Section X North-South VanLearners Monday Eve Session August 12, 2024 Leaders after 5 rounds Average: 30.0 Place Pct Score Pair 1 74.17 44.50 X-2 Amanda Hill - David Hsu 2 60.00 36.00 X-5 Barbara Spitz - Marlee Sheinin 3 51.67 31.00 X-1 Vicki Torbett - Donna Bridgeman 4 44.17 26.50 X-6 Brenda MacLean-Longpre - Cindy Chan 5 41.67 25.00 X-4 Kelly Anderson - Mike Bow 6 28.33 17.00 X-3 Joan Christensen - Linda Collins Section X East-West VanLearners Monday Eve Session August 12, 2024 Leaders after 5 rounds Average: 30.0 Place Pct Score Pair 1 68.33 41.00 X-2 Johanne Leach - Kathy Armstrong 2 62.50 37.50 X-5 Marion George - Peter George 3 55.00 33.00 X-4 Bob Matthews - Judy Day 4 47.50 28.50 X-6 Jacquie Brown - Ian Wong 5 45.83 27.50 X-1 David Rosenberg - Alan Atkins 6 20.83 12.50 X-3 Diane O'Connor - Lesley MacKay `
Congrats to the winners!
Didn't do as well as you hoped? Don't worry; there is a large luck factor in short sessions, so there are increased chances of scores outside the normal range of about 35-65%. Things tend to even out over time, but less time means less even-ing out! The important thing is to have fun and let the learning happen by gaining experience as declarer, defender, and even as dummy, and perhaps by reading a little about the hands below!
Our game results are posted online here at ACBL Live For Clubs, shortly after the main game ends.
The deals tonight are from July 29's open game.
Below is a full-colour screen version of the comments for each hand. This works best if you have kept score and brought your scorecard home with you so you can check your results against the hand records and see where there is room for improvement. You will find that the simple act of writing down the score on each hand (good or bad) serves as a sort of marker inside your memory that helps you recall later what the issues you thought about while playing that hand were. It's much easier to remember if you have taken the few seconds to write in the contract and the score than to rely on getting your results off the internet. Something happens in those few seconds inside our brains and you'll be surprised at how much you can remember later with the help of a well-filled scoresheet. More on this here.
| Board 1 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | Q642 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| North | ♥︎ | AJT4 | None | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 752 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | K6 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | T3 | ♠︎ | A9 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | Q7 | ♥︎ | K952 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | QJT43 | ♦︎ | AK8 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 9832 | ♣︎ | AQT5 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | KJ875 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 10 | ♥︎ | 863 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 5 | 20 | ♦︎ | 96 | NT | 3 | 3 | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| 5 | ♣︎ | J74 | ♠︎ | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 25 combined points | ♦︎ | 3 | 3 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Likely Game | ♣︎ | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 3Ne | 7♠︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3Ne | 7♠︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 3Ne | 7♠︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 3Ne | 7♠︎ | = | 400 | |||||||||||
| 3Ne | 4♣︎ | +3 | 490 | |||||||||||
| North passes and East opens 2NT (20-21 balanced). This hand with three aces is worth an extra point but still in the 2NT range. South passes and West bids 3NT. As you see from the results, a club lead is instant disaster, the real question is whether East can make 3NT on a spade lead. It would seem that since the spade lead knocks out the ace, the defenders will have four spade winners and the A♥︎ eventually, even if East tries the usual razzle dazzle of ducking the first spade. But South must be careful on the run of East's diamonds, for pitching a single black card will cost a trick in the end. A spade pitch gives up on an eventual winner, while a club pitch gives up on the crucial third round and allows East to take four club tricks! | ||||||||||||||
| Board 2 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | AK92 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| East | ♥︎ | AJ65 | North-South | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | JT | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 854 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | J8653 | ♠︎ | 74 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | Q4 | ♥︎ | T82 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | KQ86 | ♦︎ | 9532 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | T9 | ♣︎ | AQ73 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | QT | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 13 | ♥︎ | K973 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 8 | 6 | ♦︎ | A74 | NT | 9 | 9 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| 13 | ♣︎ | KJ62 | ♠︎ | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| N-S have 26 combined points | ♦︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Game | ♣︎ | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 4♥︎s | 6♦︎ | +2 | 680 | |||||||||||
