Thursday 12 May

Playing E/W with Adrianne we came third with 55.5%. We didn't do anything wrong really but got three poor scores against Cathy and Simon who had a brilliant 65%.



For instance here Cathy open 1C as South, Simon 1H, 1S form Cathy raised to 2S by Simon. Long think from Cathy and a pass.
Adrianne is never going to find a small diamond lead to keep the contract to 8 tricks, so Cathy makes 9.
However everyone else is is 4S.

Wednesday 11 May

Playing N/S with Joan in the Club Championship we didn't shine, scoring about 52%.

We started well against Phoebe & Robina. Our bidding went

P - P - 1NT - 2Ca
2S - P - P - 3D
P - 3H - passed out

Joan led KS and I decided to overtake and return a diamond. Phoebe took her Queen and led a club, Joan wins the Ace and plays a diamond which I ruff.
I played a spade back, ruffed in dummy. Declarer leads another diamond which I ruff and I play a high spade. I am given another ruff, put the lead back in dummy







Against Alec & Raymond I opened 1S as North (we don't play check back), Joan bid 2S and I bid 3NT.
Alec led 8C and I ducked Raymond's 10. Raymond continued JC which I took. I led a small spade and Alec rose with the King and exited with his 3rd club which I took, discarding a diamond. I now go over to QS and lead a heart to my Queen.
I now cash two spades, again discarding a diamond. Alec lets two diamonds go. Now the distribution was becoming clear and having noted Raymond's 9H earlier I can see it is likely to be a doubleton Ace, so I exit with a small heart. Sure enough Raymond wins the Ace and cashes QC, but Alec thinks he is sqeezed and lets JD go hoping his partner has QD and I make the last three tricks. I couldn't have got a long heart as there was no further entry to dummy.

Thursday 6 May

Playing with Adrianne N/S we came first with 61% despite me doubling Charles & Vi in 3S when they make 11. I thought it was a really stupid thing to do, however I notice Bob & Paul doubled 2S so I am in good company! I also doubled a 4S for 1 off when 5H makes our way.
We did manage to bid our slams though.

Against Steve & Marilyn our bidding went:

P - P - 1S - 3C - 4S - 5C - 6S - passed out

On the club lead I win the Ace, ruff a club, Cash KS and finesse Jack. I now play out hearts and Marilyn is stuck. If she ruffs I discard a diamond, a spade return is best but I win in hand, cross to KD and play another heart for a discard. Marilyn doesn't ruff, she discards 2 diamonds the same as me but now I just play diamond winners, defence can only ever get 1 trick.

Only 3 pairs bid the slam. The other 2 were in hearts. Funnily enough you can make 13 in hearts (though they didn't) as all finesses work and the diamond are 3-3. So much for playing in the 4 - 4 fit.

Against Clifford & Phil we got a good score for making 11 here when nearly everyone else makes 10.

After 1S - 1NT - 4S I got JD lead which I won in dummy. Obviously I want to discard a club, but I won't be allowed a heart ruff, so I let a heart go to ensure I only have 1 loser in the suit.

Played a spade to King and Ace, KH back won by my Ace. I now played 4 rounds of spades. West let 2C go then KQ of diamonds. East let a heart and a diamond go, then 3C. Would West just not let a second club go with 3 small? I though the Queen was slightly favoured to be there. Anyway I now put down the JC, East immediately plays small, so I take the King and finesse on the way back.

On the next board we are in 4S again after:

1H - x - P - 1S

2H - 3H - P - 4S

On AH lead Adrianne played a reverse dummy. She ruffed, AC, heart ruff, KC, heart ruff, AD, heart ruff. Now over to KD to draw trumps and oops, it is ruffed, a club cashed and then another heart promotes 7S to a winner.

So Adrianne lost two spades and a club. Nearly everone else makes 11. I couldn't see how, there aren't the entries to draw trumps and set up diamonds.
However Adrianne realised she could just trump 3 hearts, then cross to dummy with a trump, draw trumps and just lose 1 heart and 1 club. Not good match point bridge though. If diamonds are 3-2 you make 12 on Adrianne's line, though maybe the bidding makes that less likely.

Against Derek Diamond and David Gerrard our bidding went:

P - 1S - 4H - 4S

I don't know if 5H can make, it seems to me it probably doesn't. However I can see us beating 4S. I might get a heart ruff or Adrianne has singleton club. Anyway I decided to double. It went 1 off though we could have managed -2 with a diamond ruff. Anyway most people are in 5H which has no problem making. So much for the 5 level belonging to your opponents.

