1. S. Noble/K. Bennett + A. Lintott/D. Lintott –50 IMPs

2. A. Walker/S. Landy + N. Smith/M. Goldsmith +35 IMPs

3. S. Constable/K. Jalie + P. Belton/G. Nicholas +15 IMP

4. H. L-Smith/N. Wilkes + A. Badiani/P. Fearnhead +10 IMPs

S. Noble/K. Bennett (N/S 1-8) –27.5 IMPs

A. Lintott/D. Lintott (E/W 1-8) –25.5 IMPs

A. Walker/S. Landy (N/S 1-8) +17 IMPs

N. Smith/M. Goldsmith (E/W 1-8) +15 IMPs

S. Constable/K. Jalie (N/S 1-8) +21.5 IMPs

P. Belton/G. Nicholas (E/W 1-8) –2 IMPs

H. L-Smith/N. Wilkes (N/S 1-8) –4.5 IMPs

A. Badiani/P. Fearnhead (E/W 1-8) +19 IMPs

S. Noble/K. Bennett (N/S 1-8) –21.75 IMPs

A. Lintott/D. Lintott (E/W 1-8) –21.25 IMPs

A. Walker/S. Landy (N/S 1-8) +21.75 IMPs

N. Smith/M. Goldsmith (E/W 1-8) +14 IMPs

S. Constable/K. Jalie (N/S 1-8) +15.25 IMPs

P. Belton/G. Nicholas (E/W 1-8) –7 IMPs

H. L-Smith/N. Wilkes (N/S 1-8) –8.75 IMPs

A. Badiani/P. Fearnhead (E/W 1-8) +20.75 IMPs

1. No problems in 3NT or 4H.

2. A tight 3NT:

I opened the East hand 2S and played quietly there for seven tricks (–50) but most NSs got to 3NT with a mixed results, quite a bit depending on the lead.

Badiani (having also opened 2S) found a quiet heart lead and when in with the third round of diamonds, had a tricky exit card. He judged well to pick CJ and the defence eventually scored two clubs, two diamonds and a spade (I believe).

At most tables, South got to open 1NT so it was West on lead against 3NT, with a heart lead standard. Landy made 3NT on a heart lead (no details) and Jalie went down (likewise). Andrew Lintott led a heart but they were unable to prevent nine tricks. Wilkes/L-Smith were perhaps unluckiest as after a 1NT - 3NT sequence, West found a spade lead (!) and the defence duly prevailed.

3. A disaster for the ‘A’ team on this dangerous deal:

I’d have opened 3S but most Souths preferred (perhaps wisely!) a more modest 2S (or Multi). When 2S was passed round to East, what should he call? I opted for a t/o double.

Over to Mr Goldsmith in the West seat. Irrespective of the results, I feel that the pass stands out. How often do you have trumps as good as A98xx? The vulnerability is "against" you but there’s another way of looking at that; it increases the likelihood that declarer only has a 5-card suit himself. You have two aces, interesting shape and every prospect of 800 or 1100. So pass.

The only other bid that makes sense to me is 3C. Goldsmith did not find that call either. Our panel of experts took a long time to guess what call he actually did make (3NT, 4C?). No, he bid 2NT naturally (not Lebensohl). This did not give me a very accurate picture of what was going on but a 4H call seemed fairly obvious at this point. North doubled with some relish and when it went back round to Goldsmith, he pulled to 4NT which was also doubled.

Should I have left that? It would have made as the cards lie. Again, I don’t feel I have much choice but to convert to 5D, also doubled. When SK lead was covered and ruffed, a big penalty seemed imminent but, with a few good guesses and a favourable trump position I was able to get out for one off. Still a disaster.

If Goldsmith had passed 2S*, North said he was ready to pull to 3H and +1100 would have beckoned. If he’d called 3C, I’d have bid 3H and passed his 3NT rebid so we had umpteen chances for a decent score.

Landy opened the South hand 3S but wrote "not a good bid despite favourable vul!". East doubled and she did well to get out for –800.

