110 to North/South ± 900

What is it that causes people to lose control? To wrath, to passion, to Gerber?

Boards like this next one do a fine job. All over the room seemingly controlled and disciplined players suddenly exploded into tangled auctions and aggressive doubles.

To get an average board North/South need to score +110:

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

+110 isn't unreasonable given 21 high card points and an 8 card major fit. But lets look at a smattering of real world scores:

Contract	Declarer	Result	Score
2NTx	E	=	-690
4♠xx	W	-2	+1000
3♥x	N	=	+730
3♣x	S	-1	-200
3♠x	W	=	-730
4NT	N	-3	-300
2NTx	N	-3	-800

On a board where, Deep Finesse will assure us, no contract above the two level can be made, where no-one has a wild shape and where the points are evenly split the scores vary from the median by 900 points in both directions.

What happened to me? Well I was West, holding the zero count, preparing to pass throughout when:

South	West	North	East
Pass	Pass	1♥	X
Pass	1♠	1N	X
2♥	?

My first and second opportunities to squeak were about as exciting as picking up zero points. Is any one tempted to compete now? I was.

South	West	North	East
Pass	Pass	1♥	X
Pass	1♠	1N	X
2♥	2♠	Pass	2N
Pass	3♠	X	End

Can't say I'm happy with how that turned out but the defense to legitimately defeat 3♠ is impossible to find (and homework for double dummy people!) and so I chalked up a 730 against our unfortunate North South.