| 4♥︎s | T♣︎ | +1 | 650 | |||||||||||
| 3Ns | K♦︎ | +1 | 630 | |||||||||||
| 4♥︎n | 7♠︎ | = | 620 | |||||||||||
| 4♥︎n | 7♠︎ | = | 620 | |||||||||||
| East passes and South opens 1♣︎. West passes and North responds 1♥︎. East passes and South adjusts his plan, which was to rebid 1NT, instead showing the fit with a 2♥︎ rebid. Showing that 12-14 1NT rebid hand is important, but only silver medal important, the gold medal is always in finding and showing an 8-card major suit fit. West passes and it's North's responsibility to get to game with 13 points opposite an opening bid. 4♥︎ is the easiest way, and, since the 2♥︎ raise shows little or no extras, almost certainly the best way: slam on these two hands is unlikely. Even perfect play in the majors to get trumps out and two losing diamonds pitched on spades leaves no way to play clubs for one loser only. Eleven tricks unless the defenders help out. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 3 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | T | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| South | ♥︎ | 873 | East-West | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AKQ832 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AQ2 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | AQ4 | ♠︎ | K9862 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | A92 | ♥︎ | KQ54 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 754 | ♦︎ | J | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 7543 | ♣︎ | KJ6 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | J753 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 15 | ♥︎ | JT6 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 10 | 13 | ♦︎ | T96 | NT | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| 2 | ♣︎ | T98 | ♠︎ | 2 | 2 | 10 | 10 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 2 | 2 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 23 combined points | ♦︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 4♠︎e | 6♦︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎n | 6♠︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♠︎e | 6♦︎ | = | 140 | |||||||||||
| 4♦︎n | 6♠︎ | -3 | 150 | |||||||||||
| 3♠︎e | T♦︎ | +1 | 170 | |||||||||||
| South and West pass and North opens 1♦︎. East's hand is probably closer to a takeout double than a 1♠︎ overcall, and the overcall risks losing a potential heart fit, so double it is. South passes and West has an interesting dilemma: a good hand in response to a takeout double but no good suit to bid. One solution is a 2♦︎ cuebid; get East to pick a major. North throws a wrench into the works with a 3♦︎ call, but East bids 3♠︎ and West should probably pass, the previous 2♦︎ call being a slight overbid and partner unable to bid game pointing to caution as the best strategy. Ten tricks are there with the Q♣︎ onside if declarer remembers to lead twice towards the ♣︎KJ6 and play North for both missing club honours. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 4 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | AQ7 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| West | ♥︎ | AJ83 | Both | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | K62 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | J62 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | 65 | ♠︎ | J2 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | K2 | ♥︎ | QT75 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AJ83 | ♦︎ | Q75 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AK875 | ♣︎ | QT93 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | KT9843 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 15 | ♥︎ | 964 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 15 | 7 | ♦︎ | T94 | NT | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| 3 | ♣︎ | 4 | ♠︎ | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 22 combined points | ♦︎ | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 2♠︎s | A♣︎ | = | 110 | |||||||||||
| 2♣︎w | A♠︎ | = | 90 | |||||||||||
| 2♣︎w | 2♦︎ | +2 | 130 | |||||||||||
| 2♣︎w | 2♣︎ | +2 | 130 | |||||||||||
| 1Nw* | J♣︎ | +2 | 380 | |||||||||||
| West can open this hand 1NT (the limit on distribution for notrump openers is nine cards combined in the two longest suits and no voids and one singleton which must be an ace, king or queen), but it is probably better to start with 1♣︎ or even with 1♦︎ intending to rebid 2♣︎. Depending on what West chooses, North will also have options: doubling 1NT is a possibility, as is 1♥︎ over 1♣︎ or 1NT over 1♦︎. North might even pass 1♣︎ and allow East to respond 1♥︎. Most likely is an East West 2♣︎ contract coming in for an easy nine tricks. But if North gets to make a strong overcall like 1NT or a double of a 1NT opener, South may get in with a 2♠︎ call and steal the matchpoints for North-South! | ||||||||||||||
