Recap of 12/16/2013 28 board IMP individual

Normally, I enter the hands in numerical (which is chronological) order.  Today, I have to start with Board 26 – an incredible board that allowed me to jerk defeat from the jaws of victory.  I had a 24 IMP lead over two other players (who were tied for 2nd) going into the last round.  In the 4 board last round, there were two pushes, win 1 IMP on the 3rd board, and then there was board 26.

With everyone VUL, it can get pretty expensive to fool around.  But, my out of tune table presence told me that the opponents were fooling around.  Sure, they bid 3NT with no hint of a spade stopper after spades were doubled, but they did have 10 tricks in NT without a spade lead and only down 1 in 3NT with a spade lead.  Plus, they happened to hold 26 HCP, 19 HCP by responder and a decent club suit by opener!!!  So, they were not fooling around that much. 

The first time around (2nd seat after the 3♣ preempt), I didn’t want to try 4♣ to show both majors (felt the hand was too weak), and I didn’t want to pick 1 major to bid for fear of losing the other, so I passed.  Second time around, smelling something very fishy, I doubled, intending the double to show spades.  Third time around, I was having nothing to do with defending 3NT when we likely had a red game in a major suit. Thinking that Bruce had no heart suit, I bid 4♥ intended as pass or correct.  When Jack passed 4♥X, I was down 1400 (4♠ is cold on any lead as long as you ruff a heart with the ♠J if you haven’t been able to draw trump yet).  With our teammates down 200 playing in 5♦, we lost 17 IMPs on the hand.  I could have held it to 16 IMPs if I hadn’t decided to take the backwards spade finesse, thinking Ed showed the ♠Q with his 3♠ bid.  He explained he was just trying to not bypass 3NT in case partner had a spade stopper and partner wanted to bid 3NT.  Ed would have bid 3NT himself with a spade stopper.  Quite a hand, with the texture of my heart suit allowing hearts to be ruffed good and scoring 10 tricks on 11 working HCP, 14 HCP in all.

Clearly Bruce has a great hand opposite a preempt and he needs to figure out where to go with his 19 HCP.  I thought he was just screwing around with 12-13 clubs between their 2 hands and was just waiting for the double of 3NT before running to clubs.  I thought our better chance was in offense rather than defending 3NT and that 3♥ was a psych so…there you go.

Besides this hand, there were quite a few other interesting hands during the day.

Board 1

The (double dummy) play, to make 4♥, after the defenders win ♠A, then win ♣A, then tap dummy with a spade (rather than continue clubs, as they did at the table) is pretty spectacular.  Declarer must lead a small diamond to the ♦7, finessing the ♦8 on a suit that holds the top 6 cards in it!  Then ruff a spade, then diamond to the ♦9 and cash the ♥K.  A club entry remains in dummy and declarer’s last spade goes on the winning diamond as the opponent with the long trump scores their ruff.  But at that point, declarer would be down to all trump with the opponents having none.  I am thinking I might not have found that declarer play at the table.

Board 8

What do you open with an 8 card suit?  Jacked decided ♦5 and when my double ended the auction, he was soon down 500, losing the 5 obvious tricks.  I don’t know if or what our teammates opened, but they allowed their E-W opponents to declare and go set 100 and my team scored 12 IMPs.

Board 9

This hand was about reading the opponents, reading the vulnerability and getting the opponents to do what you want them to.  This swindle was accomplished by Dan/Bruce, my E-W teammates at the other table.  At my table, there was no opposing bidding.  We recently started playing ‘Simpson’ (Gene) over inverted minors.  We got to a peaceful 3♣ with 9 easy tricks, +110.  The swindle was at the other table.  Dan overcalled 1♥ on his 4 card suit.  Noticing that their white opponents were bidding clubs, Bruce at some point bounced to 4♥, offering 500 points to the opponents, but they did as hoped and ‘took the save’ at 5♣, -2 scoring the same 9 tricks that we did for +300 to go with our +110 for 9 IMPs.  Saving at IMPs is mighty risky business.  I recommend against it.

Board 20

Vastly different treatments of the North hand resulted in a 13 IMP swing.  Jack (my teammate, North at the other table), liking his tens, felt that he had a clear cut ‘rule of 20’ opening 1♦ bid with a little in reserve and soon they were in 3NT.  After a heart lead set up 5 heart tricks, they scored +660.  Our opponents languished in 3♥, -1, +100 for 13 IMPs.  Dan could have made 9 tricks if he didn’t take the offered heart finesse and simply won the ♥A and gotten the needed spade ruff in dummy.  He would have lost a trick in each suit, but it would still be a big adverse swing when 3NT came home at the other table.  It seems to me that 2NT makes more sense than 3♣,  but having failed to open 1♦, the fatal diamond lead (killing the entry to 4 club tricks) seems much more likely should they eventually arrive in 3NT.

Board 21

The last hand I’m reporting was not a big swing, but a big opportunity that slipped by.  I was doubled  down 1, -100 and our teammates were  down 1, -100, lose 5 IMPs.  But making 5♠X wins 11 IMPs, a 16 IMP differential.

The play went rather quickly for awhile.  I lost the ♣A, then the ♦A, then won the ♦K and led the ♠J, covered with the ♠K and ♠A.  A club ruff back to hand for a finesse of the ♠10 and I was now down to finding the ♥Q to make the hand.  Then the play slowed down a bit.  I felt, if Jack held ♥Qxx, he probably would have tried 3NT instead of 3♠.  And, if Mark held ♥Qxx, he probably would have tried 3NT instead of 4♣.  So, I correctly deduced that someone likely held ♥Qx.  Is Mark 0=2=5=6 or is Jack 3=2=4=4?   Who cares?  If I am right about either holding ♥Qx, then all I have to do is bang down the AK and the ♥Q will fall, making 5♠ doubled. Mark did a lot of bidding, so I foolishly went with Mark holding the ♥Q by cashing the ♥K and letting the ♥J ride.  Wrong!  Jack held ♥Qx.  My play is only right if Mark held ♥Qxx and the bidding indicated he did not.  Lose 5 IMPs.   But it was a fun hand to bid and play.  Bidding spades for the first time at the 4 level and then again(!) at the 5 level shocked everyone.  Getting the heart suit wrong was a painful lesson.