1:
?
...............J1053
...............4
...............A984
...............Q983
AKQ87................4
J5........................AK1086
QJ1063...............K752
2..........................A74
...............962
...............Q9732
...............----
...............KJ1065
?
We began with a trap hand. E-W start the auction 1H-1S; 2D; West then has a choice between 3C and 4D and likely opts for the former. The danger is that East will bid 3NT with a club stopper and that West will pass. That occurred four times. One West raised to 3D instead of bidding 3C and East passed that. West might like the hand and the diamond support enough to try 4D over 3NT, which ought to get East to go to slam; the hand has more than minimal values and fine controls; the one drawback, though a big one, is the weak trump suit, but if West does go to 4D over 3NT West ought to be prepared for that. If East shows the heart control over 4D then slam ought to be reached. In addition to 3D E and 3NT E four times, 5D E was played eight times, with only one pair in the fine 6D E.
?
Sadly the 4-0 trump split was just enough to let declarer in 6D go wrong. After a spade lead, spade ruff and diamond to the ten, declarer in 6D ruffed the other low spade and then lost control of the hand, as trumps could not be drawn, although with a 3-1 split declarer would have been fine. With trumps 4-0, declarer had to play for the 4-3 spade split that was actually there and draw trumps after one spade ruff. Jorry eventually posted -3 for N-S top. I suspect that a number of Easts gave up a heart ruff, or got bogged down with the spades, as no declarer in diamonds took twelve tricks. 5D E = was a six-way tie for top between Gloria, Betty (Y), Karen, Sandi, Nancy and Hank (B); Pheileen and Jerik defended 5D -1. Marcia was in the middle in her underbid of 3D +1, as 3NT had the par result of -1 at every table. At IMPs, declarer in 3NT would probably cash the spades and run the heart jack. That would be risky at matchpoints, but here it turns out that declarer backs into some secondary luck. After South wins the heart queen and runs clubs, South has nothing left but hearts to return and East escapes in 3NT -1 after all.
?
6D E -3
3NT E -1 (4); 5D E -1 (2)
3D E +1
5D E = (6)
?
2:
?
...............AJ
...............107
...............AQJ104
...............6543
KQ4.........................9863
653...........................AK9
87632.......................5
KJ.............................AQ1097
...............10752
...............QJ842
...............K9
...............82
?
1C from East. If West responds 1D North might be able to bid a natural 2D or might not. 1C-P-1D-2D or 1C-P-1NT-2D both seem likely to end the auction. If North passes 1NT, East might leave it in or end the auction in 2C. After 1C-P-1D-P; 1S, West might raise on KQx rather than bid 1NT with nothing in hearts (or, if 1D denies a major, East might ignore the spade suit and repeat the clubs). Getting into hearts may require a rather light 1H overcall from South on the first round. Contracts were 1S E, 1NT E twice, 1NT W five times, 2C E twice, 2D N twice, 2H S and a strange 3S W (did East double a diamond overcall for takeout?).
?
E-W can come to nine tricks in clubs in an interesting way. Declarer is in the way to take seven top winners in trumps and hearts and come to two spades when the 98 force a second winner against South's 107. N-S can force East in diamonds to prevent declarer from drawing trumps. But after a diamond ruff East can go after spades and plan on ruffing the fourth spade. N-S have to lead clubs twice to get rid of West's trumps but that gives East enough time to draw trumps and cash the fourth spade. Neither declarer in clubs found the creative line of play, finishing -1 against Troward and making against Pally. Similarly, E-W want to get rid of South's trumps if North plays in diamonds; after a trump lead South has to lead a spade at once for declarer to avoid getting locked out of dummy. Jonathan emerged as N-S top in 2D =; Linj took the par seven trick on defence. A diamond ruff gives E-W seven tricks against hearts; Dianne escaped with a middle score in 2H -1. In spades N-S have to be quite passive to let declarer take nine tricks but Jatin managed it as West (as did Arthur as East), largely as North never wanted to lead a diamond. N-S had a fairly straightforward six tricks against no-trumps, but with a chance of blockage in diamonds, especially if played by West. Wests playing 1NT were divided 3-2 taking eight tricks against seven. Leighry took their six tricks against 1NT E but Paul managed an astonishing eleven tricks. North got in with the spade ace and led the ace of diamonds. South did not unblock. North switched and on East's winners South unguarded first one major and then the other in order to keep the diamond king, letting Paul emerge with three spade tricks, three heart tricks and five club tricks.
