1:
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...............A
...............AK2
...............AKJ103
...............K1053
95..............................K843
QJ875.......................109
7................................9864
A9842.......................Q86
...............QJ10762
...............643
...............Q52
...............J
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After 2C by North, eleven Souths responded 2D and two bid 2S. The suit is not far off the quality needed for a 3S response, a sort of semi-positive that should show a suit playable opposite a low singleton and with some agreed limitation on outside controls. The 2S responses both excited opener and the pairs finished in slam, 6NT N at one table and 6D N at the other. Only one pair finished in slam after 2C-2D, also finishing in 6NT N. Four pairs won the bidding contest and arrived in 4S S.
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6D almost makes. In order to dispose of the heart loser a club must be led from dummy if E-W don't oblige, and the only way to do that is to lead a diamond to the queen. Unfortunately East can ruff the third heart higher than dummy, as the queen will already have been removed. Too bad, as the club queen's dropping is helpful. Slams all had to fail, with Boric taking the E-W top defending 6NT N -4. 4S +1 split the N-S top between Connie, Eileen, Sarah and Jamie. 4S requires a little care not to allow West a diamond ruff.
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3:
?
...............94
...............KQJ9
...............AK4
...............AJ103
1053.......................AKQ62
10843.....................62
32...........................10765
8752.......................96
...............J87
...............A75
...............QJ98
...............KQ4
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If East were to pass throughout the hand would be a bit of a trap for N-S as, after 1D-1H; 1NT, North would likely go at least to 4NT, and then what? As it was, though, east almost always overcalled 1S. Would N-S pairs avoid 3NT and find their top matchpoint spot of 4H? Seven pairs managed to do so, likely helped if South was able to make use of the Support Double. Pharah, for instance, had the auction 1D-P-1H-1S; X-P-4H.
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The play in 4H began with East's leading the top three spades and declarer's ruffing the third round. Because neither North nor South held the heart ten there is a case for ruffing even at IMPs. With KQJ10 in hearts North could discard on the third spade, planning to ruff a possible fourth spade from East with the ace, draw trumps and claim, catering to a 4-2 trump split. Here declarer came out all right ruffing, as East had the spade length and West had the thirteenth trump. Discarding on the third spade gives up the overtrick if hearts are 3-3 and one still risks going down if East holds four trumps and West holds either the ten-spot or eight-spot, to be able to overruff on the third spade and force a trump from North. In the end 4H = created a large tie for N-S top between Georgette, Eileen, Dianne, Kieli, George, Laurie and Sarah.
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8:
?
...............543
...............QJ43
...............J8
...............9543
AQ82......................KJ7
1052........................876
K63.........................AQ742
Q72.........................J6
...............1096
...............AK9
...............1095
...............AK108
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This one had various possibilities. If East opened 1D, it seemed important that, if South passed, East should also pass a 1S response. Rebidding 1NT got East raised to 2NT, a settable contract. 3D was also played a couple of times after a rebid. One interesting auction was P-P-1D-X; XX-1H-P-P; 1NT-P-P-2H; X. North did not have to bid 1H, but, as hearts were the hand's best suit, there was no particular helpful thing about passing. West might just as easily have bid 1S instead of 1NT. South's 2H was doubtful; North is marked with a weak hand from the auction and did not opt to compete to 2H over 1NT. West's double of 2H apparently was meant to convey that the hand was a maximum pass as dealer, but risked conveying the message that West had an active desire to defend hearts. It turned out lucky, however, as a pass of 2H might have led to 3D from East. At least one East passed, resulting in 1NT S.
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Conndy and Pheileen took their five tricks as N-S to go plus. E-W took their nine tricks against 1NT S, which might have been top except that Marcia's gamble paid off. After the top clubs, had South switched to hearts 2NT could also have been defeated but Marcia's LHO played a third club and she cashed out for ten tricks and E-W top on +180. 2Hx finished -1 with 3-3 trumps. Declarer just had to be careful after being forced in diamonds to clear the clubs before drawing trumps.
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10:
?
...............Q982
...............KJ875
...............Q9
...............43
K7543...................J
1032......................Q96
K5.........................A7632
KJ6.......................A972?
...............A106
...............A4
...............J1084
...............Q1085
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A majority of tables, eight, passed the hand out. Two Easts opened 1D, leading to contracts of 1NT E and 2NT E. Three Wests opened 1S, leading to 1NT E twice and 3D E.
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3D is always -1 whether South gets a heart ruff or not. Declarer can always piece together seven tricks in no-trumps, which was managed two times out of four. Kevin was the only declarer to go plus, picking up E-W top while +100 shared N-S top between Nanbot, Keianne, Conndy and Linj.
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11:
?
...............A10873
...............AQ
...............Q1083
...............82
KQ...........................64
K5............................10762
AK964.....................J75
AKJ5........................Q1076?
...............J952
...............J9843
...............2
...............943
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It looked as if East might just be able to avoid temptation and stop after 2C-2D; 2NT, but the only East to pass on that sequence was Louise's Eastbot. Two Wests rebid 3D instead of 2NT and got passed there, a dangerous thing for East to do. 3NT W was played nine times, with a thirteenth contract of 4C W.
