1: We started with a N-S game:
?
1084
K10872
K
J652
?
AKJ73
AJ63
Q3
A4
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East opened?either 2D or 3D, and Souths who overcalled were lucky to find North with three spades as well as five hearts. Game was reached after all the South doubles in hearts but only once when South overcalled; P-3D-3S might well draw a pass from North.
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With hearts 2-2 and the queen with West there was no way for declarer to go wrong in hearts after 2D or 3D openings, although it appears that one North in 4H finessed East for the queen. In spades E-W could take three tricks by force with an early club lead, as West held a sure trump trick, but only one defending pair did so. John was able to take twelve tricks in 4H, which makes little sense. Even if East underleads the diamond ace then there will be a club loser.
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4H N +2 by John
4H N +1 by Jamie, Kevin and Eric; 4S S +1 by Lin
4H N = vs Leighry
3S S +2 vs Harter
3S S +1 vs May
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2: Three Norths had a rare but pleasant opportunity:
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...............J1098765
...............----
...............Q65
...............542
----.............................AKQ43
A986..........................Q10752
A10973.......................42
Q763...........................10
...............2
...............KJ43
...............KJ8
...............AKJ98
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East opened 1S and South doubled. Three Wests passed, giving North the fun opportunity to pass the takeout double with four guaranteed trump tricks. It's so nice to hold a solid sequence. The five Wests who did not pass the double took three different courses of action. One West bid 2D, leading to 4H E. Two Wests responded 1NT, leading to 3H E and 4H E. The two redoubles were both pulled by East, a reasonable action on a minimal opening with little defence; defending 2Cx does not rate to score well. Contracts curiously stayed lower; 2H E and 3H E. Alas, in normal bidding a pass of a redouble is not for penalty - if a partnership agrees to play it that way it should be Alerted.
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Against 1S doubled Jeff made the correct opening lead of a trump. North very much want to draw trumps if at all possible, or at least prevent East from scoring either or both of the two low trumps. Leigh Ann made 1Sx after two high clubs were led by South - ruff the second club and duck a diamond and declarer cannot be prevented from scoring a diamond ruff as well as a club ruff, the diamond ace and heart queen to go with the three top spades. E-W top was Louise's in 2H +2, playing South for the strength and length in the suit. N-S ought to be able to come to a fourth trick against hearts if not more; declarer has a hard time keeping control of the hand.
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1Sx E -2 vs Jevin
1Sx E -1 vs Bevbot; 3H E -2 vs Gwin; 4H E -2 vs Jamob and Study
3H E = by Judy (P)
1Sx E = by Leigh Ann
2H E +2 by Louise
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3: N-S had a clear 3NT:
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A873
104
AK942
AK
?
KQ2
Q763
Q65
943
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There was only truly unlucky auction: P-1D; 1H-1S, which South decided to pass after North preferred to leave room rather than jump to 2S. One North somehow played 2Dx; I did not see how. East might have thrown in a cheeky 1H overcall; just possibly West might have tried a sort of responsive double with ten black cards after a 2D raise or preference from South. One pair finished in 2NT N but everyone else finished in 3NT, once by South and four times by North.
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Against no-trumps E-W cannot get four heart tricks unless West holds A98x or K98x; any other layout allows declarer to cope with the actual 4-1 diamond split. Holding AJ9 52 East can establish four hearts to go with the diamond jack but declarer does not have to lose a diamond early. One heart, three spades, three diamonds and two clubs make nine winners.
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All the Norths declaring in 3NT took ten tricks; did West unguard the spades? did East not lead hearts until after the diamond jack was gone? When South declared Marudy defeated the contract, which makes equally little sense. 2Dx +1 unfortunately did not receive the game bonus - had North redoubled it would have been a top board for making, or East might have run to 2Hx for a penalty of at least 500 or probably 800.
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3NT N +1 by Jamie, Steve and Gwen
3NT N = by Eric
2Dx N +1 vs Leighry
2NT N +1 vs Harter
1S N +2 vs Kill
3NT S -1 vs Marudy
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4: N-S had another game, this one on distribution:
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A985
K9764
AK
107
?
QJ642
----
7654
AJ64
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This one looked perhaps difficult to bid, especially if West opened 1H. Unless North upgraded the hand to an offbeat 1NT overcall the only N-S hope was that South would enter the live auction after 1H-P-2H. Only three pairs managed to reach 4S S, with other contracts of 2H W twice, 2S S twice and 3S N. Without a 1H opening from West, North opened either 1H or 2D and it was all whether South liked the patter enough for an invitation.