?
2D N =
2C E -1
1NT E =; 1NT W = (2); 2C E =
2D N -1; 2H S -1
1NT W +1 (3)
1S E +2; 3S W =
1NT E +4
?
3:
?
...............6542
...............104
...............J873
...............K97
A108.........................KJ
J92............................A875
A106..........................KQ953
8532..........................QJ
...............Q973
...............KQ63
...............4
...............A1064
?
Had Lernot been playing and sitting N-S, their auction would have started 2D-2S and then E-W would have had a chance to reach the possible 3NT, which has a fair chance of making knowing South to hold a three-suited hand. If South passes, East may well open 1NT in fourth seat to avoid the rebid problem should the auction begin 1D-1S. That likely leads to 3NT E but the only game bid was 3NT W. If South opens 1C, East likely balances with a double and West does not have a terribly comfortable call (this may have been how 3NT W was reached). Contracts were 1D E twice, 1NT E, 1NT W, 2S N twice, 2NT E twice, 2NT W, 3D E thrice, 3NT W and 4D E.
?
Playing in diamonds East can force nine tricks with a good spade guess. There is a chance of?more if South leads a high heart; East can finish with eleven tricks with a lucky guess in spades and an unblock of the ten on the first round of diamonds. Diamond contracts took eight tricks once, nine tricks thrice and ten tricks twice. 3NT can also be made by force with a correct spade guess, perhaps requiring the diamond unblock as well. Rita was E-W top in 3NT W +1; declarers in partials took seven tricks, eight tricks twice and nine. N-S were doing well just for taking the bid in 2S. It would not have been reasonable to expect East to find the spade lead from KJ doubleton, but -1 was reasonable. Jim was N-S top in 2S = after first receiving a club lead and when West ducked the spade queen at trick nine, surrendering a trump winner.
?
2S N =
4D E -1
2S N -1
1D E +1; 1NT W =
1D E +2; 3D E =
1NT E +1; 2NT E =
3D E +1 (2)
2NT E +1; 2NT W +1
3NT W +1
?
4:
?
...............AJ
...............J8
...............A9842
...............KQJ3
KQ3..........................85
64.............................1097532
J10765......................3
A64...........................10852
...............1097642
...............AKQ
...............KQ
...............97
?
Erik had a rebid problem related to system. Because Jerik use 1D as a catchall opening bid, Jim did not want to rebid 2C after 1D-1S and chose 2D instead. At other tables the auctions could easily have started 1D-1S; 2C-2H as a game force, but then North would have been stuck for a rebid, lacking three spades (for 2S), a heart stopper (for 2NT), five clubs (for 3C) or six diamonds (for 3D). Which is the smallest lie? (Maybe Bill will poll the North hand and report the result.) Of course, there is the chance that North opened 1NT, which could be how two pairs found their way to slam and some others had North declaring in spades. I mentioned Erik's dilemma with the South hand because he asked what he should have rebid after 1D-1S; 2D. He chose 3S, which he thought was forcing; Jim went on to 4S. My choice would have been 2H, or 3H if 2H would have been non-forcing systemically. Contracts were 2S S, 3NT N, 3NT S four times, 4S N thrice, 4S S thrice and 6NT N twice.
?
N-S can take eleven tricks in either spades or no-trumps. If West ducks the first spade lead from South, declarer has a better chance playing the jack than playing the ace. The ace gains if East holds a singleton king or queen, about a 5.6% chance. The jack gains when East holds a low doubleton, about a 10.2% chance. The seven declarers in no-trumps took nine tricks once, ten tricks four times and eleven twice, with Phoebe N-S top in 3NT S +2, winning a diamond lead and following with a spade to the jack. Spade contracts did a bit better on the whole - ten tricks twice, eleven tricks four times and twelve tricks once, but unfortunately in 2S +4; scoring 11/13 for Linj whether they took one trick or five.
?
3NT S +2
4S N +1 (2); 4S S +1 (2)
3NT N +1; 3NT S +1 (2)
4S N =; 4S S =
3NT S =
2S S +4
6NT N -1
6NT N -2
?
5:
?
...............93
...............AKJ
...............J10965
...............943
AQ864....................K5
107643....................Q52
43............................K8
7..............................KQJ862
...............J1072
...............98
...............AQ72
...............A105
?
