Wednesday 2 October

Playing N/S with Adrianne came third with 54%. We actually scored well on most boards but my brain wasn't quite in gear and I made a few dreadful mistakes, but we won't look at them!

Board 1 was very strange.  I opened a weak 2S and Adrianne raised to 4S, passed out. Nat led a club and I won the Ace, ruffed a club, spade to Ace, ruffed a club, Ace and diamond ruff, ruffed a club for 10 tricks.
With clubs and diamonds breaking it is actually straightforward to make 11 tricks.
What is strange is E/W have 24 points, a nine card heart fit and a spade singleton, usually enough for game.  In fact N/S can take the first 7 tricks against a heart contract via 3 Aces and 4 trump tricks on a minor suit cross ruff.  That is in fact what happened to a number of E/Ws with 5H -5 and 4H -4 being a common score.  Nobody found the double though so 4S making is the place to be.

I opened 1C, Bob doubled and Adrianne bid 1H.  Dave passed and I bid 1N and Adrianne 3N.
I got off to a good start when Bob led 6D and Dummy's Jack held the trick.  I played a club to the Ace, AH, TH overtaken by the Jack.
Now the question is, does Bob have singleton club? I led JC but wasn't tested when Dave's Q appeared. That's 10 tricks in the bag.  With club doubleton I can feel secure Bob has AS for his double so led to KS for 11 tricks and a joint top.

This is a very simple board where Adrianne and I have a useful understanding.  Over a 1C opening we bid 2C with 6-7(8) and 4 clubs, but 1N with 8-10.
So our bidding went 1C - 2C. I still gave 2N a little thought for a better Match Point score but she won't have 4 spades and I might have 4 losers there never mind anywhere else.  So 2C it was and it is difficult to do anything other than make 9 tricks.
Most people were in NT, usually 2N and going off.

BTW over 1D we bid 1N (6-9) when clubs is our only suit. It is the only logical bid and lets you settle in 2C when suitable. I am amazed to see people bid 1C - 1N or 1D - 1N and not realise that their partner can only have clubs.

We got a top against our Canadian visitors Irene and Alison where everyone else was making 10 tricks in hearts. Alison opened 1H (5 card majors), Irene bid 2H and Alison has no problem bidding 4H.
I led QD, covered by the King, Ace and ruffed. I think that was the mistake, let QD run round and be ruffed is better.
Having covered Alison is in more danger from forces.  Play a spade now, forced in diamonds, later lose a heart, forced in diamonds and a defender has more trumps than you.
Anyway if you tackle trumps instead of looking for a spade ruff with your 4 clubs, 4 hearts and AS you have 9 tricks and a 75% chance of making via one of the major Kings onside. So Alison played a club to the Queen, ran JH and I ducked.  Another heart which I took and she was sunk. Note if the QD hadn't been covered she could have played a spade right away.  If I win, the QS is good and although more diamonds cause problems you get home. If it loses Adrianne can't play back a diamond and she can get her spade ruff without being forced.

Wednesday 18 September

Fantastic performance by Scotland's Seniors in Bali, lying second after seven wins on the trot.

Playing N/S with Gerry we were also lying second with 55%.  However after a poor start we were pleased with that. Don't want to dwell on the poor ones but Ronnie ensured we couldn't make a 3N by coming in with a 2D overcall.  Now I had Qx and Gerry Kxx, I cue bid 3D to make Gerry the Declarer and the diamond lead scuppered the contract.  Played by me a diamond lead gives us two tricks and time to set up clubs for the contract.  On the next I opened 3N with 7 clubs and Gerry had a potential trick in each of the other suits but Ronnie and Elizabeth defended perfectly to put it two off.  These gambling (or in my case gambolling) 3NTs would actually be better by transfer. Playing a Benji or Multi option for a 20-22 2NT you could then have 2N is a 3C pre-empt, 3C for 3D etc. and 3S is a gambling 3N and you right side the contract.
Anyway things picked up against Louis and Harold.

Like most pairs E/W are in 3N after 1C - 2C - 2N - 3N and Gerry as South is on lead.  Figuring that his hand can't do any damage with only one entry he decided against a spade lead and tried to help my hand with a 7H lead.
Louis won in hand and immediately played a club to Gerry who continued with 8H this time taken in Dummy.  Another club won by me and I cleared the hearts.  With AD to come I make the 4th heart and Louis can only make 9 tricks, everyone else after a spade lead made 10.
It matters not if Louis tries diamonds first, I still get the 4th heart set up for when I'm in with AC.


