A Short Snappy Session

Ray and I started out to play some bridge tonight but he happened to get a chance to raid with his guild in Everquest so we only ended up playing seven boards but they were interesting and/or silly ones.

This deal falls into the silly category and is an example of bid boldly, play safe as Rixi Markus used to say.  You are going to hate my bidding but here goes.

I held SA H 6532 D Q1053 C AQ98

I opened 1C in first chair at unfavourable vulnerability.  LHO bid 1S and Ray made a negative double which usually shows hearts and usually a minor.  RHO bid 3S (presumably preemptive).  What do you call?  Okay so I should pass.  But look at those heart spots.  Anyway I bid 4H.  After LHO passed Ray went into a huddle.  When I have overbid the last thing I want is for partner to huddle.  Hhe bid 6H.  He started yelling at me before I played a card, so I knew he didn’t have his bid either.

The opening lead was the S10 and the situation wasn’t hopeless.  I had three likely losers so if either both club and diamond finesse work or at least one finesse worked and I could avoid a heart loser than I could make it.  I tried to visualize LHO’s hand and give him cards that would let me make the contract.  He might have

S K109xx H xx D Kxxx C xx

or give him all the high card.

S K109xx H QJx D Kxx C K x giving his partner S Jxxx H xx D xx C Jxxxxx or ….

Maybe the right play is to take the diamond finesse first.  If that loses and noone ruffs anything on the way back then you need to double hook hearts.  I don’t think RHO was ducking the offside diamond king in a slam.

I lead a heart towards dummy.  I had pretty well made up my mind to double hook the heart (right or wrong) when the HJ popped.  I rose with the HK and lead the C10 off dummy.  When RHO failed to cover I thought he didn’t have the jack.  Besides I really needed to avoid losers.  I put in the CQ and it held but the CJ dropped on my left.  I lead a heart to the H10 drew the last trump, played a club to my nine (LHO had dropped the Jack from a doubleton) and was home.  The surprise was that when I finessed the diamond it lost.  Do you know what LHO had overcalled 1S on S 1098653 H QJ9 D 42 C J5 and the preempter had a ten count (did he think 3S was a limit raise?)

The prettiest deal belonged to Ray.  Playing in 4H with no opposition bidding the SA is led.

West started off with three rounds of spades a fatal error.  Ray trumped the third spade in dummy throwing a diamond from his hand and lead the ace of heart.  Unfortunately West had all the remaining trump.  Ray finesses the CJ played a heart to the HA.  At this point he needs to decide if West has three clubs or two.  Since West had 8 cards in the majors it seemed more likely he was short in clubs so Ray played a club to the kind and played off three more rounds of trump.  West won the fifth trump but was endplayed in diamonds.

I did have a rather nice endplay in an earlier 3NT deal but it was only for an uptrick so Ray’s was much cooler.