East has a reasonable upgrade to a 1NT opening bid with the good six-card suit, but the lack of an ace is discouraging. West's pattern makes for a reasonable drive to game, although a 3H response to show both majors in a game invitation is also plausible and likely to be passed. If the auction begins 1C-1S; 2C, West is a bit stuck. Anything other than pass or 2S is likely to lead to a multiple-trick penalty. Contracts were 2C E thrice, 2S W, 2NT E, 3C E thrice, 3D N, 3D S, 3H W, 3NT E twice and 4H W.
?
With careful management defending against clubs, N-S can take six tricks. All the club contracts failed and four pairs managed the par result of seven tricks, but E-W were at least average for stopping low. N-S could take nine tricks in diamonds by force, which Larry (St) did in 3D S, while Connie, playing from the North side, took eleven tricks when the spade honours crashed. Against hearts the best try N-S have is to cash their minor winners and keep thrusting diamonds at declarer, but West can just get the trumps drawn and come to eight tricks by not taking any ruffs in the East hand. Still, the unlikely kind layout in trumps meant that both declarers in hearts only took seven tricks, giving Boric's?+150 a score of 10/13. 2S could have been defeated, but starting with a heart ruff that they didn't need anyway left N-S unable to take two diamond tricks; Carl made 2S for the E-W top. N-S had a breezy eight tricks against no-trumps; the defending pairs took seven, eight and nine, +200 tying for N-S top for Linbot and Larbot.
?
2NT E -4; 3NT E -4
3D N +2; 3NT E -3; 4H W -3
3D S =
3C E -2; 3H W -2
2C E -1 (3); 3C E -1 (2)
2S W =
?
6:
?
...............AK82
...............J10532
...............Q103
...............8
94.........................QJ73
----........................A764
AJ9874.................6
K10943.................AQJ7
...............1065
...............KQ98
...............K52
...............652
?
Another hand well suited to Lernot, only this time opposite the best sort of responding hand, a 6-5 two-suiter. Playing a three-suited 2D opening bid, E-W bid 2D-2NT; 3D-5C. Otherwise the auction begins 1C-P-1D and then perhaps North comes in on the 5-4 pattern and the favourable distribution. If not E-W follow up 1H-3C; East can push on to game but needs to choose 5C over 3NT. N-S have a chance of playing in hearts. Contracts were 2C E, 3C E, 3C W, 3H N twice, 3H S, 3Hx N, 3NT E twice, 4C E, 4C W, 4Hx S and 5C E twice.
?
N-S need to cash their spades to take two tricks against club contracts. Jorry escaped with a one-trick set when declarer misplayed in 5C; Ken made 5C, which could have been E-W top alone. Partials in clubs took from nine to twelve tricks; Harold was one of two declarers posting +170 after a heart lead instead of a spade. A heart lead allows N-S to hold no-trumps to seven tricks but one declarer took eight and Paul tied for E-W top taking nine. Two diamond ruffs keep hearts down to seven tricks, but only Haorge found the proper line of defence against 3Hx; everyone else allowed eight.
?
3NT E -1; 5C E -1
3H N -1 (2); 3H S -1
2C E +1
4C W =
3C E +2
3C W +3; 4C E +2
3Hx N -2; 4Hx N -2
3NT E =; 5C E =
?
7:
?
...............732
...............QJ1084
...............52
...............K82
J64...........................K1098
K976.........................52
98.............................J764
Q964.........................A73
...............AQ5
...............A3
...............AKQ103
...............J105
?
It seemed as if this would be a simple auction, uncontested for N-S. 2NT-3D; 3H-3NT could have occurred at every table. But things did not go quite so smoothly. Contracts were 3D S, 3H S, 3NT S ten times, 4H S and 4S S.
?
With ideal defence N-S cannot make any game. A spade lead defeats either 4H or 3NT. In no-trumps, the North hand gets completely locked out and eventually declarer wins only two spades, one heart, four diamonds and one club. In practice, however, 3NT made every time. A club lead gives declarer a second club trick even if E-W prevent a useful entry to the North hand. Indeed, 3NT = even scored below average. Four declarers took nine tricks, two took ten and four took eleven. Phyllis, Larry (St), Henry and Hank (V). A spade lead should set 4H in a similar way; declarer ought not to be able to draw trumps and then use the last diamond winner in the South hand. But Erik took eleven tricks in 4H S. Kater at least managed to take their five tricks defending 4S -2 for E-W tops. The partials of 3H S = and 3D +1 could have gotten obscenely lucky and taken the two top N-S scores but scored only 1/13 and 2/13; ouch!
