An interesting hand or two played by the US ladies team

I was watching a neat hand played in a team match tonight.  The bidding on this hand was interesting.

 

North Judi Radin

S AKJ6

H AJ2

D AQ108

C J3

South Sylvia Moss

S Q74

H K4

D KJ92

C A986

 

North Judi Radin opened 2NT.  How would you proceed as South.  In the Lee system which is being changed rapidly as we speak we bid 3C which is an obselete but still useful bid asking partner to bid four card suits up the line.  Here North would respond 3D and South would probe a bit but eventually end in 6D.

But Sylvia Moss had a very compact auction to get to the best spot.  5NT asks partner to bid 4 card suits up the line and 6D got to the best spot in 3 bids.  Isabelle and I have a similar system over 4NT and we did talk about doing over 5NT as well.  It does work out well on a hand like this, doesn’t it.   WIthout the machinery their opponents got to the inferior contract of 6NT and with the heart finesse off couldn’t find 12 tricks.

Here is another hand where their partners shone. 

Mildred Breed

S Q103

H A104

D 873

C KJ32

Marinesa

S AJ87

H K8532

D void

C AQ87

 

 

Marinesa	North	Mildred	South
			2D
DBL	4D	DBL	Pass
5D	DBL	pass	pass
5H	pass	6C	all pass

If you are in slam on these cards 6C is the right spot.  This is my interpretation of the auction – not the participants so it could be wrong.

Over 2D Mainesa Letizia doubled.  Over 4D Mildred Breed doubled to show a good hand but no clearcut bid (it probably suggested she did not have a four card major).  5D was a a slam try and 5H was for play .  Mildred liked her hand enough to want to play in slam but along the way she bid 6C, choice of slams.  Neatly done.

In 6C Marinesa had extra chances and was able to make the hand when hearts did not split and the SK was offside.  Here is the whole hand

	Mildred Breed
	S Q103
	H A104
	D 873
North	C KJ32	South
S K64		S 952
H Q976		H J
D KQ62		D AJ10954
C 96		C 1054
	Marinesa
	S AJ87
	H K8532
	D void
	C AQ87

 

On a heart lead Marinesa was able to pick the heart suit up with a finesse and a ruff.   Here is how the play went.  She won the heart lead in hand and played three rounds of trump.  She finessed the H10 and then lost the spade finesse but she could still set up the heart suit to make her contract.

As it turns out the hand is touch and go on a diamond lead – this strains declarer’s communication.  Suppose that declarer does not find the double dummy line of leading a spade from her hand (which ensures the contract on the lie of the cards).  If declarer crosses to dummy on a spade and tries the spade finesse the defenders are likely to prevail if they duck the first spade making communication very difficult for declarer.  Otherwise they will have to find the double dummy return of a spade when they are in on the SK.  It would have interesting to watch the play on that lead.

Generally the US ladies were in good form.  I was impressed.