Only two pairs managed to bid slam here. Adrianne opened a Benji 2D and our bidding went:

2D - 2H - 2NT - 3Da - 3H - 3S - 4S - 4NT - 5C - 5D - 5S - 6S

I was thinking of 7 if partner had Queen of trumps, though maybe that would have been ambitious!

Anyway I got the 8C lead, took the Ace, played AK of spades, AQ of hearts and a third spade. West tries to cash KC but it didn't matter, the hearts run and if they didn't I was taking the ruffing finesse.

Wednesday May 4

After holidays and a broken dealing machine, I am back again.
Playing N/S with Joan we came 3rd with 55.5%.

On boards 7 & 8 we were against Cathy & Bob.

Our bidding went:

P - 1C - 2Ca - P
2S - P - 3Ca - P
3D - P - 3H - P
4C - P - 6H - P
6S - passed out

2C was at least 5-5 in majors, 3C was to establish I am too good for 4S. Joan's Diamond and Club bids were excellent. I am sure 4C is an Ace, but I don't know if the diamond bid might just show a decent suit.

My heart bids were to show my 7 card suit.

Of course if I just bid 4NT over the 2S I can bid 7, why didn't I think of that?! Anyway, nobody bid 7, but we got a good score. How? Well some people doubled the 1C opener and their partner left it in!!

Here the bidding went:
1D - 4S - 5C - 5S - passed out.

4S always makes losing 2 clubs and a heart. Joan's 5C bid was well judged, although it can go 3 off on a club lead.

Anyway Cathy had no chance having to lose 2 clubs and a heart.
Another good score as reults were all over the place with only 1 better than ours.





Ann McLeod and Margaret McCallum are in a slender 4S here, not realising how slender!

Margaret opened 1C, I bid 1H, Ann 1S, Margaret jumped to 3S and Ann bid 4.

Joan led 8H taken by dummy's Ace. Ann cashed two top spades and then a diamond to my Queen. I cashed KH, Joan dumps a diamond. I give Joan a heart ruff, diamond to my Ace and now a diamond ruff. Joan exits with KC and makes the Queen later for down 3.

Monday 27 March

Playing with Adrianne we came 4th with 24 Butler points, behind the winners Bob & Cathie with 32. We had a terrible start as at trick 2 against Norman and Bill when I doubled a weak NT with a flat 15 count, Adrianne with her flat 3 points passes and it makes 12 tricks! Sensible defence probably keeps it to 9 tricks, but it is just a part score hand. On the next board against Issy and Gerald we felt we were in for a dreadful score : Our bidding went: P - 1S – 2S – x 4H - P – P – 4NT P -5C – P – 6C P - P – 6H – x – Passed out No comment on some of the bids, but Adrianne went 3 off for -500 when it looked like there were 2 spade losers in 6C. However we got a plus score. Four people made 6C and a few were in 4S making. Also, would I have led AD against 6C? If so, it makes. On this hand only 4 of us made 4H. I didn’t make it easy for myself. Against Steve & Mike, Steve led QD to my Ace and I led a spade to Ace, Queen and Jack. Steve now led 8C to Mike’s Ace. A diamond came back and as I fancied the club finesse was right, I discarded a spade. I now played Ace and another heart and Steve shows out. I took the King, finessed the club and cashed the King. Over to the KS, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a spade for 9 tricks and leading the winning club from dummy guarantees me a 10th whether Mike ruffs low, high or not at all. We reached slam on this hand after: P - 1H - P - 1S P - 4S - P - 4NT Adrianne shows 3 or 0 and I bid 6S. Adrianne has no chance and goes 2 down. Only 5 out of 14 reach slam (one was in 7S?), so a poor score. Missing QS and an Ace stopping in 6S is reasonably sensible, but no good as you go off anyway. We got a terrible score on this board as our opponents landed on their feet. After 2 passes I opened 3C, the East hand doubled?! West bids 4C?! and East bids 4S. West now bids 5D passed out. There were 4 pairs found this excellent contract, though I doubt it was this way! Twelve tricks make, you can't argue with success.

