Sitting behind Meckwell is a real education.

In an effort to describe their hand, many players should heed the words of a chess master. Mikhail Tal was a Russian Grand Master and a world champion (1960/61). Tal said, “Every time you make an offensive move in chess you weaken you position defensively.” The corollary to that in bridge is that every time you bid, you not only describe the strength and shape of you hand to your partner, you are also passing this data to your opponents.

One of the benefits of playing on a six-person team in a regional knockout is that you can sit out and watch the pros play. Adam Kaplan and I were on a six-person team in the 2007 Daytona Regional and the instructions from his mother to me were: make sure that Adam studies. We worked out a schedule where Adam and I would have the last sit-out at night. He would go study and Jim would get a coffee and pull up a chair behind Jeff Meckstroth and watch Jeff and Eric Rodwell (aka Meckwell). Watching these two play reminds me of what the great golfer Bobby Jones said about Jack Nicklaus: “He plays a game with which I am not familiar.”

Meckwell are facing a formidable husband-wife team in the Bracket I knockout semis, but they hold a 40 IMP lead after 12 boards. There are three certain things in life: death, taxes, and overbidding against Meckwell. The blood-letting starts on the first board. In fourth seat (red-on-red) Jeff holds: S-QJ10xx, H-x, D-Axxx, C-Axx. LHO deals and passes and Rodwell bids 2 Hearts (weak, but disciplined - two of the top three honors minimum). RHO doubles, his partner bids 3 Clubs, and he bids 3 Spades. His partner ponders a bit and bids 4 Spades - three guess what Meckstroth does.

Rodwell takes the first three tricks with AKQ of hearts on which Meckstroth throws his two low clubs. Jeff cashes both minor suit aces and puts declarer in dummy with a diamond. When declarer leads one of dummy’s two low spades, Rodwell discards. Declarer tries to cash the Club King but Jeff ruffs. Down five doubled is worth +1,400 for Meckwell. On the next board. Meckwell put on a clinic in how to bid the Precision System. Eric opens 1 Club, RHO overcalls 1 Heart and Jeff doubles (negative with values). LHO obviously didn’t read Tal and bids 2 Hearts. Rodwell bids 3 Spades, alerted as 19+ HCP and a solid suit. Meckstroth, holding a 14-count with four spades to the king, bids 6 Spades. RHO leads the Heart Ace and says, “Can I cash this?” Rodwell says no and ruffs. He later loses a minor suit king to his RHO, making six.

The last board is my favorite, combining the three things I find most intriguing about bridge: overbidding opponents, losing trick count, and Kanter’s Rule of 7. In fourth seat, Jeff holds: S-void, H-Qxxxx, D-AJxxx, C-Kxx. LHO deals and passes, Rodwell bids 1 Heart, and RHO bids 2 Spades (weak). Now, you and I would probably just bid 4 Hearts, but Meckstroth is who he is. He bids 3 Spades and LHO cooperates by biddng 4 Spades (Tal lives). Rodwell now bids 5 Clubs and Meckstroth bids 6 Hearts. How did Jeff get there? He has a six losing trick hand - wouldn’t you open that hand? Using Kanter’s Rule of 7, Jeff’s hand values out to 17 points in support of hearts (two five-card suits = 10 - 7 {the rule} = 3 + 10 HCP = 13, plus two points for the void, and two points for the fourth and fifth hearts). The play is relatively easy: ruff the spade opener, knock out the Heart Ace, and take the club finesse. Rodwell’s hand is: S-QJx, H-KJ10xx, D-x, C-AJxx. Just another day at the office for Meckwell!

Sincerely, Jim Somma{easycomments}