Monday 25 March

Playing N/S with Adrianne came above average with a Butler score of 17.
Not a lot interesting play but one hand presents a bidding problem that nobody surmounted.

Anatomy of a slam hand.

We reached 6H via

1C – 1H – 2C – 2S – 4H – 4N – 5H – 6H

2S is just a one round force so 4H is stronger than 3H. The final contract could have been 6C at Butler scoring but we are all so programmed to bid majors as we play Match Points most of the time.  However the clubs are probably 6 so maybe the extra discards might be better. Anyway Adrianne chose 6H and made the easy 12 tricks on the diamond lead, AH, ruff a diamond cash two more top trumps and running clubs until eventually the JH was taken.

7C and actually 7NT are stiff.  Most people bid 6C, unluckily Ian McClure and Steve Bailey bid 7H.

So how do you get to the best contract of 7C?

North always opens 1C, South bids 1H (nobody would bid 2H nowadays unless they had a 6^th). North surely always rebids 2C.

At this points South ‘knows’ they are going to play in 6C, if they embark on RKC they get 5S (2 with) and what do they know? Three hearts, likely a fourth, 5 clubs (partner could be xx xx AQxx AQxxx) a diamond and two spades, slam seems certain. A six card club suit is a bit more likely, in that case a grand slam is more or less certain but thirteen is rare, you would need to be looking for a score to bid that. What if partner only had a singleton heart, what if only five clubs? No, 6C looks right.

However, let’s go back to Adrianne’s bidding of her 2S reverse with her three card suit (safe to do so, I've denied four spades) and my jump to 4H. What does she know? Well I’m not just a minimum 1C – 2C, I have three hearts, could I be 4-5 in the minors or is she certain I have six clubs? Well the latter actually because with 1-3-4-5 I would have rebid 2H (this requires good partnership understanding).  So I must be 2-3-2-6 or 1-3 in spades and diamonds.  What can South work out now? If there are normal breaks you have 6 clubs, 5 hearts and two Aces and a King, 14 tricks.  If I did have five clubs, you can still expect thirteen tricks. However we are not playing MPs so you should bid 7C because the six card club suit is very likely and you know that if the hearts don’t run you can ruff one to make the four tricks you need. So 7C is an excellent grand to bid.
So brilliant bid that 2S reverse, you should always look to make forcing bids like that to find out more about Partner's hand.  However, the main point is always count your tricks in suit slams.  People tend to concentrate on RKC and controls.  That just tells you what top tricks you might lose, doesn't tell you how many tricks you make.  In fact I would never teach Blackwood to beginners, teach trick counting when it comes to suit slams (yes I know you can have 12 tricks and three top losers -- I'm assuming some common sense comes into it). Just use point counting when it comes to NT -- 33 points, can't be missing two Aces, bid slam.

Wednesday 5 March

Playing N/S with Gerry, came first with 63%. There were a lot of big hands around, on one set when we were close to slam two hands in a row, we didn't bid them but made 12 or 13.  Then on the third, the best one to bid, we did try for 6S. Small club led, the slam depends on one of two finesses in clubs and spades, Gerry played Q from AQxx in Dummy, lost to the King, club back, ruffed! The spade finesse was on of course. C'est la vie.

This was an early hand where a number of people bid 6H, one even bid 6N.  I opened 2N, Gerry transferred with 3D and as I am always playing this in hearts, I broke the transfer with 3S. Gerry knows there are plenty of points missing and doesn't like the idea of me having good spades opposite his singleton so foregoes the diamond cue bid and just bids 4H.
Robina leads JD and Gerry takes King in Dummy followed by AK of spades (throwing a club) and a spade ruff felling the Queen.  Now a heart to the Ace, Phoebe dropping the Jack.  A low heart back and Phoebe plays the 10.  Gerry plays low, losing to the now bare King and has 12 tricks.
Of the three 6H bidders only one made it, those playing North got JH lead.  I sympathise with anyone who covers with the Queen, it is almost an automatic reflex.  However you have to play low and play west for a singleton or doubleton King.

This was actually board 23 and most are in slam (South is the dealer). Our bidding went 1S - 2N (Jacoby) - 3H (singleton) - 4C (cue) - 4D (cue) - 4S (I'm only kidding, I'm minimum) - 6S.
Everyone received the favourable lead of 6C to Q and K. Gerry took KD, spade to A, AD throwing a heart, diamond ruff.  Now QS then JS overtaking and he ran all his spades.
Gerry just discarded all his hearts from Dummy on the run of the spades but Brian as East has to keep a heart winner because of Gerry's JH in hand and so his last three cards are AH and T8 of clubs.  A classic squeeze, Gerry took another three club tricks for 13.

