Opponents convention card: Bridge World Standard 2001
Opponents playing strength: Intermediate
My hand: ♠ Q T 9 3 2 ♥ J 9 8 7 3 ♦ 5 ♣ K T
Partner opens 1 diamond. I respond a heart and west gets in with 1 NT, showing a strong NT without 5 spades. Partner bids 2 clubs. So he's got the minors, I've got the majors, and we probably only have half the deck between us. 2 clubs looks like as good a place as any to score positive so I pass.
East leads the 6 of clubs.
NORTH ♠ 6 ♥ 6 ♦ A J T 7 6 3 ♣ A Q J 8 4 | ||
| EAST ♣ 6 | ||
| SOUTH ♠ Q T 9 3 2 ♥ J 9 8 7 3 ♦ 5 ♣ K T |
| West | North | East | South |
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♥ | |
| 1NT | 2♣ | All Pass |
I have a heart loser, a spade loser, and some unknown number of diamond losers. I can ruff one of them but have no other way to get rid of the rest of them. I can't set up any tricks in the majors. I could finesse a diamond which only helps when West has both honours, but he did overcall 1NT so that's not out of the question. East should have 5-7 points though, so he can easily have one of them as well.
How many tricks do I have? Assuming I ruff a diamond I likely have 6 trump tricks and a diamond. So I need to set up a diamond trick for my 8th. It's also possible they'll set up a major trick for me, but I won't have any entry to it. Even still, cashing the A of diamonds and ruffing a diamond should reduce them to 2 diamonds left between them. I can probably set one up, right? Right?
The other option is finesse a diamond right now. I go down if it fails since they'll draw my second trump from dummy. But if it works I get my 8 tricks easy. I don't think it's going to work, so I'm going to just ruff a diamond and see what happens.
First I have to win the club. 6-K-5-4. Now diamonds. 5-2-A-4. 3-9-T of clubs-8. Now I need to exit dummy. I'll do it with a heart. 9-Q-6-5. West tries to cash a heart. A-8 of clubs-T-3. Back to diamonds. J-K-2 of spades-Q. East returns a spade. 5-9-A-6. Another spade. Am I up? They still have 4 trump between them. So I could ruff in, draw 2 rounds of trump, and be up if clubs split 3-3. Alternatively I can pitch here to set up a spade trick. Am I going to need to make 4 in order to get a top board? If clubs and diamonds both split 3-3 then likely yes. Otherwise I likely need this major trick. I think I'll pitch and see what happens. J-6 of diamonds-8-Q. Don't mind if I do!
Well, now I can only get more tricks if clubs are 3-3. So I might as well ruff a major card to hand, draw 2 rounds of trump, and see what happens. I choose hearts to do so. 8-K-J of clubs-7 of spades. I draw 2 rounds of trump, but West shows out on the second one. But for some reason instead of ruffing my diamond he pitches the high spade, then ruffs the last trick. So I make 3 instead of 2 thanks to truly inept defense.
| NORTH ♠ 6 ♥ 6 ♦ A J T 7 6 3 ♣ A Q J 8 4 | ||
| WEST ♠ A J 4 ♥ A K Q 4 2 ♦ Q 8 2 ♣ 5 2 | EAST ♠ K 8 7 5 ♥ T 5 ♦ K 9 4 ♣ 9 7 6 3 | |
| SOUTH ♠ Q T 9 3 2 ♥ J 9 8 7 3 ♦ 5 ♣ K T |
2 clubs making 3 is a top board worth the full 14 points. 2 clubs making 2 would have been worth 12 points so that free overtrick was really relevant. 8 different results on this board, with my side going down in 2 spades, 3 clubs (twice), 5 clubs, and 5 diamonds doubled. The other side went down once in 2NT, and made 2 hearts up one.
Professor Jack disagrees with my 1 heart bid. With 2 5 card suits he wants me to bid the highest first. I actually wondered if I should do that when I was bidding. It feels like it's easier to show both 5 card suits by bidding 1 spade then 2 hearts and partner can still correct at the same level. But that only works when partner is going to bid 2 of his own suit, or 1NT? But since we're playing weak NT it doesn't even work there. If he bids clubs then hearts will be 4th suit forcing to game and my hand is _really_ not worth doing that. Committing to that line of play is what got 2 of the other pairs into 5 of a minor. I'm happy with my plan of passing low, and I think that means bidding hearts first and throwing spades away unless partner somehow can bid them himself or takes a really strong action of his own.
Ranking after board 13/60: 7/16 with 54.40%
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