Bennett/Noble went for 1100 in 3H* but, at the time of writing, I have not got their bidding record sheet so can make little comment.

Other Easts did not opt to make a t/o double of 2S. Badiani, for instance bid 4D to show a red two-suiter. Very reasonable, but it would look better still with a singleton spade or a bit more shape. Fearnhead bid 5D. Diana Lintott called 2NT to show an unbalanced t/o and they proceeded sensibly via 3C and 3D to 3NT for a decent score. But the ‘A team still lost 24 IMPs.

It’s hard to defend some of the other calls made by Northants Easts in the ‘B’ team match. One bid 3H and another 4H — hard to say which is worse. Both those pairs played in 4H, one or two off.

Against Belton/Nicholas, South declined to open at all and it was North who opened 2H. It’s hard for our boys to take a penalty with the cards as they are and 2H was passed out, making four tricks. I would say that West has a mandatory protective bid of 2S (even if he hadn’t been a passed hand) but it’s not clear that this would have led to a good contract.

4. Many NSs stretched to 4S but it’s a poor fit and, with finesses failing, little chance, so –200 was a typical result, as at our table.

The Lintotts’ oppos judged well to stay in 2S and the ‘A’ team lost a further 11 IMPs. But the ‘B team pairs all had a good plus and pulled in 19 IMPs altogether.

Jalie made 1NT + 4 while L-Smith/Wilkes also bid 1D - 1S - 1NT - Pass and made +3. North had ªQ10972 ©A1076 ¨5 §J73. Is that worth another bid after a 15-16 1NT rebid? I must admit I’d have been tempted to have another go (vul). Badiani was the only East to open his 10-count 1D and oppos finished in 2H on a 4-3 fit. Badiani went for a Landy-style lead of DQ from AQJ104 but with declarer holding a singleton and the King in dummy, I doubt if this had the same deceptive value as it might have done against Austria. Yet 2H went three off so I imagine a painful force must have ensued.

5.

North usually opened 1NT. West has ª108 ©107 ¨AKQ109865 §Q and, sooner or later will have to decide whether to save in 5D over 4S. At green, there’s no choice. North has ¨Jxxx so it’s 500 but still a good save. South, in turn would be well-advised to go on to 5S, breaking the old adage that the five-level belongs to the oppos. In fact, if West does not find a club lead, 6S makes on a pretty routine squeeze against East.

Goldsmith procrastinated with 3D at his first turn but I think an immediate 5D is much sounder. When this happened against Constable/Jalie, Constable made the obvious double and Jalie (having previously made a transfer bid of 2H) now bid 5H. Constable saw no reason to disturb this. 5H got forced and went four off. Unlucky? No, I feel that 5S is a much better call, with pass as the only other option. 5H suggests 6-5 and slam interest, not 7-4.

Nicholas (E) bid 2C (Astro) over 1NT on his 2-4-1-6 seven-count (not a bid I considered, I confess) and Belton bid 5D over the inevitable 4S. When South pushed on to 5S over 5D*, Belton took the push to 6D. Perhaps a little OTT and this went for 800.

Wilkes/L-Smith were allowed to play peacefully in 4S while Northants were even feebler at the last ‘B’ team table, doubling Badiani/Fearnhead in 4D for a mere 300.

6. NS with a 6-2 heart fit and 5-3 club fit and EW with a 5-5 spade fit might both fancy four of a major but neither was making against best defence. Not easy for either side to judge that this was the case during the auction. We took the push to 4S, for instance, and clubs did not lie well enough for the necessary discard.

Other Oxon EWs fared better. The Lintotts’ oppos went on to 5H over 4S so that was +300 and Belton/Nicholas were similarly fortunate. Noble/Bennett’s oppos were allowed to play in 3S making.

7. A very thin (24 point) possible 3NT for NS which would have zero chance on a heart lead (I suspect) but better prospects on a club lead. Still, I’m surprised it was bid and made as many as three times.

