Monday 17 March

West District Sim Pairs playing N/S with Adrianne.  Average score of 51% but mostly tops and bottoms.

The result on this hand could all depend on your opening bid. E/W always make 6D but are extremely unlikely to make 6S.
I opened a Texas 4C, Shirish bid 4D, Adrianne 4H and Les 5D, passed out.  Finding the slam looks just too difficult.
If you open 4H and East doubles, being vul South should pass. West is just too strong for 4S, so maybe 5S and East will bid 6.
Strangely 7C is the optimum contract.  heart ruff, 4 clubs, 6 diamonds and AK of spades.

On the next board Shirish opened 4NT with the perfect hand for specific Ace asking. Adrianne bid 5C, Les passed and as I know Shirish must have at least 11 tricks, I bid 6C as I am always going to do over 5D or 5S.  Shirish bid 6S and this was passed out as I was looking at AS and unsure whether he was certain of making.  An easy 12 tricks.
Of course I should have bid 7C but my obvious mistake was bidding 6C.  Shirish either has 11 top tricks and needs a specific Ace for 12, OR, 12 top tricks, looking for a 13th.
I should have passed to find out which, when he shows 12 sure tricks with 6S (obvious club void), it is then clear to bid 7C, only two down.  Very poor by me.

Managed a top by bidding and making 6N against Ian and Bobby. I opened North 2N, rather dubious with 19 points and a stiff QJ. Adrianne counted 33 points and didn't bother with Stayman at this scoring, she just bid 6N.
Ian led 8C which ran to my 9. I cashed AQJ of diamonds and now had to figure on playing the hearts.  I reckoned I had two option, play towards the Q and if it holds duck a heart coming back hoping for a doubleton Ace or finesse 10H.  The first option seems rather poor ( I lack the entries to enter Dummy, heart to King and options coming back).  I plumped for the 50-50 10H finesse.  Bobby won the Ace and returned a club, but I let that run to the Jack and I have the rest.  Very lucky.

Another slam when half the field aren't even in game!
I opened 1S, Mary overcalled 2H and Adrianne of course passed.  Back to me.  Now I didn't really want to defend and if I double and Adrianne is dubious about 2Hx and bids 2S, I'm unsure of bidding on.  I just prefer to bid 3D, showing a big hand and two suited.
Adrianne bid 5D.  OK she has hearts but still, with my excellent trick source and her presumed lack of black cards, I just went for 6D.
TH lead to J, ruff, over-ruff., diamond to Ace and desperate for a spade ruff Mary tried a club but that was it, I can draw the last trump, get two ruffs in dummy and a discard on AH.