Monday 17 November

Playing N/S with Adrianne came 1st with a Butler score of 47.  Only one hand of any note.

I opened 1H, Adrianne raised to 2H and I bid game.
Alec led a small heart which I won with the 10 in Dummy.
I only have 7 top tricks plus a ruff for 8.  Ten tricks seems highly unlikely.  However I only have three losers (2 spades and a club) and the opponents won't want to open up diamonds with K10 in Dummy.  As it says on the front of The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, DON'T PANIC!
I led a small spade from Dummy and Raymond split his honours taking the trick with the Queen. Luckily for me  he doesn't have another trump and quite reasonably chooses to play KC.  I won the Ace and played another spade which went round to Raymond's King.  Raymond cashed QC and I have now lost my three tricks but the club situation transforms my prospects. Raymond decided the defence will now need a diamond trick and exited with a diamond which I took with my Ace, cashed AH then JC,  Alec had to follow and a diamond went from Dummy. I ruffed my 4th club, over to KD and I have a high cross ruff for the rest of the tricks. I made 6 hearts, 2 clubs and 2 diamonds.