Friday 17 January 2014

Thursday 17 January

Playing N/S with Gerry came second with 53%.  Too many bottoms unfortunately but some interesting boards.

I am in 3N and Alex leads KC to Rod's Ace.  That's lucky, however I reckon hearts won't behave too well and need to make this contract without bringing them in. (Double dummy AH, JH overtake with Q will bring in the suit while retaining KD as entry).
Rod switched to a diamond to Q and King and I successfully finessed JH.  I now led a spade to J and Q and won the diamond return in hand.  I cashed AH dropping Alex's 10H which was a bit of a blow realising hearts could have been set up, but it gave me a complete count of the hand. I cashed three spades and could exit with a club end playing Alex to give me JC at the end for 9 tricks.


We were the only pair to find the slam on this board. Our bidding went:
1D - 1H - 1S - 3D - 3S - 4C - 6D

The AC was just what I wanted to hear and although void in partner's suit I reckoned slam was on.
Phoebe led JC, I took A, finessed diamond and drew last trump. AS and a ruff followed by KH gave me 13 tricks.





I opened the North hand 1N, there are many worse 12 pointers that get opened. John passed, Gerry bid 2C, Steve 2D and I bid 2H. John passed again and Gerry bid 4H.

Diamond lead to Ace and a spade back to Q, K and A. I drew trumps in three rounds ending in hand but John let a club go. I now ran JC to the Queen and Steve played a spade back and John won and led a third.
I ruffed and a club set up the suit for 10 tricks.  Very lucky, however a good contract, there are always chances in clubs, the KS could have been onside or if hearts had been 2-2 the diamonds and spades could have been eliminated to force the opponents to open up the clubs.

This hand was well defended and I thought I played it as well as I could, but only 30%.
I'm in 3N and Alistair finds 7D lead.  I was hopeful that was MUD and I had 4 diamond tricks but anyway I need to start on hearts.  So I won KD and led a heart to K and A.  Alistair returns TH which does not augur well and right enough Izzy discards 9C.  I ducked (always a good idea to give up losers in these situations and pressurise Izzy a bit).  As 8H is away, Alistair can continue the 9 and I won that.
I now led JC, covered and won Ace in Dummy.
Time to look at the spades and I was intending to play to the 9 but Izzy inserted the 10 which sort of gives away his holding so I thought I'll need an end play and took the Ace and surprisingly Alistair discards a club.  However I have a near complete count just does Izzy have a third club and only 3 diamonds.  If so I have 4 diamonds tricks and my contact, if he has 4 diamonds I am endplaying him with it to get QS. SO I cashed all my winners, exited with the 4th diamond and Izzy had to lead from KJ of spades towards Q7 in Dummy.
One other person got the diamond lead, they went down, at other tables it was a club lead that runs to the J or played by South who gets JS lead to the Q (and A9x over K10x for another 2 spades).

Gerry got us a good score on his 3N after Alistair had made a weak jump in diamonds over my 1C.
Izzy tellingly failed to lead a diamond and found a good lead in 8H (I had bid clubs twice).
Gerry won AH, AC spade to Q and KC to discover the lie. He now led a diamond and Alistair took Ace.  QH came back but Gerry just plays a spade and can only lose the Ace as he has a marked diamond finesse (as well as an extraneous QC).
If Alistair plays low on the diamond, Gerry has another entry in spades to repeat the finesse and with QH falling it will be the same result (he'll probably set up hearts first)
Nobody else managed 11.

No comments: