Monday 16 May

Playing N/S with Adrianne we came second with a good 60% score. Despite a few mistakes we got a few gifts as well.

On this board against Len & Cliff, not surprisingly nobody found the diamond slam. However we got a near top score for 3NT.

I assume at every table West opens 3S. I bid 3NT which was passed out. I was allowed to win the spade lead and East discarded a heart on the run of the diamonds giving me 13 tricks. However most people were in 5D or even 4D. Presumably they doubled the 3S opener. I couldn't see the logic in that. Yes I have 4 hearts, but what if partner doesn't? What can I do over 4C? So I thought 3NT was the only logical bid.

The next two boards were against Sylvia Black & Louise Butler. Unfortunately I feel we dusted them up with two excellent scores.

On this board I opened 1H, Sylvia bid 2C and Adrianne 2D, Louise passed and I bid 2H. After some thought Adrianne passed as well. This turns out very well judged. After KS lead I won Ace and led KH to Sylvia's Ace. QS and two clubs followed then I won a diamond and finessed TH for 9 tricks (though I see only entered 8 in the machine).

Anyway just about everyone was in 4H, though one or two were allowed to make.

On the next board we bid 1C - 1H - 1NT - 4H.

After a spade lead to Ace, a spade back to the King, I cashed AH. The book says when the Jack falls with 4 missing it is more likely to be singleton. So I played a diamond to the King and finessed a heart.

14 pairs are in 4H, only 3 made 11.

Sorry Sylvia and Louise.

We got a great score here against Nat and Charles. Nat opens 1S passed round to Adrianne who doubles. I bid 4H.

Only 5 of us in 4H and only 2 made 11. After a spade lead to King and Ace I laid down AH and played another. Nat tried a small spade but my Jack won and I discarded a club. A diamond to the 10 and Ace and the rest of the tricks are mine.

If Nat finds a diamond exit I've got too many spades to get rid of and have only 10 tricks. However it will be a no brainer to finesse the club. If it loses I make 10 anyway, 11 if it wins.

Against John Larkin & Rob we got a great score here for beating 4S. John opened 1NT as West (bit cheeky) and after a transfer finds himself in 4S. I led a spade won by the King, Queen is cashed and then A & K of diamonds and a diamond ruff. Rob now plays a club and I rise with the Ace. Adrianne plays the Jack. I don't think she would waste that with Jx, but might be J10. Anyway I know she has 4 diamonds, 3 spades (Rob didn't break the transfer) and length in hearts. Is it 5 hearts? Well I decided to go for that, returned a small club and Rob went up with the King, ruffed and an unavoidable further club to lose.

Looks to me as if the only play to make is draw trumps, lead a club to King.

On the next board Rob opens 1H, I double and John bids 4H. After some thought Adrianne bids 5C and is left to play.

Rob makes it as hard as he can by leading a club. Adrianne wins in hand, finesses QS, cashes Ace discarding a diamond, cashes AC, leads 10S and throws her second heart Rob plays AH, ruffed, Adrianne draws trump and leads a diamond, losing 1 diamond and 1 spade (heart). Only two others bid the 5C most are in diamonds and 5D cannot make.

Finally one that most people made but I went down on against Jack & Robert. Our bidding was simply 1H - 2H - 4H and Jack led a club. I won in dummy and led a heart to the Ace. Now with 5 missing hearts are more likely to be 3-2, so this can be doubleton QJ. I certainly can't afford at MPs to throw an overtake away, so I returned a heart to the King. I played a spade now and Jack won the Ace and played two rounds of trumps. I can only make 9 tricks.

Many made 10 and I wonder if they got KD lead? Certainly with 4 trumps I don't like leading a singleton.

Thursday 12 May

Playing E/W with Adrianne we came third with 55.5%. We didn't do anything wrong really but got three poor scores against Cathy and Simon who had a brilliant 65%.



For instance here Cathy open 1C as South, Simon 1H, 1S form Cathy raised to 2S by Simon. Long think from Cathy and a pass.
Adrianne is never going to find a small diamond lead to keep the contract to 8 tricks, so Cathy makes 9.
However everyone else is is 4S.

Wednesday 11 May

Playing N/S with Joan in the Club Championship we didn't shine, scoring about 52%.

We started well against Phoebe & Robina. Our bidding went

P - P - 1NT - 2Ca
2S - P - P - 3D
P - 3H - passed out

Joan led KS and I decided to overtake and return a diamond. Phoebe took her Queen and led a club, Joan wins the Ace and plays a diamond which I ruff.
I played a spade back, ruffed in dummy. Declarer leads another diamond which I ruff and I play a high spade. I am given another ruff, put the lead back in dummy







Against Alec & Raymond I opened 1S as North (we don't play check back), Joan bid 2S and I bid 3NT.
Alec led 8C and I ducked Raymond's 10. Raymond continued JC which I took. I led a small spade and Alec rose with the King and exited with his 3rd club which I took, discarding a diamond. I now go over to QS and lead a heart to my Queen.
I now cash two spades, again discarding a diamond. Alec lets two diamonds go. Now the distribution was becoming clear and having noted Raymond's 9H earlier I can see it is likely to be a doubleton Ace, so I exit with a small heart. Sure enough Raymond wins the Ace and cashes QC, but Alec thinks he is sqeezed and lets JD go hoping his partner has QD and I make the last three tricks. I couldn't have got a long heart as there was no further entry to dummy.