This is board 28, Gerry was berating himself  for not making the contract but it was actually an excellent defence.
Paul opened West (remember board 28, dealer West) 1D passed round to Gerry who bid 3N.
Paul found the 2S lead to Nat's Ace and a spade back to the King.  He now played JC which Gerry won and he played out his top clubs and conceded the 4th to Nat.  Nat now returned a heart and there was nothing Gerry could do.  The defence have three tricks, if he goes up with the Ace he can only cash and Paul will have AD and KH at the end.  He tried JH but no good Paul just got his tricks earlier.
Gerry was annoyed he didn't duck the club, he has to make now as the only sensible card Paul can play now is a diamond to J and K, but after cashing clubs Gerry just plays a diamond ensuring a 9th trick.
However although ducking a club would be sensible at Teams, it is not good at Match points if everyone else makes 10 tricks.  No, you just have to admire excellent defence by Paul and Nat.

Monday 3rd March

Playing N/S with Gerry came middling with a Butler score of 7. However I suffered the indignity of two complete stupidities which lost us an unbelievable 49 points. In one I failed to ask partner for the Queen of trumps and bid 7 instead of a making 6, in another I inexplicably failed to take a trick I was given to let a game make. Not my night.

We had got off to a great start as well.

I opened North 1H and Charles overcalled 2C, Gerry bid 2S and Raymond passed. I now bid 4C, Gerry 4D, 4N gave me two with and I bid 7S.  I know partner has 5 spades so I can count 5 trumps, 6 hearts, AD and a club ruff, 13 tricks.  If hearts don't run there can be a second club ruff.
The first round of bidding must have been identical at every table but we were the only ones who bid the grand.

Not so lucky on this board. After 1D - P - 2D, Gerry came in 2H, I raised to 3H and Gerry bid 4H.
Only three pairs found what is a very good contract. However nothing lies right.  The lead, rather strangely was 3S which went to East's King, AD was cashed and a spade returned to Gerry's Q.  A diamond ruff, losing heart finesse and a third spade.  Unfortunately this still left a club finesse to be taken and that failed as well.

We crawled into 3N on this one, only three pairs played there and only Gerry and Kathleen made it.
Mary opened 1N, Gerry doubled and Moira redoubled (shows a 5 card suit). I bid 2C and Gerry bid 2D, Moira bid 2H and I passed.  Gerry bid 3D which makes my QD look a huge card, so I sprang to life and bid 3H and Gerry took 3N.
Moira led JH which ran to the Ace. Gerry took QD and passed JC followed by a club to Ace, no luck (double dummy A, K and JC makes the contract -- but Gerry's no dummy). Tried Ace of diamonds, no luck. However Gerry 'knows' Mary has a singleton heart honour as well as all the significant cards and pulls off the master stroke of exiting with 8H.  However Moira scuppers that somewhat by rising with KH. Moira exits with another heart to Dummy's 10 but this squeezes Mary who lets a spade go.  Gerry knows Mary has Qx in clubs and J9 diamonds and must have AK spades to open 1N and coolly plays a small spade from Dummy. Mary can cash AK of spades but must now commit hari kari with either a diamond or club.  Brilliantly done.

Monday 11 February

Playing N/S with Adrianne came third with a Butler 36 though only two points behind the winner.  There were a lot of part score score hands and we did quite well on those.  There were two possible slams and we got both wrong but came out even!

Never open unless you know your rebid.  I thought if I open 1C, partner bids 1M then I rebid 2C.  I don't like that at all, so I opened 1N.  We don't have any method with both minors so Adrianne had to improvise.  She bid 2N, if I bid 3D then she can bid 5C.  However I broke the transfer and she made the practical bid of 5D.  With the suit 2-2 you always make 12 in either minor and half the field were in it.
If I open 1C, Adrianne bids 1D and I raise to 2D. Adrianne will now bid 3S splinter but I bid 5D, however with the big two suited fit Adrianne would bid 6D.

Here Adrianne opened 1H, I bid 2D and Adrianne has to rebid 2H.  I could bid an immediate 6H now, 5H another possibility asking partner to bid 6 with good trumps.  4C cue is another possibility but partner might not like to cue 4S with a minimum.  Anyway I decided to bid 3C instead, Adrianne bid 3N. I should bid 5H now and Adrianne would pass however  a) she might have AS and 6H should easily make or at worst the slam is on a finesse.  I just bid 6H.  So how did we come out even?  Well unfortunately a nameless defender failed to cover the QH and Adrianne just lost the AS which had been led.