Thursday 25 March

Playing with Adrianne we came first in a 6 table Howell with 64%. Mostly by luck I must say. We were in an unmakeable slam until a defender led from the QD where Adrianne had 3 to the Jack opposite 3 to the AK. A few hands were misplayed against us for other tops.
There were two interesting highly contested hands.
On this board we were E/W against Bob McKinnon & Paul Maiolani. Our bidding went:

3H - P - 4H - 4S
P - P - 5H - P
P - 5S - passed out

Really difficult decisions here. The first round of bidding seems natural enough. I decided it was very unlikely we defeat 4S and hope to be just 2 off in 5Hx, Bob though has the most difficult call and opts for 5S.
Paul loses the obvious 2 spades and a diamond (discarded on AH) for 1 down. Turned out to be middle. Two worse scores were E/W in hearts going off our way. Two better scores, Len & Chris doubled the 5S and Victor Goldwater was allowed to play AND MAKE 4H. Can't beat that.


This was another contested auction. we were N/S against Derek Diamond and David Gerrard. Our bidding was:

P - P - P - 1H
1S - 2H - 2S - 3C
P - 4C - 4S - 5C
5S - P - P - x

Adrianne should have bid 4S straight away, good chance we get doubled there. I drop the KS and go 1 off losing a club, diamond and a heart. Our opponents don't make game. Not quite a bottom as Steve & Marilyn were allowed to play in 3H.

Most of our good scores were down to opponents' errors

WD Sim pairs 21 march

Playing with Adrianne we didn't do too well, 3rd with 54%, but didn't have much luck.
We were East / West

After 2 passes Derek Shafer opened 1H, opposite a passed hand, 4H is probably better. Anyway our bidding was:
P – P – 1H – x
P – 2S – 4H – 4S
5H – x – P – 5S

I don’t know where Alan’s 5H came from but Adrianne thought for a while then made the good decision to bid on but couldn’t find the slam. After the heart lead and King and another spade, 13 tricks rolled in.


Lost out here against Bob McKinnon and Ian Patrick who found the game against us.
I opened 1NT as East, Bob bid 2S and Ian made an excellent bid of 4S. There was nothing in the play, we made the obvious 2 clubs and a diamond.
More interesting would be the non-weak no trumpers who would open 1C with my hand, 5C will probably go 2 off (a diamond from South and a diamond back before AK hearts go is the only way to make it 3 off). Either way a good save.



Against Ian & Betty Morrison, our bidding went :
1NT – 3S – 4H – 4S
P – P – x

The 3S left me unable to show 2 places to play as 3NT would be to play. If North had bid 4S immediately I would have bid 4NT and ended in 5H. This makes double dummy, but I wouldn’t have made it.
Anyway we found the perfect defence, I led a small heart to dummy’s Ace, Jack of spade is led and Adrianne correctly goes up with the Ace, I signal a diamond. We cash 3 diamonds, Adrianne exits with a heart, ruffed. Declarer tries a club but I go up with Ace, exit a heart and declarer has to lose QS for 3 off.


Ian Morrison made an unbelievable bid on this hand.
North opens 1S, South 1NT, North 4S!

Nothing can stop 10 tricks: 6 spades, 2 hearts and 2 diamonds.

You can't argue with success.






Here against Gerry & Ileen I opened 1NT which is what we do with this distribution, but immediately regretted not opening 1S as I am too strong for a weak NT.
Anyway Ileen bid the obvious 2H passed round to me and now I bid 2S. Adrianne comes to life with 3S, Gerry bids 4H and I bid 4S which Gerry doubles.

On this bidding Ileen leads the obvious singleton club and the 8 in dummy holds. I finesse a spade, Ileen leads a heart and is crestfallen as I win the Ace and no ruff materialises. I take out trumps, finesse again in clubs and make the rest of the tricks for 1190.
You can't argue with success!

Ileen gave us a bottom on the next hand by being the only one to bid 6H.


Another top for us was in this hand where I was the only one to make 12.
Kate opened 1C as South, Adrianne doubled, David passed I bid 2S and Adrianne 4S.
Kate led the Ace of clubs and switched to a small heart. I won in dummy, crossed to AS and ruffed a club, David's King fell.
Now even when dummy went down I was 80% sure that Kate would have KD, there are only 14 missing points and she opened. With David having KC I am 100% certain about the KD as otherwise Kate would have opened 3C. So in due course I laid down the Ace of diamonds and dropped the singleton King.