Glasgow League: Rowan vs Rouken Glen

In our last league match we didn't do too well, and during the week I sent Anna some stuff to read. I think she looked at some of it. This week we did a lot better. I can't really think of any bad boards that we had, although admittedly for the last few boards (defending a low contract making overtricks) some of my defence was a bit erratic.

This board was our best result:

I opened 1♣ and Anna replied 1♥. She's only got three points but it's safer to bid now than regret it later. East had a big 6-5 hand and chose to double. I bid a natural 2♦ over this, which came back to me in 2♠. At this point if I pass we've won the board, as they are missing out on 4♠. West was maximum to only bid 2♠ and East should have just bid game, making if his partner has the Ace of Spades.

I didn't realise it was their board though and pushed on, with a forcing 3♠. This is like a takeout double but stronger, rather optimistically hoping Anna could bid 3NT and it would have play. Anna had an easy 4♥ instead though. East gave this a long look then passed and lead a Club.

Anna correctly drew two rounds of trumps then played the Clubs from dummy, making 4♥.

During his long think I'd decided that if East bid 4♠ I would have doubled. This would have led to -790 instead of +620.

Our team-mates Neil and Anne did make 4♠x=, while the other tables were 4♠= and a surprising 3♠-1 where declarer never drew trumps.

This one I played unusally carefully (slowly):

Anna's 2/1 showed 10+ then when I rebid 2♥ she did well to invite, and I have to accept with a good 14 count. East led the Ten of Hearts.

It looks like I have three losers in Clubs so just need to get trumps right, and the trump lead round to my Jack has helped.

If trumps are 3-2 it'll be easy, but what if they're 4-1? I need to finesse on the second round, without even cashing a high trump first. So I crossed to dummy and lead the ♥9. There is very little risk here, as surely from his lead West doesn't have the Queen of Hearts (and if he does I will accept my fate).

As it happened trumps were 3-2 so my care wasn't required, but I was pleased I thought of it. Our team-mates Jill and Barbara also bid and made 4♥, as did one opposition pair, the other stopping in 3♥+1.

Finally, a lucky one:

West opened 1♠ and Anna doubled. Later she admitted this was a misclick, as she'd decided not to double but still had her mouse hovering over the double. She realised straight away but thought she couldn't ask for an Undo, as she'd taken a while to think of her bid, and doubling then changing it to pass gives away some information. While I can't fault her ethics I don't think she should even be thinking of a double with that hand.

East jumped to 4♠ and it was my turn to think. I ruled out Pass, as I thought they might be stealing from us at this vulnerability. We do have a Heart fit, and I could also bid 4NT (two places to play), but settled on double. Anna can take it out if she's got a really nice hand I thought (I obviously couldn't have trump length on this auction, so must just be doubling on strength).

Anna passed and lead the ♦Q. When I saw dummy I was rather concerned, a full 13 points. But the Diamonds were good to us and once declarer played the ♦K I covered with the Ace and returned the ♦7 to Anna's Jack. She found the Heart return to the Queen-King-Ace and we now have it one off. Even better, declarer tried a Club before drawing trumps. Anna snapped this up, crossed to my ♥J and I gave her a Diamond ruff for 4♠x-2 and +300.

Our team-mates Heather and David made 4♠ on this deal, when on another lead after South tried to cash his ♦A. On the other tables it was 1♠+2 and Pass.

In the second half I felt myself slowing down somewhat, and there was one enormous pause while I tried to find the right discard to prevent an overtrick in 2NT. I know it's aggregate scoring and didn't matter but I really wanted to get it right.

Anna and I kept a very tidy scoresheet, our only scores that were below par when the opposition found a good 3NT opposite a 3♣ opener, and a few times where we went one down pushing to explore game (which I think is the right thing to do at this scoring).

Overall Team Rowan won the match 16-0, to return to the top of Division 2!

