Thursday 16 February

Playing E/W in the West District Sim Prs came 2nd with just 52%.  A very difficult set of hands.

Board 10 was typical where we did the correct thing but got a poor score. After the 2NT by Adrianne I transferred then bid 3NT and Adrianne despite her 4333 bid 4S which is surely sensible. After a club lead she decided on AK of trump then 3 rounds of heart discarding a diamond. With JC falling that was 11 tricks.  Not good.  Many opted for 3NT and made all 13. After getting away with a non-diamond lead, they have obviously risked the entire contract by taking the spade finesse. South must subsequently have shed a heart to keep diamonds and so all the tricks are made. Still much prefer to be in 4S.

Against Alistair & Eileen we got lucky but felt sorry for Alistair who made the right play. I opened 1H and Alistair opted for 2NT, Eileen bid 3C and then Alistair made a brave bid of 3NT. Adrianne could have led a spade (Alistair must be 5-5 in minors and should be AQ of hearts of something similar), however she opted for a heart.  Alistair won and tried AC to find the loser I violently signalled for a spade. However Alistair can get home with 4 diamond tricks, but only missing 15 points and as I had opened, he righly played me for QD and down he went.  Should he have bid 5C? No, 3NT is a great bid, if partner has just 3 small clubs and not a point in her hand, there can be 9 tricks off the top on a heart lead. Why gamble on 5C where partner must have some good points in diamonds (and not in spades).  Three E/W are playing in 4 or 5S, don't know how you bid like that but they were suitably penalised with a double.

Here we got another good score against Alistair & Eileen, but this time probably not for doing the right thing. After 1H, 1S, 1NT, I passed.  Probably 2S is the better bid ensuring some tricks from my hand which might not materialise in NT.  Anyway, despite the bidding Eileen led a small heart giving away a cheap trick and with the QJ of spades falling that was 9 tricks for 150, better than the 140 for 2S.

On this board against Ronnie and Elizabeth I ended up in 5C (don't ask).  Elizabeth led a small trump and this gave me only one real chance that I could see, set up diamonds. I won QC and led a diamond to the King and returned TD to Ronnie's Ace.  Ronnie cashed AS and played a heart, I tried the Queen but no luck and Elizabeth returned a heart to the Ace. I ruffed a diamond to set up dummy's suit and now if clubs were 2-2 I was home, Ace of clubs and no luck, got what I deserved, 2 down for -200 and a bottom.

Thursday 9 february

Managed to come first N/S with 59% however, did not get get off to an auspicious start against Jim & Nigel.

Adrianne put herself into 6S after I had opened 1NT and broken the spade transfer. This looks not a bad contract, just find one of the two black kings. Nigel led a heart to J, Q and ruff, Adrianne crossed to AD and took the losing spade finesse. Another heart would have killed the contract, but Nigel switched to JD taken by King and Adrianne cleared the trumps. She now played a third diamond and with everyone following, this gives her a second choice rather than a club finesse. She discards a club on 4th diamond, cashes AC and notes Nigel's Ten.  However, having been very slow to bid and explain and also slow in play, feeling under pressure she followed with QC.  Jim had done well to discard hearts rather than two clubs and so won the last trick with the 9C.

Got a good score back though on the 3rd board. Nigel opened 1S, I bid 2D, Adrianne bids 4D and this is passed out. Jim led a heart which I ran to the Queen, cashed 2 rounds of diamonds. So I lose 2 spades and 1 club for a plus score when 4H makes E/W (you can't get a club ruff AND 2 diamond tricks). Would we have bid 5D over 4H, of course we would.

This was a tricky 4S against Sandy and Ralph made easier for me after a diamond lead. I opened the North hand preferring 5431 shape to 4441 and we are soon in 4S with Ralph leading a small diamond to Q, K and Ace. All I have to do now is lose 3 spades without losing a heart. So at trick 2 I led a small spade which Ralph takes perforce and he plays a club.  Another spae from dummy to Jack which I duck.  Sandy plays another club and I lead another spade taken by Sandy with the King. Another club won in hand, I draw last trump and claim with two hearts going on the diamonds. Everyone makes 10 but can't be easy on say a club lead.