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2H W finished -2 both times, defending beating the spade partials and splitting the middle scores. In 4S there is clearly no source of tricks other than the trump suit; declarer goes for a cross-ruff: diamond, heart ruff, club ace, diamond, heart ruff, etc. West holds a doubleton diamond and can try a couple of things - ruffing with the spade ten (from K103) to force the ace but declarer will still come to the three minor winners, six ruffs and a high spade by force - or discarding two hearts to overruff the fourth round but then declarer has two high spade winners and one ruff less. Lin managed an overtrick in 4S for the top, likely by ducking a club and getting ruffs going there as well (or perhaps the lead of the ace of hearts).
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4S S +1 by Lin
4S S = by Jeff and Bev
2H W -2 vs Mahn and Study
3S N +1 vs Marudy
2S S +1 vs Glynneth and Kill
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5: Opening bid choice made a difference here:
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...............A4
...............1097
...............A82
...............109732
952..............................8
63................................AQJ52
KQ973.........................J10654
AKQ.............................85
...............KQJ10763
...............K84
...............----
...............J64
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South opens in third position and can put E-W under huge pressure with 3S. E-W have quite decent play for 5D but cannot get into the auction over a 3S opening bid unless East tries a really speculative balancing double or West bids a reckless 4D. After 1S opening bids two pairs managed to stop in 4D W, although 5D was reached four times. One 3S opening bid ended the auction; the last ended in 4S S. One might reasonably open 3S at the red vulnerability in first seat but one can live with 1S; third seat is the time to put on the pressure.
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Given the distribution, assuming N-S lead a spade, either 5D or 3S will make but not both; it depends on for whom the heart finesse works. At IMPs the scoring would make bidding 5D a big favourite for E-W; even at matchpoints declaring 5D will outscore defending 3S. N-S top was Bob's declaring 3S =; Cindy and Harold split the E-W top in 4D =.
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3S S = by Bob
5D W -1 vs Karleta, Study, Jevin and Wendric
4S S -1 vs Diarcia
4D W = by Cindy and Harold
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6: N-S had what seemed to be quite a decent slam:
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AQ8
A98752
A5
53
?
K1062
K643
92
AQ8
?
This looks fine; if trumps split 2-1, declarer needs either the spades to behave or the club finesse for a comfortable chance of success, thanks to the presence of the spade ten (without the ten 6H would be a slight favourite). Would N-S bid slam? Left to themselves North might get into an invitational mood after 1C-1H; 2H and finding four-card support, as chances are strong that one of the heart losers vanishes due to the length. Here, though, East opened 2D more than once. One of the two pairs to reach slam arrived there after North's first three calls in the auction were cue-bids of 3D, 4D and 5D! Besides the two slams, one pair played 2H N (takeout double and no cue-bid or jump?) and the other five 4H N.
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Alas for the play the hand collapsed. West held QJ10 in trumps for a sure loser. West also held the club king, dooming the slam barring a club lead. The spades could have been brought in, as East held J943, but it was insignificant. Both declarers in 6H were -2. Bev and Gwen were able to take eleven tricks in 4H N (spade lead?).
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4H N +1 by Bev and Gwen
4H N = by Jamie, Steve and Eric
2H N +2 vs Glynneth
6H S -2 vs May and Diarcia
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7: This was an E-W venture on which there was a chance N-S might get too high:
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...............85
...............AK87
...............Q10
...............J10984
A742........................Q10963
102...........................6
AKJ8........................9652
AKQ.........................762
...............KJ
...............QJ9543
...............743
...............53
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N-S might have had a better chance to keep E-W out of game had South passed, although, after 2NT-3H; West can reasonably pre-accept and bid 4S, as game will have some play opposite any five spades, even in a Yarborough. But if South opens 2H eventually West gets a spade bid out of East (most of the time) and then has to be an extreme pessimist not to bid 4S. Contracts were 3Hx S, 3S E, 4Hx S twice, 4S E and 4S W thrice.
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In 4S declarer loses one trump trick and unfortunately has plenty of entries to the East hand for the losing diamond finesse. Hearts had five top losers although one declarer was able to escape with four. Lynn was the one declarer in 4S to drop the diamond queen (perhaps the doubleton queen was the opening lead), with Gwin N-S top defending 3S +1.
