[inquiry]

It is good to see some post on MisIry that I didn't start. :-)

I entitled this one Miserable Tricks to deal with exposing things you can do with MisIry to investigate slam. Some of the tricks are very clever, and helpful. Some are potentially hazardous, some are down right crazy. Let's wade into them.

First one, down right crazy in all but one general case.....Lying about the number of losers... we will use a typical example, the hand from earlier today...
♠ x
♥
♦ AKJTxx
♣ AQJxxx

Some have argued that if partner has a "fit" for either minor, that will deal with one loser, so show this as a two loser rather than one loser hand. This is suicidal if partner happens to hold ♣King and ♦Queen without the ♠Ace... .and if he had that, bidding normally finds the grand. But if you held a hand like this...

void
void
AKJxxxxx
AKQJT

It is perfectly alright to treat this as ZERO losers, minor two suiter. With 8 Di, if partner has three, you have no loser, if he has one or two diamonds, he is likely to have three or more clubs. So here, I would "lie" and treat this as minor two suiter no loser. Likewise, I might treat...

void
A
AKJTxx
AKJTxx

As one loser, minor two suiter.

Next Miserable Trick. You already heard about asking for non-material stoppers to bid grand slams and some times small slams (where xx or xxx in a suit is treated as if it was the king, if you are short enough in partners second suit, and long enough in what will be trumps). This is a part of the normal bidding sequence that follows discovery of the preseneces or absences of missing anchor queens.

You can extend this and treat this holdings, sometimes, as a stopper in the cue-bidding sense. The best examples so far are to show this as king via bidding 4NT. This trick is particualrily handy when you need to save space over a 4♠ rebid showing 2 losers including one in a lower suit. If the "non-material king" is working, your partner will tell you about it. And since his other loser is in the lowest side suit, you know he has the ACE-x in the suit you suggested you had the king in. This is also useful, in that it keeps the biddign low.

Another Miserable trick is to DENY a stopper in the lower side suit while holding the AK(x) in the higher side suit and the Kx(x) or x, in the lower. This turns out to be very useful. If partner "signs" off he has no use for the AK in the upper suit, or he is off two quick losers in the lower suit. If he ask for the ACE in the upper suit, he has a singleton there, and a stopper in the lower suit. Over this, you can show a non-material stopper, in the suit you denied (which is a double-double cross, as your non-material stopper in fact, is a material stopper) to decide how to progress. And remember, when you have AK in one side suit, and K in the other, you never have more than two covers, as both kings can not be working). This treatment has proven very effective if placing cover cards.

Another trick is to show a stopper or a non-material stopper that you don't have and if partner signs off, you know the one you do have is working. This one is dangerous because partner might leap where you didn't want to go when you show it. So it is best to use this one when gonig for grand slam, so when partner leaps to slam you are safe.

No doubt, more miserable tricks will be uncovered.

[inquiry]

Perhaps this should have gone in the World class Misiry thread http://forums.bridge...?showtopic=9852, but since it contained a minor Miserable trick, I but it in here...

Canadian Team Trials, 1980... see bridge world Sept 1980

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One pair using precison bid this without introducing clubs as a suit.
1C - 1D
2H - 3D
3H - 4H

MisiIry would be this, with the last bid the miserable trick
3C - 3D
3N - 4S
4N - 6C
6H - Pass

3N = two suiter, 3 loser (with ♣+♥_
4S = denial, promise soemthign in ♦ and slam interest
4N = only ♦ ACE useful
6♣ = two sure covers, not interested in missing queens
6♥ = trick... you must have two of the folliwng three cards: ♥Q, ♣K, ♦A and I like my ♥ suit. Also note, if parnter was short in ♥ and long in ♣, he would have checked in the ♥Queen was missing, since he didn't he rates to have ♥Q singleton or ♥Qx (doubleton)

Of course, you can pass 6♣ too, the JACK-TEN of hearts makes 6♥ attractive, especially at matchpoints.

[mike777]

It does seem shocking that after a strong 2 bid in hearts the Canadians missed this one in 1980.

I can only assume they were exhausted.