Thursday 6 May

Playing with Adrianne N/S we came first with 61% despite me doubling Charles & Vi in 3S when they make 11. I thought it was a really stupid thing to do, however I notice Bob & Paul doubled 2S so I am in good company! I also doubled a 4S for 1 off when 5H makes our way.
We did manage to bid our slams though.

Against Steve & Marilyn our bidding went:

P - P - 1S - 3C - 4S - 5C - 6S - passed out

On the club lead I win the Ace, ruff a club, Cash KS and finesse Jack. I now play out hearts and Marilyn is stuck. If she ruffs I discard a diamond, a spade return is best but I win in hand, cross to KD and play another heart for a discard. Marilyn doesn't ruff, she discards 2 diamonds the same as me but now I just play diamond winners, defence can only ever get 1 trick.

Only 3 pairs bid the slam. The other 2 were in hearts. Funnily enough you can make 13 in hearts (though they didn't) as all finesses work and the diamond are 3-3. So much for playing in the 4 - 4 fit.

Against Clifford & Phil we got a good score for making 11 here when nearly everyone else makes 10.

After 1S - 1NT - 4S I got JD lead which I won in dummy. Obviously I want to discard a club, but I won't be allowed a heart ruff, so I let a heart go to ensure I only have 1 loser in the suit.

Played a spade to King and Ace, KH back won by my Ace. I now played 4 rounds of spades. West let 2C go then KQ of diamonds. East let a heart and a diamond go, then 3C. Would West just not let a second club go with 3 small? I though the Queen was slightly favoured to be there. Anyway I now put down the JC, East immediately plays small, so I take the King and finesse on the way back.

On the next board we are in 4S again after:

1H - x - P - 1S

2H - 3H - P - 4S

On AH lead Adrianne played a reverse dummy. She ruffed, AC, heart ruff, KC, heart ruff, AD, heart ruff. Now over to KD to draw trumps and oops, it is ruffed, a club cashed and then another heart promotes 7S to a winner.

So Adrianne lost two spades and a club. Nearly everone else makes 11. I couldn't see how, there aren't the entries to draw trumps and set up diamonds.
However Adrianne realised she could just trump 3 hearts, then cross to dummy with a trump, draw trumps and just lose 1 heart and 1 club. Not good match point bridge though. If diamonds are 3-2 you make 12 on Adrianne's line, though maybe the bidding makes that less likely.

Against Derek Diamond and David Gerrard our bidding went:

P - 1S - 4H - 4S

I don't know if 5H can make, it seems to me it probably doesn't. However I can see us beating 4S. I might get a heart ruff or Adrianne has singleton club. Anyway I decided to double. It went 1 off though we could have managed -2 with a diamond ruff. Anyway most people are in 5H which has no problem making. So much for the 5 level belonging to your opponents.

Only two pairs managed to bid slam here. Adrianne opened a Benji 2D and our bidding went:

2D - 2H - 2NT - 3Da - 3H - 3S - 4S - 4NT - 5C - 5D - 5S - 6S

I was thinking of 7 if partner had Queen of trumps, though maybe that would have been ambitious!

Anyway I got the 8C lead, took the Ace, played AK of spades, AQ of hearts and a third spade. West tries to cash KC but it didn't matter, the hearts run and if they didn't I was taking the ruffing finesse.

Wednesday May 4

After holidays and a broken dealing machine, I am back again.
Playing N/S with Joan we came 3rd with 55.5%.

On boards 7 & 8 we were against Cathy & Bob.

Our bidding went:

P - 1C - 2Ca - P
2S - P - 3Ca - P
3D - P - 3H - P
4C - P - 6H - P
6S - passed out

2C was at least 5-5 in majors, 3C was to establish I am too good for 4S. Joan's Diamond and Club bids were excellent. I am sure 4C is an Ace, but I don't know if the diamond bid might just show a decent suit.

My heart bids were to show my 7 card suit.

Of course if I just bid 4NT over the 2S I can bid 7, why didn't I think of that?! Anyway, nobody bid 7, but we got a good score. How? Well some people doubled the 1C opener and their partner left it in!!

Here the bidding went:
1D - 4S - 5C - 5S - passed out.

4S always makes losing 2 clubs and a heart. Joan's 5C bid was well judged, although it can go 3 off on a club lead.

Anyway Cathy had no chance having to lose 2 clubs and a heart.
Another good score as reults were all over the place with only 1 better than ours.





Ann McLeod and Margaret McCallum are in a slender 4S here, not realising how slender!

Margaret opened 1C, I bid 1H, Ann 1S, Margaret jumped to 3S and Ann bid 4.

Joan led 8H taken by dummy's Ace. Ann cashed two top spades and then a diamond to my Queen. I cashed KH, Joan dumps a diamond. I give Joan a heart ruff, diamond to my Ace and now a diamond ruff. Joan exits with KC and makes the Queen later for down 3.