Thursday 10 July

Playing N/S with gerry came joint 1st with 60%.

Gerry got us off to a cracking start.

I opened 1C, Gerry bid 1H and Bobby came in with 1S.  I bid 2C, Ian (Howie) bid 2S and Gerry 3D.  I bid 3H, Gerry 4N and over my two Keycard response Gerry went for a top with 6N.  He needn't have bothered 6C or 6H would have done the business as nobody else bid the slam.
Bobby avoided the spade lead and led a deceptive 2C.
Gerry soon cashed six clubs and when led AH and another claimed 13 tricks.

We did not have a good set against Danny and Helen.  I chickened out of bidding a good slam.  Gerry could have found the right line to make a game that went down. Then a real disaster when I opened 1N, Helen bid 2D to show a single major and Danny with six diamonds and heart void has an easy pass.  This leaves them in a making contract compared to the inevitable deficit in hearts.
Then there was this hand where Danny brings in 11 tricks.  Danny had shown 18/19 on the way to 3N.  I led 10S and could see immediately partner has nothing. Danny won JS and finessed a heart.  I reckon I just have to avoid being end played to keep this to 10 tricks.  I played back a heart taken in dummy.  Now a club finesse to my Q and another heart exit. Danny took his hearts, AD, diamond to my Q and K.  he now knows all about this hand.  Gerry had let a spade and diamond go on the hearts. Now Danny leads a spade from Dummy to his Ace and Gerry has to surrender.  Let a club go and Danny has all the clubs, same with diamonds.  What I really liked about this hand was the necessity of keeping the KC entry to Dummy.  Normally you cash KC before finessing the J in case QC is singleton.  If Danny had done that he would have had no entry to Dummy and Gerry could just let a diamond go and keep his clubs.  You don't mind a bottom against such fine play, pity about the other three boards.