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.
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