Monday 13 April

Playing N/S with Adrianne came joint 1st with a not to brilliant Butler score of 11.

There were a number of big hands on the night that were difficult to bid as partner has poor to no values. Assuming you open 2C with these hands it is a good idea to have two negatives.  2H a double negative with 0-3 points and the best possible card a Queen. 2D is then 4 - 7/8 with a minimum of two Queens, preferably a King and and a Queen.  2N can show 8+ with some all round values and a positive suit bid guarantees a King and an Ace and a decent suit.
Often of course partner has 23/24 balanced and what you bid is irrelevant, you either have something and end in 3N or are pretty much pointless and stop in 2N.  However when partner has the big suit(s) hand, they are interested in your top cards and a King or even just a couple of Queens are all that are needed.

Anyway here are three big hands from this tournament:

East has a whopping 26 points and a hopefully running 6 card suit. So just playing Acol twos with a 2D -ve you start 2C - 2D - 3D - 3H.  What do you do now? Partner could easily have KS, or QC, KH etc. Playing Match Points, just bid 3N, you won't get a bottom, but playing Butler you must be tempted to go on, surely you can stop in a making 5D?
However this just doesn't work.  3N is the only making game.  If you had that 2H double negative you would never be tempted.
Maybe there is something to be said for rebidding East 3N and showing 25/26 points but that would miss a lot of diamond slams.

Only 21 points but North has a massive hand and should open 2C, 2D from partner, 3C and South should now bid 3H.
Partner is not showing any values at all, however with say:
xxxx  xxxx xxx xx you have play for 6H.  In fact if partner has next to no values, a club shortage is fairly certain (partner didn't bid 3D or support clubs)
I would just bid 6H.
Using a double negative the bidding would start 2C - 2H - 3C - 3H.  Now you know for sure partner has 0 -3 points but still 6H is too tempting.
As it turns out partner has 3 clubs and apart from the 3-1 heart break you can't find other information about the distribution and should just fall back on a 2-2 split to luckily drop the Queen.

Another fantastic East hand with 23 points but this time with a surely running 7 card suit and 10.5 tricks.
So 2C - 2D - 3D - 5D.  Are you tempted?  You must be, however partner cannot have AS, you bid 4D if you have an Ace. So it is KH you need, you cannot bid a slam in the hope of a particular card with no evidence that it could be there.  Just pass 5D.
Not even 5D makes!  As followed by a club, diamond to West, finesse 10H.  Win club return, diamond to West, finesse QH. Tough luck but at least you were in the right contract.
Incredibly if you look at the N/S hands, doesn't 4S make?  Just AK clubs and AH to lose.

Adrianne and I nearly found an unbeatable slam on another hand.
Adrianne opened 1D, I bid 1S and Adrianne bid what I think is a sensible 1N.  I liked my JTD and club intermediates and bid 4N.  Adrianne is tempted with her 5 card suit, but being minimum and a singleton spade decided to pass.  12 tricks are off the top after eliminating the AD.
If South rebids 2C I would bid 4th suit 2H and Adrianne 3N.  However I would still feel 6C is a bit of a stretch but would might try 4C.  Adrianne has no cue bid, singleton in my suit and would just bid 5C.  Just as well as there is an unavoidable club loser to go with the AD.  6D also fails on a heart lead, only 6N makes.

Thursday 25 March

Playing N/S with Gerry came first with 61% though we did have our ups and downs.

I have a problem with Lucas Twos as when partner opens one I am never sure whether came is on or not. Don't know why, I am a reasonable just with weak twos but Lucas seems to give me rose tinted spectacles.
Anyway Gerry opened 2S as South and I have a nice hand. I thought about passing 2S but I do have a lot of trick taking ability in no trump and decidded to ask with 2N.  Gerry bid 3H showing upper range and clubs and I bid 3N.
Anna had no problem finding a club lead and this contract had no chance. In fact I was very lucky to win 8 as Catherine discarded a heart on the 3rd diamond meaning I could lead the suit from hand and when in with AH she exited with KD.
Have to write a note to myself with Lucas, don't go for game unless you have a fit or a very good hand.

