1:
?
...............K64
...............A9
...............A976
...............10875
10.............................J953
KQ103......................8
QJ54.........................1032
AK92........................QJ643
...............AQ872
...............J76542
...............K8
...............----
?
South has a slightly awkward time of it in third seat and is better off opening 1S instead of 1H. When North responds with Drury, South has a sufficiently low loser count to accept. One pair did reach 4S S, with the other two pairs in 3H S and 3S S.
?
4S looks okay when declarer sees dummy and 4H looks even better. Ten tricks are easy enough in hearts, especially if South takes a high spade first and then leads a low spade through West before starting trumps. 4S similarly wants to start hearts. It is not surprising with the two 4-1 splits that declarers all underperformed. Donbot defending 4S -1 and Harob defending 3S -1 tied for top when declarer played trumps before the side suit. Steve made 3S for N-S top.
?
3S S =
3H S -1; 4S S -1
?
2:
?
...............1043
...............Q63
...............A1042
...............A105
K5.........................Q62
AKJ95...................1074
KQ96.....................J3
96 .........................KQ732
...............AJ987
...............82
...............875
...............J84
?
This was fairly straightforward. One E-W pair managed to stop after 1H-2H, but the other Wests at least invited and had the invitation accepted.
?
The play was straightforward as well. Declarers had the three aces to lose and the trump finesse. There was a chance of losing a fifth trick - declarer might trump the third diamond, then run the heart ten, allowing South an overruff on the fourth diamond. But all three declarers took nine tricks, giving Donbot the E-W top.
?
4H W -1 (2)
2H W +1
?
3:
?
...............----
...............AJ962
...............A87654
...............104
AQ104..................95
K5.........................1043
KQ10932..............----
J ...........................AKQ98763
...............KJ87632
...............Q87
...............J
...............52
?
This one was quite the free-for-all. One South opened 3S and was left in it, something only a Robot would do. A 3NT overcall by West would have been fascinating had it been left in, but West ended up in 6NT - curiously, not doubled. The third auction saw E-W in a bit of a ping-pong match, finishing in 5D W, which was much more reasonably left undoubled, as there was a tolerable chance of a decent runout.
?
All the contracts failed. No-trumps declared by West is perhaps the most interesting - the most effective opening lead is a club, forcing declarer to take club tricks right off the top and squeezing the hand. The best West can do is to take ten tricks, so long as North reads West's discards carefully and keeps the third card in whichever red suit West abandons. Maurie posted 6NT -2 for the middle score. Heve were N-S top defending 5D W -3, taking their expected five tricks. Donbot went plus defending 3S S -2. They could have done one trick better, but Don overruffed a ruff with the spade jack and missed a chance to score a trick with the four-spot. But it made no difference, as even allowing an overtrick would have been the E-W top.
?
5D W -3
6NT W -2
3S S -2
?
Leaders: Donbot-Heve 5.5, Maurie-Harob 3
?
4:
?
...............43
...............Q73
...............K6432
...............KJ8
J10962..................AQ8
AJ10......................K842
J5...........................Q1087
Q74........................103
...............K75
...............965
...............A9
...............A9652
?
No East opened in third seat. The auction might have been P-P-1D-P; 1S-P-P-2C, perhaps ending there or going on to 2S or 3C. 3C should fail if E-W can cash their hearts early; declarer lacks the entries to ruff a spade and draw all the trumps when the suit must be finessed through West as well; the upshot is that West will get to overruff a diamond. 2S might make, although that will require a correct guess of the hearts. The only auction with a bid saw South open 1C in fourth seat and declare 1NT.
?
1NT had eight tricks with the two black suits behaving, but any plus was enough to give Louise N-S top.
?
1NT S +1
Passed Out (2)
?
5:
?
...............10843
...............J8765
...............J9
...............109
K975.....................2
A9.........................1042
Q4.........................K87653
KJ765....................Q42
...............AQJ6
...............KQ3
...............A102
...............A83
?
One East opened 2D in second seat and eventually declared 3D. As the other contracts were 2NT S and 3H S, it seems almost certain that South opened 2NT at both those tables, left in once, and transferred into 3H S the other time.
?