Played this in 4H against Sheila and Elizabeth.  Half made it, half didn't. We got there after 1NT and Stayman. Sheila led JD to K and A but Elizabeth returned a small diamond won by my 6. I led QH, not covered, so went up with the Ace and led a heart back to 10 and King. Sheila now led 9S to J, Q and K. I drew last trump, finessed 8S, gave up a diamond and threw a club from dummy on 10D. So I made 3 spades, 3 hearts and a club ruff, 2 diamonds and AC. What happens after AQ diamonds and a ruff? Sheila will exit with a spade and like most of us will always play the 9, so I will make the rest of the tricks via a forced heart finesse and the same finesse of the 8S. The defence in this hand would spell out the difference between good players and we lesser mortals.  Any exit except 9S, including a small club, defeats the contract, why not exit with a heart?, you know your King's dead, but we never do.

Adrianne got a great score in 3NT against Bob and Ian, everyone else is in 4S one off.  I opened 1S, Ian bid 3C and Adrianne bid 3NT passed out. Bob righly eschewed the club lead and tried a small diamond which Adrianne ran to the 10 and played a second diamond to the Queen. The heart finesse follows and Bob returns a heart to dummy. Now comes the 5 spades, a heart to hand, a 10C to Ian and AQ clubs for the last two tricks and 660.

Monday 6 February

Bad night, managed to come 3rd bottom, though we had chances for a decent score we failed to capitalise.
Got a poor score on this board against Paul Maiolani and Ronald Gaffin. Adrianne opened 1S, Ronald bid 2S and I bid 4S. Paul does brilliantly to find a 4NT bid, Ronald bids 5D and I hesitate before finally passing.  Really stupid as I am always passing here and I had a little time to realise that as soon as Paul bids 4NT.  Anyway Adrianne passes this out, though would prefer to bid 5S but didn't feel it was clear enough after I paused. 5D is unbeatable, all those clubs give 4 heart discards for -600. Most people are in 4S 1 off.


Played this against Martin Diamond and Alec Cram. Our bidding, without interference, went
      2H - 2S - 3D - 4C - 4S
  Alec led a diamond which I took with the Ace. Now I reckoned if I play club to the Ace, ruff a club, ruff a red card, ruff a club, ruff a red card.  I am down to 4 spades and leading KS to their Ace and being made to ruff again leaves me with QT while they have 3 trumps and KC could be still outstanding.  I reckoned a club finesse is a better shot.  If it loses I am hoping they play trumps to ensure I only have 1 loser and I can afford to lose another club.  If they come back a red card I can ruff, ruff a club and with the suit now set up should be safe to lose 2 trumps and make it.  So finesse a club I did.  Oops, not right with a singleton King.  Lots of people made 4S so presumably played a club to Ace, but I'm still sure the finesse is better. That's bridge.

Made a couple of silly errors here and there and all in all, not our night.

Thursday 2 Feb

Managed to come first N/S, but with a meagre 56%. Should have been a much higher score but I managed a few calamities.

Board 1 was a good score where we reach 4H after I open and rebid hearts. I made 11, one pair made 12 but everyone else 10 tricks. It is one of those hands that makes MPs so interesting but frustrating. Against Sheila and Elizabeth, Sheila led a club and Elizabeth switched to 6H. So what is the best line? Go up with AH, ruff a club, AK of diamonds, throwing your other club and, after the club, just lose 1 spade and hopefully 1 heart for 10 tricks. Unfortunately, it is possible to make 11 or even 12 by finessing this heart and bringing in the diamonds, but how to play diamonds? Anyway I finessed QH and decided on the diamond finesse being best, that lets me take the second heart finesse and guarantee 11, 12 if diamonds break. However the QD won, but I make the rest.

Ian and John managed to bid and make 6H on this board.  Adrianne was the only other player to make 12 tricks so we still got a good score. Adrianne opened a weak 2H, but I would never do that with this hand, two outside Aces is not what weak twos are about. Still, you would do very well to get to 6H even opposite a 1H opener and the slam depends on the trump finesse on a spade or diamond lead. How the rest failed to make 12, I have no idea.

Had a complete disaster against Izzy and Gerry.  I opened 2H passed round to Izzy who bid 2S.  Gerry now bids 2NT?!? Izzy now bids 4S.  I lead AH to the 2, 5 and 4. Adrianne showing normal count. Now who is going to be singleton here? Well I get it wrong of course, but what to switch to? Well the diamond still defeats this silly contract, so of course I play a club.  10 tricks made. Nobody else of course is bidding 4S, just 1 down is a top instead of a bottom.

