Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!brahms!desj From: desj@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (David desJardins) Newsgroups: net.rec.bridge Subject: Construction Problem Message-ID: <12466@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Mon, 17-Mar-86 21:11:03 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.12466 Posted: Mon Mar 17 21:11:03 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 19-Mar-86 01:01:02 EST Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: desj@brahms.UUCP (David desJardins) Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 36 There is a class of interesting problems involving the construction of a deal (i.e. a distribution of the 52 cards) to satisfy certain properties. One of the most fascinating is to construct deals in which N-S can make a grand slam in any suit, but fare poorly in no trump. As an example I give a deal below in which N-S can make 13 tricks with any suit as trump but only 11 in no trump. There are many solutions but the one I give is perhaps the most elegant (certainly the most symmetrical). Can anyone construct a deal in which N-S can take only 10 tricks in NT? Another possible extension would be to hands where N-S can make a small slam in any trump suit. Although I have not worked on this, it seems likely that they could be made to do very poorly in NT. P.S. If you are interested then I urge you to work on the problem before looking at the solution below. -- David desJardins S: AKQT H: AKQT D: AKQT C: A S: J987 S: 432 H: J987 H: 432 D: J987 D: 432 C: 6 C: 5432 S: 65 H: 65 D: 65 C: KQJT987 N-S can make 7S, 7H, 7D, or 7C, but only 5 NT.