A short Canada Day session

Colin and I spent a part of the Canada holiday talking system but we did play a short session before Colin took his family to watch fireworks and I retired to a session of Age of Conan, a new online role playing game (MMORPG).  I am still trying to decide if I like it.  It definitely has great graphics.  Still we did have a few interesting deals.

I like watching Colin play hands.  He finds interesting lines.  Here is a nice example.

	Linda
	S K874
	H J96
	D A43
	C K72
	Colin
	S J6
	H AQ532
	D K6
	C A653

 

Colin was declarer in 4H and he received the lead of the D9.  How would you play this hand?

Your losers:  You likely have one heart loser, one or two spade losers primarily depending on the position of the SA and 2 club losers but they may be 3-3 or you may be able to ruff the fourth one. 

Here is what Colin did.  He played three rounds of diamonds, and cashed the top clubs and played a third club as RHO threw the DJ. RHO has a safe club exit on this hand but if clubs were 3-3 he might be forced to lead a spade and Colin would have had created a spade guess.  As it was he cashed the SA and lead another one.

	Linda
	S 87
	H J96
	D
	C
	Colin
	S
	H AQ53
	D
	C 6

 

Colin had to ruff his last club and he knew that the club void was over the dummy so he wanted to keep a high heart in dummy to handle it.    He ruffed a spade to hand and lead the last club ruffing with the HJ.  When East didn’t overruff  Colin was pretty certain that West had the H Kx and the D9 left.  He played a heart to the HA and another small heart to West’s king.  Very nicely done.  If we are going to bid these aggressive games we better play them well.  The whole hand was.

 

	Linda
	S K874
	H J96
	D A43
West	C K72	East
S A32		S Q1095
H K10		H 874
D 9875		D QJ102
C J1084	Colin	C Q9
	S J6
	H AQ532
	D K6
	C A653

I wasn’t sure exactly how to bid this next deal and we failed to find the heart suit (which on the actual hand turned out to be fortuitous since the hearts broke badly.)  How should I have bid it?

I held S 54 H KQJ9 D AKQJ42 CA

I opened 1C as North and East (playing nothing) doubled for takeout.  Colin passed which showed 0-4 HCP and West passed with club length.  I suppose that I could bid 1D but if Colin has four or five little hearts than we likely have game and if he happens to have the SK or a major suit ace we can make 5D.  I bid 2D showing a strong diamond hand.  Now it was up to Colin.  He held S QJ102 H 7542 D 83 C 1094

He raised to 3D and we played it there.  Is there some way to get hearts into this picture?

Here is a deal which I will call leaving well enough alone.  I held

S 3 H AKQ952 D AK632 C 8

I was in fourth chair and in third chair with noone vulnerable West opened 3S.  Isabelle and I have a bid for this hand we bid 4D showing a good two suiter.  I suppose I could have bid 4S showing (I think) hearts and a minor but did I really want to force to the 5 level especially when Colin wouldn’t be able to judge whether his minor was fitting.  Besides these hands tend to split badly.  I settled for 4H.  Do you agree?  Anyway West decided that he had a bit more in him and balanced 4S.  Now I could show my diamond suit and I bid 5D.  Colin jumped to 6H because he did have the perfect hand.  He held

S 9 H J1087 D 87 C AK7654