SOL3: Faben vs Outred

After a heavy loss last week we were looking to bounce back. It was a fairly quiet night, with some low scoring. In the first half John and I defended some part-scores well (which still made), lost an unlucky swing wrongsiding a game, and got one back when John made this 4♥ that went down on the other table:

My 1♣ followed by 2♦ shows 18-19 balanced, and John's bidding shows at least 5-5, so I had an easy raise to 4♥.

A club was led. There are several losers in trumps but possibly nothing else. John cashed the ♥A then played on Spades. The defence scored their ♥KQJ separately but they were the only tricks for the defence, 4♥ making.

At the other table declarer didn't cash the ♥A and went one down, suffering four ruffs instead of three.

On the last board of the first half I threw away a chance for glory:

I don't like my 3♣ bid, but felt I needed to act with the short Spades. When John doubled I thought at this vulnerability I had to try 3NT, even though I knew on the expected Spade lead I'd need nine running tricks.

East lead the ♠4 and I surveyed dummy. I needed the Clubs to come in, which is unlikely, but at least it's got a chance. What I didn't realise was that the defence have now blocked Spades, so I can afford to lose one Club, and still make it. But I decided it was prudent to cash some Diamonds, to limit the expected undertricks and also to put some pressure on the defence. In doing so I inadvertently sealed my fate, as when I took the Club finesse and it lost, although the defence couldn't cash their Spades they could cash the ♦J though for one off.

My 3NT-1 could have been a good result vs 3NT-4 (if East leads a top Spade), but actually on the other table at the same point in the auction South bid 4♣ instead of double. They made 4♣ to give us a 6 IMP loss. I like our auction better, even if it lead to a bad game here.

At the half way point we were 10 IMPs down.

In the second half there were two high-scoring boards.

When John opened 3♠ I had a clear raise to 4♠, expecting it to make (perhaps losing one Club and two Diamonds). But East doubled and West bid 5♣. I passed this without much thought and lead my top Hearts.

When we won the first three Heart tricks that was good news, but it became a little too good once we took two more Club tricks. 5♣-3 was worth +300, against a likely 4♠= or 4♠x=. In fact on the other table when West passed the double it was 4♠x+1, and we lost 9 IMPs.

Although it didn't occur to me at the time, I now wonder if I should have doubled 5♣. I'm not expecting any Club tricks from partner, but there's an excellent chance of three Hearts and maybe the Ace of Spades.

The other high-scoring board was this one:

John opened 1♠ and playing five card majors I have good support. I could have splintered with 4♥, though I think that's wrong here as my hand is too weak to be happy passing if John signs off in 4♠, and too good to go on too. I decided to bid 3♥, which shows a good three card Spade raise.

What I didn't realise was that it's a limit raise, showing 10-12 points. I thought it was unlimited.

Opposite my limit raise John went to 4♠, showing a good hand. It was now time to catch up. I bid Blackwood, which obviously confused partner but he dutifully showed two keycards. I could now investigate a grand slam, but thought it couldn't be that good and signed off in six.

Obviously everything split nicely (and John carefully ruffed a Heart too) for 6♠+1. This was duplicated on the other table.

We lost the second half by 9 IMPs, for an overall 19 IMP loss and just 5.92 VPs.

Next week it's our final match - a relegation battle.

Glasgow League: Rowan vs Ramblers

This was our first match in this edition of the Glasgow League (Division 2). Anna declared she was up for the game and we got right into it.

On the first board I played a nice 3♥-2 when they were making game, and indeed both our East-West pairs bid and made 4♠ for a great start.

My 2♥ is weak and natural, after which I think Anna should raise to 3♥ straight away. But we did enough to keep them out of game.

3♥ was of course hopeless, but while playing it I was hoping the Heart finesse failed (meaning they were making 4♠), so was actually pleased with down two. The East-West pairs who made it to game started with East doubling then bidding 3♠ after which West raised.

On the second board our opponents missed a Club slam, and it looked like this was going to be our night.