This was a tricky hand.  Our bidding went :

 P  -  1D  -  1H  -  2C
 P  -  2S  -  4H   -  x (hesitation)
 P  -  4S  -  all pass

I meant to ask some players at the end if they would have bid on after a slow double but forgot.  Anna and Catherine wouldn't say anything.

Anyway AH lead, a trump looks the best switch but Anna played 4D.  Decision time. As we can see the clubs all come in, but my problem was if I go for clubs once trumps are drawn I have no entry if I don't find Kx onside. I also expect trumps to split  4- 1.
I let the diamond run by discarding a heart from Dummy and Catherine won the Ace.  She returned a heart and I ruffed.  I led a small diamond and Anna's 9 appeared, so things were looking good.  I ruffed in Dummy, ran JS, 10S covered and I cashed AK of trumps. I played KD felling the Q and ran the diamonds until Catherine took her trump and I claimed the rest.

You sometimes play against new or weaker players and watch them lose control and they don't seem to have any idea of what is going on.  The trouble is it happens to me sometimes as well.
I opened a Lucas 2S, Jim overcalled 3C and Gerry bid 4S. Notice partner knows when to go for game over a Lucas.
Anyway, AD lead, switch to a small club and Dummy's Jack won. I counted my tricks 5 spades, 4 clubs and AH will have to be onside.  Note FOUR clubs, I thought the Q had gone?!?
I can't remember the exact order, two rounds of trumps and a heart which Jim took and exited with a black card.  Anyway, in my head I had my 10 tricks, had lost two and in robotic mode I unblocked AC and ran my trumps to see what happens.
After the last trump I suddenly realised I hadn't seen the QC, the 10C is not a winner, I should have ruffed it!
O me miserum. How did I get to here, was there a recovery? Actually there was, Dot had discarded all her diamonds and was down to the King.  If I had exited with 10D and ducked in Dummy, Dot would have to return a heart to my King and my QD was the 10th trick. As I sat there in my anguish I just couldn't think straight, I gave up, cashed my KC and KH and conceded the last two tricks. All at sea.

Thursday 19 March

Playing N/S with Gerry came 1st with 64.5%.  We had a poorish start, OK middle and a storming finish.

The very first board Nat took a complete top off us.

Jim opened 1D, Nat 1H, Jim bid 3C and Nat 3S and Jim 4H.
I led a trump to J and Q.  Nat has two spade losers, a trump and maybe a diamond.  However the diamonds can take care of the spades if he sets them up before drawing trump.  So what is the best way?
Nat chose to play AK of diamonds felling Gerry's Q.  He now ducks a heart to me and I am powerless.  There is still a trump in Dummy to ruff a spade, Nat is getting rid of two spades on the diamonds, he has 11 tricks.
Well played.

We had four complete tops out of the last 5 boards. The exception was this one.
After two passes I opened 1S, Katie overcalled 2H and Gerry bid 2S.  I felt I had to give partner some leeway at Match points and I bid a conservative 3S. Gerry also decided to downplay his hand and passed.

As we can all see 4S is stiff even losing a spade as the heart loser goes on the KD.  That wasn't quite what I managed to do.