Still, got my own back on the next board.  Adrianne opened 1NT and 3NT looked a good punt from my point of view. A heart lead will defeat this, but Izzy leads a club.  Adrianne plays diamond to gerry's Jack and another club to Adrianne's Ace. Another diamond to Gerry's King and a third club. Adrianne, not seeing through the cards, sensibly lets a diamond go and finesses JS, but no matter she has 9 tricks. Nobody else in game.

However, Izzy and Gerry aren't through with us yet. Izzy opens 1S and Gerry bids 2C?!?! (they play 5 card majors). Adrianne comes in 3H (I prefer 4H with this sort of hand, 3NT another possibility, but should be 6-6). Anyway Izzy has a magnificent 12 count so bids 3NT?!?  I pass, confident this will be well off and Gerry now bids 4S. This comes round to me and I go into a huddle. Why didn't Gerry give a limit raise the first time, has he a delayed game raise? Izzy must be at least 14. Has Adrianne just got 8 hearts, spade void, nothing else. Do I bid 5H, can I still beat 4S? What did I do?  PASS!!! Really stupid, I think the obvious bid is 5H.  Adrianne should have nothing, but we still make 10 tricks, possibly 11.  I can't believe I passed.  Anyway we put this 4 off undoubled and of course we make 12 in hearts!

Here is a very simple way to get a top. Against Ronnie and Elizabeth, Elizabeth opens 1D, passed round to me and I bid 1NT.  Elizabeth doubles, Adrianne bids 2C Stayman, Ronnie 2D and I bid 2S passed out.  Nothing in the play, 8 tricks is straightforward after my long club was set up following the obvious AKQ of clubs lead. Everyone else defended 1or 2 diamonds. 3D should never make due to lack of dummy entries.

Finally, another real stupidity by me against Bob and Ian who easily won E/W. Bob opened 1H, I doubled, Ian bid 2H, Adrianne 3C and Bob 3H. Now everyone has bid perfectly, why should I? So, feeling this is more our contract, I though a match point double might be in order.  As I covered Bob's QH, no guess was required and 10 tricks made.  That however is not the worst of it, we were last to play the hand and when the results came up on the Bridgemates everyone else had beeen in 4H. How to turn a top into a bottom, I'm becoming expert at it.



Monday 25 January

Playing N/S managed, with some luck, to come first.
Against John Larkin & Rob I opened 1C, John passed (could/should double). Adrianne bid 1H and Rob 1S. I bid 4H, John 4S, Adrianne 5C and passed out (again John could double).
Nothing to the play no matter how you take on the clubs, you lose 1 trump and 1 heart. Ruff 2 diamonds and discard the other on a long heart, easy 11 tricks.
A number of pairs were in 5H all going down. Looking at the South hand all you lose are 1 club and 1 heart. However you need to get 2 spade ruffs and a spade discard on the clubs or 3 spade ruffs. On a spade lead you could ruff 3 spades. On a trump lead, taking AH, the problem is you have to ruff 2 spades AND set up clubs then after K of hearts play a winning club discarding a spade.

Lost the gain from board 1 on this board against Willie Taylor & Alan Bergson.
Adrianne opened 2S passed round to Willie who found a 3NT bid??!
Adrianne led the natural looking QS and that's 9 tricks off the top. Same as I would have.
Maybe we should apply some thought here. Willie is normally either a strong hand or a long minor with AS, so perhaps a different lead could be found. No take out double so lead a heart?
If we had been E/W, we bid 3C as East showing this hand (we use 2NT for weaker overcalls). The West hand could now take 3NT and we would have lost the first 6 tricks.

Managed to bid the Grand Slam here against Victor & Brian. Adrianne opened 1D and I bid 3C, 4C from Adrianne. After RKC I know partner has AD, QC and KS. KD is the obvious problem. If she has less than 15 points (we play weak NT) then she is at most 2-2 in majors so exactly 3 points in the majors, 2 points in clubs leaving 7-9 in diamonds, could be AQJxxx, but then I realised the value of the 4C bid, if partner was that basic she would more likely have bid 5C, so 7C it was. However why did I not bid 5NT for Kings? Well funnily enough I cannot recollect ever agreeing whether we show the King we bid to confirm the Queen of trumps. So if I had bid 5N and Adrianne bids 6D, I am in 7C still not knowing if there are 2 Kings opposite! It cost us 2 imps not bidding 7NT, but when it comes to a Grand I'll always prefer a good suit fit.