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3S E +1 vs Gwin
3Hx S -1 by Breta; 4Hx S -1 by Mark
4Hx S -2 by Bob
4S E = by Leigh Ann; 4S W = by Fay and Bill
4S W +1 by Lynn
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8: Here was a double game swing:
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...............AKJ83
...............----
...............QJ64
...............10632
Q2.........................75
1086543...............AQJ9
----........................A953
AK875...................J94
...............10964
...............K72
...............K10872
...............Q
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It's somewhat rare that both sides get lucky on the same deal, as often one side's good luck is the other's bad, as on Board 5. When it happens it's usually due to double fits - I had one yesterday at Pine Orchard on which N-S were cold for 6C and could make 6H if E-W didn't get a club ruff, while E-W were cold for 5D and could make 6S if N-S didn't cash two hearts. Here the double fit is good enough to allow a double game swing despite South's wasted heart king's providing a defensive but not an offensive trick. E-W in 4H just have to start clubs with one top winner (there are four ways to play the suit - the two tops, one top then run the jack, double finesse low to the eight first or double finesse running the jack first).
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The course of the auction is almost unpredictable. Does West start with a pass? 1H? 2H? The bidding does seem sure to reach at least 3S one way or another; possibly 2H-2S-3H-3S may be the only way to stop that low - after P-1S-X West is almost sure to reach 4H. North seems likely enough to go to 4S over 4H if the auction is on the slower side. Contracts were 3S N, 4H W, 4S N, 5H W thrice, 5Hx W and 5S N.
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With the 2-2 trumps N-S had no problem taking eleven tricks in spades unless East led a diamond and gave West a ruff. (South could always take eleven tricks in spades as declarer.) E-W had ten tricks in hearts unless declarer guessed the one wrong line in clubs. Two Norths led a diamond, presumably a suit bid by South over a takeout double, allowing Harold and Diane to make 5H, although no declarer in hearts took ten tricks. Eric made 4S N and Bev 5S N for the two best N-S results.
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5S N = by Bev
4S N = by Eric
5Hx W -2 vs Jevin
3S N +2 by Karlene
4H W -2 by Lynn; 5H W -2 by Cindy
5H W = by Harold and Diane
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9: N-S had a slam with some play:
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AQ9
A10
102
QJ9763
?
KJ7
Q52
KQ63
AK4
?
Declarer has ten top tricks and will have a chance to add two diamonds if opening leader cannot profitably establish a heart. East held the diamond ace and heart king, West the heart jack. Slam played by South would be defeated by a heart lead. With North declaring, declarer gets to guess on a heart lead and there is a winning alternative.
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Slam was reached three times, the key being that the auction 1C-1D; 2C promised a six-card suit. The other five auctions ended in 3NT, thrice by South.
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Although 6NT S could have been defeated, it was not reasonable to expect West to lead a heart from J987 when West had safe leads in both black suits. Nor did East lead from the heart king against either 6C or 6NT. Declarer had the chance to lead diamonds twice towards the king-queen, resulting in made slams for Jamie, Lin and Kevin. The games proved to have been the correct bids, as none of the declarers in 3NT took twelve tricks.
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6NT N = by Janie; 6NT S = by Lin
6C N = by Kevin
3NT N +2 vs May; 3NT S +2 vs Glynneth and Harter
3NT N +1 vs Kill; 3NT S +1 vs Marudy
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10: Except for a double trap later, this was the only partial of the game. HCP were 8/10/9/13. N-S had eight spades and eight diamonds, with a 4-1 diamond split killing the last chance of game. E-W had nine clubs.
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I was thinking North would open in fourth seat with 1D, possibly followed by 2C and a negative double, possibly passed with South responding 1S and the auction perhaps reaching at least 2S in time. Contracts were 1S S, 2D N, 2S N twice, 3C W, 3S S, 3NTx E and 4S S.
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Spades looked almost sure to take nine tricks and clubs eight. Diane took a ninth trick to make 3C for E-W top; one declarer in spades took only eight tricks and the rest nine. Jamob were N-S top defending 3NTx -2.?
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3NTx E -2 vs Jamob
1S S +2 by Mark; 2S S +1 by Judy (R) and Jeff
2D N = vs Leighry
3S S -1 vs Kill; 4S S -1 vs May
3C W = by Diane
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11: This trap hand felt more as if it would be E-W's:
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...............98
...............10842
...............98
...............AQ654
KQJ7632...........1053
Q6.....................AJ
K........................QJ7632
K72....................J3
...............A
...............K9754
...............A1054
...............1098
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With a 23-17 HCP edge and a 7-3 spade fit, it certainly would seem that the hand would likely favour E-W, likely in game. Whether South opens or not East will support West's spades and E-W will likely push on, possibly as far as 4S. Only one N-S pair kept pushing, resulting in contracts of 2S W, 3S W thrice, 4S W thrice and 5H N.