| Board 5 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | A4 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| North | ♥︎ | Q94 | North-South | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AQJ2 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | J984 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | Q982 | ♠︎ | KJ73 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | KJ2 | ♥︎ | T83 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 7 | ♦︎ | 43 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | KQ763 | ♣︎ | AT52 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | T65 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 14 | ♥︎ | A765 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 11 | 8 | ♦︎ | KT9865 | NT | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| 7 | ♣︎ | - | ♠︎ | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 9 | 9 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| N-S have 21 combined points | ♦︎ | 11 | 11 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 5♦︎n | 3♦︎ | = | 600 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎n | 8♥︎ | +2 | 150 | |||||||||||
| 4♦︎n | 5♣︎ | +1 | 150 | |||||||||||
| 2♦︎n | 3♠︎ | +3 | 150 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎n | 2♣︎ | +2 | 150 | |||||||||||
| North opens 1♦︎, East passes, and South contains the surprise and fulfills the first duty, responding 1♥︎ to try to find that valuable 8-card major suit fit. West finds a takeout double and North rebids 1NT. East bids 2♠︎ and it is now time for South to confirm the real fit with a 3♦︎ call. Unless East-West want to risk a large penalty this should end the auction and to everyone's surprise the combined 21 points scores eleven tricks, losing only a spade and a heart! Who knew? | ||||||||||||||
| Board 6 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | AT9 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| East | ♥︎ | AK532 | East-West | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 42 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | T54 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | Q8532 | ♠︎ | J | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | T94 | ♥︎ | J87 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AQT83 | ♦︎ | K9 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | - | ♣︎ | AKQ9762 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | K764 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 11 | ♥︎ | Q6 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 8 | 14 | ♦︎ | J765 | NT | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | ||||||
| 7 | ♣︎ | J83 | ♠︎ | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 22 combined points | ♦︎ | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 3Ne | 4♠︎ | -2 | 200 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎e | Q♥︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♣︎e | Q♥︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♥︎n | A♣︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 3♣︎e | Q♥︎ | = | 110 | |||||||||||
| East opens 1♣︎ and South passes. West responds 1♠︎ and North has enough for a 2♥︎ call. East rebids 3♣︎, South passes, and West (hopefully inwardly only) sighs, and tries 3♦︎. North passes and East should too and hope West can make it (not likely). As East in a situation like this where it's already probably a poor result coming, some gamblers like to bid a confident 3NT and see if they can manage to bluff their way into avoiding the killing defense. If South decides not to lead a heart and starts a spade instead, North will win and find it difficult to get back on track: the A-K♥︎ will drop partner's queen and give South a stopper, and a small heart might allow East to win a doubleton queen! To pull this off, East must maintain confidence until the jig is up! | ||||||||||||||
| Board 7 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | A62 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| South | ♥︎ | T6 | Both | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | Q52 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AJT42 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | K73 | ♠︎ | QJT4 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | KJ87 | ♥︎ | AQ9 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | J97 | ♦︎ | 643 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 865 | ♣︎ | KQ3 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | 985 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 11 | ♥︎ | 5432 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 8 | 14 | ♦︎ | AKT8 | NT | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| 7 | ♣︎ | 97 | ♠︎ | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 22 combined points | ♦︎ | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 2♠︎e | A♦︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2♣︎n | Q♠︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2♣︎n | Q♠︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2Ne | 9♣︎ | +1 | 150 | |||||||||||
| 1Nw | T♣︎ | +2 | 150 | |||||||||||
| Sevens and sixes: no eight-card fits anywhere and the points almost equally split usually means whoever declares faces the bridge equivalent of a strong head wind. South and West pass and North opens 1♣︎ in third seat, just a little light. East overcalls 1NT, light in points but doubly armed with club stoppers. South passes and West raises to 2NT, ending the auction. Once North's aces are dislodged, East will have eight tricks: three spades, four hearts, and two clubs, but by that time the defenders will have collected four diamonds as well for down one. Even in notrump, hands without eight card fits favour defenders! | ||||||||||||||