Monday 3rd February

Playing N/S with Adrianne came in the middle with a Butler score of 4.  I could have beaten a game by playing my singleton, other than that we did well enough.  Unfortunately our opponents usually seemed to get things right.

We got off to a good start when Alan opened East 1S passed round to me and I bid 2D.  Ten points is very minimal to try 2N over an overcall however there are two good reasons here.  One, you have what looks like two sure spade tricks and two, partner with no spade stop and lacking four hearts can bid 2D with some very good hands.
Anyway Adrianne did bid 2N and I raised to game.
A club lead or quick switch will defeat this contract but Myra led QS  and Alan ducked to Adrianne's King.  A diamond finesse and game was made.  In fact as Alan continued spades, Adrianne made overtricks.

Another good score that can fail on a club lead or immediate switch.
I opened 1N and Adrianne raised to 2N via Stayman.  Now I have 12 points and theoretically an automatic pass. However I have good intermediates (I think of it as density) and this is a better hand than many 13 pointers.  SO at this scoring I raised to 3N.  Interestingly Adrianne's hand also has density, as you can see all the suits are nicely packed.
A club lead would have defeated me but Jack led AD. He should now try the club, but perhaps thought Robert had five diamonds and continued with King and another. That was it, finesse the heart, Robert tried KC, I took Ace, over to AQ hearts, JC ducked and nine tricks.  Lucky but even so a spade lead might have been more normal but useful to me, heart finesse, KC and I'd be home eventually that way.

Maurice opened 1S, I overcalled 2H and Phil bid 2C.  2S by Maurice and an excellent bid of 6S by Phil.  This has to be a great call but only one other pair found it (and they went down).
I led a trump, Maurice won in hand and finessed QC, AC, drew trumps, ruffed a club and AD entry for the clubs.  Well done.
A diamond lead would have been best but still unbeatable.  Either you place KC with North after the overcall and just win AD, spade to Ace, finesse club, AC, ruff club and draw trumps ending in Dummy.  Or win AD, AC, ruff club, QS to King, ruff club AS and 4S to the 6 to take all the clubs.

Another great slam, one that nobody should miss.  Adrianne opened South 1S, what should I bid?  2H or 4D the most obvious choices but what are you going to rebid?  Are you going to find 7S if it is there? I decided to just bid 6S this has the advantage that a diamond is the most likely lead (a club lead might defeat the contract and a diamond lead is welcome).
Anyway Li had a more natural club lead than a diamond which went to Bills's Ace.  There was no way to avoid a spade loser on the three love break  with QTx over the KJ and the great slam went down.

Did finish well with a game nobody else found, though we shouldn't have either!  Adrianne opened 1S and I bid 2D.  Adrianne rebid 2S and I decided if we are playing this in a part score, better in diamonds.  So I bid 3D, however Adrianne now ventured 3N and I bid 4S. Strange way to get there (should probably pass 2S, or should I have bid 3S?), but there it was.

JH lead to Ace, heart ruff, small diamond ruff, heart ruff. Adrianne had 7 spade tricks plus three Aces and her ten tricks

Thursday 30 January

Playing in a Howell type movement with Gerry we finished first with an amazing 77%.  Obviously some gifts and a lot of luck to obtain that score.

Board 1 was an example of how things can just go well for you on the night. As East I opened 1N and after a transfer to hearts and raise to 3N by Gerry, I declared 4H.
John led JS, looked like shortage, so I took KS in Dummy and Ian notably followed with the 4. I took four rounds of trumps ending in Dummy and led 9S.  Ian followed with the 2 so the spade layout was clear.  I ran the 9, finessed the 10 and cashed AS throwing a diamond.  I conceded AC for 12 tricks and a top.

Again I am East and our bidding went 1S - 2D - 2H - 2S - 4S.
Marilyn found the best lead of a trump which I took in Dummy with the Jack and led 10H.  Steve played small as did I, Marilyn won QH and exited with a trump.
I figure some other pairs won't get a spade lead and have an easy 10 tricks, maybe 11 if clubs split.  I am looking at 9 or 10 tricks, so as we are playing match points I won in hand and finessed QD.  Great, AD throw a heart, diamond ruff, all follow.  Now I have
9            A4               ruffing a heart will only lead to 10
-            K4               tricks.  I reckon I can afford to try the
84          -                  clubs.  So I play KC then QC and
                                                                   QJ87        K52              Steve took the Ace returning a spade.
I ruffed a diamond, went over to Dummy and all were good for 11 tricks.