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It is not that East's hand is too weak for game, just that the points are distributed in a way that clashes to allow N-S five potential winners. With the same hand pattern, xxx Kx xxxxxx Ax would be an almost sure make a game. N-S with their 17 HCP have the kind heart lie and only the singleton diamond allows E-W to force a set of 4H, taking the heart ace, the second diamond, then giving West a high ruff of the third diamond and waiting for an unavoidable club trick.
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5H S was only set one trick but taking the push turned out to be deadly, as all the defenders against either 3S or 4S took five tricks. Henry was allowed to take eleven tricks in 2S, but the overtricks made no difference; taking the bid in 2S made him top.
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4S W -2 vs Jamob, Study and Gwin
3S W -1 by Fay, Louise and Diane
5H S -1 vs Glynneth
2S W +3 by Henry
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12: E-W had a brave 3NT make:
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...............Q1065
...............A2
...............QJ10964
...............10
AK.............................87
QJ96.........................1043
K87...........................5
AJ63.........................K987542
...............J9432
...............K875
...............A32
...............Q
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West opens 1C and North?may overcall 2D. Given an uncontested auction, East would likely make a weak raise to 3C which West would convert to 3NT. 3C could still happen over 2D but at least once it did not as 2D ended the auction at one table. 3NT W was still the only multiply-played contract, reached thrice. We also had 3C W, 4D N, 5C E (after a Mexican 2D opening bid) and the aggressive 6C W.
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6C W was -2 when N-S took their three top tricks (though missing the heart ruff, which cost Wendric the N-S top), but Judy (P) made 5C E after a low diamond lead. Kevin took the expected nine tricks in 2D for N-S top, while against 3NT North would have needed to hold the diamond ace and put South on lead in hearts right away for a diamond through. With South holding the ace, the three 3NT declarers all took ten tricks to tie for top.
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2D N +1 by Kevin
6C W -2 vs Wendric
4D N -1 by John
3C W +1 vs Karleta
5C E = by Judy (P)
3NT W +1 by Fay, Bill and Diane
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13: E-W had a lucky 3NT:
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1032
A10
KQJ753
K10
?
QJ6
Q8765
8
A962
?
This one needed 3-3 diamonds and for the defence not to be able to establish and cash four spade winners. Spades did split 5-2, but the diamond ace was in the short hand and the 3-3 diamonds allowed a make. Would anyone bid the game? The only pair to do so was May, our two fill-in substitutes who did not have a regular partnership. Their auction was P-1D-1S-2H; P-3D-P-3NT, West taking an aggressive view of the hand that this time was rewarded. The other contracts were 2D E thrice and 3D E four times.
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Curiously, while 3NT could not be prevented from making, 3D was set every time, the defence taking a heart trick, the diamond ace, two spades and a spade ruff. Study and Jevin even managed -2 to tie for N-S top.
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3D E -2 vs Study and Jevin
3D E -1 vs Wendric and Bevbot
2D E = by Kathy
2D E +1 by Louise
2D E +2 by Walter
3NT W = by Fay
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14: This seemed to be a double-sided trap:
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...............Q103
...............AQJ54
...............J5
...............852
AKJ86..................954
10.........................9762
AK974..................Q86
Q10.......................J96
...............72
...............K83
...............1032
...............AK743
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N-S were both just too balanced to have play for game. West had an old-fashioned Acol 2S opening and at least some play for 4S, though one would probably want to bid it only vulnerable at IMPs. One South did not balance against 1S but all other contracts reached at least the three-level: 3H N, 3S W thrice and 4S W thrice.
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Only the Study/Diarcia table saw a spade contract take the expected nine tricks. Karleta and Wendric split the N-S top posting 4S -2, while four pairs of defenders allowed declarer to take ten tricks, giving Cindy the top in 4S =. About the only line of defence that comes close to making sense is that North led a high club and South either played for a doubleton or led two clubs and switched to a trump. This hand makes the case against the MUD lead system, although South could and likely should still have found the heart switch.
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4S W -2 vs Karleta and Wendric
3H N -1 by Kevin
3S W = vs Study
1S W +3 by Fay; 3S W +1 by Henry and Bill
4S W = by Cindy
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15: E-W had a possible club slam here:
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96
----
AK8542
J9754
?
AQ108
KJ6
Q7
A1086
?
West opened 1NT and most pairs did not have the mechanisms available to find the sufficient fit to make 6C W a reasonable spot, needing to bring in the clubs for one loser and 3-2 diamonds, or 4-1 diamonds and 2-2 clubs. West's declaring saves the hand from a spade lead through the ace-queen. 3NT W was reached five times, one of the remaining Easts leaving in 1NT W and the other two declaring 3D.
