Tuesday 24 January

Playing E/W in National Pairs District Final with Gerry we did not shine finishing around the middle with 52%.  There were three possible slams and we missed them all.  Unfortunately I mixed up a system bid on one of them which kept us out of that.  Don't play anything unless you are going to remember it!

 I should have known it wouldn't be my night when I got this very first hand wrong.
Gerry and I competed to 3H and Sheila and Maida to 3S.  I could have been more forceful and pushed us into 4H.
Gerry started with two rounds of hearts,  Sheila ruffed and played three rounds of spades ending in dummy.  She now led a diamond to K and A and Gerry played a third heart ruffed.
Sheila now led JC, covered by K and Ace, followed with TC off the table and I stopped to think.  Declarer has 7 spades and 1 heart, 5 cards in minors.  Gerry has been unable to give any count, so is it 3 clubs, 2 diamonds or vice versa? Inexplicably I decided on 3 clubs and ducked!  By discarding diamonds to keep my QC I let it make 11.
Why is this so stupid?  Well with 3 clubs or 2 clubs, it makes no difference whether I take Q now, Declarer will get the same number of tricks.  Strange how you try to concentrate on one thing and go brain dead on another.

This was a horror story turned into a fairy tale.
Robert opened South 1C and Gerry overcalled 2H, Kathleen passed and I bid 3H.  Yes, I bid 3H.
I was thinking Robert's got a big hand, he won't have spades so can't use a take out double, I can push them into 5 of a minor rather than a probable 3NT.
Unfortunately Robert managed to double and Kathleen bid 3NT.  Oh well, nothing lost except .....  Psycho shower scene music .... Gerry bid 4H.  What happened to a pre-empter not bidding again?!  I had an image of -1100 carved in blood on the score sheet and I have to put down this dummy.
I'm afraid I can't remember the exact play of the hand (I had covered my eyes in fear).  It started with 9S to Ace, I don't remember if there was a ruff but AD went on air, a club was made and my Fairy Godmother Gerry made 8 tricks for a near top.

This is an interesting hand for bidding and play.  In play it can be made by an elimination and throw in OR by a reverse dummy.

Gerry opened 1C, Sam bid 2D and I bid 2S.  Gerry bid 3S.  With a genuine 2S bid by me, Gerry could have bid 4S, but he knows I will stretch to 2S here.
I could now bid 4C, in fact should have.  However those three diamonds were very off putting I just bid 4S  Very poor, 4C never costs.

Anyway the play.  Stephen led JD and I took the Ace.  I cashed KQ of spades and with the two-two break I see that I can strip the minors and throw in. So I cashed AQ clubs, crossed with a spade and cashed KC throwing a DIAMOND.  I ruffed a club and exited with my last diamond.  Sam wins and has to give me a ruff and discard or lead a heart, 12 tricks made.

Lets say the spades had been 3-1 (you can also do this 2-2). Now you can play a reverse dummy, that's when you ruff in the hand with longer trumps.
After AD, KQ of spades, cash AQ clubs and cross to AS, cash KC and throw a HEART.  Ruff a club, play KH, JH to Ace and ruff a heart.  This way you makes 6 spades, 2 hearts, 1 diamond and 3 clubs, 12 tricks.