Sunday, December 22, 2013

Bridge Match 2 - Board 33

Board 33 - Dealer North - None Vul

Opponents convention card: Standard American Yellow Card
Opponents playing strength: Adequate

My hand: Q 9 8 7 T 8 Q 7 2 K Q J 9

Partner opens a weak NT. I have a balanced 10 count to go with his balanced 11-14 count. I have a lot of high intermediate values but I really don't think we're making 3 so I pass. West doubles showing a 17+ count, partner passes, and East bids 2 spades showing at least 5 spades and 0-4 points. Well, I know we have at least 6 trump and more than half the deck. Feels like they've bitten off more than they can chew. Will my double be penalty? I sure hope so! West runs to 3 hearts and East continues to 4. I don't have the hearts to actually punish this but there's no way they're making. But it also feels like they've been driven way higher than they would be at other tables so I don't need to double to get a good result I hope. So I pass. Partner, on the other hand, thinks for a while and does double.

Partner leads the J of spades.
NORTH
J
EAST
6 5 4 3 2
9 4
T 9 8 4
8 2
SOUTH
Q 9 8 7
T 8
Q 7 2
K Q J 9
WestNorthEastSouth
1NTPassPass
Double1Pass22Double3
3Pass4Pass
PassDouble4PassPass
Pass
117+ points
25+ spades, 0-4 points
3Penalty
4Penalty

J-2-9-A. Declarer shifts to a club. 3-4-8-9. I lead partner's led suit back for him. 8-K-T-3. Declarer fires back another club. 5-7-2-J. Time for an uppercut! I fire back another spade. 7-6 of hearts-Q of hearts-4. Partner decides to draw trump. 2-4-8-J. Declarer ruffs a club. 6-A-9 of hearts-Q.

Declarer is tight and plays a diamond around. 4-7-K-A. He's not tight anymore. He's down, down, down. Partner draws more trump. 3-5 of spades-T-A. West decides to keep drawing trump. 7-5-6 of spades-2 of diamonds.

It now turns out declarer has a trump left, and a small diamond, and a small club. So I get to take my high diamond and high club. They are down 3, doubled.

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

Lots of different results this time. My side played 2NT making, 1NT+1, 2NT-1, and 2S-1. Their side played 3H-3, 2SX-2, and 4HX-3. We've got a solo top board thanks to partner's double. Without it we'd have only earned 300 points and tied with one pair. 14 MPs to the good! I really don't understand that 4 hearts bid!


Captain Jack disagrees with my play on the first spade trick. He wants me to try to overtake with the Q. That felt like it would potentially be losing a trick to the T at some point and I didn't see a gain? He also disagrees with my play when I got in. He doesn't want me to set up a spade ruff for him; he wants me to draw trump to prevent declarer from ruffing a club. That would have been a good idea! We set them 4 if I do that. Oops!

Ranking after board 33/60: 2/16 with 56.71%

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