EVE-Online, the massively multiplayer online game I've been playing, has been called a sandbox with land mines.  Unlike most other MMOG's, which are more like a theme-park (the gameplay is set up a certain way and everyone follows the same path,) EVE lets you make your own fun.  Everyone's a spaceship pilot, but there are almost as many ways to play as there are players.  If you want to fight against computer opponents ('rats') you can do that.  If you want to blow up (and be blown up by) other players, you can do that, either as a soldier in a large corporation, in a small gang, or as a solo 'pirate'.  If you want to make a fortune trading commodities (weapons, ships, implants, rigs, etc.) without ever leaving a station, you can do that.  If you want to fly massive titans 10 miles long and lead armies to conquer vast swaths of space, you can do that (if you have the time, people skills, and leadership skills, of course.)  If you want to manufacture the stuff that traders trade, you can do that.  If you want to try to scam noob players out of their money by offering to sell something worth 1 million ISK (the in-game currency) for $999,999,999 you can do that.  If you want to play for free by paying for your game-time with in-game currency, you can do that.  If you want to mine the minerals that go into the manufacture of the things that manufacturers manufacture and traders trade, you can do that.  If you want to make money by hauling cargo from remote stations to trading hubs in massive haulers, you can do that.  If you want to do a little bit of everything, you can do that.  But anytime you undock from a station, or fly from point to point, you run the risk of being obliterated by another player (though the risk is much lower in 'hi-security' areas of space.)  That's where the land mines come in.

Which brings me to today's blog about yesterday's set.  It was a sandbox with land mines too.

Jeff invited me to play a few against random opps.  I served and declined a few 'private' folks and then lo and behold Wayne rang in.  Moments later Jeff asked me to hold the last spot and Sondra arrived.  Cool beans, should be fun.

The fireworks started immediately.

Q74 / AT95 / AJT9 / 42

Jeff opened 1S in 1st.  Great hand, gorgeous spots, prime values outside of the expected trump suit, soft values in trumps, which is ideal.  But with the modern standards for opening continuing to diminish, not worth a game force imo.  I trotted out a forcing 1NT, planning to rebid 3S.

Jeff rebid 2C.  I showed my hand with 3S.  Jeff now bid 4D.  What's that mean and how should I continue?

I wasn't sure if Jeff meant it as a fragment (5-1-3-4 or similar slam try) or was showing a diamond void or something else, but I thought that fragment was most likely, it being rather common to bid out 5-4-3-1 hands like that.

I cooperated with 4H and Jeff bid keycard and 6S.

Sondra led the S9.

Q74 / AT95 / AJT9 / 42

AK8653 / K83 / 5 / KQ5

I think Jeff got a little carried away here.  If you're going to overbid though, you've got to be willing to overplay.  And he certainly did that on this hand.

What's your best chance?  Sure, you can pray for QJ tight in H or a stiff honor and your guessing shoes on.  Jeff gave himself a better chance.

He won the spade in hand and crossed to the DA and ruffed a diamond, everyone following.  Now what?

Q7 / AT95 / JT / 42

K865 / K83 / - / KQ5

He ignored the illusion in clubs, the Ace onside does you no good, and played a top club (anything else and you're down.)

As it turns out the CA WAS onside.  Wayne won and returned his last spade.

Jeff cashed his other top club and ruffed a club with dummy's last trump.

- / AT95 / JT / -

K86 / K83 / - / -

Now a diamond ruff, dropping Sondra's Q from an original Qxx and 2 more rounds of Spades squeezed Wayne, who started with Kxxxx of diamonds and QJx of hearts, in the reds.

'I might have to blog that.'

http://www.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=38948788&when_played=1231101012

to be continued ...