3H turns out to be right-sided when declared by South. E-W can get a spade ruff only at the cost of their normal spade trick. Declarer must come to at least nine tricks, and Steve took ten. 2NT is set by a club lead, Miken producing that normal result. Harold played 3D, which could have finished -2 against proper defence. Unfortunately South began with the spade ace when either a heart or club was required, then continued with the ace of diamonds and Harold could no longer be set. He even emerged with an overtrick when the hearts were delayed until the clubs were established.
?
3H S +1
2NT S -1
3D E +1
?
6:
?
...............87
...............J7542
...............KQ6
...............A105
A109642...........QJ
63......................KQ
72......................AJ43
J43....................KQ982
...............K53
...............A1098
...............10985
...............76
?
I wondered if I would see a downgrade to a 1NT opening bid, but that did not happen. One auction was 1C-2S; 4S; the others began 1C-1S; 2NT, left in once and finishing in 4S the other time.
?
4S is troubled by the trump blockage. After, say, a club lead, South can get a ruff, as declarer has no entry to hand to draw the third trump. This looks as if it ought, though, to come at the cost of the defensive diamond trick. The key is a pretty one. Declarer's best shot after two rounds of trumps is to lead the second club to jack and ace. Now North does NOT give South the ruff but sets up the diamond trick first and there is the set; the ruff still comes. That defence would have been a thing of beauty, especially as the timing has to be precise. Bob received the opening lead of the diamond king and that gave him the entry to hand he needed for the make; Ken also made 4S. It did not matter what Lourene did defending 2NT but they took the five tricks they could.
?
2NT E =
4S W = (2)
?
Leaders: Heve 8.5, Harob 8, Donbot 6.5, Maurie 6
?
7:
?
...............103
...............KJ96542
...............9
...............983
AKJ...........................98742
A8.............................107
10652........................A843
KQ64 ........................A10
...............Q65
...............Q3
...............KQJ7
...............J752
?
1NT from West; did North get into the auction? One North did and managed to take the bid in 3H. At the other two tables East transferred into 2S and then passed both times, a dubious call with two aces and a semi-balanced pattern.
?
Of course, having stopped in 2S, the layout was fine, with the trumps 3-2 and the queen onside. Even the 4-1 diamonds were not quite enough to do harm. If the diamonds are avoided Sout gets endplayed; if N-S start with a diamond and a ruff, South gets squeezed. Eleven tricks were possible; declarers took ten and nine. Lourene were N-S top on -140; declarer drew trumps too soon. Maurie's par score for defending against 3H was also +200, but they did better. Declarer's attempts to improve on the result turned -2 into -4.
?
2S W +1
2S W +2
3H N -4
?
8:
?
...............A72
...............J96
...............A8432
...............K9
K105......................Q864
K1042....................AQ87
KQ10......................75
Q84........................632
...............J93
...............53
...............J96
...............AJ1075
?
It seemed likely that the auction would begin 1C-1D-X-2D; 2H, with West playing 2H once and 3H once. The third contract was the unlikely 1NT E, made slightly less unlikely by the perpetrators' being Heve, who are prone to play in no-trumps with a major fit.
?
Despite the 4-4 fit, 1NT proved to be the contract with a better layout. 2H could be held to eight tricks by a club ruff. Against 1NT, even if South establishes the club suit, there is no entry to run it. N-S get only two club tricks and declarer has time to bring in three tricks in the kindly-divided spades. However, declarer has to duck a club lead to bring this about. Against Donbot declarer left the spades a little too late and did not preserve enough entries to be able to bring in the suit, resulting in 1NT =. Neither of the pairs defending against heart found the club ruff, so that both Bob and Mary scored +140.
?
1NT E =
2H W +1; 3H W =
?
9:
?
...............107
...............AKQ10
...............96
...............Q10954
A65432.................J9
43..........................J865
1084......................A72
A8..........................J732
...............KQ8
...............972
...............KQJ53
...............K6
?
North apparently didn't open, as North's doing so seems almost sure to result in a game contract. After a 1D opening from South West likely competes. Game is possible: P-P-1D-1S; X-P-1NT-P; 2NT-P-3NT is quite possible. West may overcall 2S instead. Everyone stopped short of game in three different contracts: 2NT S, 3C N and 3D S.