Things went reasonably well after that and we had a good finish

I opened 1N and Ian 2D (alerted).  Gerry bid 2S and Bob 3H.  Back to Bob who bid 4H and Gerry ventured 4S.  Ian quite rightly doubled this.
Bob led a diamond to Q and K, Gerry played a spade to 10 and K.  Ian tried a heart, ruffed, spade to Q and Ace, diamond ruff but that was it, Gerry wins any return, draws last trump and has lots of diamond and club winners.
Double Dummy if Ian returns a club when in with the first spade, then when in with the second spade there is a diamond ruff and club ruff.

Monday 17 September

Playing N/S with Adrianne came in a poor 10th of 15 with a Butler score of -8. Most hands were fairly nondescript, we didn't do much wrong but didn't get many good scores.

Got off to a bad start with the first two boards of the night against Phoebe and Robina.
Our bidding went:
1S -  x - 2C - P
2D - P - 2H - P
3C - P - 4N - P
5H - P - 6C - passed out

Adrianne has a tricky bid over the fourth suit. I prefer to bid 2S rather than create a picture of 5143 shape, however I'm not so keen to bid 2S here and end up in 4S opposite 2 small. Primarily she has to deny a heart stop and make the bid that best describes her hand.  On balance 3C is probably best.
However I am tempted by the thought of a singleton heart opposite and can't resist going for 6C.
Phoebe made the obvious heart lead and double dummy I can make this.  Duck AH, win heart continuation and ruff a heart. AD, QD covered and ruffed (else discard a spade). Over to AS, cash 10D discard spade then run JC.  Defender can make that harder by returning a club at trick two which you have to run to Dummy.  Or even a spade, but you are still home as above.
Needless to say I didn't do any of that, I just tried a diamond finesse at trick two.

This is a big 'swingy' hand that we got wrong.  West could open 2S or multi if you allow it missing a top honour.  North could open 2H playing Lucas.  Neither of these applied at our table, it simply went:

P - 1H - 1S - 2H
4S - passed out.

5H (or 5D) can't be beaten, 4S can. Unfortunately we got neither of these results.  Adrianne led KD, I played the 2 for a club.  She duly switched to the 7 and I didn't suspect this was a singleton, I ducked.   So we didn't even keep it to 10 tricks. A club lead defeats the contract.
Fit jumps don't seem to be around as much these days, we certainly never played them but isn't that South hand just perfect for a fit-jump to 3D?

Along with half the field we managed to bid slam against Alan and Myra.
Adrianne opened 1H, I bid 1S, Adrianne 1N.  I bid 4C for Aces, Adrianne showing the AS and I bid 6S.  Alan led a diamond won in hand.  AS with Alan's 10 popping up, then I ran the 9 to the bare Queen. Two discards on the KQ hearts gave me 12 tricks.
Straightforward enough, however a number of people made 13 tricks.  That was poor, if East's 10 is singleton and you go up with the King of Spades on the second round, West will have Q8 left and will get two trump tricks.  Silly to risk your slam for one measly point.


The Scottish team are off to a good start in the d'Orsi trophy in Bali winning their first two matches:

Results

Monday 9 September

Playing E/W with Adrianne finished in the middle but with a reasonable Butler score of 16.

Myra opened 3C and Adrianne doubled, Alan passed and I bid 4H, round to Alan who bid 5C.  This went back to Adrianne who decided to bid 5H.  Definitely not recommended, the five level belongs to the opponents unless you have a big fit, not 3 card support.
Anyway Myra led KC and followed with another which I ruffed.  Heart to the Q, ducked, JH taken by Ace.  Now even with QS falling and a marked heart finesse I am still going to lose a diamond for one off.  However Alan plays a third club which on the face of it is quite clever as if I ruff in hand there is no gain and if I ruff in Dummy I cannot finesse the heart and Alan will make a second trump trick.
Anyway, I discarded a spade and ruffed in Dummy, now AK of spades and Myra's Queen falls.  I have a count of Alan's hand now : 4423, so I cashed AD, KD, J10 of spades throwing my last two diamonds and we all have two cards left and the lead is in Dummy.  So with K9 of hearts over the 10 6 I got my trump finesse and 11 tricks.  Who says the 5 level belongs to the opponents?