| Board 8 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | QJT9 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| West | ♥︎ | A65 | None | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | KJ984 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | K | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | A53 | ♠︎ | 76 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | QJ732 | ♥︎ | 94 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AT32 | ♦︎ | Q7 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 6 | ♣︎ | AQT7532 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | K842 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 14 | ♥︎ | KT8 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 11 | 8 | ♦︎ | 65 | NT | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ♣︎ | J984 | ♠︎ | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||
| N-S have 21 combined points | ♦︎ | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 3Nw | Q♠︎ | -4 | 200 | |||||||||||
| 2♠︎n | 9♥︎ | +1 | 140 | |||||||||||
| 3♥︎w | K♣︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♠︎s | 6♣︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎n | 9♥︎ | -3 | 150 | |||||||||||
| West opens 1♥︎ and North has several flawed options: pass (with full opening values), double (without support for clubs), 1♠︎ (only four), and 2♦︎ (a bit light for a two-level overcall, especially if the singleton K♣︎ is capturable). 2♦︎ seems likely the least worst bid, and prevents East from a club response. South passes hoping for the best, and West is happy to defend. Thus poor North gets to play in a 5-2 fit wondering how they missed the 4-4 spade fit while probably going one down. It happens to us all. Maybe that 1♠︎ overcall on four is not as bad as it seems. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 9 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | Q52 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| North | ♥︎ | 6 | East-West | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | A53 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | KQ9842 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | KT | ♠︎ | J64 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | AJ9752 | ♥︎ | K83 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | T9 | ♦︎ | J742 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | T63 | ♣︎ | AJ5 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | A9873 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 11 | ♥︎ | QT4 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 8 | 10 | ♦︎ | KQ86 | NT | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| 11 | ♣︎ | 7 | ♠︎ | 9 | 9 | 3 | 3 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | ||||||||||
| N-S have 22 combined points | ♦︎ | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 8 | 9 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 3♠︎s | T♦︎ | +1 | 170 | |||||||||||
| 2♠︎s | T♦︎ | +2 | 170 | |||||||||||
| PASSOUT | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 3♠︎s | A♥︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 4♠︎s | T♦︎ | -3 | 150 | |||||||||||
| I would open 1♣︎ with the North hand, but pass is not out of the question. After two passes, I would certainly open the South hand 1♠︎ in third seat at favourable vulnerability, or respond 1♠︎ to a 1♣︎ opener. A 1♠︎ opener will get a raise from North, a 1♣︎-1♠︎ start will see a 2♥︎ overcall by West and North can try a special double called a Support Double: used by opener only when partner bids a major and the next player overcalls, this double shows three-card support for responder's major and nothing else. When responder has a five card or longer suit, this finds a fit; when the response is a four card suit, responder scrambles to the best spot. Support doubles are a good weapon to have against active opponents and Wikipedia has an article on them. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 10 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | AK643 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| East | ♥︎ | Q53 | Both | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | KQ2 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 52 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | QJT | ♠︎ | - | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | K942 | ♥︎ | AJ8 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 743 | ♦︎ | AJT98 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AT6 | ♣︎ | KQ973 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | 98752 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 14 | ♥︎ | T76 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 10 | 15 | ♦︎ | 65 | NT | 3 | 3 | 10 | 10 | ||||||
| 1 | ♣︎ | J84 | ♠︎ | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 25 combined points | ♦︎ | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Likely Game | ♣︎ | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 2♥︎w | A♠︎ | +2 | 170 | |||||||||||
| 2♥︎w | A♠︎ | +2 | 170 | |||||||||||
| 5♦︎e | 9♠︎ | +1 | 620 | |||||||||||
| 5♥︎w | A♠︎ | = | 650 | |||||||||||
| 4♥︎w | A♠︎ | +1 | 650 | |||||||||||