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Trumps were 2-2 with North's holding KQ doubleton. Diamonds were 3-2 but the spade king was offside so that West would have had to declare. Declarers in 3NT found the heart honours divided to allow them to establish the clubs, although two declarers cashed out with nine tricks. Bill, Harold and Fay took eleven to share E-W top. 1NT also yielded eleven tricks. One declarer received a heart lead and was able to take twelve tricks in 3D E, with Jevin top for holding declarer to eleven.
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3D E +2 vs Jevin
3D E +3 vs Jamob
1NT W +4 vs Bevbot
3NT W = by Lynn and Marcia
3NT W +2 by Fay, Bill and Harold
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16: N-S had a slam likely to make:
?
A64
Q104
KJ103
K73
?
105
AK72
AQ5
AQ52
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N-S have 32 HCP combined, eleven top tricks and two 4-3 suits on which the fourth round of the suit might provide the twelfth trick. Six tables reached 6NT and two stopped in 3NT. 3NT is too little playing a 15-17 range for 1NT. South's 19 HCP could easily produce slam opposite an above-average 1NT rebid. I thought I would see at least one 1D-1H; 1NT-4NT invitational auction and there may have been one or two, though the slams I saw reached were reached via asking sequences. Would North accept an invitation? The hand is flat and in the middle of the 12-14 1NT rebid range but has two tens. The diamond ten is irrelevant but the heart ten increases the chance of a fourth trick in the suit beyond 3-3 splits to cater to singleton and doubleton jacks as well.
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As West held J9865 in hearts and East 10984 in diamonds, neither suit would yield four tricks, nor could there be a simple squeeze. One West, however, gave away the contract at once with a heart lead, very risky against 6NT, especially if South had bid hearts during the auction. As West had a safe diamond lead from 9xx that was to be preferred. Of the declarers receiving a safe lead, John set up the hand for a double squeeze by ducking a spade. E-W could have killed the double squeeze (which would have succeeded, only it did not have to play all the way out, as East unguarded the clubs early) with a second round of spades, killing the entry to North's third spade. One way or another almost all the declarers in 6NT made the contract. Eric and Lin even took all the tricks. Kill were the only pair to avid all the defensive pitfalls and defeat 6NT for E-W top.
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6NT N +1 by Eric; 6NT S +1 by Lin
6NT N = by John and Kevin; 6NT S = by Bev
3NT N +3 vs Cinise
3NT N +2 vs Harter
6NT N -1 vs Kill
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17: This N-S game ran into a nasty trump split:
?
A864
AK103
A72
A3
?
K10952
Q86
108
1065
?
I expected everyone to be in 4S but contracts were 3H N, 3S S and 6S S along with 4S S thrice and 4S N twice (upgrades to a 2NT opening bid, leading to a transfer.
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6S is not without play; if the spades and hearts both behave, there are twelve tricks. Not one we would want to bid but we have seen many worse. Hearts were 3-3 but, alas, west held all four trumps, which ought to have held spade contracts to ten tricks. Three E-W pairs posted one-trick sets of three different contracts for a share of top, Kill against 3H, May against 4S and Leighry against 6S. Kevin took eleven tricks in 4S N (was he allowed to sneak a spade past West? or was he able to ruff a club loser in hand and draw trumps with only one loser in time to discard dummy's diamond loser on the fourth heart?) for N-S top.
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4S N +1 by Kevin
4S N = by Study; 4S S = by Wendy and Bev
3S S +1 vs Cinise
3H N -1 vs Kill; 4S S -1 vs May; 6S S -1 vs Leighry
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18: Here was another surprise double game swing:
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...............AKQJ9
...............104
...............97
...............8532
54.........................3
AJ32....................Q965
AKQ108...............5432
109.......................K764
...............108762
...............K87
...............J6
...............AQJ
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P-P-1D-1S; X and then the auction reaches at least 3S. I suppose West might bid 4H over a 3S raise and N-S might be too afraid of the vulnerability to go higher. I'm not sure if West goes to the four-level over a 2D cue-bid from South. We had contracts of 3S N twice, 4D W, 4H W, 4S N twice, 4S S and 5D W.
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E-W just have a 4H make if declarer runs the queen on the first or second round, pinning the ten. Another way to play the suit is to finesse the jack and then play the ace if that wins. 4S ought not to make, though, even after a diamond lead. As long as East saves the club king the hearts will have to be lost in time. But John and Breta made 4S to finish with a flourish, while Bill made 4H the other way.
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4S N = by John; 4S S = by Breta
3S N + by Kevin and Gwen
4D W -1 by Harold; 5D W -1 by Lynn
4S N -1 vs Marudy
4H W = by Bill