We got very lucky here. Jack & Robert bid to 6NT after Robert had (over)rebid his hand 1D - 3D. Jack obviously goes for slam now. They are the only ones in it and maybe Robert's rebid was right after all because it is an excellent slam just needing 1 of 2 finesses and a 6 card suit to run to put pressure on the opponents before testing the hearts.
As it happens there is no play and so we got a great score by pure luck.



Against Moreen & Ernestine, here was another good score by good fortune. I won't relate exactly how, but I bid my hand 1C, 2C, 3C. Adrianne ends in 3NT which is unbeatable (except on a club lead?)









And on the next board we do well again.
Adrianne opens 1D, Moreen bids 1S and I think it is silly to worry about how many points you need for a 2 level bid with my hand. I bid 2C and eventally the opponents go to 4S, we bid 5C and are doubled.
Nothing in the play, the diamonds are easily set up for two heart discards so you lose 1 spade and 1 club.




Against Charles and Vi we got a great score.
Vi opens 1D, I overcall 1H and Charles doubles to show spades. Adrianne bids 4H, Vi 4S and I bid 5H, doubled by Charles.
Again nothing in the play, there is 1 spade and 1 diamond to lose and can cross ruff the 3 losers in each hand.
Many E/W got to play in 4S making, it is difficult to cash those 3 club tricks.

Monday 31 October

Not an horrific Halloween as Adrianne and I managed to come first with a Butler score of 59.

Playing N/S our first board was against Charles & Vi.

I opened 1C, Adrianne bid 1H and Vi doubled.

My KS and singleton diamond look very good now and I bid 4H.

Charles bid 5D and Adrianne 5H, everyone else was in 4H. Anyway Adrianne still had no problem as Vi started with two top diamonds.

However, what a problem she would have had if Vi switches to a spade at trick 2. How would she have placed the spades? Against Vi and after the take out double I think I would have gone up with the King.

On this board against Ros and Lewis Geneen I show yet again how to go down in simple contracts.

Ros had opened 1NT as East and Adrianne overcalled an Astro 2C. I bid 2H and there I played. Lead was 8S.

I took AS and then KS. I am not going to be in hand very often and if Lewis has a heart honour, there's not much room points wise for KC, so I decide to finesse QC before touching trumps. Ooops!

Lewis takes KC, plays a diamond to Queen, AD, ruff and with two trumps to lose I'm 1 down. Just play Ace and another heart at trick 2, 8 tricks can't fail.

Missed 3NT on this board against Jack and Robert.

Adrianne passed as South. I would open this. AJTxx scores more tricks on average than AQxxx (opposite 2 or 3 small), yet everyone opens this with AQxxx in clubs.

Anyway I opened 1NT, Jack overcalled 2S and Adrianne used Lebensohl to put me in 3C. This had no problem after JD lead to King, losing club finesse, heart through. TD exit (double dummy I should have played AD, KD before finessing), won Ace, AS and second finesse making 4 clubs, 4 diamonds and AS. Unfortunately 3NT makes 9 as well, difference is TS is played instead of a heart after the first club finesse, but I just cover with the Queen as I have A9 still. Also I would have played 3 rounds diamonds before the club finesse leaving Jack in a pickle.

On the next board I opened 1C and this was passed out. I went 1 down but my good ness all sorts of contracts were being played here.

First of all some Wests would be playing Lucas and open 2H. This is doubled and some Souths might leave that in or bid 2S. North would now bid 3S or even 4S. Weak 2 players might even open West 2H and the bidding would be similar, though now South wouldn't be likely to leave in the double.

If West passes as at my table, North opens 1C, surely passed round to West. Should they protect? I wouldn't at this scoring. You are not missing game and run a greater risk of opponents finding a good spade contract even with the bad break (if partner has 5 spades, (s)he has even less points than you might think and the bigger the North hand. If West does protect with 1H, North doubles (though as some Norths played in 2D presumably they don't have that option). Partner will bid 1S and North should just bid 2S. At least I hope that is what I would have done.

