Saturday Rubber

Playing rubber bridge on a sunny Saturday afternoon while having a few beers I picked up a one count:

♠	T 9 x x x x
♥	-
♦	8 x x
♣	J T x x

As one counts go this one has some real potential but it's still not what you want to see at game all.

West	North	East	You
-	-	1♥	?

Surely not! We were having a few beers, not that many.

The auction continued:

West	North	East	You
-	-	1♥	Pass
2NT*	Pass	3♣*	?

2NT was Jacoby and 3♣ shows a minimum. Now is the time for crazy! 4♠!

Our opponents have confirmed a nine card fit and I bet West is about to employ some relays to further investigate the hand.

West	North	East	You
-	-	1♥	Pass
2NT*	Pass	3♣*	4♠
4NT	5♠	X	End

It seems partner has some spades as well:

	♠ A K x x ♥ x x ♦ K 9 x x x x ♣ x
♠ J ♥ A K Q x x ♦ A Q T ♣ Q 9 x x		♠ Q x ♥ J T x x x x ♦ J ♣ A K x x
	♠ T 9 x x x x ♥ - ♦ 8 x x ♣ J T x x

My first thought on seeing the dummy is that I have a play to make. Trumps and diamonds breaking with the ♦A onside and there might be 11 tricks in this.

The diamonds didn't break so I fell a trick short. Would you make 6♥ when the defense start with 2 rounds of spades?

Cute Hand

There are so many tiny things to enjoy about the game of bridge. Have a look at this seemingly uninspiring deal:

	♠ Q 9 8 ♥ A K 3 ♦ A T 7 ♣ A J 8 2
♠ K 5 3 ♥ 8 6 2 ♦ Q 6 4 2 ♣ K 7 3		♠ J T 7 6 2 ♥ Q T 5 4 ♦ K ♣ Q T 4
	♠ A 4 ♥ J 9 7 ♦ J 9 8 5 3 ♣ 9 6 5

North has 18 highs, South 6 and EW share 16 equally. It's a marginal 3NT contract and that's what our South is playing for.

The auction hadn't been very descriptive which is my excuse for leading the ♦4. Not a great start but declarer ducked, partner won and switched to a spade. I was allowed to win and so played back to declarers Ace. We have two tricks, the two pointy Kings.

Declarer took the marked diamond finesse, cashed the ♦A and started fidgeting like she was having trouble getting to hand. A sneaky small heart didn't work; partner leapt with the ♥Q and cleared the spades. The defense have three tricks and this is how things look:

	♠ - ♥ A K ♦ - ♣ A J 8 2
♠ - ♥ 8 6 ♦ Q ♣ K 7 3		♠ J ♥ T 5 ♦ - ♣ Q T 4
	♠ - ♥ J 9 ♦ J 9 ♣ 9 6

Trying a club to the nine I won the King, cashed my ♦Q and played another club. Declarer should work out that if I held the ♣Q I would exit a heart to ensure it won a trick but ever the optimist declarer tried the Knave. Partner won the Queen and taking the ♠J completed a 3 trick set.

Cute!

All the defensive picture cards took tricks!

Doing it wrong for the best results

When I'm not playing well something I lament is how well what I see as poor decisions turn out, especially those made by my opponents. Each hand should be treated on it's own merits of course but how do you feel after this:

	♠ 8 7 ♥ A Q J T 6 3 ♦ J 6 3 ♣ 6 3
♠ J 6 5 4 ♥ K ♦ A Q 9 5 2 ♣ A J T		♠ Q T 3 ♥ 7 5 4 ♦ T 4 ♣ K 9 8 4 2
	♠ A K 9 2 ♥ 9 8 2 ♦ K 8 7 ♣ Q 7 5

South	West	North	East
1♣	1♦	1♥	Pass
1NT	Pass	Pass	Pass

You're playing matchpointed pairs but even so the 'normal' action on the North cards would have been to bid 2♥.

North didn't bid 2♥, West led a diamond and South grinned at 9 tricks and a 100% board.

If North does pull 1NT then East leads partners suit, ruffs the third round and returns the presumably signalled for club limiting declarer to 8 tricks.

Look at it again though. This is similar the hand at the end of this post where I played in 3NT rather than the doomed 8 card heart fit. Is there something we can learn from these hands?

It is better to play from the right side than play the right contract?

The softer your stop in the opponents suit the better it is to be in NT?

The weaker your trumps the better they are as trumps?

Both these hands feature the declaring side holding a soft stop and a great source of tricks in the major fit.

Close your eyes and double

Last night I played the Thursday evening session at my club. The Thursday pairs is to serious bridge what backyard cricket is to Olympic swimming; entirely unrelated.

♠	-
♥	A K 3
♦	K T 9 8 5 2
♣	9 8 6 2

Right hand opens a spade and I call my diamonds. Lefty bids 3♦ showing some sort of spade raise.

Opener asks for key cards and finding none bids 6♠.

Surely this is going down. The ♥AK figure to cash and if not a poor trump break and no easy route to tricks in the red suits will see declarer fall short.

And it's Thursday so if this makes we're getting 20%. Double.

	♠ Q T 6 3 ♥ Q 9 6 4 2 ♦ Q ♣ K J 3
♠ - ♥ A K 3 ♦ K T 9 8 5 2 ♣ 9 8 6 2		♠ 7 5 ♥ J T 8 7 5 ♦ 7 6 3 ♣ Q T 5
	♠ A K J 9 8 4 2 ♥ - ♦ A J 4 ♣ A 7 2

You can make up your own humorous anecdote about what South might have done had North reported a keycard. Or about employing keycard while looking at first round control of every suit. 0%

It didn't all go bad though:

♠	9 6
♥	A K Q J 4
♦	J T 3 2
♣	A Q

West	North	East	South
Pass	Pass	1♦	?

Any thoughts?

1NT is my choice. Partner enquired about my major holdings so I lied and said I didn't have any and we played 3NT. Dummy appeared with:

♠	K J 8 5
♥	5 3 2
♦	Q 7 6
♣	J 5 2

Not only does 4♥ fail by two tricks when the opponents can't help but get diamond ruffs but 3NT is plain sailing. 100%