?
3NT S +2 (4)
4H S +1
3NT S +1 (2)
3NT S = (4)
3H S =
3D S +1
4S S -2
?
8:
?
...............J
...............A632
...............Q62
...............K8752
Q109432..............7
K107....................QJ8
10.........................AK9854
AJ4......................Q109
...............AK865
...............954
...............J73
...............63
?
2S from West seemed likely to go around and did so eight times (although some might not have opened 2S with an outside ace and king). Even if East can bid a non-forcing 3D it risks going from bad to worse. There might be a chance at IMPs that 3NT might make, but non-vulnerable it hardly seems likely to be worth bidding. Contracts higher than 2S W were 3D E, 3S W twice, 3NT E twice and 3NT W.
?
Even with the diamonds establishing 3NT should not make; declarer just does not have enough fast tricks. Harold managed to make 3NT E for the E-W top but Pheileen and Troward both posted 3NT -3 to share N-S top, although par was eight tricks. Arthur took the par nine tricks in 3D. Despite the 5-1 trumps, West could force eight tricks in spades with six winners of the eight tricks on which South would have to play spot cards and being able to force two more going back and forth with South. In spade contracts declarer took six tricks once, seven tricks thrice, eight tricks four times and nine tricks twice. Jatin was one of the two declares taking nine tricks in spades, making 3S after a club lead when any other opening lead would have led to -1.
?
3NT E -3; 3NT W -3
2S W -2; 3S W -2
2S W -1 (2)
2S W = (4); 3D E =
2S W +1; 3S W =
3NT E =
?
9:
?
...............76
...............974
...............Q63
...............KQJ76
J9..............................K85
K1052........................Q86
K10754......................J92
A10............................9532
...............AQ10432
...............AJ3
...............A8
...............84
?
We finally got every table playing in the same suit. This hand almost completely came down to opener's rebid. After 1S-1NT, did South opt for 2S or 3S? This hand is close to falling right in the middle. The aces are good; the suit quality is borderline. Change the spade ten to a lower spot and 2S would be the prudent choice, just hoping not to find Kx xxx xxxx Axxx opposite. Going the other way, AQJ10xx Axx Ax xx would be a clear jump. Any West tempted to enter the auction is likely dissuaded by the vulnerability, just as well, as the hand is not fun to declare for West. At least half the field went conservative, as 2S S was played seven times. A little curiously, South played 3S five times and 4S only twice. North seems closer to raising 3S to 4S than South does to the 3S rebid. Or North might always have tried 3NT.
?
Defending diamonds N-S can come to seven tricks. Starting with three rounds of spades is an error, though, as West discards the club loser on the third spade. Securing the club trick first makes sure of a seventh probably even without the flashy play of South's ruffing a club with the diamond ace to make sure of promoting North's queen; there is just no entry to dummy without losing two trump tricks. 3NT N would have been fun to see played multiple times; it likely makes after a club lead although West may recover by not winning the first trick. Bill's favourite opening lead froma three-card major would be deadly. Spade contracts can be held to eight tricks but West has to be careful not to give away a trick. This proves surprisingly difficult - a trump or diamond lead gives declarer a trick and West can only lead the first heart. Ace and another club may be the best way to start. Of course declarer can get too active and make it easier for the defence. Both 4S contracts and three of the five 3S contracts failed; declarers took eight tricks seven times, nine tricks four times, ten tricks twice and eleven tricks once. Cindy was N-S top in 2S +3; the lead was the club ace, after which the diamond switch gave her three tricks at once. Carthurl were E-W top defending 4S -2.
?
2S S +3
3S S +1 (2)
2S S +1 (3)
2S S = (3)
3S S -1 (3); 4S S -1
4S S -2
?
10:
?
...............J9532
...............9832
...............K
...............KJ6
AQ..........................K74
A10765...................K
654.........................AJ1098
872.........................Q1093
...............1086
...............QJ4
...............Q732
...............A54
?
1D-1H and then some Norths came in with 1S, even declaring 2S thrice. One East rebid 1NT and played it there. 2C was likely chosen more than 1NT; three Wests gave preference to 2D, ending the auction. One West rebid 2H and that ended the auction. 2NT and 3D were more encouraging choices. Contracts ran the gamut: 1NT E, 2D E thrice, 2H W, 2S N thrice, 2NT E, 2NT W twice, 3D E, 3NT E and 3NT W.
