west has 5 hearts leaving East with 2
Now east/west by the same reasoning can make 4 tricks in hearts + again that one outside Ace trick and you are down.

Unless... That outside Ace is with East and East can not reach West by leading a Heart . You can see here that you can be "sure" of that by ducking the first trick and taking the second with your ♥Ace.

This is what they mean with the rule of 7. Count your cards in a suit. Deduct them from 7 and the answer is how many times you shouls duck the lead.

Here 7-6=1. So the second lead of a heart is for you to take.

What i did not realize was that the same sort of reasoning is true when you play a 2NT contract.
♥xxx
over
♥Ax
And again the ♥K is lead by West
Not 3NT but 2NT not rule of 7 but rule of 6 if you reason it all out.
6-5=1 so duck first round and take (smile you have to!!) the second lead of hearts.

Reasoning in stead of rule?
8 hearts out. distributed 5-3 most likely.. no problem. You may lose 5 tricks in hearts.
East/west can take at most 4 (5 minus your ace) 1 loser to spare for that outside Ace.
And again life ain't fair
6-2 distributed. 5 heart tricks + 1 outside ace and you are down..
unless East can not come back to west; unless poor East is again void of hearts
.. so again duck once etc. etc.

Same for 1NT, and 4NT etc.

Ronald

Declarer play for newbies WED 2009-09-16

The topic of our leson today was "Establishing a suit in NT".

The hands were taken from Barbara Seagrams great book "Planning the play of a bridge hand" chapter 9.

Did you ever experienced, that you established a suit and had no transportation to cash your nice tricks??
OK. Here we are with an antidot:
Coup de blanc and overtake your honors

Hands #1 and #2 showed the principle of ducking to preserve an entry.
Hands #3 and #4 concerned with the problem how to guard against a possible bad break
Habds #5 and #6 showed, that it is sometimes necessary to overtake your own honors to create an addditional entry.

Declarer play for newbies WED 2009-08-05 and MON 2009-08-10

Today I presented 3 hands, which you find in this movie:

#4 You count 11 sure winners in 6NT. You need 1 more trick.
There are 2 line available:
1) Try the heart finesse and hope for hearts to be distributed 3-3, if the finesse doesn't work.
2) Try the diamond double finesse.
The double finesse has a chance of 75%
The heart finesse has 50% and the chance that hearts are 3-3 under the precondition that the heart finesse is wrong is half of 36% = 18%.
So the chance adds up to 50%+18% = 68%
Therefore the double finesse is superior to the heart finesse.
We'll come back to this hand in the next session.

#1 Is an example where it is a must to pull the trumps at once. Remind: When you are planning a suit contract always ask you the question: Are there any reasons NOt to draw trumps at once? There are a lot of reasons possible. Marty Bergen sez, that in about 40% it is wise to postpone to draw the trumps.

#3 Is a choice which minor to develop. You have 7 sure tricks in the majors and need 2 more.
You have after the lead only 1 stopper left in spades.
Diamonds provide only 2 extra tricks (but that's enough). To promote the diamond you'll lose the lead only once.
Clubs will provide 4 extra tricks but you'll lose the lead twice in the establishing process.
Therefore you must attck the diamonds!!!

Bridge 102 Newsletter (1)

This newsletter was sent out to the registered mentees.

Hi Bridge 102 students,

I’m looking forward to August 18 to start with you in the mysteries of declarer play.

1. Just in case you are interested to learn a bit about me:
   I’m a retired teacher in math and science. I was a passioned teacher. I’m a good (but not expert) player.
   But these things together make a better bridgeteacher (imho) than an expert who has no idea of how to teach his knowledge.
   For my information look up my site please: http://www.albrecht-hollstein.de/Bridge/about%20me.htm
2. Bridge 102 Perequesites
   To learn the rules of bridge is no problem at all. Many people in the local clubs know, what they are doing, but to improve and become a good player takes a long time and needs some effort (of yourself LOL).
   I can give you advice and example, but the work has to be done by yourself.
   But I promise the work will be much fun with every step you feel, how you improve.
   To feel how the brain works is a source of happiness.
3. To prepare the first lesson
   1. Download LearnToPlayBridge (LTPB) from the ACBL-site: http://www.acbl.org/learn/ltpb.html
      
