Muddled

At my now semi-regular Monday night game this week I played with Ted Black, another member of John Di Mambro's Wanderer's team. In the ten minutes before starting we found out that we both prefer weak NT and four card majors. Checkback Stayman was agreed, but we didn't discuss if it was game forcing, and on the first board I found myself in a doomed 3NT. I could have collected eight tricks for a 30% score, but took a ridiculous line and got seven tricks for a 0% score.

At the end of the evening Ted was berating himself for not finessing for a missing Queen (with a nine-card fit), as he thought in retrospect there were clues from the cards played. He won't be too worried about that (possible) minor slip-up when I reveal my horrendous declarer play on the board below. I have to admit I was feeling a bit muddled all night, struggling even to count trumps, and the board below is something of a low point:

W N E S Ted Danny - - - 1♣ - 1♠ - 3♣ - - -

I was getting all the hands tonight and had the nice 17 count as East. After three passes I opened 1♣ and partner replied 1♠. I think my only sensible option is 3♣, so I bid it. This puts Ted into a difficult spot, but I think he is right to pass. As it happens if he risks 3♥ we end up in a good 3♠, but 3♣ should be fine too.

I got a lovely lead of the 7♥ from South, gratefully won by the ♥T. I plan to play Spades to discard a Diamond. At this point I was thinking clearly and realised that I couldn't take the Club finesse and safely play three rounds of Spades, so just cashed the ♣A. This also meant that if someone ruffed the third Spade it might be with the ♣K. Anyway I went ahead and cashed the three Spades, discarding a Diamond, and leaving me in dummy. If at this point I simply lead a trump up now I've got eleven tricks, just losing one Diamond and one trump.

Instead I lead another Spade from dummy. This was great news for the defence, and North swiftly discarded his last Heart, and now the defence is getting a Heart ruff. I've just blown one trick and could now limit the damage by throwing my other Diamond, but instead uselessly ruff the Spade low. South overruffs and plays a Heart and I end up with four losers. 3♣= was worth 11%. 3♣+1 would be 40% and 3♣+2 would be 60%.

After this hand I was slightly on the tilt, and on the next board third in hand opened ♠AQJT64 ♥4 ♦T654 ♣K7 with 3♠. I got lucky when this was doubled and made.

My second featured hand is a bidding problem with no solution. Or at least, no solution to us, most other pairs were fine.

W N E S Ted Danny - 1♠ - 2♣ - 3♠ - 4♠ - 4NT* - 5♣* - 5♦ - 5♥* - 6♠ - - -

Now I've got the 21 point East hand. I go for a conservative 1♠ opening, and thank goodness Ted has enough to respond (next time I'll open it 2♣).. Over Ted's 2♣ I bid 3♠, which is surely forcing and shows good Spades. Ted is in a quandary here, and as he's thinking I decide that whatever he bids I'll try 6NT. But he makes a surprise raise to 4♠, so I try Blackwood, even going so far as to check for the Queen of trumps. Ted doesn't have it, or in fact any Spades at all.

As dummy goes down Ted quickly informs me that his raise with no Spades is reasonable, and I think he's probably right. If you're going to play in slam 6♠ isn't too bad. It comes down to hoping for one Spade loser, which means they must be 4-3 and you guess if the hand with only three has the Queen or the Ten. Perhaps there's better psychological plays, maybe the ♠9 early on, hoping an opponent with ♠Txxx or even ♠Qxxx might covers it.

I decided to play someone for ♠Qxx and things begin well when I win ♠AK. On the third round it all goes round as North shows out, though oddly South lets my ♠9 hold so I've only two Spade losers and collect 6♠-1.

A few other pairs are also failing in slam so we get 28%. If South had of doubled 6♠ I would have happily bid 6NT, which can make here with the minors all breaking (there is one defence to beat 6NT but it takes a while to find double dummy so unlikely to be found at the table!).

That board took such a long time that on the next one Ted and I didn't mess around and quickly got ourselves to 3NT on a combined 19 count. Ted (wisely) escaped to 4♦ which went off one for a good result.

Overall, we had some good boards, but also had a few mishaps and some poor declarer play by me, and so finished on 52%.

The claim game

At the Buchanan bridge club last Monday I played with John Faben. We had a 56% game, finishing 9th.

The only outright blunder I made was defending 3NT, when I cashed my ♦A to take the contract two off and didn't even look at partner's signal. As it happened he had the ♦K and we could have taken one more trick, but as you would expect there wasn't much between +200 and +300 so it didn't matter much.

On the board below I was guilty of being rather meek. I didn't really have a bid, but should have bid anyway:

W N E S Danny John F 1♥ x 1♠ - 2♣ - 2♥ - - -

I have the 20 point West hand and am agonising over whether to open 1♠ or 2NT when South gets an opening bid ready. I'm expecting a weak pre-empt (perhaps 2♦) but she opens 1♥. I decide to begin with a double. North replies 1♠, and South bids on with 2♣. I'm stuck for a bid and pass, then pass again when North corrects to 2♥. I considered 2♠ and 2NT, which would both have made with comfort.

Although the double-dummy analysis says we can beat 2♥ that's unrealistic as it relies on me starting with a low Spade. In reality I lead the ♠A and we only get one Spade, one Diamond, one Heart and two Clubs; for 2♥= and -110. This is worth just 6%, tying with the three other Wests who suffered the same fate. Most common was East-West playing in Spades, some even getting to game.

Most of our good results came from overbidding. I chanced a speculative slam - dummy was most unhelpful but I got lucky on the lead and made it. Then John did more or less the same thing, playing me for some useful cards I didn't have but scraping home our second 6♠. The slam below was also a very poor contract that made, but this time it was bid against us:

W N E S Danny John F - 1♣ 2♠ 3♥ - 3NT - 6NT - - -

South opened 1♣ and I made a weak jump overcall as West. It's not really a suitable hand, vulnerable, but I did it anyway. North bid a natural 3♥ and South the obvious 3NT. North thought for a while and came out with 6NT. I lead the ♥J.

There are 12 easy tricks with the Hearts all coming in, but of course declarer doesn't know that. Since you already have an Ace to lose you can't afford to establish the Hearts, meaning that most likely you have only 2 Spades, 4 Diamonds, 3 Hearts. That means you need 3 Clubs without losing the lead, which is barely possible. There are squeeze chances but it all gets a bit tricky. In the end declarer gratefully took the Hearts and made twelve tricks.

On the very next board we conceded 2♥x for a pair of poor boards. Then I played 3NT+1 and twenty minutes later was convinced I'd actually made the last trick with the ♥7 in dummy so it should have been 3NT+2. I was wrong though, as West pointed out he still had the ♥T98. Oops.