| East opens 1♦︎, South passes and West responds 1♥︎. North overcalls 1♠︎, and this is another Support Double situation: double shows three hearts. South will raise to 2♠︎ (non-vulnerable, a raise all the way to 4♠︎ would be reasonable even with such a bad hand!), and West retreats to 3♦︎, not wanting to play in a seven-card heart fit. North passes and East bids 4♣︎ to show a good two-suited hand. West raises to 5♣︎ and everything works and twelve tricks are a breeze! Biddable slam? Certainly not! You need the Q♥︎ and J♣︎ onside and at least one diamond honour in the North hand, making the slam like hitting a buzzer beating shot from your own foul line on the basketball court. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 11 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | AT86 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| South | ♥︎ | T9832 | None | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 9 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | J86 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | QJ | ♠︎ | 753 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | K7 | ♥︎ | J5 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 8754 | ♦︎ | AKT632 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AQ752 | ♣︎ | KT | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | K942 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 5 | ♥︎ | AQ64 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 12 | 11 | ♦︎ | QJ | NT | 2 | 2 | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| 12 | ♣︎ | 943 | ♠︎ | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 23 combined points | ♦︎ | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 2♥︎n | A♦︎ | = | 110 | |||||||||||
| 3♥︎n | A♦︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 4♦︎e | A♥︎ | = | 130 | |||||||||||
| 4♦︎e | J♦︎ | = | 130 | |||||||||||
| 4♦︎w | 4♥︎ | +2 | 170 | |||||||||||
| South has twelve and a doubleton but we're not really going to count the ♦︎QJ doubleton as four points and open this, right? West, with ♠︎QJ doubleton and a similar twelve count, also passes. North passes and East opens 2♦︎ in fourth chair (where weak twos are normally quite strong, since mediochre or worse weak twos should simply be passed out: zero beats a potential minus score!). South makes a takeout double of 2♦︎ and West raises to 4♦︎—why let North tell South which major is preferred for the opening lead when a jump to 4♦︎ will make South guess? North suspects larceny afoot but the cards are not strong enough to take any action, and 4♦︎ is passed out. To everyone's surprise it is ironclad: defenders get a heart and two spades and that's all, folks! | ||||||||||||||
| Board 12 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | AQT75 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| West | ♥︎ | Q97 | North-South | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 97 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | JT9 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | 96 | ♠︎ | KJ82 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | JT2 | ♥︎ | K864 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 8432 | ♦︎ | KQ5 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | A432 | ♣︎ | KQ | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | 43 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 9 | ♥︎ | A53 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 5 | 17 | ♦︎ | AJT6 | NT | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| 9 | ♣︎ | 8765 | ♠︎ | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 22 combined points | ♦︎ | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 2Ne | 4♠︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 4♥︎w | 7♦︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2Ne | 6♦︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 1Ne | 8♣︎ | = | 90 | |||||||||||
| 1Ne | 6♦︎ | = | 90 | |||||||||||
| West and North pass and East opens 1NT. This is passed by South and West and North decides to try 2♠︎. This ends the auction (resist the temptation to bid 2NT with the East hand, you've already shown 15-17, partner will act if necessary) and the defenders are due a diamond, three clubs, two trumps, and probably at least one heart. This is going to be a struggle for North-South and one down is 100, worse than the 90 East can barely struggle to in 1NT. Unlucky for North, but perhaps a check of the vulnerability next time before trotting in with a weak hand might be a good idea! | ||||||||||||||
| Board 13 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | 83 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| North | ♥︎ | Q74 | Both | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | K943 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AQT7 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | AKQT95 | ♠︎ | 2 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | 632 | ♥︎ | A5 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | J2 | ♦︎ | T765 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | K5 | ♣︎ | J96432 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | J764 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 11 | ♥︎ | KJT98 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 13 | 5 | ♦︎ | AQ8 | NT | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| 11 | ♣︎ | 8 | ♠︎ | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 9 | 9 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||
| N-S have 22 combined points | ♦︎ | 9 | 9 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 4♠︎w* | Q♥︎ | -3 | 800 | |||||||||||
| 3♠︎w | Q♥︎ | -3 | 300 | |||||||||||
| 3♥︎s | A♠︎ | +1 | 170 | |||||||||||
