1: Two partials, one slam:
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...............AQ954
...............76
...............95
...............KQ32
1072......................KJ63
QJ10983...............A42
J3..........................KQ4
107........................A54
...............8
...............K5
...............A108762
...............J986
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Owen got to play 2Dx after the auction 1S-1NT-2D-X intended as a transfer to hearts. After a 1NT overcall 2D shows a hand too weak to begin with a penalty double. 6H was reached after a misclick - West bid 5H instead of 4H. After a pass by North East reached a placid 2H when North did not find a way into the auction.
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The heart contract both took nine tricks. Owen might have been able to make an overtrick in 2Dx but didn't need it.
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2Dx S = by Owen
6H W -3 vs Melen
2H E +1 by Irene
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2: 1100 Club Entry:
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...............A32
...............854
...............7643
...............J43
105........................KQJ864
KQJ2.....................963
J1092....................5
AQ7.......................1096
...............97
...............A107
...............AKQ8
...............K852
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After 2S-X started the auction, West eventually competed to 3S, which twice ended the auction. One South pushed with a second double, resulting in 4Dx N.
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In spades declarer had nine or ten tricks depending on whether N-S started the clubs quickly enough. 4Dx had to go -3 but ended -4 to give Jerik a nice +1100.
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3S E = vs Owbot
3S E +1 by Irene
4Dx N -4 vs Jerik
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3: Three different partials:
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...............76
...............K5
...............K642
...............AK952
KQ43.....................J85
A1092....................J8643
7.............................AJ108
10873.....................Q
...............A1092
...............Q7
...............Q953
...............J64
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One North opened 1C and rebid 1NT, being left there. Another rebid 2D and eventually declared 3D. At the third table East entered the auction with a double on the second round, leading to 2H W.
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Hearts has a gorgeous layout and 2H made four in comfort. 3D was only -1 despite the 4-1 trumps. 1NT N can actually make if declarer begins clubs with the ace, but declarer somehow finished -2.
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3D N -1 by Zeena
1NT N -2 vs Jerik
2H W +2 by Bob
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Leaders: Jerik-Owbot 4, Zeerry-Ibot 3
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4: E-W club partials:
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...............J1094
...............J87
...............10875
...............J4
6...........................A872
Q3........................965
K963....................AJ4
KQ10985.............A72
...............KQ53
...............AK1042
...............Q2
...............63
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One West opened 3C and played the hand there. East might have taken a shot at 3NT; South would have had to lead two top hearts and North would have had to unblock the jack on either round for a set. Otherwise East opened 1C in third seat, South overcalled and West raised clubs. At both those tables South let 2C go.
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For some reason two declarers dropped the diamond queen instead of taking the finesse. The finesse gave Melen the N-S top.
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2C E +2 vs Melen
2C E +3 by Irene; 3C?W +2 by Harry
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5: Points even, game possible:
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...............Q976532
...............----
...............AJ107
...............75
104............................K
KQ84........................J975
Q854.........................K32
J64............................AK1092
...............AJ8
...............A10632
...............96
...............Q83
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One North opened 2S. East doubled and E-W competed to 4H. South doubled but North pulled the double to 4S and was doubled there. The other two pairs reached 4S N and 3S N.
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Why both the 4S contracts took eleven tricks I cannot say, but as long as everyone took at least the ten that were always available it made no difference.
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4Sx N +1 by Myron
4S N +1 by Jim
3S N +1 vs Zeerry
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6: N-S hearts; E-W diamonds:
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...............109
...............AKQ87
...............64
...............AJ108
J853........................AQ6
94............................J102
J8732......................AKQ105
97............................Q2
...............K742
...............653
...............9
...............K6543
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East opened 1D and North balanced in hearts. This put East in a tricky spotwith a balanced hand and no heart stopper, but persisting in diamonds let West perhaps make a delayed entrance into the auction, but there were five sure losers so that 3D was the highest the pair could go with safety. Contracts were 1H N when East declined to continue, 2D E and 4D E.