   2. To get an idea what you’ll learn in my first 2 lessons, you may look what Fred presents in the
      LTPB chapters 2 and 3: Taking tricks and More on taking tricks
   3. To review Sandy’s course 101:
      1. Read Richard Pavlicek’s Learn to play bridge to http://www.rpbridge.net/1a00.htm
      2. Read “Getting started” by Karen Walker: http://home.comcast.net/~kwbridge//start.htm
      3. Work on LTPB chapter 2: Introduction to Bridge
   4. Bookmark this glossary of common bridge phrases: http://home.comcast.net/~kwbridge/glos.htm
4. Links (Just in case you have some time you want to learn more about our beloved game)
   1. My bridge site: http://www.albrecht-hollstein.de/Bridge/Bridge%20with%20Al.htm

b. My beginners page
http://www.albrecht-hollstein.de/Bridge/Lessons/For%20beginners/Lessons%20for%20Beginners.htm

c. My blog for beginners: http://al-teaching.blogspot.com/

4. Richard Pavlicek is one of the best bridge teachers all over the world. I admire his site.
   http://www.rpbridge.net/1a00.htm Learn to play Bridge with Richard
   http://www.rpbridge.net/1t05.htm Lesson 1
5. Fred Gitelman wrote a perfect software (BridgeMaster 2000) to learn and improve your declarerplay (in 5 levels from starter to expert)
   Level 1 is appropriate for you. Don’t hesitate to order your copy. It is of more value than many lessons I saw.
   http://bbi.bridgebase.com/software/bm2kdemo_setup.exe Downlad a free demo
   http://bbi.bridgebase.com/software/bmdesc.html description of BM 2000
   http://bbi.bridgebase.com/software/bm2000.html order
6. BridgeClues by Mike Lawrence is a great site to look up daily!!!! http://www.bridgeclues.com/
   1. He made a tutorial bidding and play for starters
      1. 38 hands to review the basics of bidding (You’ll find much of the stuff you learned from Sandy and much more)
         http://www.bridgeclues.com:9080/quiz/HomeServlet?handType=bid&dispHomePg=N&level=new
      2. 38 hands to review, what you’ll learn from me and more (The basics of declarer play and defense)
         http://www.bridgeclues.com:9080/quiz/HomeServlet?handType=play&dispHomePg=N&level=new
   2. If you are a bit more advanced, you’ll enjoy:
      http://www.bridgeclues.com/ daily 2 problems in each bidding and play (2 levels)
7. BridgeGuys is a perfect Bridge-encyclopedia: http://www.bridgeguys.com/glossbridgemain.html
   You find everything you are looking for.

Have a nice weekend

Al

Bridge 102 - Declarerplay-course for newbies in the BIL

I will start a series of 9 lessons for beginners following on from TwstofLime's Bridge101 course for starter players.
The lessons will take place TUE 22:00 CEST.

Lesson 1 (Aug 18) will be held in the BBO chatroom and the following 7 in the BIL. (not necessarily consecutive weeks )
Look up the Bil Calendar for more infos.

I will be demonstrating from the table (no players will be required).
Each lesson will build upon the previous one.

Curriculum:

1. Taking tricks (Chapter 3 from LTPB = Learn to play Bridge)
Winning tricks with small cards in long suits
Promotion
More on taking tricks (Chapter 4 from LTPB)
Various finesse combinations (Compare the BridgeClues tutorial hands 1-17)

2. Review how to take tricks (Chapter3/Chapter 4 from LTPB)
Count your winner!
Count your loser!!
exercises in counting winner and loser in complete deals
exercises in determine how many trick s in a suit can be made depending on opponents distribution
basic odds: 50% for a finesse, 75% for the double finesse and 68% for 3-2 distribution

3. Plan a NT contract I
count your loser
Where to look for extra tricks?
entries to the established tricks
Coup de blanc (this is nothing exotic, but an offensive duck only)

4. Plan a NT contract II
hold up play
dangerous opponent

5. Plan a NT contract III
How to play common suit-combinations?

6. Plan a suit contract I
count the loser in the master hand
3 ways to avoid losers: Ruff, Discard; Finesse
Pull opponents trumps if there is no reason not to do so
Reasons to postpone drawing trumps

7. Plan a suit contract II
Use dummy’s shortness to ruff

8. Plan a suit contract III
Use dummy’s length to discard

9. Plan a suit contract IV
Win tricks with lower honors by a finesse.

Material to prepare and review:
How to learn Bridge (provided by ACBL)
BridgeClues Tutorial

To register for this course (receive course notes) please email to albrecht.hollstein@gmx.de

Declarerplay for newbies Wed 2009-07-29

Today I presented 4 hands. You find them in this movie

#1 Demonstrates the necessity of a hold-up play.

#5 and #7 correspond. You have 5 tricks from the top and need 4 more to make your 3NT contract. Hearts provide 3 tricks after you force out the A. Spades provides 3 more tricks, if the K is onside or 2 extra tricks, if the K is offside. You need tricks from both majors anyway. In the led diamond suit have hold Axx - Kx(x) that means 2 stoppers while opps hold 8(7) cards.
The main question in which priority you establish your majors.
West with his long diamonds is always the dangerous opponent.
We learned to remember:

Always attack the possible entry of the dangerous opponent first.

#4 Shows a simple ducking play to safe the entry to the established long suit (diamonds).
This as clled "Coup de blanc".

.

Introduction to bridge

Arik Kaplan (angelblue in BBO) wrote a
nice bridge-movie to introduce newbies to the basics of our beloved game.

To view the movie you need (as for all lin-files) to download the proper program from BBO.