| 3♠︎w | 4♥︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3Nn | A♠︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| North might open 1♦︎ but I would pass in first seat with the North hand. East passes and South responds or opens 1♥︎, and West comes in with a 1♠︎ call. If North has opened 1♣︎, a Support Double shows three-card support for partner's hearts. If North passed, South's opener promises three hearts and North's best move is a Negative Double for now, intending to support hearts later (a 2♠︎ cuebid or 3♥︎ call promise four-card heart support). Eventually the heart fit will reveal itself and North-South will probably bid game despite being two 11-counts, because of shape and clues from the bidding on where the missing cards likely are. A trump lead to the ace, followed by a second trump, and a third when West wins the A♠︎, prevent South from ruffing a spade and holds this to nine tricks. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 14 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | KJT5 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| East | ♥︎ | A8 | None | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AKQT9 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 32 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | 98 | ♠︎ | Q632 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | Q652 | ♥︎ | KJ9 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | J652 | ♦︎ | 743 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | A76 | ♣︎ | QJ8 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | A74 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 17 | ♥︎ | T743 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 7 | 9 | ♦︎ | 8 | NT | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| 7 | ♣︎ | KT954 | ♠︎ | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
| N-S have 24 combined points | ♦︎ | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Possible Game | ♣︎ | 10 | 10 | 3 | 3 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 3Nn | Q♣︎ | +1 | 430 | |||||||||||
| 3Ns | 6♣︎ | = | 400 | |||||||||||
| 3Ns | 2♦︎ | = | 400 | |||||||||||
| 3Nn | 2♠︎ | = | 400 | |||||||||||
| 2Ns | 2♥︎ | = | 120 | |||||||||||
| North notes that East, his LHO, is dealer, counts out his 17 points, and looks up to find that for once the other three have passed and left him room to open ... what? 1NT or 1♦︎? Probably 1♦︎ is best, if partner makes the feared 2♣︎ response we can rebid 2♠︎ with a hand this strong. Partner actually responds 1♥︎ after East passes, and when West passes North is ready to bid 1♠︎ but rethinks and decides that maybe a jump to 2♠︎ is better. It is; South bids 3NT and captures the club lead with the K♣︎ overtaking East's jack, and then finesses the 9♦︎! The J♠︎ follows and East pauses after some thought, revealing the position; South makes four spades, five diamonds, the K♣︎ and the A♥︎ for eleven tricks and a great score. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 15 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | 942 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| South | ♥︎ | Q643 | North-South | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | Q4 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AT82 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | AKQ7 | ♠︎ | J853 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | AJT | ♥︎ | K72 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AJ | ♦︎ | 7 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | QJ63 | ♣︎ | K9754 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | T6 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 8 | ♥︎ | 985 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 22 | 7 | ♦︎ | KT986532 | NT | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11 | ||||||
| 3 | ♣︎ | - | ♠︎ | 1 | 1 | 12 | 11 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 29 combined points | ♦︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Game | ♣︎ | 1 | 1 | 12 | 12 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 5♣︎e | T♠︎ | = | 400 | |||||||||||
| 4♠︎e | T♦︎ | = | 420 | |||||||||||
| 4♠︎w | 3♥︎ | +2 | 480 | |||||||||||
| 4♠︎w | Q♦︎ | +2 | 480 | |||||||||||
| 3Ne | 9♥︎ | +3 | 490 | |||||||||||
| South opens 3♦︎ with the eight-card suit, going down a level because of the vulnerability and poor suit quality. West doubles and North passes; East responds 3♠︎ (takeout doubles seek majors and going up a level to bid a longer minor can be dangerous). West bids 4♠︎ and soon wishes he had bid more. South begins with the 2♦︎ as a suit preference to wake up North (who should note that the two cannot be fourth best from a long suit!) to the possibility of a club ruff. However, East wins the A♦︎, ruffs a diamond in hand, pulls three rounds of trumps, and plays a club to North's ace. North is endplayed: a heart return locates the Q♥︎ for declarer, while a club lead allows declarer to run the rest of the suit and pitch dummy's third heart on the final club from hand. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 16 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | 2 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| West | ♥︎ | QT9 | East-West | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | AQ987 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | KQ94 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | A3 | ♠︎ | KJT875 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | KJ83 | ♥︎ | 76 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | KJ542 | ♦︎ | T | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | J6 | ♣︎ | A875 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | Q964 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 13 | ♥︎ | A542 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 13 | 8 | ♦︎ | 63 | NT | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| 6 | ♣︎ | T32 | ♠︎ | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 21 combined points | ♦︎ | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 4♠︎e | 6♦︎ | -3 | 300 | |||||||||||