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Again the layout is just gorgeous for hearts; declarer can take eleven tricks but ten were just as good in this case, as the pair defending 4D dropped a trick and posted only -1. Irene's quiet 2D = was good enough for E-W top.
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1H N +3 by Owen
4D E -1 vs Melen
2D E = by Irene
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Leaders: Ibot 7.5, Melen 7, Zeerry-Owbot 6.5
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7: Another possible N-S game:
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...............A62
...............J7543
...............42
...............K105
753........................KQJ1094
AQ102...................9
Q1076....................93
82..........................J743
...............8
...............K86
...............AKJ85
...............AQ96
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?N-S have the values for 4H but may be kept out of it by the 2S overcall. 1D-P-1H-2S; 3C gives North enough of a problem even if West does not bid 3S. Contracts were scattered: 3C S, 4H N and 5Dx S.
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4H can make but requires something of a guess in the play. Assuming the lead of the king of spades, declarer wins the ace and then has to play two rounds of clubs before taking the second spade ruff and leading the heart king. Either West or South gets stuck on lead; if declarer takes only one club before the second spade ruff West exits in clubs and the only way back to the North hand is with a diamond ruff, allowing West a killer force. Take two clubs and West will have no black cards, eventually forcing West to lead a diamond into dummy. Harold made 4H while both the contracts in minors were set, the spades proving too big an obstacle.
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4H N = by Harold
3C S -2 vs Ibot; 5Dx S -1 vs Owbot
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8: Possible N-S game:
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...............AK8
...............106
...............A954
...............Q954
QJ1052..................73
972........................AQ8
J63........................KQ10872
83..........................72
...............964
...............KJ543
...............----
...............AKJ106
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I'd like to see this hand in a bidding competition to see how many N-S pairs could find 4H, which is so much better than 3NT. The auction likely goes 1D-P (what else?)-1H-P; 1NT-P and then South may well stop in 3NT or perhaps try the IMPish 5C. Contracts were 2NT N, 3C S and 3NT N (our group was a bit on the conservative side).
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3NT N can be defeated easily enough but Harold made it after East did not continue with a second diamond or even lead a diamond at all. Any other suit gives declarer twelve tricks, which Harold posted, but nine would have been enough for the top board. 2NT received a similar error in defending but declarer took only nine tricks. This allowed 3C +3 to sneak in for the middle score.
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3NT N +3 by Harold
3C S +3 by Erik
2NT N +1 vs Ibot
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9: Everyone went down:
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...............J65
...............J7
...............AKQJ54
...............J7
1098........................AK732
9864........................AKQ102
762...........................----
965..........................Q83
...............Q4
...............53
...............10983
...............AK1042
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Does East continue after 1D-2D-3D-P; P? The three-level is safe; the four-level is not, although East has practically game in hand and cannot be faulted for trying; a doubleton with West could be enough. Contracts were 4D N, 4H E and 5Hx W.
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4H can technically be made if the club lead is not found. If, say, North leads a diamond, East ruffs with the ten, trumps are drawn and then declarer leads one high spade. If South ducks, a low spade follows and South on lead cannot catch the club queen. If South unblocks, West can cross to hand and finesse North for the spade jack. It would be a bit much to expect such a line of play. The heart declarers both took nine tricks, while on defence E-W cashed four winners in the majors. The Law underperformed slightly because N-S held 2-2 hearts and E-W 3-3 clubs.
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5Hx W -2 vs Jerik
4H E -1 vs Melen
4D N -1 vs Zeerry
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Leaders: Ibot 12, Jerik-Owbot 9
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10: Probable spade game:
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...............----
...............K953
...............AK1082
...............A876
874.............................Q105
AQ84..........................1076
QJ75...........................964
32................................QJ104
...............AKJ9632
...............J2
...............3
...............K95
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Here I wondered if anyone would reach 3NT. South bid, rebid and re-rebid spades. One auction ended in 3S S. One North tried 3NT but South corrected back to spades; at the third table over 3S North raised to 4S.