Looking at the East-West hands you definitely want to be in slam, as it makes on a non-Heart lead or if the Spade finesse works.

Our West opened 1♣, but he was the only one. On the other tables it was 5♣ (passed out), 4♣ (passed out), and 2♣ (getting to 6♣). I'd like to think Anna and I would have bid slam (starting with a 1♣ opening), and maybe we would, but when presented with our own opportunities we largely messed them up.

Here when Anna opened 1♣ and rebid 2♣ I was sure a slam was there, but bid Blackwood just to be safe. I did think about 7♣ (which has excellent play when Anna has a sixth Club), but when I saw dummy was glad I stopped in the slam slam.

On the Diamond lead Anna drew trumps and had a think. There are 11 top tricks, so the double finesse in Hearts offers an excellent chance. Unless she guesses the Jack and King wrong there's 12 tricks.

In fact, playing in 6♣ there's an extra possibility, of ruffing out the Spades, and making a long Spade if trumps are 3-3 and Spades are 4-3. So chances are excellent.

Anna unfortunately threw the long Spade so was pinning it all on the Hearts. Once she saw East show out of Spades she decided he had the Heart honours (or at least one of them) and led the Queen of Hearts. It's now down one.

If declarer tests the Diamonds she finds that West actually has the Hearts, but playing those Diamonds uses up your entries, so I think it's a case of well played, bad luck.

All three other tables were in 6NT, which isn't quite as good, but made every time. One made through a very generous low Spade lead from West. One made via Ace of Hearts and a Heart to the Queen (a 50% shot) and one a low Heart to the Queen (the start of a double finesse, a 75% shot).

This being aggregate the failure of Anna and I to make slam there put us about 1500 points down. However, it was not a low scoring match and there were lots more swings to come.

Although I'd say we were unlucky with that 6♣-1 we also made a lot of mistakes. In fact, Board 10 was our first positive score. This was a 4♥ that should never had made, except for a weird lead of the ♦2 from ♦KJ2.

That lead gives me two Diamond tricks, then I can use my Ace of Clubs to discard dummy's last Diamond and ruff two more.

I think it was a stretch Anna raising but she later claimed to be justified as I made plus one (the defence crashed Heart honours too). On the other tables our team-mates David and Heather defeated 4♥ on more normal defence, and the other two tables stayed low.

Although his lead gave the contract, to be fair to West he had exactly the same Diamonds on the following board, and led them once again to great effect, finding the only lead to beat my 3NT. It was that kind of night.

When our next slam hand came around Anna and I hit an all time low. With 15 top tricks we played 5♠ in a 4-2 fit. This could have made (comfortably) but to complete the misery went one off. It's hard playing a contract well when you know it's the wrong one.

We beat a couple of games but let a couple through to finish comfortably second on our table. Overall Team Rowan lost by 2000 points to lose the match 11-5.

Anna has said I need to stop playing with John on a Monday night so we can practice more.

SOL3: Faben vs Freimanis

I was really focused for the first half of this match, and have never concentrated so hard. A lot of effort went into trying not to mess up Board 1. Why do I always get dealt big hands when I'm still trying to find the charger and make a cup of tea?

After John opens a strong NT I know that we're probably heading for 6♥. With my void it's going to be hard to investigate a grand slam, but I have a try by transferring then splintering. After John signs off I jump to 6♥.

South makes a sneaky Diamond lead and that holds John to 12 tricks. Later I remember his fondness for underleading and use this to eke out an overtrick in an excruciating 3♠+1. At the end of the 12 boards I apologise to the opponent's for my slow play, but as I said, I was really concentrating hard.