Two eventful boards against Steve and Marcin again 5 level contracts. Two big scores which cancelled out because of mistakes.
Marcin opened 1S, Steve 1N and I bid 2D.  Marcin bid 2H, Adrianne 3D and Steve 4H.  This went round to Adrianne who bid 5D, doubled by Steve and Marcin decided to bid 5H.
Adrianne led KC and Marcin took the Ace, when I got in with AS I could play a club for Adrianne to cash two tricks and down one.
Marcin had been worried I might have been singleton club, but he would still have been down.  All he has to do is hope I am doubleton club, hold up AC and he makes the contract.

Now my turn for the error.  Adrianne opened the West hand 1H, I bid 1S and she raised to 2S.  I cue bid 4C, Adrianne 4D and I bid 5S.  Adrianne is a bit embarrassed about her hand now and passed.
Marcin led QD.  I am always losing a club and a spade so have to get rid of two diamond losers.  Ace and another club does work here for one of them but is the wrong thing to do.  If QC loses to King then Ace and another spade means you lose a diamond. So you have to ruff two diamonds. I won AD, heart to Ace and cashed KD, ruffed a diamond with 5S, over-ruffed, Ace and another spade and I am two down.
If I don't cash KD but just ruff with 5S, ruff a heart, ruff a diamond with JS then I'm home. I hadn't fully thought it out, though I can reasonably expect the third diamond ruff to hold it must be safer not to cash KD. However it was in the back of my mind that not long ago in a similar situation I didn't cash my winner and ruffed my losers, then when I went out to Ace of trump my winner was ruffed. This was less likely to happen here I think with QD lead likely to be from a holding in the suit.

Now what do you think are your chances in 3D? No, not by North silly, by East!
I passed initially and Adrianne opened 1N, Robina bid 2D alerted by Phoebe whom I asked for an explanation and she said an unspecified six card suit.
We play Lebensohl and any double by me is penalty, so I have no bid and if I pass, Phoebe presumably bids 2H and Robina 3D.  Again I have no bid. So I bid 3D over the 2D.  I know this is probably too difficult for partner but playing Lebensohl it is forcing.  Adrianne passed (after considerable thought). The telling point for her is I am a passed hand.  So 3D by East.
Phoebe led JC to Ace, diamond back to my Jack, AH, JH covered and won by King.  TH, 9H throwing spades, KC, QC, Robina ruffs per force with only diamonds left. Now a small one to Phoebe's 10 and my Queen ensures she gets 3 trumps to go with her two Aces for 1 down.  Missed our 4S, but a much more interesting contract!.

Thursday 5 Septemebr

Playing in a Howell with Adrianne came joint second in a close tournament with 58%.

Got a joint bottom playing in 4H after I opened East 1D, Adrianne bid 1H and I stretched to 4H.
Ian led JD which Adrianne fancied to be a singleton, so won in Dummy (dropping 7 from hand) and played A and another heart. Ian exited with a club to Paul's Ace. Paul decided Ian was likely to have a third heart and returned a diamond. However all Adrianne could do was carefully preserve 2D while cashing the suit, dropping a spade on the 5th. She then came over to hand with a trump and tried KS but down 1.
The singleton diamond lead always defeats the contract as you either always get a ruff (assuming South is smart enough to go up with the AC) or the KH.
What is more interesting is the fact that N/S are stiff for 4S or 5C by North. After 1D - 1H by the opposition, I play 1N with the North hand, a mini 'unusual' NT. That would surely get South to bid 4S knowing there can only be three red losers and two black Kings are all that are needed for game.  Looks like nobody else played that convention.

I ended in 3N after opening East 1N, Adrianne bid 2C and after my 2D bid 2N.  The 5 card suit made me bid game.
Alex led 8H which has me thinking.  Is it a doubleton? Is it 98x(x)? No matter I played small, Rod the 6 and I won the Queen.  I returned a diamond to the Jack and Rod took the Ace (better to duck). Anyway Rod led back a diamond, I wasn't expecting that but now I have to decide on the heart situation because I can't discard a back card from dummy. Has Alex led from say 98x and Rod wants the heart through? Worse still a doubleton. However I can't make 9 if I discard a black card so I won QD and let a heart go. I now played 9S to Rod's A and I'm safe now. Just knock out Alex's KS and I have 9 tricks.