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3NT actually has better chances of making than one may think; the heart nine is a star card. If East leads the club queen declarer can establish three tricks in the suit and then the defenders will have to be extremely careful not to get busy quickly in hearts. Straightforward play in spades netted eleven tricks to Bob but the other two declarers only took ten.?
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4S S +1 by Bob
4S S = by Irene
3S S +1 vs Zeerry
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11: Possible slam:
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...............J853
...............----
...............AQ109864
...............KQ
942..............................AQ
A95..............................7642
J752.............................K3
763...............................J9852
...............K1076
...............KQJ1083
...............----
...............A104
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After 1H-2D, South can reasonably jump to 3H to show the semi-solid suit, which is good enough to play opposite a void. If North bids spades at that point, the side has found?its optimal trump suit, though North is unlikely to think so. One pair got to the ambitious 6S N. One settled for 3NT S and the third ended in the anti-Fredda contract of 5D N.
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Ambitious as it was, 6S had the layout it needed - trumps that would behave for one loser and hearts establishing with one ruffing finesse. The queen of clubs was declarer's undoing; without it the plan is easy to form but North got distracted by having a second club winner in hand and got the communications muddled. 3NT took a placid eleven tricks and 5D nine, although it seems either contract could have taken ten.?
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3NT S +2 by Bob
6S N -1 vs Owbot
5D N -2 vs Zeerry
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12: Spades vs diamonds:
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...............1062
...............Q10764
...............5
...............AQ82
Q43.......................A8
K953.....................J2
Q10872.................A963
6............................KJ973
...............KJ975
...............A8
...............KJ4
...............1054
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This looks like a balancing situation: P-P-1C-1S; X-2S-P-P and West can either double again or come in with 2NT, correcting 3C to 3D. One South was left in 2S, but two E-W pairs competed and took the bid in 3D W and 4D E.
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Entries may be a bit sticky, but 3D seems to have a chance, although the defence can always hold the contract by starting with two rounds of hearts; South cannot be prevented?from ruffing a heart with the diamond jack. But spade leads allowed a make with little drama. 2S was a bit of a hot mess either way. It seems as if whichever side gets busier is likely to drop a trick somewhere; in the end declarer finished -1 for the middle score.
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4D E -1 vs Harob
2S S -1 vs Zeerry
3D W = by Owen
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Leaders: Ibot 14, Zeerry 13.5, Owbot-Harob 13
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13: E-W spade partials:
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...............4
...............AJ85
...............1082
...............KQ1064
AJ875.....................Q102
102..........................KQ93
A65.........................KQJ97
J87..........................9
...............K963
...............764
...............43
...............A532
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E-W really ought not to be left in 2S. After P-1D-P-1S, North might pass, double or bid 2C. 2C allows a Support Double, double a Support Redouble. If North passes 2S is the least of evils but then North should balance. 2C will be raised to 3C and then it is just a question of whether West competes three-over-three with eight trumps. It looks as if even a double will get the auction to three, with the possible exception of P-1D-P-1S; X-XX-2C-2S, even though North's initial pass should make 3C quite safe. At the tables only one West was pushed to 3S; the others were left in 2S. (West might think of game but the Losing Trick Count is high.)
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The layout is so favourable for spades that the balancing or lack thereof ought not to matter. The club ruffs are largely an illusion as the good diamonds will take care of the club losers if turmps can be drawn. Indeed South with the strong K9xx in trumps may well overtake the first club to lead another and force dummy; otherwise eleven tricks seem possible. Declarer could easily get bogged down after a force, though the defensive top of 2S -1 seems at least one trick more than plausible. Erik took ten tricks and Bob nine in the other partials.
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2S W -1 vs Melen
2S W +1 by Bob
3S W +1 by Erik
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14: Everyone played?2D N:
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...............Q952
...............2
...............AKJ1092
...............J4
A73............................1064
10874.........................AK5
753.............................864
KQ2............................A873
...............KJ8
...............QJ963
...............Q
...............10965
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It appears that the auction always began with North's opening 1D in fourth seat. P-P-P-1D; P-1H-P-1S; P-1NT-P-2D seems plausible enough. It was just as well that East did not open 1C; if South passed 1C-P-1H-2D; X would get E-W into an awkward position.
