Bridge Match 3 - Board 38

Board 38 - Dealer East - EW Vul

Opponents convention card: Majeure Cinquième
Opponents playing strength: Good

My hand: ♠ A T ♥ A K T 3 ♦ A T 7 ♣ K 9 8 2

I open 1 club with my moose of a hand. West jumps to 4 spades and it gets passed back to me. Way to put me to test! I have no idea what the right spot might be. 6 hearts? 7NT? 4 spades doubled? It really depends on what partner has and I have no real way of getting that info out of him. It's white on red so doubling is probably pretty good. I wonder if partner will take it as penalty or constructive or reopening. Partner pulls to 5 hearts and I gladly raise to 6.

East leads the 8 of spades.

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

West	North	East	South
		Pass	1♣
4♠	Pass	Pass	Double
Pass	5♥	Pass	6♥
Pass	Pass	Pass

Turns out Jack took my double as negative showing 4 hearts and 15+ points so I may not have had a good raise to 6? It's sure looking sketchy! I have a spade loser and all kinds of problems in clubs... I really think 4 spades doubled was a better place to be but I guess I can see why partner would pull? Anyway, there's not really going to be much to this hand I don't think. Win the ace of spades, diamond to board, finesse East for the Q of hearts, make them pitch a bunch on hearts and then hope I can get a club trick at the end for down 2.

I misplay and don't get my club. I needed to keep one trump in each hand so that when I threw West in with a spade he'd have to lead a club eventually or give me a ruff and sluff. Oh well.

Down 3 is good bridge?

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

That extra trick was completely irrelevant as we have a flat bottom with either score. Lots of people took 9 or 10 tricks in hearts. Others took 7 or 8 in spades. Only one contract made as one pair got to play 4 hearts. None of the spade contracts were doubled so if partner had passed my double we get a top. I don't know if he should pass my double, to be fair, but I think 543 of clubs is such a turnoff that I think I'd pass. But only if double actually is constructive and not negative.


Jack disagrees with my double and thinks I should have passed. Even though he thought my double showed 15+ points, exactly 4 hearts, 4+ clubs, and 4+ diamonds... I mean, I guess I only have 3 diamonds, but that hand construction is awfully narrow there Jack. Especially since I opened a club and not a diamond so I don't have the 1-4-4-4 or 0-4-5-4 distributions. He then disagrees with my 6 hearts bid. And if I know Jack thinks my double is takeout I agree. But if it's just showing cards? Any hand with few spades and many hearts is extra good with my hand. But Jack claims his bid only showed 3 hearts (how he could have 3 hearts and not prefer 5 clubs or 4 spades doubled is beyond me). He then disagrees with my finesse in hearts. I know, I know... 8 ever, 9 never. But I figured with West jumping to 4 spades he was less likely to have 3+ hearts and by extension less likely to have the Q then normal. He then doesn't like my drawing the last round of trump, which I actually agree with. I decided I should change what he thinks about a double of 4 spades in our convention card but it turns out all the options only have radio buttons up to 4 hearts so I have no way of modifying what that double meant.

Ranking after board 38/60: 7/16 with 52.26%