Monday afternoon April 23, 2007

After the ace and king spades came a heart, capturing the king. This hand had 4 Diamonds down 2 two, clubs making 4, three spades making 3, four hearts down 1, three hearts making 3 and four hearts making 4. The play took some courageous bidding beforehand. This is a 4 heart contract that makes with 17 points. Congrats to Peggy and Frances!

Monday afternoon April 23, 2007

After the low heart lead (!), everything went downhill for the defenders. Take the ace of hearts, test the trump split, over to the club, back to the hand, run the clubs--take 12 trick with 20 points. Now THAT is highway robbery. Complementary of the Judy(ie)s.

Thursday morning April 26, 2007

1NT made two the other way (!) for 120 EW, which is a miracle bid. It should go down big time with four diamonds a heart and a club for starters. Two spades lost two diamonds, a heart and two clubs. Isn't bridge wonderful!

Thursday morning April 26, 2007

With the six of spades lead, South must be careful to leave an entry to the board in the king, taking the trick in hand with the ace. South doesn't really care if the finesse works since the high cards will take everything in sight. The finesse does work and South scampers home with 13 tricks. This only works if North doesn't get too infatuated with her mega-clubs. North needs to be disciplined and bid 3C with the hand, indicating 8+ points and a 5+ card club suit headed by at least the queen. North's rebid of clubs indicates a very real suit and sends slam interest to South; whose 2C opener was on the light side. She should have opened 1H, which leads to 1H-3C, 3D-4C, 6NT.

Friday evening April 27, 2007

Odis--you da man! A diamond lead went to West's ace, followed by what surely would be the setting ace of clubs. Ooops, club ruff. Out and back with the hearts to draw trump, followed by the queen of diamonds and a spade to the ace on the board. Both kings were cashed, discarding declarer's remaining spades and a claim was in order. Nicely done!

Friday evening April 27, 2007

If I had East's hand I would have bid 5 clubs and gone down two doubled like the others; but, I didn't have the cards. Some better player did. After trumping the club lead, South gathers the children, then tests diamonds and is pleased with the queen falling. A club is trumped back in hand, then the diamond finesse puts West in a pickle, the six winning! In this case the diamonds were fumbled, making 4--but 5 was there.

Friday evening April 27, 2007

OK, this didn't happen on Friday evening, although the hand did. East's two heart bid showed more HCP than she had, but What-To-Do with A Let's-Go-To-Tunica-and-play-hi/lo-poker hand in hearts. Two hearts shows a big hand; it's a forcing bid, and there will be more to say down the road. East is encouraged by West's raise of hearts. West doesn't have a clue about partner's bombshell hand. Back to East who cuebids first-round control in diamonds. This is interesting news to West who has the ace, now presuming partner has a void and a long heart suit. West thinks, then bids five clubs, telling East that "you won't lose two club tricks." East raises to six.

If East gets a spade lead, not unreasonable, the barn door is closed. Assume a diamond lead. On the ace a club is sluffed. Ruff a diamond, draw a trump to the board, ruff a diamond, draw the trump to the board, ruff the last diamond back. Then lead a club. The defenders can still screw up with a spade lead, which in this case they did. Making 6.

Saturday morning April 28, 2007

East sees dummy but doesn't hear the da-dum, da-dum, da-dum background music from Jaws. Then he sees the opening 5 of spades lead, hopefully covered by dummy's jack, only to be re-covered by poor North's only possession, the queen. Stick a fork in him. East is toast, down three on the opening lead. (five spades, two aces) West's hand is a classic piece of trash, filled with Mary Bergen's quacks (queens and jacks), points that can't take tricks.

Saturday morning April 28, 2007

West knows she has to rattle tricks off, which she does; five spades, six diamonds and a club. 3 spades and 3NT each make six with North on lead, although in spades I might lead the singleton queen of hearts, overtaken by South; still, the defensive trail doesn't lead very far away from five.