The board above was 6♥+1 on the other table, for a 1 IMP loss. After that we lost a couple of game swings from Alex and Derek making games, a bit more when I pushed to 2NT-1, then got a game swing back when I made 3NT. I'd like to say it was my careful play, but actually I think it was mostly our team-mate Paul's good lead on the other table:

In my 3NT I got a friendly Diamond lead and am up to seven tricks. I decided it was safe to try Spades first, then fell back on the Club suit to make 3NT=. The other declarer got a tricky ♣7 lead from North, which convinced him to get that suit wrong.

Despite that gain at the break we were 19 IMPs down.

In the second half we were against familiar opponents John Di Mambro and Gints, from Team Wanderers. There was a flurry of accidents and misjudgments from me, culminating in a 66 IMP loss. I expect that's 0 VPs overall.

These were two more boards where I jumped to slam, with considerably less success than Board 1 above:

John's 1♦ opening is almost always 5+, which is a great surprise looking at my hand. When the opponent's got to 5♠ I decided that since they are bothquite sound bidders they must have 11 trumps between them. Hence John has a void. I didn't want to miss out on the grand slam, so popped down 7♦.

The bad news was that we both have a losing Spade. The good news was, East led a Club. He respected our bidding enough to think I must have a Spade void (but not respected it enough to sacrifice in 7♠). The contract was alive, and just needed the Heart finesse to make it.

The Heart finesse failed, and it was two off. If it was going to be our day, that would have made.

I'm expecting a 10 IMP loss aginst 6♠ doubled but it's even worse, as the other table conceded 6♦= for a 17 IMP loss on the board.

Luckily, I soon get dealt a great hand to generate a swing back for Team Faben!

I opened 1♣, and it felt a bit funny to be alerting it as 2+. When John bid 2♣ I figured he must have some support, as I've only shown a few Clubs myself (afterwards we thought he could have bid 1NT on the second turn). I didn't consider that he's just given false preference, and was now pushing for slam. I messed around with a splinter then bid the 6♣ I'd been itching to since I got dealt the hand.

The trumps in dummy were something of a disappointment. Gints led the ♣A and any hope of making it disappeared. With Spades 3-3 it was only one off, and with any other lead apart from trumps I could have made it.

To add to the disappointment the other table played in 2♠+3, so just bidding 5♣ would have won the board.

Not our night.

SOL3: Faben vs Goodman

I've been enjoying playing in the Scottish National League, against players who I normally just read about or watch on Vugraph. I think it's made me slightly nervous and prone to underbidding, which I'm trying not to do anymore. What I've found is that even good players make mistakes, not least in the claims of which I've seen several incorrect ones.

Another thing I've noticed is that results are more often duplicated. So if the cards lie badly, the game will go down on both tables and it's a flat board. This is different to playing in a fairly weak matchpoint event, where any sort of good score will beat most people.

I'm awaiting John's feedback (where he usually reveals at least one game I gave away), and so far am only aware of the two mistakes below. In both of these we got a good score, but it was duplicated at the other table. I should have pushed for a really good score.

I've got almost the perfect hand for a six-card Weak Two, with a solid suit third in hand and some shape. Plus a few surprise high cards which declarer will get wrong in the play. After the double John raised to 4♠ and West bid 5♦. With my ♦AJT9 I'm almost certain of we're beating this, but was afraid to double. It's just about possible the ♦KQ lie over me or I could be endplayed into only two trump tricks. Also, I thought, they could run to 5♥, but actually with my singleton Heart it's likely partner has a stack and 5♥ would get doubled too.

I quietly passed 5♦. Declarer of course got trumps wrong and with a Spade and Club trick too that was 5♦-4. Even if I double the best declarer can do is 5♦x-3, and 5♥ is at least as bad. On the other table North opened 1♠ and after West showed Diamonds East tried 3NT, which was also not a success. This was only three off though, for a 3 IMP gain for Team Faben. Could have been more though.