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Although any result other than nine tricks for declarer seems odd, all three declarers finished with different trick counts -ten for Myron, eight for Irene and seven against Darik. I can account for ten tricks if East leads the club ace and the defence try three rounds of the suit and never lead a heart, but eight and seven remain a mystery.
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2D N +2 by?Myron
2D N = by Irene
2D N -1 vs Darik
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15: Equal points but N-S game:
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...............53
...............9652
...............AQ5
...............A1094
104..............................K8
AQ73...........................KJ
J974............................10832
Q73.............................KJ652
...............AQJ9762
...............1084
...............K6
...............8
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Can N-S find the close game? Without a heart lead declarer should have ten tricks easily and if E-W do cash their hearts off the top declarer still has?nearly an even chance in the spades.?Possibly if North rebids after 1S-1NT; 2S South will like the six-loser hand enough to go to 4S but I suspect many will see the hand as having done quite enough already. One South did venture to game in a competitive auction; E-W took the sacrifice in 5C, while the other contracts were 2S and 3S.
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With nobody else in game -2 would have been enough against 5Cx. Melen posted -4, enough even if both other tables had been in game. Without a heart lead both declarers in spade partials took eleven tricks.
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5Cx E -4 vs Melen
2S S +3 vs Darik, 3S S +2 vs Harob
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Leaders: Harob-Ibot 16.5, Melen 15.5
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16: E-W choice of game:
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...............A102
...............74
...............98753
...............Q32
QJ73........................8
853..........................KQJ109
AJ6..........................KQ
AJ7..........................K10964
...............K9654
...............A62
...............1042
...............85
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?After West opened it was just a question of whether E-W found and selected the 5-3 heart fit. In memory of Heve one pair opted for 3NT instead.
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3NT took the obvious ten tricks. In 4H both declarers received a club lead. Irene secured first overall when she discarded the spade loser and then drew trumps, finishing with twelve tricks. The other declarer got distracted and took only eleven.
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3NT W +1 vs Melen
4H E +1 by Harold
4H E +2 by Irene
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17: Mixed partials:
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...............76
...............108762
...............AK54
...............A10
982.........................AQJ3
A943.......................J
9..............................10872
98643.....................KQJ5
...............K1054
...............KQ5
...............QJ63
...............72
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If East opens 1C a light double from South probably leads the auction to the three-level, but 1C-1H; 1S-2C (if possible as weak preference and not a game try) likely shuts N-S out. A 1D opening bid can finish anywhere - 1S E? 1NT W? 2C E? Our contracts were 1NT W, 2C E and 2H N.
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The layout for hearts was extremely favourable, with ten tricks quite possible. Owen only needed eight for the N-S top. The layout was also kind for clubs; Dave took nine tricks with ten also possible, but nine were enough. 1NT ought to have been three down instead of two after a heart lead, another trick that made a difference overall.
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2H N = by Owen
1NT W -2 vs Zeerry
2C E +1 by Dave
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18: N-S heart game:
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...............652
...............K10962
...............----
...............AJ1043
K104........................Q9873
8..............................J43
A862........................J1093
Q9872......................K
...............AJ
...............AQ75
...............KQ754
...............65
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1D-1H; 3H-4H or even a direct raise to 4H from South occurred. One South's 4H got North to look for slam and stop in 5H; the other two N-S pairs let 4H be enough.
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After the natural diamond lead, declarer can force eleven tricks with ease by trumping three diamonds in hand or even discarding a spade on the fourth diamond. If declarer draws trumps, ten tricks appear to be the limit of the hand unless E-W discard helpfully. Myron took eleven tricks, the other declarers ten.?
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4H N?+1 by Myron
4H N = by Zeena
5H N -1 vs Harob
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Final: Ibot 20.5; Melen-Harob 19.5
