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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Bridge Match 1 - Board 94

Board 94 – Dealer East – No Vul

My hand: A Q T 7 2 K Q J A K Q 8 3

I open 1 spade intending to jump shift in clubs. Partner actually responds 2NT though, showing 13+ points and 3+ spades. I have visions of slams dancing in my head. I bid 3 hearts to show my stiff. Partner jumps to 4 spades and I believe from reading Philip Martin's blog that this is 'fast arrival' and shows a minimum. I'm willing to risk it. I bid 4NT. Partner shows 2 keycards and no queen of trump. I might be off two diamond tricks off the top and they're likely to find that lead. But what can partner's 13 points even be? KJ of spades, AQJ of hearts, J of clubs? That's only 12 points. So it's plausible I can be off two top diamonds but very unlikely. I am short a keycard though, so I settle for 6 spades. West leads the 2 of diamonds.

NORTH
K 9 6 3
A Q 9 8 6 4
7
J 5
WEST
2



SOUTH
A Q T 7 2
K
Q J
A K Q 8 3


West North East South
Pass 1
Pass 2NT1 Pass 32
Pass 4 Pass 4NT3
Pass 54 Pass 6
Pass Pass Pass
1Jacoby 2NT
2Singleton or Void
3Roman Keycard Blackwood - Spades
4Two Keycards + No Queen of Trump

Well, I don't have the A or K of diamonds but it turns out partner has a stiff. Wish he'd felt like telling me that instead of his 4 spade bid. He also only has 10 points which doesn't seem like the 13+ his bid ostensibly shows. Oh well. I have 1 loser and infinite tricks so as long as I don't lose to a 4-0 trump split I make. If I start by cashing the A in hand I can pick it up either way. The opening lead isn't ruffed and neither is the club return, so I make 6.


NORTH
K 9 6 3
A Q 9 8 6 4
7
J 5

WEST
8 5 4
T 5
K 8 6 2
T 7 6 4

EAST
J
J 7 3 2
A T 9 5 4 3
9 2

SOUTH
A Q T 7 2
K
Q J
A K Q 8 3



Professor Jack disagrees with my opening bid. He wants me to open 2 clubs. With only 21 points and with that including both a stiff K and a QJ dub I'm not sold.

He then disagrees with my 3 heart response to 2NT. He wants me to bid 4 clubs to show my 5-5 instead of showing my stiff. I guess that makes sense but since partner retreats to 4 spades when I do it I'm not sure how it would help.


On the replay they start with 2 clubs and end up in 6 spades. I think they made a big mistake to end up in 6 spades, though. They ended up establishing spades as trump at the 3 spade level. South cuebid clubs and the North cuebid hearts. Note he skipped diamonds, so he is claiming to not have a diamond control. South with his QJ doubleton should now avoid slam like the plague and settle for 4 spades. They actually had an auction which got them the information needed to avoid a bad slam and then ignored it.

On the play South covers the diamond return and West plays low instead of the king! Declarer ruffs it anyway. None of it matters, they make 6 as well.

Nick: 980
Jack: 980
IMPs: 0 (+13 total)

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