Jennbridge: First Round--2nd Session

There seems to be renewed interest in the importance of getting good results in the first round of a session.  I heard several remarks emphasizing this point while at the regional in Santa Clara last week.

With a good first session behind us, we sat down for the evening session against an expert and client.  I found myself in a routine 3NT with this hand:

Sitting East (again) I opened 1NT in 4th seat, partner transferred to hearts and signed off in 3NT.  A spade was led.  How should I play the hand?

♠	K 4 2
♥	Q 9 5 4 3
♦	9 7
♣	A Q 4

♠	A Q
♥	J 8
♦	K Q 8 5
♣	K 10 9 8 2

How can I get more than the obvious number of tricks? Maybe I could get some extra tricks in hearts.  With that in mind I led a club to the queen and returned a heart from the board.  The expert on my right followed with the ♥10 and my LHO was in.  Now he started thinking.

He had seen me win the spade lead with the queen so he knew I had 3 tricks in spades.  My club queen had held so he knew I had club tricks.  I was working on hearts so I probably had good hearts.  He therefore switched to diamonds--a result that I didn't mind at all.

A funny thing happened on the play of the diamonds.

Board 31 South Deals N-S Vul	♠ J 10 6 5 ♥ 10 ♦ A 6 4 3 2 ♣ J 5 3
♠ K 4 2 ♥ Q 9 5 4 3 ♦ 9 7 ♣ A Q 4	N W E S	♠ A Q ♥ J 8 ♦ K Q 8 5 ♣ K 10 9 8 2
	♠ 9 8 7 3 ♥ A K 7 6 2 ♦ J 10 ♣ 7 6

He led the jack and RHO won the ace and continued the suit!  Now the ♦10 fell and my remaining diamonds were good!  It was an easy matter to cash out for 11 tricks.

Plus 460 was worth 16 out of 17 matchpoints--a 3-way tie for top.

**

Board 32 West Deals E-W Vul	♠ A K 9 ♥ A 9 8 4 3 ♦ Q 7 ♣ K Q 3
♠ J 10 4 2 ♥ Q 10 7 ♦ J 5 ♣ J 10 9 6	N W E S	♠ Q 8 6 5 3 ♥ J 5 2 ♦ A 8 3 ♣ 7 2
	♠ 7 ♥ K 6 ♦ K 10 9 6 4 2 ♣ A 8 5 4

On the second board of the round North (RHO) was in 3NT and I led a 4th best spade.  She won with the ace and led the ♦Q from her hand.  I ducked!  Now look what happened.

She now had to decide how to play the diamonds.  Who had the ace?  After thinking about it for a while she led a diamond to the 10!  My partner won the jack and cleared the spades.  Now she couldn't really come to 9 tricks.  When I got in with the ♦A, I cashed the spades for a one trick set.

Plus 50 was worth 13 of 17 matchpoints.

**

Board 33 North Deals None Vul	♠ J 9 5 3 2 ♥ J 3 ♦ K 8 ♣ Q 9 8 3
♠ Q 10 8 ♥ 10 9 6 5 ♦ 10 9 7 6 ♣ A J	N W E S	♠ A 4 ♥ A K Q 7 ♦ A Q 4 3 2 ♣ 10 7
	♠ K 7 6 ♥ 8 4 2 ♦ J 5 ♣ K 6 5 4 2

 Holding the East hand I opened 2NT.  Although our convention card is marked "20-21", this fine hand (5-card suit, all prime cards) was easily worth an upgrade.

After a puppet Stayman sequence (3♣, 3♦, 3♠, 4♥) we settled in 4♥.  A heart was led and I played the 10 from the board, hoping that it was covered as I might need an extra dummy entry. I drew trump ending on the board and took the diamond finesse which won.  The diamond honors then tumbled down together and  I cashed the diamonds and came back to my hand with the ♠A to pitch my losing club from the board on the long diamond in my hand.  The only trick lost was a spade. 

Plus 480 was worth 12 of 17 matchpoints. Our session was off to a good start.

See you at the table!

Jennbridge: The Last Round

Our first session had been going pretty well as we sat down for the last round. Larry and I had been knocked out of the main event and decided to play in the senior pairs in order to go home early and enjoy what was left of the holiday weekend.

Partner, sitting East, dealt and opened 1♣, and I liked my hand.