[Update: John reminded me that after making a Weak Two my double would not be penalties, rather a suggestion of bidding on but giving partner the option of passing. Here he would have bid 5S, which fails. I think I knew a Weak Two couldn't make a penalty double, but often when you are looking at a hand that wants to make a penalty double you can convince yourself double is penalties]

Defending 3NT I found the winning Heart lead (having got two opening leads wrong before). On the first trick Declarer played the King and Queen and John the Jack, so it should be pretty clear to me what's going on. When declarer lost a Club to my Ace I cleared the Hearts, and it's now clear this is going down a lot. But when I was allowed to win a Diamond I could have cashed my now high ♣J, then crossed to partner's winning Hearts. But even though I knew the Heart position with 99% confidence I still couldn't bear the thought of setting up declarer's Clubs, so just played a Heart straight away. John claimed three off.

3NT-3 felt like a good score, but of course the other table found the Heart lead and the result was duplicated. If I'd have cashed that extra trick it would have been a 3 IMP gain.

Apart from that things went quite well. Following my creed of being bold, I opened 4♠ rather light.

I guessed Spades right and went two off. This felt like a good result. On the other table West made what I think is the correct 5♥ overcall, but unfortunately despite 28 high card points the same distribution that inspired me to open 4♠ meant with best defence it went one down, so that was a 5 IMP loss.

If the match was 2x8 boards we would have won comfortably, but losing 20 IMPs at the end of each half meant we lost the match overall by 5 IMPs.

SOL3: Faben vs BShenkin

I was a bit worried about this match, as it was an 8pm start and I don't like playing too late. I also had an icepack on my knee. In the end, neither of those things affected me, and I think John and I had quite a good game. At least, until we went through the hands afterwards and I realised I'd made a few more mistakes than I thought.

The first half was mostly decided by this big board:

I overcalled 1NT with 2♦, showing a six card major. With a seven card suit I could have made a direct 3♥ bid, but decided the hand was too flat. After that things took off. I passed when John bid 5♣, though I was anxious with my extra Heart that 5♥ might play better, and even that John might expect me to correct without support. When it came back to me in 5♦x I was happy to pass, as I have two good defensive cards.

John lead the A♣, and dummy came down. It's a great dummy for declarer, but that is not too unexpected on the auction. Even though declarer got the Diamonds wrong and finessed into my doubleton that was still 5♦x= for -550.

Doubling their making game is never a great score, but we hand't necessarily done too badly. If we bid on with 5♥ say, that goes two off doubled vulnerable for about the same score. And East-West could in theory make 12 tricks in Diamonds or Spades.

On the other table they did get to 6♠, played by West. On discovering all of South's hearts our declarer also finessed Diamonds, so went one off, for a 12 IMP loss.

After 12 boards then we were 10-26 down.

In the second half things started well, as John made a tricky 3NT (repeated at the other table) and we twice caught the opponents overbidding and doubled them. Even better, I made 3♦x. A small hiccup when I played 6♠-1 (but went off two at the other table) then we went down in 1♣ with 20 points, but overall we were well up.

This was the final board:

I thought about overcalling 1♥, thought about doubling the artificial 2♥, but passed twice. This was maybe correct, as with a Heart lead declarer can't fail in 3NT. By keeping quiet there was a chance we could find the killing defence of a Spade across to my Ace then the Queen of Hearts back. It would have been a thing of beauty.

John did his bit, beginning with the ♠Q. Kt was after 11 pm by now and I confess I didn't even consider winning and switching to Hearts. I thought that John couldn't have the ♥AK so there was no chance of setting the suit up. Instead I dreamed up some layouts where we could still beat it with Spade tricks (John leading ♠Q from KQxxx for attitude, declarer having a singleton Club), and ducked the first Spade. After that it was all over, and declarer made 3NT+3.

On the other table after Heart interference they stopped in 4♣+2, so that was 11 IMPs away.

Overall we won the second half 41-28 for an overall loss by just 3 IMPs. That translates to 9.25 Victory Points. A missed opportunity.

A final thing to note, and I mentioned this at the time but no one was interested, I played five contracts where the trumps split 3-0 or 4-0.