It can be annoying to come to the end of a session of bridge, not score as well as you'd like and be a little baffled at exactly what you could have done better. Sure you bid the wrong thing on board 9 and the play on board 14 was less than perfect but even if you got those right you're still down on the leaders. I believe there's two things at play. Firstly the top players expect to do well and the field expects them to do well which self fulfils nicely. Secondly there's tonnes of extra chances each session, missing them isn't really a mistake but finding them gets you ahead.
| ♠ | A 6 |
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| ♥ | 9 4 3 |
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| ♦ | A 6 |
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| ♣ | A Q T 7 4 3 |
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You open a club.
Left bids 1
♥, your partner 1NT and 2
♠ comes in from your right. You're playing against two non-demeaning euphemisms for average club players.
Partner can't have 5 spades on this auction and there's a good chance he doesn't have 4 so it looks like the ops are going to settle here in an 8 card major fit. It's pairs so that sort of thing is completely unacceptable, 3
♣ ends the auction.
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| ♠ | K J 7 3 |
|---|
| ♥ | K 7 5 2 |
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| ♦ | 8 7 3 2 |
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| ♣ | 9 |
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| ♠ | A 6 |
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| ♥ | 9 4 3 |
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| ♦ | A 6 |
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| ♣ | A Q T 7 4 3 |
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Bother. Can we go back to 2
♠? Please? Ah well. I can't believe the spade finesse is working and we need to lead towards the clubs so jump up with the K
♠ and lead the 9
♣. In an ideal world the trumps will be 3-3 with the King onside and you'll overtake the 9 with the Queen but if they're 4-2 the overtake will cost a trick. The 9 holds!
Well that's good, I don't want to risk coming back to hand in spades especially when I've a convenient entry in diamonds. A
♣, Q
♣ losing to the K
♣, turns out the clubs were 3-3. East returns a spade and you win the Ace. In summary you've chalked up 5 club tricks, 2 spades and a diamond, all that remains is to collect your heart trick. Can you see the extra chance?
It's almost certain the hearts started off 5-1 and therefore almost certain the Ace is onside but it didn't hurt to duck a round just to be sure now did it?
Good post
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