On the very first board I timidly let the opponents play in 3♥ (we can make 4♠ our way), and we both misdefended to let declarer make it. Then our opponents had a Blackwood mix up. They had agreed Diamonds as trumps, and in their system East then used 4♥ to ask for Aces. But West gave the responses as if partner had asked with 4NT, and ended up showing an Ace more than she had. I was thinking this is great, they're going to end up in a slam missing two Aces, but actually they ended in 6♦ and made it exactly.
Then came my lowlight of the night. My right hand opponent dealt and opened 2♥, which was a Lucas Two, showing at least five Hearts and four cards in a minor and less than opening strength. Me and Anna keep it simple and just defend against these sorts of bids just as if it was a Weak Two. This was my hand:
♠ KQ964 ♥ AK3 ♦ A84 ♣ 62
I've got three options. I can overcall 2♠, showing a good hand with 5+ Spades. I can overcall 2NT, showing 15-19 points and a Heart stop, or I can double. I went for the 2NT overcall. This was passed out, and West predictably lead a Heart. When dummy came down I was extremely disheartened to be playing 2NT:
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Dummy has a beautiful fit in Spades, and 4♠ would have been easy (making 11 tricks in fact). Playing in No Trumps is going to be no fun, and in fact to add insult to injury I'm not even likely to make 2NT. I counted two Heart tricks, four Spade tricks once I knock out the Ace, and one Diamond. There's only seven tricks, and assuming the defence find the Diamond switch I've no time to set up the Clubs. That's the way it went, I finished one off.
Things got better and the highlight of the night was a pair of defences to 3NT. The first one was bad for us - I found a promising Heart lead then as declarer cashed his tricks me and Anna both desperately clung onto our Hearts until the very end. This meant throwing everything else away, and so declarer (John DiMambro) made 3NT+3 for a top. But in the second one we'd learnt our lesson, and after I found a promising Club lead and declarer was cashing his tricks me and Anna both abandonned all of our Clubs, and kept the other suits to restrict declarer to 3NT+1, a good score for us.
Finally here's a hand where Anna made what I consider to be an absolutely outrageous overcall:
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East has an excellent 10 point hand and opened 1♠. West replied with a natural 2♦. Anna sitting North has 17 points, but no sensible bid. This didn't stop her though, and she weighed in with 2♥. Unbelievable. East, who was probably going to bid 2♥ himself, settled for 2♠, and West has a hearty Heart stop so bid a natural and invitational 2NT. East, who still only has 10 points, passed.
Against West's contract of 2NT Anna lead the ♥7 (second highest from a suit without an honour), and when dummy came down I wondered what sort of Hearts Anna had, given that West had also shown a Heart stopper. Declarer was able to set up Clubs and Spades and also took an embarrassing four Heart tricks, to make 2NT+2.
As lots of pairs were actually in game, we got a relatively good score for only conceding 2NT+2. Anna made the spectacular claim that it was her fine 2♥ bid that stopped them getting to game.
The best result for North-South is if Anna passes throughout, then makes a Lightner Double of 3NT for a Diamond lead.
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