Katie led 10H and I see the hand as win K, lead a diamond and as Katie is likely to have Ace either she fails to rise or if she takes it I win the heart continuation and throw my heart loser on KD.
Now the first trick went 10, 3, J and K and I realised right away that Edna will be singleton. Better see about spades first.  I laid down AS and Katie shows out.  This hand is falling apart. If I lead a diamond now, Katie wins, heart ruffed, club back and with no entry to Dummy QS and a heart still to lose, down 1.  I've really blown it.
I decided the only way to recover is hope that Katie has AC, if I get into Dummy, finesse a spade and draw another then Edna is ruffing with her trump winner.  I led a club to the Jack but Edna wins Ace and the rest is as expected.
My initial play is quite reasonable but maybe I should have thought more at trick 1. Katie is likely to have 6 hearts as her suit is poor. Moreover when Dummy went down I thought we should really be in game.  If others have bid 4S I should be playing assuming it goes down and concentrate on 9 tricks.  I should have gone up and with AH right away and with a 6-1 heart split and again playing for 4S to go off, I should finesse a spade at trick 2.
Maybe easy to see now, but I should have thought more when Dummy went down. That's what separates the winners from the losers more than anything else.

Monday 17 March

West District Sim Pairs playing N/S with Adrianne.  Average score of 51% but mostly tops and bottoms.

The result on this hand could all depend on your opening bid. E/W always make 6D but are extremely unlikely to make 6S.
I opened a Texas 4C, Shirish bid 4D, Adrianne 4H and Les 5D, passed out.  Finding the slam looks just too difficult.
If you open 4H and East doubles, being vul South should pass. West is just too strong for 4S, so maybe 5S and East will bid 6.
Strangely 7C is the optimum contract.  heart ruff, 4 clubs, 6 diamonds and AK of spades.

On the next board Shirish opened 4NT with the perfect hand for specific Ace asking. Adrianne bid 5C, Les passed and as I know Shirish must have at least 11 tricks, I bid 6C as I am always going to do over 5D or 5S.  Shirish bid 6S and this was passed out as I was looking at AS and unsure whether he was certain of making.  An easy 12 tricks.
Of course I should have bid 7C but my obvious mistake was bidding 6C.  Shirish either has 11 top tricks and needs a specific Ace for 12, OR, 12 top tricks, looking for a 13th.
I should have passed to find out which, when he shows 12 sure tricks with 6S (obvious club void), it is then clear to bid 7C, only two down.  Very poor by me.

Managed a top by bidding and making 6N against Ian and Bobby. I opened North 2N, rather dubious with 19 points and a stiff QJ. Adrianne counted 33 points and didn't bother with Stayman at this scoring, she just bid 6N.
Ian led 8C which ran to my 9. I cashed AQJ of diamonds and now had to figure on playing the hearts.  I reckoned I had two option, play towards the Q and if it holds duck a heart coming back hoping for a doubleton Ace or finesse 10H.  The first option seems rather poor ( I lack the entries to enter Dummy, heart to King and options coming back).  I plumped for the 50-50 10H finesse.  Bobby won the Ace and returned a club, but I let that run to the Jack and I have the rest.  Very lucky.

Another slam when half the field aren't even in game!
I opened 1S, Mary overcalled 2H and Adrianne of course passed.  Back to me.  Now I didn't really want to defend and if I double and Adrianne is dubious about 2Hx and bids 2S, I'm unsure of bidding on.  I just prefer to bid 3D, showing a big hand and two suited.
Adrianne bid 5D.  OK she has hearts but still, with my excellent trick source and her presumed lack of black cards, I just went for 6D.
TH lead to J, ruff, over-ruff., diamond to Ace and desperate for a spade ruff Mary tried a club but that was it, I can draw the last trump, get two ruffs in dummy and a discard on AH.

West District Pairs

Playing E/W (with a few arrow switches) in the semi at the Buchanan, Gerry and I came top.

Helped considerably by two tops against Les & Shirish.

After two passes Les opened 2H, I bid 3C and Shirish 4H.  As usual Gerry, happy to play in 5C, finds an excellent bid of 4S.  Les bids 5H and I pause. I certainly don't like bidding 5 over 5 with just 3 card support and Gerry can't have 6 (he didn't show a weak two). Gerry must have clubs however, 4S is too daring otherwise.  So I bid 5S.  Good decision.
Gerry played it perfectly winning the KD lead with the Ace, AS, finesse 9S, draw trumps, run the clubs.
Everyone else defended hearts, either 4H making or 5Hx -1.  Doesn't compete with 680.