?
3NT makes by force, but the blocking majors create a trap. If a spade lead is won in the West hand and declarer starts diamonds, East will end up on lead and be forced to start the clubs, allowing a set. Starting on clubs defangs the spade suit, although declarer gets lucky with the 4-1 diamonds when an honour drops under the ace. The hearts are also kind; N-S cannot attack the suit to any profit. E-W took nine tricks in no-trumps four times and eight tricks twice, Ray and Richard making 3NT to tie for E-W top. Diamonds can take ten tricks; Harold took an eleventh after being allowed an early club winner when South did not remove West's last trump. The other diamond contracts all took nine tricks. Spades could have been held to six tricks for a nice E-W score, but all three declarers in 2S escaped for -1; taking a heart ruff actually helps declarer. 2H can make by force if declarer goes after drawing trumps with sufficient zeal, not easy to do in a 5-1 suit. Jorry posted 2H W -1 for the N-S top,
?
2H W -1
2S N -1 (3)
2D E +1 (2); 3D E =
2NT E =; 2NT W =
1NT E +2; 2D E +3; 2NT W +1
3NT E =; 3NT W =
?
11:
?
...............762
...............632
...............A76
...............A876
K985.......................Q10
K1054.....................A87
KJ5.........................Q9843
Q9...........................K32
...............AJ43
...............QJ9
...............102
...............J1054
?
This may depress Bill, but it pleased me to see that most Wests did not open, as eight tables passed out. If West opens, the auction seems likely to end in 2NT from one side or the other, with a small chance of playing in diamonds, most likely if E-W are not playing any sort of inverted raises and East responds 3D. If West passes and East breaks the Rule of Fifteen to open in fourth seat, West responds 1H, after which 1NT from East likely ends in 2NT, or East may raise or even pass. It looks as if East opened once; contracts were 1H W, 2D W, 3D W twice and 3NT W twice.
?
The key to defending against no-trumps is for South to lead the jack or ten of clubs through West while either North or South still holds an ace. Both 3NT contracts succeeded. Rita was E-W top after a spade lead to the ace when a return of the spade jack gave her an overtrick. A return of the club jack or ten would have set her; any other card would have led to nine tricks. Carl scored 12/13 for 3NT =. A heart lead is required to hold diamonds to nine tricks when West declares (with East declaring the tenth trick seems impregnable); N-S can score their heart trick before the spades are ready for the needed discard. declarers in diamonds took eight, nine and ten tricks, with Saranne N-S top defending 3D -1. Peter took the par nine tricks in 1H to score 11/13.
?
3D W -1
Passed Out (8)
2D W +1
3D W +1
1H W +2
3NT W =
3NT W +1
?
12:
?
...............Q1074
...............K9876
...............82
...............AJ
AJ92.........................863
QJ.............................532
J10975......................Q643
K8.............................Q93
...............K5
...............A104
...............AK
...............1076542
?
This is a hand Mr Bergen would love. Three passes to South, who may upgrade the hand and open 1NT. N-S can reach 4H S via Smolen: P-1NT; 2C-2D; 3S-4H. The shakier 3NT may also be played. But it seems that?very few people upgraded the hand to a 1NT opening bid, despite the long clubs and aceless 14-count. E-W can perhaps clog the auction by getting quickly to 3D: P-P-P-1C; 1D-X-3D put South a bit on the spot. If West passes 1C, South has a somewhat tricky rebid over a 1H response. Both North and South are on the heavy side of conservative actions. Contracts were 1NT S, 2C S, 2H N six times, 3D W, 3H N, 3NT S thrice and 4H N. Vioebe had the benefit of a 1D opening bid from West, after which they were the only pair in the bidding-contest-winning 4H, though they needed a second chance: 1D-1H-P-2C; P-P-2D-4H.
?
3NT looks poor but gets lucky when West turns up with HH or Hx in clubs. With the good heart break as well, 3NT can take eleven tricks instead of nine, quite unfair rather to anyone in the superiour 4H. Declarer can even try the majors instead and come to nine tricks that way. The three 3NT contracts took nine, ten and eleven tricks, giving Linda the N-S top. Phoebe took ten tricks in 4H to score 11/13. Clubs could also take eleven tricks. In the partials, five declarers matched N-S par while three did worse and Sarah did better in 2H N +4. Don took the par six tricks in 3D -3 for a fine score; Ritold were E-W top defending 1NT S +1.
