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:
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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:
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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.
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