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.