?
3NT S +2
3NT S +1
4H N =
3NT S =
2H N +4
2H N +3 (3); 3H N +2
2H N +2 (2)
2C S +3; 3D W -3
1NT S +1
?
13:
?
...............AKJ32
...............KQJ2
...............Q10
...............Q7
10...............................985
A10987......................6543
J8762.........................A954
K8..............................42
...............Q764
...............----
...............K3
...............AJ109653
?
1S from North and then South has a choice of calls. One South made a big underbid and jumped to 4S. South could begin with a splinter raise, a 2NT Jacoby raise or 2C. A splinter emphasizes the heart shortage but makes it too easy for North to stop in 4S with a slam-going hand. 2NT looks best, as the hand is delighted to be opposite a singleton club and does not necessarily mind being opposite a void. If partner bids 3C over 2NT, South is off to the races. On the actual hand, North rebids 3S with extra values; the bidding likely then proceeds with 4C from South and 4H from North, which should push South back to 4S. A 2C response is quite interesting; it works well if North can raise (opposite AKJxx xx xx Kxxx 6C is much safer than 6S) but starts off a step or two behind if North has a singleton. Contracts were 4S N eight times, 5S N thrice and 6S N thrice.
?
The hand has a bit of a twist after a heart lead. After ruffing in dummy, declarer has to choose between drawing trumps at once or finessing the clubs while there is still a trump out. Eleven tricks were par - trick results were nine tricks against Randi, ten tricks thrice, the par eleven tricks eight times and twelve tricks for Sarah and Jonathan, both in 4S. Sarah received a club lead and continuation. Ritty were E-W top defending 6S N -2.
?
4S N +2 (2)
4S N +1 (4); 5S N = (2)
4S N =
4S N -1; 5S N -1; 6S N -1 (2)
6S N -2
?
14:
?
...............A765
...............AJ1083
...............J96
...............3
432.........................QJ109
Q72.........................K9
KQ743....................102
84...........................K10962
...............K8
...............654
...............A85
...............AQJ75
?
This hand is remarkably similar to Board 12. Does South upgrade to a 1NT opening bid? Interestingly the same number of pairs reached game - four, although North seems to have a somewhat nicer-looking ten-count with which to invite after 1C-1H; 1NT. Contracts were 1NT S, 2H N thrice, 2NT S twice, 3H N four times, 3NT S, 4H N twice and 4H S. Only Linbot bid games on both Boards 12 and 14.
?
Either game makes by force. Nine tricks in no-trumps are pretty solid even if E-W get a lucky start with a low diamond ducked to East's ten. Of the four declarers in no-trumps, three took the par nine tricks while Cindy played 1NT S +4, plausible if the opening lead was a high diamond. Either denomination likely needs the club finesse. In 4H, though, the club finesse may have to come before a ruff of the third spadeNary were E-W top, setting 4H when declarer, having not ruffed a spade earlier, missed the chance to squeeze Nancy in the black suits by taking the club finesse too soon.
?
4H N +1
4H N =
3NT S =
1NT S +4
2H N +2; 3H N +1 (2)
2NT S +1 (2)
2H N +1; 3H N = (2)
2H N =
4H S -1
?
15:
?
...............J10
...............K85
...............AJ986
...............1064
62..............................AQ987
AQJ3.........................72
Q1032.......................K75
982............................KQJ
...............K543
...............10964
...............4
...............A753
?
It seems that a 1D opening bid in third seat was quite popular, as 1NT W was played five times, with P-P-1D-1S; P-1NT much more likely than P-P-P-1S; P-1NT. One North apparently passed and then overcalled 2D, playing the hand there. When East opened the bid selected was likely 1NT more often than 1S, as East declared 2S once (1S-1NT; 2C-2S) and 2NT four times as well as 3NT once. West also declared 2NT and 3NT once each.
?
3NT ought not to make. West has a better chance of nine tricks declaring, as South can lead either a heart or a club while North can lead only a club. The five Wests declaring in no-trumps took an above-par 8.43 tricks while Easts declaring averaged 7.4. Heve were N-S top defending 3NT E -3; East led a diamond to the ten instead of the queen to give away one trick and then later in spades played the ace on North's jack instead of the queen to surrender the other. Linj took their par seven tricks defending 2D -2 for E-W top instead of a middlish score. 2S E could have been held to seven tricks but declarer took eight.