Jalie/Constable were the only Oxon pair to net 600 but game was also made against the Lintotts and Belton/Nicholas. A club lead at all tables, I think. Game was not bid elsewhere.

8. EW’s turn to try 3NT:

After a 1C - 1NT - 3NT sequence, Goldsmith (W) got a heart lead. Quite correctly he played low from dummy but South won with the Queen, cashed SK (from AKJx), led a heart back to N’s Ace and a spade through took it an easy two off.

Even if South is on lead it should go a quiet one off as North must get in with HA sooner or later. But again three pairs were successful. Bennett/Noble (no details) and L-Smith/Wilkes were unable to beat 3NT. L-Smith led SK and (I imagine) continued with spades at trick 2. Belton/Nicholas were gifted 3NT when South led S8! 3NT down one or two was the sensible result at the other five tables.

9. Good news for the Lintotts, less joy elsewhere:

As with Board 6, both sides might wrongly suspect that they can make four of a major. NS have 25 points, a nice 5-3 heart fit and ruffing values in dummy so I must admit I fancied my chances in 4H. Should I have made it?

East led CK so I won in dummy and led spades. West rose with SA and switched to DJ which East declined to ruff. Now it looks like West has 6/6 and therefore trumps may well be 5-0 but can I cope? I exited with a club to East’s Queen and trumped SK return. Now there are winners galore but no easy way back to hand and I could not prevent East from making two trump tricks.

Similar events seem to have occurred at six tables although sequences varied. Jalie found a vulnerable 2C overcall with the East cards while Constable with 6-6 passed throughout! Well judged, sir!

L-Smith also overcalled 2C and later supported spades so Wilkes could not be blamed for taking the push to 4S which was doubled and one off. But it was the Lintotts (as so often) who really persuaded their oppos to go bananas. After 1H - (Pass) - 2C, West came in with 2S and when North passed (just as I had done), East raised straight to 4S.

This put South (Diana?) under quite a bit of pressure and, opposite a Precision 1H, I can sympathise with her decision to take the push to 5H. It should have been a losing decision but there is always the chance that oppos will misjudge it and, sure enough, West pushed on in undisciplined fashion to 5S. North knew what to do with that. After a club lead, South switched to trumps and that was 800 to the good guys. 12 IMPs in.

10. Only two gamemakers this time:

At our table EW wandered up to 3NT (1D - 1H - 3D - 3H - 3NT). Goldsmith (S) had an awkward choice of lead and opted for SA in the end. Playing reverse attitude, I gave maximum encouragement with the 2 yet Goldsmith switched to diamonds! He should have continued and East should have ducked but no matter.

Winning DA, East failed to notice that the contract is now laydown (just play clubs). He led a heart to King and Ace. Goldsmith belatedly played SJ. Declarer failed to duck. He cashed all his diamonds but I had the least three tricks. Feeble stuff.

The Lintotts meanwhile led a club to the Ace and a spade came through to the Jack. After a club exit, West played the percentages in spades to gain access to the diamonds and made the contract.

Most other Easts deemed their hand only worth a rebid of 2D and played there. But Fearnhead/Badiani had a good result when oppos bid 1D - 1H - 3D - 3H - 4D - 5D. Deservedly two off.

11. The Northants ‘A’ team EWs stretched too far to 4S but all the other EWs gained a modest plus one way or another.

12. 25 IMPs in altogether with 4S proving a far more makeable contract than 3NT which had no chance on a heart lead. The thing not to do (I decided) in 4S was to shorten dummy’s trumps by ruffing clubs, as there would then be no entry to the established diamonds. Simply assume that trumps and diamonds will be 3-2 — sure enough, they are.

All our NSs made 4S except the Lintotts who languished in 3NT while the only oppo pair to both bid and make 4S did so against Constable/Jalie. Noble/Bennett and L-Smith/Wilkes both beat 4S but I have no details.