?
Either 3m contract could have been held to nine tricks. Both declarers took ten. Don played 3C and was still only due for nine tricks up until trick ten. East, on lead with J8 in hearts and A7 in diamonds, had to lead the diamond ace to hold Don but led the heart jack instead to give the overtrick. This tied Ken's result in 3D S. The overtricks put pressure on Louise in 2NT. She could be held to nine tricks by a spade lead, which would still be top, but underperforming would have given her a bottom. She took her nine tricks and had the top despite the overtricks in the minors.??
?
2NT S +1
3C N +1; 3D S +1
?
Leaders: Maurie-Heve 11, Lobot-Donbot 10, Harob 9.5
?
10:
?
...............103
...............A85432
...............107
...............Q54
K862......................AQ94
J97.........................K
Q.............................J95432
108763...................J9
...............J75
...............Q106
...............AK86
...............AK2
?
South opens 1NT and then it all falls on North's valuation of the hand. North might transfer to 2H and then raise to 3H as an invitation, but all three Norths opted to pass 2H.
?
The play here was as straightforward as anything all day. There are two spade losers and usually one heart loser. The spots are not there to offer any sensible alternative to leading the ace. With the usual one loser in trumps everyone took ten tricks for a flat board.
?
2H S +2 (3)
?
11:
?
...............95
...............K109853
...............A982
...............J
AQ872......................KJ106
Q...............................76
764............................J3
10985........................AKQ62
...............43
...............AJ42
...............KQ105
...............743
?
This hand was a bit hard to understand. North presumably opens 2H in third seat. This makes East a little uncomfortable. Is the action of choice to double and risk West's bidding diamonds or to bid 3C? Doubling likely gets West to 4S one way or another, but then I don't know why South didn't carry on to 5H. Perhaps if 4D could have been a fit-showing jump then North, with a secondary fit in diamonds, could have carried on to the nice sacrifice in 5H. Contracts were 3S E and 4S W twice.
?
Here is the double fit at its finest; we had a potential double game swing here, either 4H or 4S making in a breeze. Harob were N-S top for having kept from pushing E-W into game. Don received a club lead against 4S and made an overtrick for the E-W top.
?
3S E +1
4S W =
4S W +1
?
12:
?
...............AK64
...............76
...............J94
...............AK52
82........................QJ105
AKQ84................102
Q752....................A3
106.......................J8743
...............973
...............J953
...............K1086
...............Q9
?
If West passes, North opens 1NT; one West balanced with a presumably DONT 2D and was left there. One West played 2H, likely after 1H-X-1S-P; 2D-P-2H or something similar. The third auction got really out of line starting with East's rebid: 1H-X-1S-P; 2D-P-3C-P; 3H-P-4H-X.
?
Harob took their expected six tricks against 4Hx for the N-S top. Don took six tricks in 2H and tied Mary, who managed an impressive six tricks in 2D, for E-W top.
?
4Hx W -3
2D W -2; 2H W -2
?
Leaders: Donbot-Maurie-Harob 14.5, Lourene 12.5, Heve 12
?
13:
?
...............96
...............764
...............10984
...............Q1053
Q4............................853
AJ85........................KQ10932
AK............................QJ6
AKJ92......................8
...............AKJ1072
...............----
...............7532
...............764
?
2H from East and South cannot do much. West could likely have stolen a remarkably lucky top with 3NT but twice raised to 4H and once resorted to 4NT, stopping in 5H with one key card missing. This told West nothing about whether East did or didn't control spades.
?
South led the spade ace-king at every table and we had another flat board.
?
4H E +1 (2); 5H E =
?
14:
?
...............K8
...............QJ10973
...............A986
...............7
J54............................A62
AK6...........................2
752.............................KQJ103
QJ103........................A985
...............Q10973
...............854
...............4
...............K642
?
This looked reasonably easy: 1D-2NT from E-W would shut North out and East would likely accept the invitation. 3NT W was reached twice; the third contract was 4D E.
?
