Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:36:39 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/ A site on Duplicate bridge game. en-us http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/images/logo.gif http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/ panja@demicoma.com http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=373 Some hands warrant a disciplined play. The picture resembles so much with a text book variety that you merely go through the motions irrespective of the actual contract. Here is a hand I played last week in a face to face event(, after quite some time).If computer playing programs ever had feelings, those would probably be something like my feelings after having played that hand. The moment of truth arrived quite a few tricks (which trick would that be?) down the road. The distribution rewarded the discipline, so did the Match-Points. Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:36:39 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=371 Almost half of our mistakes are due to hasty play. Good players who are perfectly capable of finding the winning play if only they gave some time to think about it end up losing a board by playing too hastily. Here is a problem from the semi-finals of Poddar National Masters that is being played in Kolkata this weekend (6-7 August 2011). Have a look at the diagram below. West led the K, thought for some time and shifted to the Q. Declarer won K in Dummy and successfully ran the 9 at trick three... He made the fatal mistake next. Can you see what might have gone wrong? Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:40:28 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=370 Sandeep Thakral and Kaustubh Bendre (playing DEMICOMA) and Sandip Dutta and Kaustubh Nandi defeated Formidables to enter the final of the National Masters event at Mumbai Yesterday. Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:01:25 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=368 Recently, I came across this interesting deal. Let us begin to discuss it as a simple Dummy play problem and see where it leads us. Sat, 17 Apr 2010 03:24:10 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=366 In my Bridge Column article on Sunday 11th April 2010, a serious error has crept in. I am sorry for the same. I have quoted excerpts from Paul Marston's guest editorial in the March 2010 issue of the International Bridge Press Bulletin not from WBF President's message, however, the article begins with a quote from WBF President's message. The article should read as follows: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:17:53 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=365 The first round of the Bermuda Bowl 2009 did not go well for India. Here is a deal from that round. There was a mildly interesting lead problem. Holding KTxx,Qxx,xx,xxxx; what do you lead if righty opens 1H and the bidding goes 1H P 2C P 2D P 2H P 2S P 4H PPP? Make your choice before reading on.. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:06:21 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=364 This was the hand I discussed in today's column. South plays in 4 after West opens the bidding in the third seat with a 1 bid but passes on two further rounds. West leads a top Diamond and shifts to the Q. South wins and plays a small Heart and West makes the fatal mistake of ducking. You are watching the play on the BBO vu graph and you notice that the contract is makeable at this point. Someone else (Gochi Oddkar, the proverbial oddity-seeker) notices that South can make the contract even if South cashed A at trick four. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:03:44 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=363 Here is the deal from the recent Indian trials that appeals committee had to look at. In a strong auction, North paused slightly before bidding 4S, the agreed suit. South next Asked Aces and bid the slam. The director was called before the auction ended. He ruled that the score be adjusted to 4S made six. NS appealed. Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:58:10 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=362 Following deal came in finals of holkar trophy second session E-AQ8x: KQ KJ9xxx 6 N-K109xxx: xx Qx Kxx W-Jx: AJ9xx 8 Q98xx S-x: 10xxx A10xx AJ10x My partner Dr Harish Sahni as east dealer opened 1 D.We play prepared diamond. South bid 2 spades weak jump overcall.I Dr. K L Bandi thought and bid 3 clubs thinking that if it is doubled I can switch to hearts. south passed and Dr Sahni thought and decided to bid 3 notrump and then all pass. south led Hx. Dr Sahni made both K Q and played x spade south rightly played K thinking that if east had S A Q X the entry to west will be blocked..Now south was in dilemma.Thinking that if east had doubleton club ACE LOW C LEAD WILL GIVE ENTRY TO DUMMY so he rightly played D queen-x x to east King. Now east played low spade and dummys jack won and ran 3 hearts.south discarded low club on spade jack and and club Jack on last heart.North discarded 2 spades and one club.now east played C8 from dummy andsouth jumped with ace and played D ace and continued with diamond.east discarded low diamonds and last 3 cards were Diamond J and spade A Q.Thus we ended in making 10 tricks. EW being vulnerable ended +630 andscoreed +12. datum being. -20 We were the ony pair in whole field to make 3 NT. Iff you have any querry please write to me . The deal was played on 11 jan 09 at yeshwant club Thanking you Dr. K L Bandi KJ9xxx 6 Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:55:38 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=360 On the diagrammed deal, not many North players would prefer to spread their cards on the table when 6Nt is an attractive option. Perhaps, it isn't a a good idea to play in six Clubs and risk a Heart ruff on trick two. Can you, playing as South justify the confidence partner has placed in your Dummy play skills? Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:33:55 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=358 Having found a good spot at low level, you are in a safe two Spades contract. You can still try to make 9 tricks..... Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:31:39 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=356 People differ, and the difference does not vanish at the bridge table or in a bridge game. Some players would enjoy a game if the atmosphere and the food is nice; some others would enjoy if people are courteous; and still some others would not mind a shortcoming or two in either of these areas if the game is good and the players, competent. Unfortunately, not many appreciate the point. Last week, Jayesh Goyal and I played against a competent Pakistan pair, Rasheed Ahmed Jafer and Javed Miran. It was an enjoyable short session not the least because our opponents were competent and courteous. Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:37:42 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=354 IMP Some problems are difficult in two dimensions. You have to get the winning play for the actual layout, and you also have to justify the rationale for expecting the actual layout! Try your hand at the following problem. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:09:33 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=352 IMP When you are defending, it is important to build a picture of the Declarer's hand and act accordingly. Sometimes, you have to go through the line the Declarer is likely to take, and find the killing defense with a bit of extra effort. See if you can manage that on the following problem. Here is the solution. Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:59:05 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=350 One of my favourite bridge passtimes is to keep track of my own mistakes and try and find the reason behind each. Here is a hand where I should have found the right solution. I didn't.... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:02:41 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=349 Formidables, the most successful Indian team in International Bridge, has finally won the RUIA TROPHY. Kiran Nadar, B. Satyanarayana, Sunit Chokshi, Subhash Gupta, K. Venkatraman, and Rajesh Dalal were the mebers of the winning team. Mon, 07 Jan 2008 11:57:04 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=348 Here is a deal from the second round of the second session. Avinash Gokhale and Sathe had been top of the list or nearby all through the first session. They were playing on the home ground, PYC gymkhana Club, which after its renovation a couple of years ago, is easily one of the Top Class venues for a good bridge game. The location is smack in the center of the city, all the facilities are nearby, and the venue itself is spacious. Sat, 05 Jan 2008 06:47:53 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=346 The semi-final and final matches of the Ruia trophy were going to be shown on the VU Graph courtsey Bridge Base Online. As per the latest information we have, the VU graph has now been cancelled. The reason is concerns about 'Board Safety'. Wish you a very Happy and Prosperous year 1908. Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:39:02 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=345 Last weekend, I played a face-to-face event after quite a while. Considering the gap, I expected to be a little 'slow'. Indeed, there were at least half a dozen deals where lack of tournament practice affected my game. Some of them were very interesting. Let us look at them. This was the fourth board we played. I was sitting South in the diagrammed deal, wherein the hands are rotated for the sake of convenience. Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:25:00 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=342 Should you follow your instincts? Should you listen to your inner voice at the Bridge table? When I analysed the following deal that I played recently, I realised that the answer wasn't a simple yes or no. Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:45:09 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=341 Railway team wins the final of the Ruia Trophy today (Sunday, 10 Dec). Ruia Trophy elludes Formidables yet again. Sun, 10 Dec 2006 00:41:27 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=339 There was, as they would say, a pin-drop silence in the Vu Graph room as South pondered his next move in his 4 contract. Sun, 12 Nov 2006 02:05:00 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=337 I noticed this gem while commentating on the final of the fifth European cup. At the bridge table, you often have to guess the correct move. You could easily imagine layouts where either shift could go wrong when you have o­nly two options as a defender.  The trouble is aggravated when the cards in focus are mere spots. Bidding often gives some clue about the bigger picture cards, but the HCP takes into account o­nly cards above a Jack. What do you do when you are confronted with the task of locating an eight-spot? Consider this problem. Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=335 Is it easier to spot the best line of play with all the four hands o­n view? Examine the following problem and try to find out a winning line. Clearly, cards have to lie favourably for the Declarer for any given line to succeed. Still, the Declarer has to imagine a layout, and a corresponding line. Wed, 25 Oct 2006 05:25:00 -0400 http://www.demicoma.com/pn764/html/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=334 Bompis Sainte-Marie from France are leading the field with o­ne session to go. The two Pairs that play bridge in India...Thakral-Gupta, and Agarwal-Archie Sequeira are not in the top half.Jaggy  and partner have a 53% score. Jaggy doesn't however play much competitive bridge in India any longer. (sensex 5000 or 10000, number of millionaires 10 or 10000, there isn't a rich enough sponsor who can afford to have Jaggy in his team yet - or perhaps, they don't think Jaggy is a good player. Anything is possible. ) Sat, 24 Jun 2006 01:29:48 -0400