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3NT E -3
2NT E -2 (2)
2NT E -1; 3NT W -1
2S E =
1NT W +1 (2)
1NT W +2 (3); 2NT E +1; 2NT W +1
2D N -2
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16:
?
...............J93
...............KQ96
...............J4
...............Q852
1072.......................A854
874.........................AJ5
Q962......................103
A63.........................10974
...............KQ6
...............1032
...............AK875
...............KJ
?
This was the one hand on which everyone played in no-trumps. South had a 1NT opening bid and North an invitation after Stayman. By a 10-4 margin South accepted the invitation.
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Game should be defeated largely because declarer has so many slow tricks. The lead must be lost often enough to give E-W time to scramble together five tricks. Even after the lead of West's four-card diamond suit to North's jack declarer is still too far behind in time if the defenders are up to speed. Half the contracts were defeated; trick counts were 1-3-3-7 from six tricks to nine. Henry, one of five successful declarers in 3NT (along with Phoebe, Erik, Larry [St] and Larry [Sh]), saw West lead the diamond queen in the middle of the hand when a heart was required for the set at that point. E-W top went to Raden for defending 3NT -3, with Ritty next defending 3NT -2.
?
3NT S = (5)
2NT S +1 (2)
2NT S -1 (2); 3NT S -1 (3)
3NT S -2
3NT S -3
?
17:
?
...............Q9542
...............7
...............K98
...............A532
K10876....................J3
Q84.........................AK9
Q..............................7543
KQ96.......................J1087
...............A
...............J106532
...............AJ1062
...............4
?
Either South opens 1H in third seat or West opens 1S in fourth seat. After P-P-1H-1S; either North or East seems likely to bid 1NT, with South probably bidding 2D over either. E-W will have a hard time getting their club fit into the auction. Red suit contracts seem most likely; our auctions ended in 2D S thrice, 2H S thrice, 2S W, 2NT E, 2NT N, 3H S twice, 3S W, 4H S and 5D S.
?
Diamond contracts are held to ten tricks but both declarers in diamonds only took nine. Declarer will come to ten tricks in hearts as well unless West is able to score a diamond ruff. Phoebe, much to the fore during this game, made 4H when she led the first trump from dummy and East took the trick. At that point there was no way for West to get a diamond ruff with a low trump. Phoebe was able to draw trumps and make her game for N-S top. Spade contracts could be held to seven tricks if North gets two heart ruffs, but both 2S and 3S finished -1. Heve took their par seven tricks defending 2NT E for a middle score, but declarer dropped two tricks against Kelice and finished -3 in 2NT N to give them the E-W top.
?
4H S =
2H S +2 (2)
2H S +1
2D S +1 (3)
2NT E -2
2S W -1; 3S W -1
3H S -1 (2)
5D S -2
2NT N -3
?
18:
?
...............K85
...............109872
...............864
...............KQ
QJ976....................A104
----.........................QJ65
K10973..................Q52
A42........................763
...............32
...............AK43
...............AJ
...............J10985
?
P-1C-1S-X; 2S and then 3H either directly or through the use of 2NT seems plausible enough, and either side may go on from there. This finished always in one major or the other: 2H N twice, 2S W thrice, 3H S thrice, 3S W twice, 4H N, 4H S, 4Hx S and 4S W.
?
Heart contracts have play for ten tricks when dummy goes down but E-W can force five tricks, finessing North's spade king and then forcing South in diamonds to secure a trump trick for East. Paun picked up an unneeded extra undertrick for the E-W top defending 4Hx -3;?Linda played 2H -1 for a good score but all other declarers in hearts took eight tricks. Spade contracts don't necessarily look a whole lot better but hit a perfectly docile layout. Declarer draws trumps and starts the diamonds; South's holding of AJ doubleton makes it practically impossible to go wrong. Matty held 2S to nine tricks and Carl took eleven but everyone else in spades took ten tricks, giving Kelice 12/13 for 4S W=.
?
2H N =
2H N -1; 3H S -1 (3)
2S W +1
2S W +2; 3S W +1 (2)
2S W +3; 4H N -2; 4H S -2
4S W =
4Hx S -3