Monday 25 October

Playing E/W with Adrianne we cqme middle with a Butler score of -3. Didn't do much wrong, apart from me driving opponents into a 3NT contract which can't be beaten on a sensible lead.

Against Maurice and Rhoda I opened 1H, Maurice bid 2D and Adrianne 2NT. I bid 3C and Maurice bid 3D which Adrianne doubled.

After QH, heart ruffed, QD to King, JC to Q and King, a master heart which Maurice ruffs. Adrianne would be better to discard a spade, but over-ruffs so down 1 for 200.

3N was cold on the club finesses. At least we avoided the hopeless 5C.

On the next board the weak NT made sure that N/S couldn't find their game.

I opened 1NT, Adrianne transferred with 2D. At MPs I would bid 2H take out with the North hand but would likely pass here with an unlimited West, anyway Rhoda won't have a take out bid. I bid 3H and we went the obvious 1 off.

The Gerrards and the Outreds were the only two pairs to find 4S. Obviously I should compete with that North hand. Many others were in spade partials, but presumambly South didn't see their hand as good enough.

Though it might have been 2H from East that went round to North who now makes a take out double. Not so easy to bid 4S now.

Weak NT worked again here. 1NT by me, 2H transfer by Adrianne doubled by Katie. I bid 2S although I only had two, they were good ones. David can't compete as the double might just be for a lead. Katie didn't feel strong enough for 3H.

2S makes the obvious 8 tricks, but 4H should always make as it is wrong to finesse in Diamonds.

Nobody in 4H, but 3 pairs in 4S were probably sacrificing.

Yet another 1NT opening by me after 2 passes. Ileen isn't shy and bids 2D to show spades and another. Gerry duly bids 2S.
I lead JS which didn't fool him, so after Ace, King and TS, Gerry runs 9H. Adrianne ducks but wins the follwing 8H with the Ace and Gerry has 10 tricks.
The Gerrards are in 4S, but it doesn't really look biddable to me.

Missed a game opportunity against Jim & Ian. Jim opened 1C passed round to me and I overcalled a heart, Jim passed and Adrianne bid 2H. Round to Jim who doubled and Adrianne bid 3H. I now gave this some thought, but I can't envisage Adrianne with a singleton club and she didn't give me an unassuming cue. All in all I passed.
Three pairs bid and made it. I actually made 11 after AC and a switch to a trump. I finessed JD and ruffed a club, drew trumps and cashed the diamonds.
The play is a lot more interesting if the diamond is covered by the Queen. You have to win KD, come back to a heart, ruff a club, come back with a diamond, draw last trump and exit with a spade. Opposition can only get two spades to go with original club.

This was a strange one against Rene & Anita. Most N/S are in 4S or 4H. Strangely the 5-3 fit looks a bit better than the 4-4, two N/S made it. Presumably it might go AD lead ruffed, club exit, trump to K and A. Ruff a club, heart to Q, ruff a club, QD discard a club. I think you just lose a club a diamond and a trump that way.
At our table Rene opened 1S, I doubled and Anita redoubled. Adrianne therefore bid 2D which was passsed out!
After a heart lead and continuation ruffed, Adrianne played KS to the Ace. Another heart ruffed, QS, spade ruff, another heart ruff, Adrianne had 8 tricks.

Here, after 2 passes I opened 1C, Adrianne bid 1H, 1N - 3H - 4H.
Rene led a club, Adrianne played JH to Ace. Rene tried a spade, but Adrianne wins in dummy, picks up Anita's QH and makes the rest.
The spade might well have been the right switch. However Adrianne was the only person who made this contract.
The only way it goes down is to play 3 rounds of diamonds. By making dummy ruff , the QH can't be picked up.
Did everyone defend this way, or were declarers misplaying the hand?



We started against David & Cathie and wee lucky on this deal. Cathie was saying how they are pushing slim games at the World Championship opposite a weak NT. So when David opened 1NT as South and Cathie found a 4-4 spade bid, she bid 4S.
Adrianne found the best lead of a club. I won Queen and returned a club to Ten and Ace.
David now played TS to King and then finessed into my Queen. With a club and two diamonds to cash it was -2.
If David just runs that 10S and then follows with a QH, he will make 10 tricks. Obviously those players at the World Championships know something.