3NT can make by establishing the diamonds before the clubs. With hearts 6-3 and the length with North it is important to attack North's possible entry first; declarer does not mind losing the lead to South later. But Harob managed -2 and Maurie -3 against 3NT when declarer tackled the two suits in the wrong order. 4D could also make but Hank had E-W top for even -1.
?
3NT W -3
3NT W -2
4D W -1
?
15:
?
...............J4
...............J104
...............10863
...............10953
A7632....................Q8
4.............................Q7653
A42........................KQJ9
Q642......................87
...............K1095
...............AK92
...............75
...............AKJ
?
A good deal depends on whether, after South's 1C opening bid, West overcalls 1S or not. If West does not, we get something like 1C-P-P-1H; 1NT and it may end there. 1C-1S may get a disastrous 2H from East or a stopperless 1NT, which likely ends the auction. It seems that West bid all three times, as contracts were 1NT E twice and 2H E.
?
A little weirdly, the winning lead against 1NT E is a low heart (or top heart followed by a low one), establishing a third trick for N-S in the suit and providing an entry to the North hand for a spade lead through to establish two spade tricks, and all before East can get the club queen established in time. Any other start to the defence gives declarer a trick or at least a tempo. Not surprisingly, the two 1NT contracts, both succeeded, Hank emerging with eight tricks when North led a club instead of a spade at the crucial trick. 2H can also get out for -1, but all N-S have to do for that set is just cash the top clubs when they're led and wait for their four heart tricks. Harob were N-S top anyway and picked up an extra undertrick.?
?
2H E -2
1NT E =
1NT E +1
?
Leaders: Maurie-Harob 18.5, Heve 17, Donbot 16.5
?
16:
?
...............A7
...............J6
...............KQJ72
...............Q543
KJ1082.................643
K954.....................A732
1083......................A54
8............................AJ2
...............Q95
...............Q108
...............96
...............K10976
?
If East doubles 1D, West likely competes to 2S with the good five-card suit and range nearly good enough for a jump. If East passes 1D, South responds 1NT and that is likely it. Contracts were 1NT S twice and 2S W, the last after East passed 1D but doubled 1NT.
?
The layout quite suits E-W. Spade contracts take nine tricks without much trouble; both majors split 3-2 and the spade queen is onside. Bob took nine tricks in 2S as expected. 1NT S could have finished -2, which happened once for the middle score. Steve made 1NT S when the opening lead was the spade jack and West later discarded a spade on the diamonds.
?
1NT S =
1NT S -2
2S W +1
?
17:
?
...............Q
...............AKJ62
...............K985
...............Q74
AJ9........................K1042
Q97........................43
QJ2........................A1063
AK102....................J86
...............87653
...............1085
...............74
...............953
?
1H-P-P and West is good enough to double and then bid 1NT. Will East make any sort of move towards game? The one game that was bid came after East overbid and jumped to 2S in reply to the double; West then jumped to 3NT, quite reasonably. East might have made a move after 1H-P-P-X; P-1S-P-1NT, but the other two Wests were left there or even balanced with 1NT instead of a double.
?
No-trumps can take eleven tricks; if North does not lead hearts the hand gets squeezed. Everyone took eleven tricks, giving Bob E-W top and dividing N-S top between Lourene and Heve.
?
1NT W +4 (2)
3NT W +2
?
18:
?
...............J987
...............J
...............K1085
...............K875
A..........................10543
KQ765..................A93
A632.....................Q974
A93.......................Q10
...............KQ62
...............10842
...............J
...............J642
?
West opens 1H, East raises to 2H and West likely comes out with some sort of invitation. One West stopped in 2H, another finished in 3H and the last West played 4H. The third auction was 1H-2H; 3D-4H.
?
Despite the 4-1 splits in the red suits, that the singletons are jacks mitigates the bad effect. 4H makes even against a spade lead if declarer avoids leading trumps too soon. All three contracts finished with an overtrick, giving Lourene the N-S top when West led the club ace at trick eight instead of a diamond. Harob were E-W top for being the only pair in 4H.
?
2H W +1
3H W +1
4H W +1
?
Final: Harob 24.5, Heve 21.5, Maurie 18.5, Lourene-Donbot 18