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Par in either minor was nine tricks, seven in no-trumps>North would have to discard a spade on the run of the clubs defending no-trumps, but, even if West does not try the diamonds, N-S can still cash six tricks; North can reach South in spades to cash the third heart. But the line of defence was just tricky enough that only Nanbot, Marudy and Haorge posted 3NT -2. Phoebe was E-W top in 3NT +1 when North, determined not to play the second spade, won the diamond queen, then got off lead with ace and queen of hearts.
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13:
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...............QJ3
...............KJ642
...............65
...............973
6..........................10854
AQ83...................5
J83......................K9742
KQ1086...............J52
...............AK972
...............1097
...............AQ10
...............A4
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No auction occurred more than twice on this hand. South opened 1NT five times. The hand should be upgraded out of a 15-17 HCP 1NT with the prime cards and good five-card major. 1NT led to 3C W twice, 2H N, 2H S and 3H S. After the eight 1S opening bids, three Wests doubled and five overcalled 2C. Two auctions with a double went P-P-1S-X; 2S-3D-3S; the third ended after the raise to 2S. South might have bid 3H over 3D as an invitation to 4S. After the 2C overcalls, North raised to 2S every time. Four Souths bid 3S over 2S; two Norths advanced from 3S to 4S. The last auction was P-P-1S-2C; 2S-P-P-X; P-3C-3S.
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4S did not make; West can always block the hearts. Without a club opening lead (or a heart ruff off the top) Henry was able to take twelve tricks in 3S, which tied Hank (V)'s 2H S +4 for the best declaring result. Hearts can be held to ten tricks by a club lead; South can be forced and then West will get a second trump trick. Kielbot was N-S top defending 3C -3, although Don made 3C for E-W top. 3C can be set by force.
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14:
?
...............82
...............53
...............Q96
...............AK10875
K109.......................A6
6..............................AKQ10982
KJ10743..................A85
QJ2..........................9?
...............QJ7543
...............J74
...............2
...............643
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The East hand qualifies for a 2C opening bid. With normal breaks the hand is within one trick of game and has more than sufficient high-card strength and controls. The great stylistic question of whether to open 1H or 2C may be a case of which risk one holds to be greater - missing slam after opening 1H or reaching a bad slam after opening 2C. Seven of the thirteen E-W pairs reached slam, with a 4-3 margin among those pairs of a 1H opening bid. After a 1H opening bid, East may have a tough time of it if West responds 1NT. A jump shift to 3D just to create a game force looks likely to reach slam; otherwise East likely rebids 4H and it is tough for West to budge over that. Here the slam is close; whether or not it is bid may well depend on whether West gets the diamonds into the auction, as seen in the auctions of Paun and Jevin. Paun's auction was 2C-2S-X(control showing)-P; 3H-P-4D-P; 6H. West's holding a diamond suit is the fastest way for E-W to find twelve tricks; xxx xxx KQJx xxx would be enough to make 6H a sitter. Jevin's auction was 1H-2S-3D-P; 7H, a jump worthy of Fredda Kelly herself.
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Slam in hearts was close. Paul took all thirteen tricks after a lead of the singleton diamond, but, after a non-diamond lead, some declarers failed. Indeed, had the auction begun 2C-P-2D-3C, declarer might have expected South to hold the diamond length. Kevin made 7H after lead of the spade queen, which gave him a choice of successful lines. Even after a trump lead, though, I expect he'd have gone with the odds and finessed North for the diamond queen, South's 2S jump and three hearts giving inferential odds of 9-4 in favour of North's holding the diamond queen.
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17:
?
...............A109
...............Q7
...............AKQJ6
...............652
KQ743.....................5
952..........................AKJ1043
85............................10942
J94..........................KQ
...............J862
...............86
...............73
...............A10873
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I include this hand almost entirely because it bears a remarkable resemblance to a hand from the past. One East overcalled 3H after North opened 1NT; nine of the ten declarers in hearts took nine tricks. Declarer can prepare to discard a diamond on a black-suit winner. N-S have an interesting way to prevent a discard by playing three diamonds off the top; South ruffs the third diamond with the six-spot to force the nine. If declarer then tries to establish a black suit, North can lead a fourth diamond and South can ruff with the eight-spot. But East gets out all right by leading a trump to hand and then ruffing the fourth diamond.
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The hand of which this reminded me was one from years ago when defending 6H E; West held 952 in trumps and South 863. Declarer's trumps were AKQJ10. One trick had already been lot and declarer needed to ruff two losing clubs, a suit in which South and West both began with doubletons. South could have trumped the third club with the six-spot to force the nine, then ruff the fourth club high with the ace. But declarer drew one round of trumps before taking the first ruff in dummy and South found, to his horror, that on the first round of trump he had automatically followed suit with the six to show three trumps. Left with the 83 in front of dummy's 95, he was helpless and the slam made.