This is how luck really goes with you. Victor opened 2H and as East I doubled, round to Gerry who bid a Lebensohl style 2N. I complied with 3C and Phil bid 3H.  Gerry now shows his max and heart stop by bidding 3N and this was passed out.
Victor led KH and Gerry coolly ducked. Victor continued hearts, Gerry took the Ace, ran five clubs, finessed a spade, ten tricks.
Of course Victor should have stopped to think for a moment before blindly continuing hearts when he has no entry, Phil must have values somewhere, but even so he could have chosen a club.  Fortune favours the brave.

Here we are N/S and after East passes, Gerry opens a cheeky Lucas 2S.  Les bids 3C and I bid 4S passed out.
Les led KC taken by Ace, Gerry played a spade to his Ace and finessed 10H to Shirish.  A diamond return garnered two tricks to the defence but Les failed to play a third and exited with a club.  Gerry ruffed, drew trumps and a heart showed up the suit for 10 tricks.

We were the only pair to bid slam on this last board.  I was North and made an error failing to open a Lucas 2S.  SO it was two passes to Gerry who opened 1D and Les doubled. I bid 1S and Shirish doubled (presumably showing the other two suits)..  Gerry reversed with 2H, Les passes and I bid 5D.  Gerry raised to 6D.
Les led a club taken by Ace and Gerry led a diamond and went up with the Ace.  That was it, just give up AS and 12 tricks.

If I had opened 2S, Gerry would have bid 2N asking, I bid 3D (min with diamonds) and Gerry reckons he bids 6D anyway.

Monday 27 January

Playing N/S with Gerry came third with a Butler score of 25.

An excellent 6D for N/S on this hand but only one pair played there.  At other tables the bidding might have been similar to ours:   2C - 2N - 6N

2N is surely a lot more than sensible than 3D with the South hand and you should avoid a 2D -ve when you have an Ace and a King.  Anyway about half the field are in 6N and Gerry was the only one to make.
Robert led 7S which Gerry took with the Queen in Dummy and immediately tried a club to the Queen for his 12th trick. That didn't work, Robert played a club back to the bare Ace in Dummy and Gerry ran the diamonds ending in hand.  The discards were fairly revealing as Robert let one heart go, a couple of spades and eventually a club. Jack had let a couple of hearts go and a club.  Now Gerry led a heart and Robert split his honours, it seemed clearer now as he won in Dummy, returned to a spade and finessed the heart for 12.

I was in 4H like many people but I got a fairly easy ride as Phil led 5D which went to the Q and K.  Worried about that being singleton it seemed obvious to play Ace and another heart then any ruff would be by a winning trump. That ensured I could only lose two heart tricks.
Phil exited with his second diamond but all I have to is draw trumps to safely make 10 tricks (no interest in a club ruff for 11).  So I win diamond in hand, exit with heart, Phil wins and plays QS, I win in hand, draw last trump and run my diamonds and two remaining black winners for 10 tricks.

Most people went down, but I think you should make it most times by setting up the spades. Even though you can lose three trumps, that is all you should lose.

A big score for us here as after two passes Gerry decided to open 2D multi, I bid 2H, Gerry converted to 2S and round to David who doubled.  Gerry now bid 3D, Raymond passed (3H surely???) and I passed.  Undaunted David doubled again, Gerry bid 3S, back to David who bid 4H (good bid it will make even though a club, ruff and two diamonds defeat this, try cashing those tricks in defence).
This came round to me and I bid 4S, David doubled.
Raymond led JC won by Ace, spade to Q and K, AH, club ruffed, JS to Ace and it is all over 4Sx made.

(??? I wonder if Raymond did bid 3H here and I've forgotten)

E/W can make 4S on this board (on the bidding you can place North with AD and only lose a diamond, a club and a heart).
At my table there were three passes to me.  I have 14 points, so 26 between the other three figures to give partner 8 or 9 points. It seems pointless to bid anything other than 4H which is what I did.
Partner couldn't be much worse unfortunately, however after three rounds of spades I ruffed and led a club. Mary went in with the King and failed to find a diamond as she exited with a heart. Two rounds of trumps, another club to J and A and I had a heart entry to the club winner to pitch my losing diamond for one off.