My favourite game with our children is to lie on the floor and pretend to be asleep. Sometimes I'm waiting for Santa to arrive, sometimes I'm just lying there. Once I actually did have a micro-nap on the playroom floor. Unfortunately, their favourite game is now to jump on top of me while I'm pretending to sleep.
Yesterday I was feeling very tired and spent a lot of the afternoon lying on the floor, getting jumped on. I knew I had bridge in the evening and was saving my energy. On previous Monday night bridge I've had a half-time Coke or strong coffee, but I've found that the caffeine, along with a good memory for all the hands I got wrong, has meant it takes hours for me to go to sleep. So this time I had no coffee, and I think the fatigue may have lead me to some odd decisions. The featured boards below show me passing out a Blackwood inquiry and claiming when I'd miscounted trumps.
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North opened a weak 2♥ and John made a natural 2NT overcall, showing 15-19 and a Heart stop. South raised to 3♥, which I would never do with a singleton Heart but certainly worked here. I was sitting West, and had a problem. All of Pass, double, 3♠ and 3NT are options. I decided on 3♠, slightly worried it would look strong (as I was an unpassed hand) as I've forced us to game.
In fact John liked his Spades so much, along with my suspected singleton or void Heart, he tried a 4♥ cuebid. I tried to put the brakes on by signing off in 4♠ but this was met with a 4NT bid. I was pretty sure this was Blackwood, but passed anyway. There's no way we were making eleven tricks but might have a chance at ten, especially with my good Heart stop, I thought.
As it happens 3NT (or 4NT) was doomed, for various reasons, but actually not the lack of Heart stops. 4NT-3 did not score well. Bidding on to 5♠ would also not have scored well either, and would probably be doubled.
Never mind, on to the next one. Nearly the end of the evening and I'm flagging slightly.
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South opened, another weak 2♥ with 6-5 shape. This one I might even have opened 3♥, at favourable vulnerability. I was sat Weat and over 2♥ I went for a modest 2♠. John replied 2NT. I considered if 3NT would have play, and thought it probably would, as there'd be time to set up my Spades. But then I came to my senses, saw my seven card Spade suit and bid 4♠. North hesitated and passed it out.
She lead the ♣A and I was glad I wasn't in 3NT, with lots of Club losers. in 4♠ I can see ten tricks: seven Spades, two Hearts and a Diamond or even two if the finesse works. I ruffed the third club, unblocked the ♠A (South threw a Diamond) and ruffed a Club back to hand. I then did what I thought was drawing trumps with the ♠KQJ, before crossing to dummy to finesse the Diamonds for an 'overtrick'. When the ♦Q held I showed my last two cards, the ♦A and ♠7.
Quick as a flash North rejected my claim, showing her ♠T and a winning Club.
At this point I actually have either nine or ten tricks. Ten if I play the ♦A first, nine if I play my Spade first. It feels normal to me to always play the ♦A first, just in case, but obviously that's not good enough and by the laws I don't have a leg to stand on. I offered to call a director, but North-South graciously refused and allowed me ten tricks.
In fact North has already gotten herself a good score by not doubling as a couple of tables played 4♠x=.
Overall we finished on 55%, which was just good enough to be the top East-West pair.
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