13. NS’s 4H and 3NT were both unbreakable. Game was made at seven tables. Bennett/Noble’s oppos stopped in 3H despite having 27 points and a 6-3 heart fit.

14. NS have a slight edge, either making 2H (just) or beating 2S comfortably. All four of our ‘B’ team pairs got on the right end of it, gaining 10 IMPs but the Lintotts got too high.

15. Another fiddly 3NT:

Goldsmith won the club lead and decided to play back clubs at every opportunity — sensible enough, I’d say. West had various unappetising leads to make and he wound up with ten tricks. 3NT made exactly at four other tables, by the Lintotts and Belton/Nicholas and against Noble/Bennett and L-Smith/Wilkes.

Landy/Walker beat 3NT by two tricks and Jalie/Constable beat it by one trick after club leads but I don’t know what continuation they had. Badiani also went down, choosing not to play clubs at trick two. A heart unblock and then a spade to the King would also have been successful but I imagine he found a better unluckier line.

16. EW’s 3NT depended on the hand with the long hearts (S) not having an outside entry. Sure enough, North has both minor suit aces so it was likely to scrape home.

3NT was bid and made against the Lintotts and Belton/Nicholas so we were more than a little unlucky to concede 26 IMPs in total.

17. NS transferred into 2H at our table and it takes a miraculous lead of a small club (from QJ62) to give declarer problems and Goldsmith made the more obvious lead of CQ instead. But –110 was probably the par result.

Badiani/Fearnhead misjudged things rather badly by letting their oppos play in 2H* yet they got it one off somehow on CQ lead.

Fearnhead made a protective double of 2H on a 4-2-5-2 seven-count. Maybe the odds favour such a call at pairs but it left Badiani with a tricky bid on ªA65 ©KJ96 ¨52 §QJ62. While he opted to pass, Belton/Nicholas reached the same juncture and East bid 3C. I don’t think West has the strength to justify removing this to 3D but that’s what he did and East had little option but to bid 3NT, get doubled, concede 500 and take his lesson like a man.

18. And this was Belton/Nicholas’s final board with that medicine slowly traversing the gullet. Belton (West) held ª7 ©KQ103 ¨KQ10953 §87 and responded 1D to Nicholas’s 1C opening. North came in with 1S, East passed and South raised to 2S. what should West call? 3D seems clear-cut to me. East didn’t double 1S so he’s unlikely to have four hearts. Nor did he bid 2C at that point.

But Belton actually found a double of 2S. It should have worked out well. East would bid 3H (having a 4-card suit after all), West would raise to game and make 11 tricks, losing just the two red aces. But no, Nicholas chose to pass out 2S*. The spades aren’t good enough and the hearts are too good for that decision, I’d say.

2S should apparently have gone one off but I’m told that Belton threw one too many diamonds and it scraped home for –670.

At other tables East doubled the overcall of 1S so the heart game was bid and made by EW. All the other Oxon EWs did so. The only EW to miss game were Bennett/Noble’s oppos.

19. Six smallish minuses for Oxon. Smith/ Goldsmith beat 3D while, the other way, L-Smith/Wilkes made 2D. EW making 8/9 tricks in clubs was standard.

20. 4S made three times out of six but the defence certainly started favourite. I failed to find a heart switch at the crucial moment (partly because I’d had the wrong count signal in diamonds) and the potential heart loser duly disappeared on an established diamond.

If the defence leads hearts before CA is knocked out, it is easy for declarer to establish a heart for a diamond discard instead. But we’d done the hard work and I should have got it right. But Belton/Nicholas went wrong in similar fashion and Walker/Landy also got home on a club lead so we weren’t the only ones. Our ‘B’ team NSs stopped out of game — it was certainly one that should be bid.

21. 4S made with an overtrick at five tables and 5S scraped home at a sixth. Bennett/Noble had a disappointing sequence to 3NT which had no chance on a heart lead.

Still, the Lintotts were in luck once more, their oppos reaching a hopeless 6C missing three aces. This was lucky to go only one off and it flattened the board.

