I am Impressed. Congratulations to Krista

On Sunday Katie, Krista, Cora and I had our usual game.  The highlight for me was Board 8.

Krista opened 1♣ and Katie bid 2♣ (limit raise or better).  Krista bid 3♥ game forcing good hand, heart values.  Katie cuebid her spade ace and Krista showed a diamond control.

Now what?  Krista’s bid suggested she was very interested in slam and while Katie doesn’t have all that many highcards she does have six card support, aces and two ruffing values.  She bid Blackwood and when Krista showed two aces and the trump queen Katie bid the small slam.  It was now up to Krista to make it.

Dealer: Vul:	Krista ♠ J6 ♥ KQ42 ♦ AQ7 ♣ AQJ3
	Katie ♠ A9 ♥ A3 ♦ 1098 ♣ K87542

Krista got a spade lead and won the ace.  This hand is right out of a text book and Krista played it perfectly to set up the endplay.  She drew trump in two rounds and then played hearts discarding a spade from dummy.  She ruffed a heart in dummy, crossed back to her hand with a trump to ruff a spade.  Now all she had left was the diamonds and trump.  She led the ♦10.  The defense was helpless.  If it lost to the jack then East would be forced to return a diamond into her AQ.  This was a 100% hand once trump didn’t break horribly.  It is a great feeling and it was the first endplay that Krista had both planned and executed.

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ J6 ♥ KQ42 ♦ AQ7 ♣ AQJ3
West ♠ Q1072 ♥ J1096 ♦ J43 ♣ 96		East ♠ K8543 ♥ 875 ♦ K652 ♣ 10
	South ♠ A9 ♥ A3 ♦ 1098 ♣ K87542

I think after you play bridge for a few years you can forget the joy of making a beautiful play.  Sometimes we (especially me) focus on mistakes.  Everybody makes lots of them.  Sometimes we focus on winning.  But in the end the joy of bidding and making a slam on your first endplay is what makes bridge wonderful.