Thursday 4 October

Playing with Gerry came second with 58%. Had some luck, some bad luck.

One unlucky one left me red faced.

Joan and Barry are playing 15-17 NT, Joan forgets and opens West 1N, after a transfer to hearts Barry raises to 3N and Gerry leads 10D.
Joan won the Q, then K, A and another heart, Gerry won, won a diamond and Joan took the third diamond.
Of course 3N makes now by getting the clubs right, but you don't finesse into the hand with two diamond winners.
So Joan finessed 10C to my Queen and I counted : AQ of diamonds, KH is 9 points.  I am sure Declarer has KJ of clubs, 13 points.  Only K and J of spades to come, well Gerry can't have K as that only leaves 14 for Joan.  Cashing AS seems to give declarer 10 tricks. If she only has 4 clubs then we could maybe keep it to 9, so I exited with a club. Oh oh, 9 tricks to Joan. Gerry pointed out he played KD then JD, both cards point to spades as he can play any diamond each time. A small spade from me would have given us 4 spade tricks, 1 club, 1 heart and 3 diamonds, 5 off!!!!
I must say Joan was perfectly calm throughout, looked in complete control and gave nothing away.  A good lesson for us all when you are in a poor / wrong contract.

Gerry got us a top playing this hand in 3N.   He opened 2C and I gave a 'double' negative of 2H which is really 0 -3 but a flat hand, no major, two Jacks and a Queen didn't inspire me. Gerry bid 3N and Gerald led 9D (?).
Gerry won the Ace and cashed AH dropping the Q.  AKQ of clubs, diamond to Q, cash JC discarding 6S, finesse TH, give Issy a heart and he had 12 tricks.
A more natural KS lead would have fared no better, winning AS and cashing AKQ of clubs and AH, Gerry would just lead a spade now and have two heart discards and a finesse of TH for 12 tricks.
Nobody else made 12, including 3 pairs in a slam.

Another joint top from Gerry making 11 tricks. After a multi showing a 19/20 NT, I used Puppet to find 4-4 spade fit, as we bid the major we don't have, Gerry is declarer in 4S.
Marilyn led a heart to Gerry's King. AS showed the bad break and now JD, covered by K and taken by AD. Club finesse and Gerry exited with a heart. Steve returned a spade taken in hand. Gerry played a club to K and Ace and now 10D to Steve's Queen and another spade back, this time taken in dummy. QH is cashed and a club thrown.  Now 9D stands up and a high cross ruff gives 11 tricks.
Many just managed 10 tricks, trying to ruff a club is an obvious way to lose a third trick.  Anyone who avoided that pitfall did really well.