♠	A Q 10 9 4 3
♥	J 9 4
♦	A Q 8 4
♣	—

I responded 1♠.  I was surprised to hear his rebid of 2♦, a reverse!  I rebid 2♠, forcing, showing a decent hand with spade length. Partner now bid 3♠.

It was a near-certainty that we were headed for slam in either spades or diamonds, but I needed to check on the heart suit (to be sure we weren't off 2 quick losers) by starting a cuebidding sequence.  I bid 4♦ and Larry responded 4♥.

Satisfied about hearts, I now bid 4NT, RKC, and he answered 5♦, presumably showing 3 keycards.  Looking for bigger things (I had a 5 loser hand opposite his reverse) I marched on by bidding 5NT.  This bid asks for specific kings but also gives partner the option of jumping to a grand slam with a hand he considers suitable.  He responded 5♦, showing the diamond king, but not the club king and it was decision time.

I was now sure that he held the king of spades, ace of hearts, king of diamonds and ace of clubs.  Was this enough for a grand slam, and if so, in what suit?  I decided that the odds were good enough (in this situation) to bid the grand and thought that perhaps I could offer him a choice of slams by bidding 7♦.  This would be a surprise, but he would then have the option of passing or bidding 7♠.

I jumped to 7♦ and he passed.  South (luckily) led a club.

Board 10 East Deals Both Vul	♠ 8 7 ♥ K 5 3 ♦ 9 7 6 5 2 ♣ K 8 4
♠ A Q 10 9 4 3 ♥ J 9 4 ♦ A Q 8 4 ♣ —	N W E S	♠ K 6 ♥ A ♦ K J 10 3 ♣ A Q J 10 7 3
	♠ J 5 2 ♥ Q 10 8 7 6 2 ♦ — ♣ 9 6 5 2

Partner pitched 2 hearts on the ace and queen of clubs and frowned when he laid down the ♦K and South showed out.  He nevertheless thought he had chances as long as the hand with the long diamonds held at least 2 spades, so he started running spades.  When North ruffed in, he simply overruffed and claimed.

Plus 2140 was, not surprisingly, a cold top.

**This hand was still warm when South dealt and opened 3♦ on the next (penultimate) board.   Larry, my partner, doubled and I bid 3♥ with my weak hand.  South passed and Larry jumped to 6♥!

"I've gotta see this"! I quipped as a club was led and partner began tabling the dummy.

Board 11 South Deals None Vul	♠ 10 7 3 ♥ 10 8 ♦ Q 10 4 ♣ 10 9 7 5 2
♠ A Q 9 ♥ A K J 2 ♦ A 3 ♣ A K Q 8	N W E S	♠ 8 6 5 2 ♥ Q 9 7 5 3 ♦ J ♣ J 6 3
	♠ K J 4 ♥ 6 4 ♦ K 9 8 7 6 5 2 ♣ 4

"I see what you mean" I thought as I gazed at the magnificent 27 point powerhouse.

A club was led and the spade suit caught my eye.  Ahh...I should be able to strip the hand and play a spade to the 9--endplaying my RHO.  A classic, textbook endplay!

I drew trumps in 2 rounds, cashed the clubs, then played the diamond ace and ruffed a diamond.  Now I was in my hand for the big moment.  The plan was to lead a spade and cover whatever card the second hand played. When South played low, I inserted the 9 and North was well and truly endplayed.

He folded his cards and scored up 980 for us--worth 14 out of 17 matchpoints.

** On the final board partner (West) dealt and opened 1♣.  I bid 1♠ and he raised to 2♠. Looking at 8 1/2 losers as East, I elected to pass.

Board 12 West Deals N-S Vul	♠ 6 5 ♥ A J 10 6 4 ♦ 9 2 ♣ 10 9 5 3
♠ A Q 9 8 ♥ 9 7 5 2 ♦ A 3 ♣ K J 4	N W E S	♠ 10 7 4 3 ♥ Q 8 3 ♦ K 7 5 4 ♣ A 2
	♠ K J 2 ♥ K ♦ Q J 10 8 6 ♣ Q 8 7 6

South now made an unexpected balancing double of 3♦. This was passed around to me and I doubled.

It was not too difficult to take 6 tricks on defense (2 diamonds, 2 clubs and 2 spades) and we beat it two tricks for a score of plus 500.  Apparently we can make 4♠ (nonvulnerable) but only one pair bid it.

The terrific scores of the last round catapulted us to the top of our section and left us well-poised for the evening session.

See you at the table!