Bridge Match 2 - Board 47

Board 47 - Dealer South - NS Vul

Opponents convention card: Dutch Doubleton
Opponents playing strength: Fair

My hand: ♠ 9 3 ♥ K Q 8 ♦ Q J 4 3 ♣ Q J T 4

I open a weak NT and partner bids 2 clubs, Stayman. East decides the Stayman bid was meant for him and bids 2 spades. I don't have any majors so I think I need to just float this around to partner and pass. He jumps to 3NT.

West leads the 2 of clubs.

	NORTH ♠ K 8 2 ♥ J 5 4 3 ♦ A K T 9 2 ♣ K
WEST ♣ 2
	SOUTH ♠ 9 3 ♥ K Q 8 ♦ Q J 4 3 ♣ Q J T 4

West	North	East	South
			1NT
Pass	2♣1	2♠	Pass
Pass	3NT	Pass	Pass
Pass
1Stayman

2-K-A-4. Ok, I now have 3 clubs locked up. Oh, and diamonds are super solid with 5 guaranteed tricks there. I can easily set up 2 hearts as well, but I'll have to give up the lead. Spades could be a problem, and I bet if West had lead his partner's suit that they'd have set us hard. But he didn't, so maybe they won't. East returns a club. 8-Q-6-3 of hearts. Should I cash my 8 tricks and then play on the majors? My concern is that West has the A of hearts and shifts to a spade. If that happens they'll take 6 more tricks at least. If I cash out I'll be left with Kxx J opposite 9 KQ8 and then I won't have an entry back to my hearts. So I need to keep Kx Jx opposite 9 KQ8. I'm still going down anytime West has the A of hearts and East has the A of spades. I don't think spades are blocked so that's probably the best play anyway.

Unless by cashing out my clubs I set up club tricks for the defense. Then if West has the A of spades he gets to cash clubs in a situation where I was making. I don't have the entries to cash diamonds and then clubs either. Hmm. So probably I'm looking at cashing out for down 1 or taking a risk. I feel like the defense gave me an out to avoid down a ton and maybe that'll be worth a ton of MPs. On the other hand maybe they made the play they did because West has the A of spades and I make if they lead a spade and cashing out for down 1 will be a bottom. Ok, I'm doing well in the event and I don't need to take a mini-maxi line. If the board is set up such that we all go down a bunch, let's all go down a bunch and tie in the middle. I lead a heart.

8-2-J-6. Ok... Now I can cash out for making. That sounds awesome. Diamond to hand, cash the clubs, cash the diamonds, give up. They cash a club at the end on top of their two aces. Just in.

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

Everyone else played a contract and went down so once again we get a solo top board as the only team to make, though we made only because the enemy was _terrible_. Down 1 would have been worth 12 MPs, letting them take their 8 tricks for down 4 would have been a solo bottom. So it turns out maybe I should have cashed out once they failed to play spades the first time. Because most tables played diamonds, not NT!


Captain Jack doesn't like my opening bid. We're playing 12-14 NT, not 11-14, and I only had 11 points. Eh, fair enough, but I like my 11 points as being a lot like 12 since the honours are all touching and I have a working T. This is a fine weak NT I think. Way better than pass. Jack would also have cashed out for down 1. Or at least he would have started playing diamonds. I think maybe playing hearts right away made West think I had diamond issues which made him duck? Or he's just terrible.

Ranking after board 47/60: 1/16 with 59.42%