On the next board Gerry opened 1S, I bid 2H and Gerry found a 3D bid.  I bid 4S.
Les led a trump, seems reasonable as we both seem to have some distribution. Gerry draws trumps, gets the hearts right, loses a club and makes 11.
Everyone else is in 4H.  They get a club lead to Ace and I assume South now finds the only hope, the diamond switch (easy when you see Dummy).  If you let that go to the King, a diamond back ensures one off.  If you go up with the Ace you can make, even if North drops the King because South has AH.
Everyone went two down, did they all play heart to Q?

Monday 9 February

Playing N/S with Adrianne came third with a Butler score of 19.
A tale of 3 slams really, the first a triumph, the other two less so!

Against Robert & Frances I opened 1C, Adrianne bid 1S, I reversed with 2D and Adrianne bid 3D.
I know Adrianne has 5 spades and 4 diamonds, so probably 1, 2 or 3 clubs.  In all cases I have decent chances with the suit, just give Adrianne KS and KD and I can make slam. I bid 6D.
Adrianne's hand was perfect.  Frances led a small heart to my 10, though that gift was irrelevant, just bring the clubs in. I played AC, ruffed a club small noting Robert's 10. I came back to hand with AH and led another club intending to ruff with King if Frances follows, but she put in 10D, I over-ruffed, drew trumps and surrendered a club for 12 tricks.
Nobody else found 6D, 3N by North being popular.

Against Mervyn & Lewis I opened 1H, Adrianne bid 1S and I bid 2C and Adrianne bid 4S. I love my controls but worry about the singleton spade, are Adrianne's that good?  I passed; with the QS falling and clubs running there were 13 easy tricks.
As I had put Dummy down I remarked I would have liked to have bid on but was deficient in spades.  However I realised that Adrianne and I have an understanding that if I bid 5S I am simply asking her to bid 6 on the quality of her trumps. With my hand I could have afforded the 5 level and should have done that, Adrianne would then bid 6S.

Against Alan & Myra I opened 1H, Alan bid 2D and Adrianne 3D (too strong just to bid 4H).  However being weakish I just bid 4H. However Adrianne with AK of trumps can't see how how a slam might be on and counting her KD as the Ace, bid 6H.
Alan made no mistake, led a trump, I took two rounds and when I played a diamond up, Alan took the Ace and exited with QD.  At the end I remarked if I had had a diamond in my hand I make it on a squeeze. If Alan had ducked the diamond (not a good idea) or not continued a diamond, I would have a diamond in hand. When I run all the hearts, my last 3 cards will be 9D, A7C, Alan has to keep K9C, QD, Dummy can come to K7D and QC, so I make 2 diamonds and AC. Or if Alan comes down to QJD KC, I'll keep Q10C in Dummy and KD, so will make A & QC and KD.
Good defence.

Monday 12 January

Playing N/S with Adrianne came third with a Butler score of 19.

Got off to a great start after some amazingly aggressive bidding by Adrianne.
After two passes Adrianne opened 1H, Marilyn bid 2N, I passed and Steve bid 3C.  Adrianne now bid 3H, Marilyn 4C, I bid 4H, Steve 5C, round to me and I doubled.
Adrianne cashed AH, switched to a spade to my Ace and I exited with a club.  Steve cashed three rounds of trumps and just hand to pick up the diamonds for the contract.  Where will the QD be? Adrianne had bid twice, I had passed over 2N, surely the only chance was to drop it doubleton, down 1.

This hand was cruel luck.  Adrianne is in a straightforward looking 4H.  Liz leads AS, now if she cashes the King, Adrianne can ruff a spade and set up the 9 for a diamond discard, but Liz switches unerringly to 9D.
Adrianne covered with the 10, Bill the Jack and she took the Ace.  OK that;s three losers, but just draw trumps for 10 tricks.  Adrianne led small to the King and uh uh, down 1.