Wednesday 1st June

Playing E/W with Cathy Ferguson for the first time, we did not shine especially as I got us a few bad scores.

On this board against Nat & Paul, Paul is declaring 6D after 1D - 1S - 3D - 6D. Now Nat will not be looking at two top losers in any non-trump suit, so has AS and probably AQ. I tried leading TS to maybe give declarer a losing option.

Now most declarers would count 7 trumps, 2 hearts and a ruff and AS & AC for 12 tricks, but Paul was too canny to just go up with the Ace, reasoning that other declarers not getting a spade lead will take the finesse, so hoping it was not a singleton he let it run and made the same 13 as everyone else.


Unlucky, would have worked against most.

Paul passed as North and our bidding went 1S - 2C - 2H - 4S.

Cathy obviously thinks I am a talented Declarer, I was about to prove her wrong.

To preserve his heart winners, Nat naturally led a trump. However I cannot ruff hearts as I would end up losing trump tricks. A reverse dummy ruffing diamonds could bring me in 10 tricks, but I need club entries for that, so it is simpler to just set up clubs for my contract.

I won the spade in hand and led TC. Nat rose with the Ace and led another trump. Now if you have AQ of clubs, you always go up with the Ace here. All I have to do is come to hand with a diamond and finesse JC. Why then did I play to ruff out QC?? I cashed KC, ruffed a club but was now up a gum tree and lucky to get away with 1 off.

This was actually our first board of the night against Ileen & Mike. Ileen opens a Lucas 2S which comes round to me. Now double is out of the question so 3H is the obvious bid, but a rush of blood to the head tells me we'll miss game with that wimpish bid, so 4H comes out. Mike had no trouble doubling this.

Ileen led a small club to Jack and Ace. I tried KH, taken by Mike who played a spade to my Ace. I finessed TC, ruffed a diamond, took KC, ruffed a diamond played the winning 9C discarding a spade from dummy, Mike ruffs and plays a heart. I ruff a spade and so get 9 tricks for a bottom.

Four others were in 2H, making 7 or 8 tricks.

This one is against Charles and Vi. Our bidding goes:

1S - 1NT - x - 4Da - x - P - P - 4H - x - P - P

Yes that was a 15-17 NT by Charles.

Cathy led AK of clubs on which I played the 4 and the 2, but unfortunately played a third. However, clever Cathy now makes 2 heart tricks so 3 off is the best we can ever do.

I don't think we would have found 6C.

Against Mike & Raymond, Mike opened 1NT, I doubled and raymond bids 2C (either clubs or the start of a wriggle). Cathy & Mike pass and I think we might get our best score here so also pass.

Cathy leads 7H ducked to the Jack. Raymond plays a spade to the King which I duck, then he leads a club. I take the Ace, then:

AS, spade ruff, heart to Ace, heart ruff, AD, diamond ruff, and I still had two top clubs. Four off for a top.

Our last board and a nice way to finish.