22. A good slam to bid:

I opened 1D (Prec), South overcalled 2C and Goldsmith chose to jump to 3S even though he had a secondary heart suit. When I now cue-bid 4C, Goldsmith needed little more encouragement to bid the slam.

At other tables, 1NT was a more common opening with East likely to break the transfer after a 2H response. West should have no hesitation in bidding the slam now. Those pairs who had the system to show a doubleton heart when they broke the transfer (e.g. Badiani/Fearnhead) could claim extra credit.

Indeed all four Oxon EWs despatched this hand with some ease while only one Northants pair bid the slam (v Bennett/ Noble). A well deserved 39 IMPs in.

23. Three people had flat 11 point hands and, quite honestly, none of them were worth opening. Goldsmith opened his 2-2-4-5 11-count and took a couple more rosy views later in the auction to push us all the way to 3NT which proved hopeless. With no opposition bidding, the Lintotts also pushed too hard to the same contract so the ‘A’ team lost 10 IMPs.

Two ‘B’ team tables passed it out and Northants got modest pluses at the other two. Another 6 IMPs out.

24. 1NT looked like a stroll for EW but with clubs 4-1 and the hearts badly placed it proved to be unmakeable unless the defence erred. But 1NT did indeed make at three tables — by Badiani/Fearnhead and against Landy/Walker (who gave an immediate 7 tricks by leading C3) and L-Smith/Wilkes (a small diamond, I think) . 7 IMPs out.

25. A lot of IMPs were at stake here and luck favoured Northants ‘A’ and Oxon ‘B’:

Looking at the NS cards in isolation, it’s very hard to say what the right contract is. I opened 1C with the North cards and, after a long series of asking bids, we wound up in 4NT. East had no incentive to lead spades and we collected 12 tricks.

But a spade lead does not kill 6NT stone dead. It looks as though there’s scope to establish three tricks in clubs, diamonds and hearts and two tricks in spades, with the 12th trick coming from a squeeze on West in diamonds and spade.

The Lintotts went off in 6NT on SK lead after Andrew declined to rectify the count at trick one. He finessed in clubs, tested the club break, played off the hearts and played on diamonds but wound up a trick short. West was able to keep enough cards in spades and diamonds to counter any moves at tricks 9/10.

If he’d ducked the first spade and won SQ continuation, say, it looks as though you come down to this ending:

On HA lead, West is squeezed. But can you combine all that with the chance to squeeze East in the black suits? The entries look rather fiddly and I leave others to study it closely.

Badiani/Fearnhead baled out at 5NT and others at slightly lower levels.

L-Smith (E) led a club against 6NT. The percentage line seems to be to run that to the 10, play to establish the clubs and fall back on a diamond finesse later on. But declarer did not find this or any of the other successful lines.

Jalie/Constable, meanwhile, managed to beat 6D, also on a club lead. it’s easy to make it double dummy but I have a little more sympathy for declarer in that contract.

The ‘B’ team gained 22 IMPs but the ‘A’ team lost 21 with the one slam (6C) making against Landy/Walker. Walker led SK. Declarer ran C10 successfully, crossed to DK and played two top trumps. Back over to DA, a diamond ruff, heart across, another diamond ruff, another heart across and a spade can be thrown on the final diamond. It’s worth pointing out that this line only works because East has 4+ hearts and can’t get rid of enough of them on the 3rd and 4th rounds of diamonds. A bit lucky but it does look a better bet than finessing the diamonds and that line would also have worked. All in all, a surprise that only one slam was bid and made.

26. I don’t think 4S had any legitimate play as it’s missing three aces (with nowhere to discard them) and North’s Queen to four trumps can’t be picked up. So +140 or –100 round the room. Except that Wilkes/L-Smith scored +620 on a club lead (otherwise no details).

