Monday, November 21, 2011

Jennbridge: Adventures with Abbe

Abbe (my bridge student, assistant and friend) and I stayed to play in the Marin Co. unit game after the losing trick count seminar Gene Simpson and I taught yesterday.  Here is one of the more memorable hands.

RHO dealt and passed and I innocently opened 1NT:
♠ 952
AQJ
A1092
♣ A104

Abbe, with a flourish, responded 4 , a Texas transfer, and I duly bid 4 .  She now bid 4NT, keycard, and I responded 5, showing 0 or 3.  She now signed off (or attempted to) at 5.  I found this whole auction unusual, however, and couldn't really figure out what was going on.  It did seem to me though, that since I had 3 keycards rather than 0 that I should take another call.  So I bid 6 and everyone passed.

The king was led and I did my best to conceal my surprise.

♠ J76
K85432
J
♣ KQ3

♠ 952
AQJ
A1092
♣ A104

"Good grief!"  I quieted my mind with the declaration that I wasn't down yet.  I saw that I could take a ruffing finesse against the queen and be down only one (for what that would be worth).

I drew a couple of rounds of trump and took the ruffing finesse--the 10 being covered by the queen and ruffed.  I drew a couple more rounds of trump and noted with interest as LHO, a very experienced player with thousands of masterpoints, pitched two diamonds.  For good measure I drew the last tump and played off the clubs ending in my hand. 

♠ J76




♠ 9

92


I cashed the  9 pitching a spade as both opponents followed.  Was there really a miracle at hand or had I miscounted?  I played the 2 and pitched another spade as eveyone showed out.  Making 6.  The 2 was my 12th trick!

Abbe was starting a small celebration in her seat and I hurriedly scored up 1430 and jumped up from the table for a walk out into the hallway.  Ha!  Perhaps I have been in a worse slam but, mercifully, I can't remember it!

LHO held:  Q4/ 97/KQ765/9762

See you at the table!

4 comments:

Memphis MOJO said...

Hope the seminar was successful. See you in Seattle.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to mention that we received top board on this hand!! Your partner in crime....Abbe

Anonymous said...

LOVED the blog.

If it had not happened to you, i would put that one down to someone's Urban
Legend ( Bridge Table Wise...)

Chris

Anonymous said...

hi to all jennbridge.blogspot.comers this is my first post and thought i would say hi -
speak soon
garry moore