Bridge Match 3 - Board 24

Board 24 - Dealer West - None Vul

Opponents convention card: Bridge World Standard
Opponents playing strength: Good

My hand: ♠ K Q 8 6 ♥ 3 ♦ J 8 2 ♣ Q 7 6 4 2

West opens 1 spade, partner overcalls 2 hearts, and East passes. That 2 heart bid is really awkward for me... My club suit is not good enough to bid at the 3 level and I only have 1 heart. I guess partner should have a decent enough suit to make that bid, so I'll just leave him here. West agrees.

East leads the 5 of spades.

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

West	North	East	South
1♠	2♥	Pass	Pass
Pass

Well, I have a club loser, and 2 diamond losers, and a spade loser, and some number of heart losers. Quite possibly 3 or 4 of them. I don't really have an entry to board to cash spades in order to pitch my club and diamond losers either. Maybe the enemies will put me in? Anyway, let's see when they let me in. 5-6-A-J. West shifts to a diamond, which gives me an entry. 6-3-A-2. Another diamond. My entry does go away if this gets ruffed, but there's not a lot I can do about that. T-J-4-7. Ok, the extra diamond loser is gone now and I can pitch the club loser here on spades. So I do that. K-9-3 of clubs-3.

North's hand is up other than all those pesky trump losers. And the diamonds could get ruffed. Should I cash the last spade winner to pitch a diamond? Probably not. I just need to get rid of the trump and I can finesse the K on the first round if I play them from board. So I do that.

3-Q-K-8. That Q is interesting. But I really have no play here except to draw trumps and hope. 4-6-2 of clubs-T. I'm now missing the A and 7 of hearts, so I should lose 1 or 2 more tricks. I only lose 2 if they ruff right here. They don't, as they play a club to my A. I draw out the trump and am up after losing to the A of hearts. Making 3.

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

1 pair made 3 hearts, 1 pair made 2 hearts, 1 pair went down in 3 hearts, and 5 of us played 2 hearts making 3. So we get 9 MPs on this hand.


Jack agrees with me all the way!

Ranking after board 24/60: 9/16 with 50%