27. Awkward for NS to stay low enough:

1S - (Pass) - 2D - (2H) - 3C - (4H) - 4S was the likeliest start and South is now on a guess as to whether it’s worth investigating slam. In fact 10 tricks is the likely limit. Goldsmith judged well to pass on that sequence.

Fearnhead viewed the hand rather differently at his second turn and, where I bid 4S, he jumped straight to 6C! I know that the 3C rebid promises rather more in Acol but wasn’t Blackwood a possibility?

Jalie/Constable carried on to a 5H save over the above sequence and, with South on lead, this would have gone for 300/500, so fair enough. Of course, South was bound to bid 5S, so they gained +50 instead.

L-Smith/Wilkes did not have to cope with any intervention at all and bid 1S - 4S - 4NT - 5D - 5S - Pass. With West holding ªQ106 as well as CA singleton, it’s hard to see how this can make (there being no entries) but make it did.

The Lintotts opted to play in 5C rather than 4S —  a bit unlucky. Landy/Walker competed as far as 4H but their oppos misjudged it and went all the way to 6S so it was pretty flat in both matches.

28. EW’s 4H has four likely losers (a spade, two diamonds and a club) and would be several off if the spades didn’t lie so well for them. 3NT looks a mandatory two off. A dull board? Oh no. Out of this lot, the ‘A’ team managed to gain 25 IMPs!

West opened 1H at our table, East failed to see CA and passed, South reopened with 2C and, given a 2nd chance, EW staggered up to 4H.

West went one down in pedestrian fashion, but with the cards lying so well, maybe he should have made it? If you can draw trumps (with South throwing clubs, say) and eliminate the black suits, before playing diamonds, you can play Ace and another. Whichever card he plays under the Ace, South will have to win the next trick and give a ruff and discard which is the tenth trick.

If he discards one diamond (and you read it right), you let DK hold on the first round. If he discards both diamonds, you can simply duck the first round of the suit to North.

But I think a good South can counter by getting in with one of his black suit winners and leading DK himself. Declarer should lead spades at trick two, hoping South will hop in with SA, cash his club and exit with a non-diamond, in which case I think you’re in business.

None of this explains how we gained 25 IMPs. The Lintotts beat 3H (+50). Bennett/Noble ended in 3H* and made ten tricks for +630. I don’t know the auction there but I do know how the fourth table bid. Walker opened 1H, Landy raised to 2H which South doubled. Walker called 4H. The end of the auction, surely? No, South now bid 5C! At red! It has to rank as one of the worst bids I have ever seen in a Dawes League match. Dummy was better than he deserved but it was still –800.

29. Most NSs had a shot at 4S but with a 4-1 trump break and a vicious club position, it had no chance. All eight EWs scored +100, +200 or +300.

30. A routine 3NT + 1 on 27 points. Flat in the ‘A’ team match but two ‘B’ team EWs got into difficulties. Belton/Nicholas’s oppos played in a mere part score (–130) but L-Smith/Wilkes reached 4S on a 5-1 fit. West had a 5-2-1-5 19-count and East was a 1-4-5-3 8-count. The bidding was 2C - 2D - 2S - 4S. No doubt they’ve sorted that one out by now.

31. More slam chances for NS:

Six of either minor has decent chances until you find out about the 4-1 breaks. Without assistance, I can’t see a line to make a slam but I could be wrong. All four Oxon NSs played in six of a minor. Three went one off while the Lintotts went three off (!) in 6D.

Walker found a 2H WJO but their oppos still managed to play in a feeble 3NT. After a heart lead, the percentage line, I think (test the clubs, fall back on the diamond finesse), was not found.

Constable/Jalie’s oppos recorded a fortuitous 660 (no heart lead). Wilkes/L-Smith did very well to bounce the auction straight up to 4H on the 1st round, making NS guess. NS guessed at 6D and Wilkes opted to "save" in 6H. At green, I accept, but not a disciplined bid and –800 was the result. So the ‘B’ team lost a rather unlucky 27 IMPs.

32. 3NT + 2 for NS. No probs.