| 2♠︎e | 3♣︎ | -2 | 200 | |||||||||||
| 2♠︎e | 6♦︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2♠︎e | 6♦︎ | -1 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2Nw | 4♣︎ | = | 120 | |||||||||||
| West opens 1♦︎, North passes (the best action when they open the suit you were about to open and there is no reasonable alternative), and East responds 1♠︎. South passes and West rebids 1NT. North should be happy to defend 1NT and pass, but East's six card spade suit will demand a 2♠︎ call, which will be the final contract. The defense will succeed if South can play low in tempo when East leads a heart toward dummy's KJ83: if declarer selects the jack, defenders get two hearts to go with a spade, a diamond, and what may be several clubs once the trumps are removed from dummy. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 17 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | Q8 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| North | ♥︎ | J73 | None | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | 752 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AKQJ4 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | 7632 | ♠︎ | A954 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | A42 | ♥︎ | K95 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | KQJ64 | ♦︎ | A83 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 7 | ♣︎ | 985 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | KJT | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 13 | ♥︎ | QT86 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 10 | 11 | ♦︎ | T9 | NT | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | ||||||
| 6 | ♣︎ | T632 | ♠︎ | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 21 combined points | ♦︎ | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 2♣︎n | 4♠︎ | = | 90 | |||||||||||
| 3♣︎n | A♦︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 2Nn | 3♦︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 2♥︎s | 7♣︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♥︎s | K♦︎ | -3 | 150 | |||||||||||
| North opens 1♣︎, East passes, and South responds 1♥︎. West overcalls 2♦︎ and North shows three card support for hearts with a Support Double. East raises to 3♦︎ and South and West pass. North knows that South would probably bid 3♥︎ with most hands with five hearts, so the only choice is whether to gamble it out in 4♣︎ or try to beat 3♦︎. Finding five tricks with diamonds as trumps seems easier than finding ten with clubs as trumps, so North passes, but can only find four. 3♦︎ makes easily, and 4♣︎ would have been two down and likely doubled. | ||||||||||||||
| Board 18 | ||||||||||||||
| NORTH | ||||||||||||||
| Dealer: | ♠︎ | KQT93 | Vulnerable: | |||||||||||
| East | ♥︎ | K963 | North-South | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | Q72 | |||||||||||||
| ♣︎ | 5 | |||||||||||||
| WEST | EAST | |||||||||||||
| ♠︎ | A874 | ♠︎ | J2 | |||||||||||
| ♥︎ | J | ♥︎ | AQT87 | |||||||||||
| ♦︎ | KT9854 | ♦︎ | 63 | |||||||||||
| ♣︎ | AJ | ♣︎ | K973 | |||||||||||
| SOUTH | Available | |||||||||||||
| HCP: | ♠︎ | 65 | Tricks: | |||||||||||
| 10 | ♥︎ | 542 | N | S | E | W | ||||||||
| 13 | 10 | ♦︎ | AJ | NT | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | ||||||
| 7 | ♣︎ | QT8642 | ♠︎ | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
| ♥︎ | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||
| E-W have 23 combined points | ♦︎ | 4 | 4 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||
| Suitable Level: Partscore | ♣︎ | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||
| Contract | Lead | Result | N-S Score | E-W Score | ||||||||||
| 3Nw | K♠︎ | -3 | 150 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎w | 5♣︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 4♦︎w | 5♣︎ | -2 | 100 | |||||||||||
| 3♦︎w | 5♣︎ | -1 | 50 | |||||||||||
| 2♦︎w | 5♣︎ | = | 90 | |||||||||||
| East and South pass and West opens 1♦︎. North overcalls 1♠︎ and East bids 2♥︎. South passes and West returns to 3♦︎. North passes and East has nowhere safe to go. North leads a club and there seem to be a lot of tricks outside trumps, which are a nightmare. West leads a small spade toward the jack in hopes of getting a spade ruff in dummy, but North sees the plan and wins the K♠︎ and switches to a trump to South's ace and a second trump removes dummy's last trump. South, in with the K♦︎, tries to cash the J♣︎ but North ruffs with the Q♦︎ and leads a spade to declarer's ace. By trying to ruff a spade in dummy, declarer has succeeded in getting the opponents to pull trumps for him! The A♥︎ is an entry to a good club and West loses only two spades and two trumps. | ||||||||||||||