I was the only one in 4S who made this.  David opened East a multi and Katie bid the obligatory 2H. You can never be certain East doesn't have spades but I have to bid 2S. Adrianne stretches to 4S.
David led a top heart and I took the Ace and played AK of diamonds discarding a heart. I now led a small spade.  If spades are 2-2 it matters not what you play. A 3-1 break is more likely with 6 hearts in the East hand, so putting in the Jack is best when Katie holds KQx however Katie smoothly played the 8 and as some people will split their honours, I reckoned the situation slightly favoured either 2-2 or the singleton honour in David's hand so I rose with the Ace.  I can only lose a spade a heart and a club now.

Embarrassing disaster!  John opened South 1N, Iain bid 2C, John 2H, Iain 3C and John bid 3N(?). Adrianne led 7S and I had a long hard look at it before playing KS and switching to KD! This held, I played 5D to Adrianne's Ace.  Adrianne is thinking John is holding up AS and my play is consistent with KQ(J)x(x) of diamonds, so she returns a diamond.  John claims the rest.
I just thought John would have spades covered (QJx) for his bid along with AC obviously and maybe just Qxx of diamonds. But then would Adrianne not just least a diamond?
We are unfortunate that John-Iain don't play minor suit transfers as then I can double the 2S and we will be playing in spades (4S makes). Also it is generally recommended nowadays that you lead QS from from QJxxx or King from KQxxx.  That would have saved me my embarrassment.

We were the only ones to find the slam here. I opened East 1C and Phillip overcalled 1D, Adrianne bid 1S and Victor bid 2D.
Adrianne guarantees 5 spades and (as usual) I decide to overbid a little, 3S. Adrianne now produces 4D which takes me by surprise. Well she isn't looking at a good holding in hearts or clubs, however surely something in clubs for a slam try as well as excellent spades.  I bid 5S (how good are your trumps?), Adrianne bid 6S.
Diamond lead ruffed, two rounds of spades, AC, QH, club finesse (can she see through these cards?) and 13 tricks.

Festival Pairs

Playing N/S with Gerry came second with 65.7%, just pipped by Cathy and Ian  with 66.2% (2 match points more).

 A top score in 4H. Robina led 9D to Q and K.  I played AK of hearts, so Robina is singleton, lead is more likely to be from 109x(x) than doubleton.  First of all I eliminated clubs then played JD then 2D but Robina showed out, so AD and diamond ruf leaving 3 spades and 2 trumps in each hand. I led small and Robina correctly put in the 9 (else I will duck to Phoebe guaranteeing 11 tricks).  I put up the King which held, led back a spade and Phoebe is end played to give away a ruff and discard, so actually made 12.
If Robina rises with AS, she has to return a spade and give me a guess for who has the Queen.  Luckily I wasn't tested.

 A big swingy hand on the next.  Our bidding went:
1D - 1S - 2C - 3S
4H - 4S -  x  -  P
5D -  P  - 5H - P
 P  -  P -   P  -  x -   passed out.
Gerry went for the 'higher scoring' hearts, though I make 12 in diamonds! 5H can go off on a diamond lead, but who would lead their singleton into Declarer's main suit and with only a singleton trump? So 5Hx made for the loss of a heart and a diamond.  5Sx would be a good save, in fact with a small club to the 10, just 1 off.

We played 13, 14 and 15 against Ian and Cathy who beat us by 2 MPs and these three boards were our undoing.
On 13 I am in 4S like most people. I got 6D lead from Ian, I took Ace and played AS then QJ of spades. I then played AH and another. After some thought Ian ruffed, cashed KD and played another.  I ruffed, led a club, Ian took Ace and I made 10. Quite lucky I thought, however below average as many got a singleton heart lead. Knowing it was singleton this would make them place Ace and another spade, now they must make 11 tricks.

On the next board we got a joint bottom due to my timidity.  Ian opened 1D, Cathy bid 1S and I passed.  Ian bid 2D, passed to me and I bid 2H, passed to Cathy who bid 3D, passed out.
Can'y expect Gerry to 'punish me' for protecting and bid 3H, however if I had bid 2H over Cathy's 1S, Gerry will certainly go to 3H and at least get us an average if they go to 4D or a joint top if we are left in 3H.

