How Many Total Tricks? – Round 8

 Early in Round 8 Board 19 produced a lot of swings. 

Dealer: South Vul: E-W	North ♠ J109872  ♥ –  ♦ Q64  ♣ J975
West ♠ A6  ♥ 1076  ♦ 85  ♣ KQ10843		East ♠  K3 ♥ AKQJ843  ♦ 10   ♣ A62
	South ♠ Q54  ♥ 952  ♦ AKJ9732  ♣ –

Let’s imagine how the bidding might goes.  South might open 1♦ .  West is a bit light for a vulnerable overcall so suppose he passes.  North would bid 1♠ .  Now what does East do?  East might believe that he is just too good to overcall and bid double or alternatively  4♥  , my pick.  After all you are vulnerable against not and entering a live auction you should have something good.  South would probably pass with only modest spade support but some might bid 4♠  at favorable vulnerability.  West has a lot concealed and could bid 5♥  which might buy the hand if North decides it is better to defend 5♥  than save against 6♥   If North bids 5♠  East could double or bid 6♥ .  And one or another of these choices was made at most tables, leading to a lot of swings.

In USA2 versus Italy in the Bermuda Bowl, the auction started as follows

I belive that Lall’s 2NT suggested a weak spade raise.  Duboin forced with 3S and Grue preempted with 4.  I believe that 4NT was meant as ace asking but I am not certain.  I would like to think the Italians were though.  Back to my preference for 4♥ instead of double.  While 5S only has two top losers you cannot make it since the defence can tap dummy in clubs either at trick one or when in on the first spade winner.  In fact you can work out that 5♠  is  two down.  For example, declarer ruffs an opening heart lead and leads a spade won by East who return a club ruffed by dummy.  Declarer obviously can’t play a spade or face the wrath of the club suit and so must play diamonds.  East ruffs in on the third round of diamonds with a small trump and plays another club ruffed in dummy.  Declarer plays a diamond throwing away the penultamite club as West ruff in and cashes the defenses second and final club trick.

 In the Closed Room Wooldridge overcalled Madala’s 1♦  with 2♣ . Bocchi passed and East cuebid diamonds.  South preempted 4♦  and North raised to 5♦ .  However Hurd having heard his partner make a vulnerable overcall was not going to be kept out of the auction and bid 5♥  (he must have been a little tempted to bid 6♥ ) which bought the hand and USA 2 had won 9 imps.  Buras and Narkiewicz fared better for Poland in their match against Sweden

Fredin’s 2♠  bid was weak showing 4-6 points.  Over this Narkiewicz just bid 4♥ .  Fallenius supported spades and Buras raised to 5♥ .  Fredin saved in 5♠ .  I wonder if he passed if 5♥  would have ended the auction.  Perhaps not since Narkiewicz had an awfully good hand for 4♥ .  I am not sure why Fredin doubled but in any case passing wouldn’t have saved many imps.  Fredin has to take the same action as in the other room and take the save in 6♠  for -500.  After the smoke cleared Poland had scored +1660 and gained 15 imps.   It is true that the heart slam can be defeated.  South must underlead a diamond to North for a club ruff (perhaps more likely if North had supported diamonds).  Ignoring this possibility there are 12 tricks in hearts and 9 tricks in spades (although if allowed to play it there you can make 10 tricks in diamonds north-south so to answer the question in the title there are something like 21 or 22 total tricks available, a goodly number.