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Two Cute BBO Hands
I've been playing a lot on Bridge Base Online lately because I am too cheap to pay the $99 for OKbridge anymore. The quality of play is much better on OKb, but you know the saying about beggars and choosers.
| IMPS | | North | | |
| Both Vul |  J753 | |
|  Q4 | |
| West |  QT754 | East |
| K2 |  AQ | 4 |
| KT932 | | J865 |
| 8632 | South | KJ |
| T6 | AQT986 | KJ8753 |
| A7 | |
| A9 | |
| 942 | |
You, South, are playing 4 and West leads a diamond. Upon winning the ace, what do you do?
This is a disgusting hand in that the defense's honors are all badly placed for you. A lesson hand couldn't be concocted much better. I think the best line is to cash the A (the 2-1 split being 78%), and then exit a diamond. East can return a heart, but you win the A, cross to the A (shunning the finesse), and lead a top diamond from dummy, pitching a heart. So it is really just a simple loser-on-loser play, except the finesses tempt so many losing lines. If, for example, you rely on one of the black suit finesses working, that's "only" 75%. Note that a club lead would have been fatal.
On to the second hand.
| IMPS | | North | | |
| None Vul | 764 | |
| AKQ94 | |
| West | AKQ | East |
| K8 | 83 | JT93 |
| T2 | | 8763 |
| JT87 | South | 643 |
| QT742 | AQ52 | 65 |
| J5 | |
| 952 | |
| AKJ9 | |
You open a 15-17 1NT, and West bids 2, showing one major or both minors. (Who ever said this was a game of judgement?) Your partner huddles and bids 6NT. West huddles and leads the J. Now what?
This one is cute, albeit a little double-dummy. All you have to do is cash your red-suit winners and West is caught in a strip squeeze. A strip squeeze on BBO! That's like catching fish with a cannon.
| | North | | |
| 764 | |
| A | |
| West | -- | East |
| K8 | 83 | Immaterial |
| -- | | |
| -- | South | |
| QT74 | AQ2 | |
| -- | |
| -- | |
| AKJ | |
You cash the last heart and pitch your 2. If West pitches a spade, you have two spade winners. If he pitches a club, you endplay him in the suit of your choice. Fun stuff.
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