Nothing we could do about this and I don't really understand how we got a bottom.
After two passes like me, everyone and their granny will open 3D. Surely, even your granny's mother would double with Ian's hand, surely your Granny's great grandmother would bid 4H with Cathy's hand.  At least that is what happened at our table.
Well East can see that just AQxx  in hearts makes a slam possible.  Ian bid 4N, Cathy's 5H promised the two red Aces, though missing QH and Ian bid 6H.  Why didn't everyone else?  Just a trump to lose, straightforward 12 tricks.

Gerry got a nice top here.  After two passes he opened 1S and Bob bid 2H.  I chose 2N rather than 3C and Paul passed.  Gerry bid 3D and I converted to 3S.
Bob led KH to Ace and Gerry ducked a diamond to Paul. Paul thought now, obviously wondering if A and another trump was right or is a force better? He decided on the latter and played a heart, Gerry ruffed, AD, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a heart, ruffed a diamond with QS. He led the fourth heart and Paul ruffed, Gerry overruffed. Gerry now gave Paul his spades but he had to lead 8C at the end and Gerry red it correctly putting in the 10 and made two clubs tricks for +140.

Monday 20 August

Playing N/S with Adrianne came second with a Butler score of 42.

Picked up 5 points here as some E/W were allowed to make 3N. I just don't see how. Barry opened 1C, Lester 1D, Barry 2N and Lester 3N.
I led 4H to 5, 9 and J.  Barry played AD, finessed J and cashed K followed by 4th diamond to my Q, Adrianne and Barry both discarding 2 clubs.
All you have to do now is keep declarer out of Dummy.  As long as Adrianne has another heart I can do that by a) not playing a heart and b) if Declarer plays a small one, rise with Ace, if he plays KH, duck.
I now played JS which was allowed to win followed by 10S to Q and King again ducked.  Adrianne does best to play another spade but no matter she plays a club to Barry's Queen.  Barry tries the small heart but I take Ace and play another and he has to give Adrianne a club for our 5th trick.

This time we gained 10 points because others couldn't find game or played in the wrong one.
I made finding game easy by opening North 1C, Irene overcalled 2S, Adrianne bid 3H, Phyllis passed and I bid 3N. 4H looks tempting with doubleton honour and singleton diamond and indeed it an excellent contract if partner has six hearts, but what if they have five? Do you really want to see say JS led as you put down dummy, partner forced to ruff the second spade and now playing in a 4-2 fit when you know hearts aren't going to break? 3N on the other hand has the prospect of a double stop if partner has just the singleton 10 or maybe West has a blocking honour.  Partner has almost certainly got a diamond stop.  Anyway QS led to the Ace, JC to Ace, Irene continued spades and I had 12 tricks.  Even on a diamond I am still home.
More interesting is if Irene overcalls my 1C with an unusual 2N.  Adrianne bids 3H, Phyllis can bid 4D.  I think I will bid 4H now.  A diamond lead followed by a heart switch is a little more likely now than a spade. Even on a spade lead, I think my partner is more likely to have AC on this bidding and could maybe cope with a 4-2 heart break.
If I don't open and East opens 2S, Adrianne bids 3H I would have bid 3N as in the first scenario.

Two keycards and Q of trumps missing but nearly everyone found 6H. I made it easy to bid by 1H - 2C - 3H.  Our 3H rebid is to do with trick taking potential, not points.  Adrianne just bid 6H.
Davina avoided the AS lead and led 10D.  I won in Dummy and led 9H, Barbara played the 6.  I sensed it was just 50-50 which card to play but like most people I let the 9 run and made 12.
Looking at it later there are 8 layouts of 3 cards:
AQ6  --  void, AQ  --  6, A6  --  Q, Q6  -- A and their mirror images.
However the 9 is the better chance.  In the four cases of singleton or void on your right you make half the time automatically and go down half the time whatever you play. When there is singleton or void on your left, you automatically make when West has AQ and in the other 3 a 6 appears and in two of them you make by playing the 9.

Another game which most people missed.  Against Bob and Cathy I opened 1S, Adrianne bid 2S and so I went to game. The bidding seemed straightforward to us.
Cathy led 5H to Bob's Ace followed by King and a diamond switch. I took the Ace and played a small spade. No point in thinking about club ruffs or spade finesses, just make your game. Cathy won the King and tried another diamond to my King.  AS, JS and claim.