Backlogged Deals

Here are a bunch of deals from here and there, a few from the Nashville NABC.  There will be more of those, later.

I played in a swiss team game with a friend.  Our first two auctions were:

1) 1C-1H, 2N-3C, 3H-6H, P
2) 1S-2D, 2S-6S, P

It's obvious I should have gone home after the second auction, but bear with me.  Which auction was stupid?  Each one lacks finesse, but in the first opener limited his hand before responder blasted.  In the second, opener was unlimited, so 6S was nuts.


Here are a pair of hands I've been bitter about for almost three years.  The first round of the second day of a four session pair game.  Starting against my (at the time) fiance.

18) 3rd, favorable
KT4 5 7632 AJ982

P-P-P-1D, P-1H-2C-2H, P-P-2S-X, P-P-P

a) 2H showed a strong NT or the equivalent
b) 2S showed a death wish.
c) I tabled four trumps, and a ten count, and went for 500.
At least she did well in the overalls.

The same session:

3) 4th, unfavorable
AJ 976 T7643 AK7

P-P-1C-P, 2C-P-P-P

2C was just a single raise.  It's your lead.  It seemed like it might be right to lead a high trump.  Dummy tracks:
862 832 QJ9 QT92.  Pard had CJ64.  Way to blow the trump suit.  Someone suggested leading CA, instead of CK, but I don't think that would fool anyone.  I found the C7 on opening lead!

Pard ducked, of course.


Here are a few hands from this summer's LM pairs.

25) I played 3N on the auction 1N-2H, 2S-3N, P with these hands:

AQ873 Q6 AQ97 T4
95 AK54 85 AQJ96

The play started:

DJ-Q-K-5
C8-6-K-4
D4-?

I counted nine tricks, after losing the first two.  The diamond finesse looked good, so I won it.  Now I could take the spade finesse to try to make five.  Instead, I cashed DA, ran the clubs, cashed HQ and SA, and had an automatic double squeeze.  SK and DT were in opposite hands (the spade hook was off) so I scored H4 at trick 13.

That's not a hard play to find, but I scored pretty well on the board.  It was the first day, but I think it might have had more to do with the club shift, or the opening lead.

Opening leader: J642 932 JT64 K3
Club shifter: KT JT87 K32 8752

I'm not sure what would have happened on a small diamond opening lead.

26) I'm always interested in the eternal debate between the folowing philosophies:

a) bash to the maximum right away, and force the last guess on the opponents, and
b) lie in the bushes, then spring out if you feel like it.

North, in fourth seat, both vul, held
- AKQT9742 972 K7

P-P-1S-P (!?), 3D-P-4S-5H, P-P-X-P, P-P

We went +800 on normal defense, and would have made 5S if we had guessed to bid it.  Score one for the bashers, against the fielder's choice.


Here's a lesson on concentration, from the first round on day 2

15) 2nd, favorable
K94 K53 K9 KQT93

1H-2C-P-2H, P-2N-P-3N, P-P-P

Dummy tracks AQT752 74 AT5 62.  Oops.  Someone forgot we play transfer advances.  BTW, is 2H there alertable?  I thought cue bids are only alertable when natural, but then I heard it had something to do with whether they're transfers or not.  Who knows.  +400 was a lousy board, but, then:

16) 1st, unfavorable
JT652 43 J743 43

P-1D-1H-X, P-2C-P-P, P

Partner (me) led HK and dummy tracked AK98 T752 2 Q986

Declarer won HK and led D8-6-2-3.  Wow.  Playing Q983 opposite stiff 2 for one winner and no losers isn't in any textbook I've read.

Oops again.  It's just speculation, but I think the first board affected the second.


Here's a hand from the national open pairs.

19) 1st, favorable

KJ432 8 KQ6 QT64

P-P-1H-P, 1S-P-2H-P, ?

I checked it out and we were +110.  Do I owe partner a 2N bid?  I don't think so.  Maybe at IMPs.

 

 

Here are a few hands from the flight "A" GNT.

I got to 4S with these hands:

x AKx AKxxx KT9x

AJTxxx Qxx x Axx

I eloped my small trumps and went +620.  I hoped that might be a pickup.  Lose one against -660.  Sigh.

This was my favorite, against the eventual winners/NATIONAL CHAMPS.

10) 2nd, both
KQx QJ9x Jxx Jxx

P-P-1C-1H, 1S-2C-X-P, 2S-P-P-3H, 3S-P-P-P

I could have opened a 10-12 NT in 2nd seat, red, at IMPs, but this hand didn't look quite right for that.  I led HQ and dummy tracked AJx xx Axx KQ9xx.  The play went:

T1: HQ-x-x-x |
T2: HJ-x-K-Sx -
T3: Sx-Q-A-x -
T4: SJ-Hx-x-K |
T5: Sx-x-Hx-T -
T6: Cx-x-K-x -
T7: Dx-x-K-x -
T8: Cx-x-?

Now declarer had to guess the club honors.  He played CQ, losing to my partner's A, and made 140.  Then he asked about the position and had this discussion:

Declarer: If I were in four I would have made it
Dummy: Why?  You didn't make four now?
Declarer: \/ (those are his eyebrows)
Dummy: Sigh
Len: Well, I suppose I might have had CA, though that would have given me at least 12 HCP
Dummy: \/
etc.

 

Playing in a bracket I (compact) KO against the Republic of Ireland's national team I picked up xxx xx Txxx QTxx.  Exciting, huh?  The opps got to 6N and, in the end position, misguessed (VERY slowly) to go -200 after pard stiffed his HQ.  To be fair, we were a pickup partnership and not everyone signals clearly and honestly against a slam, so he couldn't tell it was safe to unguard diamonds.  I don't think the extra trick was even worth an IMP.  We won 17 IMPs, but don't ask about the other boards.  Our counterparts...had a very good set.  We did win the consolation, though.

One neat part about this hand was that I had to cling to my two small hearts to protect my swashbuckling partner.  I've read about this, but it hasn't come up very often.  The other neat part was that a team needed a total of 27 THOUSAND masterpoints ot hit bracket I.  There were a lot of very fine players in bracket II.


I'll close out with a hand from the midnight zip KO's.

28) 4th, unfavorable.  I had DAQTxxx and a flattish 8 or so points.
1C-1D-X-1N, 2H-P-P-3D, P-P-P

Pard went down one, and our conterparts made 2D.  Lose five IMPs.  Partner complained that I was a fish for raising.  Very funny, suggesting I shouldn't raise with A Q T  SIXTH in support.  Later, I remembered:

I hadn't even raised!  I'd bid 1N.