The Winners Trophy

The last event on my clubs calendar for a Tuesday night is called the Winners Trophy and it's run as Butler Pairs. I don't know why it's called Winners or if the should always have a capital letter but those are questions for another day. I'm playing with my regular partner against 15 other pairs.
All vul playing against a pair of Womens internationals you hold:

	♠ T 4 3 ♥ A T 5 4 2 ♦ 7 3 ♣ K 8 5

Your partner starts with a short club and righty bids 4♠. Have a think, I'll come back to it.

Next hand is much more exciting because you have loads of points and everyone is vul:

	♠ T 8 5 ♥ A Q T ♦ A K J 8 7 3 ♣ A

See you're already more into this question than the last one. You open a diamond, lefty doubles, partner makes a disappointing pass and you need to make a bid when RHO jumps to 2♠. Wait do you need to? If partner can't bid over.... no... you need to bid. There's only 2 serious options, double or 3♦ and with such a gorgeous suit 3♦ feels right. Pass 3♥ pass. Going to go? It's Imps and those vulnerable games look fantastic when everyone else scores +170 or -200 in 3NT.
Nah, I'm going to put a little faith in my ops, believing that they have 18+ highs and trusting that my partner would bid the first time if he wanted to be raised later. So I passed a little anxiously and when a club was led I tabled my hand and waited for judgment.

Vul: All Dealer: North	♠ T 8 5 ♥ A Q T ♦ A K J 8 7 3 ♣ A
♠ K 9 7 6 ♥ - ♦ Q T 9 6 5 ♣ K J T 6		♠ A J 3 ♥ K J 9 7 ♦ 4 2 ♣ Q 9 5 4
	♠ Q 4 2 ♥ 8 6 5 4 3 2 ♦ - ♣ 8 7 3 2

On winning the club my partner pitched two spades on the AK of diamonds and exited a spade East winning. Balking at the thought of leading trumps into the tenace East tried another spade. Ruffed, club ruff, spade ruff, club ruff, Ace of hearts leaving me on the edge of my seat and this end position:

	♠ - ♥ - ♦ J 8 7 3 ♣ -
♠ K ♥ - ♦ Q T ♣ K		♠ - ♥ K J 9 ♦ - ♣ Q
	♠ - ♥ 8 6 5 ♦ - ♣ 8

When a diamond is played off dummy if East ruffs South discards and makes one more trick and if East discards South makes the trick immediately ruffing the diamond. The play is called an en passant and isn't that unusual but I've never seen one where the players have 3 trumps left! +140 was worth a healthy 8 Imps when 1♦ failed a trick, 3♦ failed several and 3NT (!!!) failed by so many tricks that the defense argued for the rest of the night over who might have doubled.


Back to that hand I gave you first. For me it was the vulnerability that makes the difference, if it were even or more so favourable you'd assume a good hand for 4♠. Sure it's still pre-emptive but it'll have 8 spades and a king outside or something. At this vulnerability it could easily be 7 spades and nothing else and just an early sacrifice against 4♥/5♣ (or 3NT could make on a spade blockage). So I'll do what I always do when they sack over my game and I'm not sure 5 is right, I'll hit it! Partner pulled to 5♣ and there we played.

Vul: All Dealer: South	♠ T 4 3 ♥ A T 5 4 2 ♦ 7 3 ♣ K 6 5
♠ A K Q J 9 6 5 ♥ 6 ♦ 9 6 ♣ 9 3 2		♠ 8 2 ♥ Q J 7 3 ♦ K J T 8 5 4 ♣ T
	♠ 7 ♥ K 9 8 ♦ A Q 2 ♣ A Q J 7 6 4

Partners rather cute play of King and another heart after ruffing a spade at trick 2 avoids the diamond finesse if hearts are 3-2. They weren't but +600 is unavoidable gaining a couple of Imps.