1:
?
...............K1096
...............AK943
...............104
...............Q3
Q742...........................AJ5
J108............................752
A76.............................K9852
A86.............................94
...............83
...............Q6
...............QJ3
...............KJ10752
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This was a version of the Flannery Death Hand. Playing 1NT forcing, what does North rebid after 1H-1NT? Norths came up with three different answers at the table. 2H seems the smallest lie; it was chosen once and ended the auction. Two Norths rebid 2C. One may have had an uneasy moment when South passed; the other surprisingly was able to pass a raise to 3C, an even sterner test. The last two reversed into 2S. South bid 3C both times. One North passed; the other instinctively retreated to 3NT. One North did have a Flannery 2D opening available, resulting in a contract of 2H S without any stress.
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The club contracts were the least interesting. If West leads a spade through E-W have five tricks. A little surprisingly the one declarer who didn't take eight tricks took seven instead of nine. Declarer can make 2H by force because E-W run out of things to lead. If E-W could cash their five winners and then lock?North in hand that would work, but West has to duck the first club. That lets declarer draw trumps before West takes the club ace; then one by one the side suits become untouchable; either East or West will have to let South in or lead the third spade.
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The fate of 3NT S was instructive. West found the diamond lead, although a spade to the jack and a diamond switch would have made all things clear. Had North's diamonds been QJx Eastbot might have found the duck but the bot won the king, returned the five-spot and then played the deuce on the third round. West won the second club and switched to a heart, giving Paul ten tricks instead of six - all because of the diamond deuce. The nine would have been a strong signal for a spade return when West got in.
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2:
?
...............J96
...............43
...............KQ1092
...............A92
KQ103.........................85
Q82.............................AKJ10765
AJ875..........................64
J...................................43?
...............A742
...............9
...............3
...............KQ108765
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A 4H opening bid might well have ended the auction. Almost everyone finished in 4H, although I saw one auction of 3H-4C-4H; how does North pass that? One N-S pair found 5C, doubled by West.
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4H makes in comfort; the hand came down to the play in 5Cx and whether declarer would finish -1 or -2. West led a heart to East, who returned a spade. South won the ace, a natural response out of fear of a singleton. But, if South is setting a target, it has to be -1 because of the vulnerability. Once South played the spade ace, Jeff was able to cash both spade winners for -2 and the E-W top. But ducking the first spade means that West cannot lead the suit again and East does not have another entry. Declarer wins, say, a heart return, draws trumps and leads the diamond singleton. If West wins North's diamonds provide discards for South's low spades; if West ducks declarer does not lose a diamond. -1 either way and the top score. At equal vulnerability the ace would have been the correct play because -2 would be the target. Ducking risks -3 if East's spade is a singleton and at equal vulnerability -3 is the result to avoided if at all possible while -2 is still on the good side.
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10:
?
...............J108
...............32
...............AQJ104
...............J83
K942.....................75
KQ1094.................J875
K............................9532
762.........................A104?
...............AQ63
...............A6
...............876
...............KQ95
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This hand looks like a lot of trouble for N-S. South opens 1NT and it is difficult for North to stay out of 3NT with the powerful diamonds. Five of the six N-S pairs played in no-trumps, usually 3NT, although one pair had the good luck to stop in 2NT. Only Pauise avoided no-trumps altogether, after 1NT-2D (both majors)-P-2H; P-P-3D.
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In 3NT after a heart lead declarer has a choice of plays that is much more frequent at matchpoints than IMPs. South soon learned that there were five diamond tricks after the inevitable heart lead. At that point, if hearts were 5-4, declarer could play for a safe -1 by knocking out the club ace or try for either nine or ten tricks by taking the spade finesse. At IMPs one would naturally play for the make. At matchpoints it looks as if -1 may make the better target, unless one thinks that not many pairs will go to game. Declarer in 2NT and one (I think) of the declarers in 3NT took seven tricks; I dislike 2NT -1 as declarer does not want the spade finesse to work, which allows 3NT to make. The safer play for the probable make would have taken advantage of the stop.
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3D had ten tricks after a heart lead, eleven after a spade, giving Louise the N-S top either way.
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12:
?
...............J754
...............KJ3
...............103
...............K942
KQ98......................3
74............................Q985
K985.......................J742
J63 .........................10875
...............A1062
...............A1062
...............AQ6
...............AQ
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2NT from South and then Stayman at most tables ending in 4S. Only Kevin raised directly to 3NT instead of using Stayman. The side was known to have a little extra in values and there was a chance that the spades would be weak if there were a 4-4 spade fit.
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On paper the hand rates to be a win for 4S, as the contract makes by force while 3NT can be held to nine trick, although, if the opening lead is a diamond, declarer can force ten tricks if the opening lead is the five-spot; this is because the only way for West to reach East's hand is with that card; if West leads the five, then 5/10/J/Q and East never gets in again; declarer with a correct heart guess can cash six tricks in hearts and clubs, then get off led with ace and another diamond and West will have to lead spades. But Jeff received an opening spade lead, which gave him ten tricks by force, and eventually he picked up an eleventh. 4S can reasonably be defeated. Club to ace and queen, heart to king, club king, diamond to queen and king, diamond to ten/jack/ace, diamond ruff, spade to ten and queen is reasonable enough but probably puts declarer into an untenable position whichever red suit West returns. Nobody in spades ever took more than ten tricks, giving Jevin an easy N-S top.
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13:
?
...............986432
...............A9764
...............----
...............AQ
Q10..........................KJ
1032.........................KQ85
J1032.......................AKQ
KJ106.......................9754
...............A75
...............J
...............987654
...............832
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The North hand surpasses the requirements of the Rule of Twenty and 1S was opened five times. Two Easts overcalled 1NT and played the hand there; both South and North really disliked being vulnerable, although both sides vulnerable is the most conducive to passing; 1NT -2 beats 2S = or +1; 1NT = beats 2S -1. Three Easts doubled, those auctions ending in contracts of 3S N, 3Sx N and 4C W. The last auction began P-1C and finished in 3H E. There is a strong case for North to look for or even just jump to game opposite a single raise, as the six small spades improve drastically opposite support. AKx xxx xxxx xxx or Axx Kxx xxxx xxx both offer?fine play for game and the actual South hand is quite good as well.
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Declarer can force eleven tricks in spades with the 2-2 trumps and the 4-3 hearts, not to mention the successful club finesse. Declarer in 3Sx +1 was N-S top, but 3S +2 was below average, as 3H and 4C finished -4 and -3 for hefty vulnerable penalties, even undoubled. Curiously, playing in 1NT proved to be the best E-W could do, although N-S could force eight tricks. One declarer escaped for -1 when South did not lead a club through and Owen was E-W top taking a gaudy nine tricks when N-S never established their spades.
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17:
?
...............63
...............94
...............KJ1065
...............J1086
AKJ5...........................7
106..............................AQJ875
A98.............................Q742
Q973...........................A2
...............Q109842
...............K32
...............3
...............K54
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This hand from the last round had a 3-3 split among the choice of contract (or denomination) hands as opposed to 5-1. East opened 1H and South overcalled, 2S being more popular than 1S. West naturally went to 3NT. This was left in thrice and pulled, finishing in 4H, thrice.
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Although East could discard the club loser in 4H, the diamond lead makes it impossible to do everything needed for the overtrick; ducking produces an immediate ruff and winning means the cord to dummy is cut by a spade lead when South gets in with the heart king. Dorbot, Study and Jevin all defended 4H = to tie for N-S top while in 3NT Breta and Paul took ten tricks and Jim eleven.
