Here are a pair of 3NT contracts from the first final session which resulted in good scores. For good measure I'm also including a hand from the same session where I used losing trick count principles--a subject I'm currently writing about in the Bridge Bulletin.
| Board 20 South Deals Both Vul | ♠ K 10 9 ♥ Q 10 7 3 ♦ J 5 2 ♣ 4 3 2 | ||||||||||
♠ A 6 ♥ J 9 8 6 5 ♦ 10 9 8 4 ♣ 6 5 |
| ♠ Q J 8 5 4 ♥ 4 ♦ Q 7 6 ♣ A Q 9 8 | |||||||||
| ♠ 7 3 2 ♥ A K 2 ♦ A K 3 ♣ K J 10 7 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Jenn | Farid | ||
| 1 ♣ | |||
| Pass | 1 ♥ | Pass | 2 NT |
| Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
On this board (rotated) Farid found himself in a pushy 3NT contract with the ♦10 lead. Questioning revealed that the 10 lead was from "0 or 2 higher", so he didn't yield to the temptation of playing the ♦J and won in his hand. How to get 9 tricks?
He started on hearts and East showed out on the 2nd heart. After Farid took his 4 hearts he made a key play of leading a ♣ from the board and guessing correctly to play the 10 when East played low. (He told me later that he detected a slight pause in the bidding by his RHO after my 1♥ bid, so had decided to play his RHO for length and/or strength in the black suits.) He later put East in with a spade who, having unattractive options, played on clubs again.
Farid himself will take up the narrative: It is a good hand, but probably more of a lucky hand since RHO's heart shortness and guards in the other 3 suits made success almost automatic. It would probably make a good hand for help with counting tricks and various assumptions needed to succeed. However, I think the crucial lesson is that the lead convention (the ten lead promises 0 or 2 higher) is a double-edged sword; on that hand it cut our opponents.
Plus 600 was worth 39 out of 47 matchpoints.
2. Next is a 3NT contract which I played (hands rotated):
| Board 6 South Deals N-S Vul | ♠ J 10 7 ♥ A K J 10 6 3 ♦ 2 ♣ K 10 6 | ||||||||||
♠ A K 9 8 3 ♥ 8 4 ♦ A 10 8 ♣ Q 5 3 |
| ♠ 5 ♥ Q 9 7 5 2 ♦ Q 9 6 ♣ 8 7 4 2 | |||||||||
| ♠ Q 6 4 2 ♥ — ♦ K J 7 5 4 3 ♣ A J 9 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Farid | Jenn | ||
| Pass | |||
| 1 ♠ | 2 ♥ | Pass | 2 NT |
| Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
We were probably lucky to get to game after my intial pass. Farid made a good decision to bid 3NT rather than 4♥ which would have had no chance.
The opponents started with 3 rounds of spades and I won on the board. I next played the ♥ ace-king and the ♥J lost to the queen. After a long pause East shifted to a diamond and my jack forced the ace. A spade return and a club guess (not really a guess as West needed to have the queen to have an opening bid) and I had my 9 tricks. (2 spades, 3 hearts, 1 diamond and 3 clubs.)
Plus 600 was worth 40 out of 47 matchpoints.
3. Farid dealt and opened 1♠ and I held: (board 24, hands rotated)
♠KJ
♥1098653
♦ 9763
♣9
RHO passed and so did I. LHO bid 2D and partner rebid 2♠. RHO now bid 3♣ and it was my call.
Not much of a hand, but when I counted my losers, there were only 8--which signified to me that the hand had some value. Plus, two honors in the trump suit and a singleton couldn't be all bad, so I ventured a 3♠ call. Partner bid 4♠ and I hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed with my hand. The ♥ ace was led.
| Board 24 South Deals None Vul | ♠ K J ♥ 10 9 8 6 5 3 ♦ 9 7 6 3 ♣ 9 | ||||||||||
♠ 6 5 4 ♥ A K Q ♦ J 4 ♣ J 10 7 6 2 |
| ♠ Q 8 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ A Q 10 8 2 ♣ 8 5 3 | |||||||||
| ♠ A 10 9 7 3 2 ♥ J ♦ K 5 ♣ A K Q 4 | |||||||||||
| West | North | East | South |
| Jenn | Farid | ||
| 1 ♠ | |||
| Pass | Pass | 2 ♦ | 2 ♠ |
| 3 ♣ | 3 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♠ |
| All pass |
With the ♠ queen falling doubleton and the ♦ ace onside, it was a routine matter to ruff a club and make 5. Plus 450 was worth 41 of 47 matchpoints.
This was a good session and a fun event. Unfortunately we couldn't carry the momentum into the evening session.
See you at the table!
1 comment:
Kate and I had the opposite problem. We had our only bad session of the tournament in the first final, leaving us nowhere to go. We had a decent game at night, but started too far back.
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