We were drawn in a very tough group in the Tolle

(Kent,Leics,Surrey,Warwicks and Hants were all decent. Herts were about

as good as us, and then Lancs and Worcs).

Saturday Afternoon

Red

K9xx _ Jxx _ AJxx _ xx

P P P 1S

P ?

Green

A108x _ AJ108 _ K97 _ K10

1N P ?

Love All

KQ10xx _ QJx _ Kx _ xxx

They deal and open:

1N(10-12) ?

Green

xx _ Jxx _ KQJ109 _ Qxx

2H P ?

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SPOILER

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V

Our first two matches were against Kent and Lancs. The hands were pretty

dull, and we lost by 5 to Kent (partly due to Brian and John going for

400 in 3N-4 after John opened a distributional hand. Similar aggresive openings

worked well for them later in the match), and beat Lancs by 30.

The first hand was against Hants & IOW. I just bid 2S and we missed 4.

Richard decided to bid 2N on the hand and got to 4S. 4S is pretty thin,

but makes with DKQ, CKJ onside, and spades (opposite partner Axxx)

playing for one loser.

We also lost on the second hand. I bid 2C and ended in 4H (opp

KQx _ xxxx _ Qx _ AJxx) which goes off on club lead (ruff), DA and another

club ruff. A hants pair just bid to 3N.

We had a good part-score hand, and Nick and Mike bid

Q9xx _ AQ10x _ A108xx opp AKJxxx _ x _ xx _ xxxx

to the good 6S (1D P 1S X 4C .....) which made on a X-ruff after CA was led.

Somehow that converted to +25.

We sat out against Leics, which was lost by 29.

The hands from Worcs were pretty flat, except:

AKJxx _ x _ Kx _ AJxxx

Qx _ Axx _ Axx _ K10xxx

(the pair against us bid this 1S-2C-4N(!)-5C-6C). Nick and Mike also

only bid 6C, but both the other Worc

pair and Sandra and Abbey bid 7. On a spade lead, which club honour do

you cash first? CA (like the Worc player), and you are +1440, CK

(Sandra) and -50. We still won by 17 though.

The last two hands were from the Herts match. I was wet on the first

and passed -90, as opposed to +110 in 2S. On the second I did not know

whether to raise to 3H or not. I did not and they duly bid 2S-P-3S-P-4S,

which

was cold. Even if I do bid 3H, it is likely they will still overcall 3S

(AQxxx _ Kxxx _ Ax _ Ax).

At this point Nick and Mike and Brian and John had been pretty huge

(relatively atleast). The other pairs (though I do not think they had

played badly) had had pretty poor cards.

_______________________________________________________________________

Love All

Jxxxx _ Qx _ xxx _ Qxx

1S X XX P

2S P 2N P

3N

lead?

Game All

AK10xx

KQxx

AJ

xx

1S 1N

?

Love All

Qxx _ AK _ AK108x _ AKx

2C 2N

3N 4C

4D 4S

?

You bid to 3N:

AKJ9

Kx

K7xx

Axx

x

AJ109x

1098x

K10x

They lead Cx, to the Q. Club return to the Ace. HK and heart finesse.

Club return to the King. (All following - carding is consistent with 4-3

either way.) You cash three hearts pitching 2 diamonds and then a spade

from dummy.

LHO has 4 hearts, and pitches a spade. LHO pitches Sx,Dx,Sx. The ending:

AKJ _ - _ K7 _ - opp x _ - _ 1098x _ -

what now?

Red

xxx _ Kxx _ AKQ10xx _ A

3C P P 3N

P P (tank)X ?

Game All. You hold AKx _ AJxx _ QJx _ xxx. Pass from partner, 1H on your

right - do you bid?

Say you bid 1N, then it goes P 3N P P X all pass.

xx

x

K108xxxx

Q10x

AKx

AJxx

QJx

xxx

They lead a club, and you first slice of luck is that the 10 forces the

King. H10 comes back - plan the play.

Love all

10xxxx _ Axx _ Axx _ xx

1D 1S

1N ?

Love all

Axx _ Jxx _ A7xx _ J8x

P P P 1C

1D ?

Red

AQxxxx _ 10 _ KQ10 _ Jxx

1S 2H X 3H

?

They bid 1N all pass

J9xx

Qxx

KQxx

10x

You: K8xx

9xx

Jx

Q9xx

Partner leads HJ to declarers Ace. D to the K (partner showing 3), and a

spade to the Q and A. Partner plays H7 to the Q in dummy. A spade is

played off the dummy. Plan the defence.

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Spoiler

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V

First we played Warwicks. On the first hand a diamond lead lets through

the contract -anything else is OK. Partner has HA and CAKxxx, so a heart

or club lead results in -2. Alex led a club. (The reason a spade is OK,

is that declarer needs to make 5 diamond tricks from AQJ10x opp xx, with

only a spade entry to dummy).

On the second I did not know what to do - I eventually bid 2N, Alex 3H

and we ended in 4H making. (2H works

just as well).

On the third I just punted 6N. This is not the best contract opposite:

AK10x _ Jxx _ xx _ Jxxx

However with diamonds 3-3, you are well placed (menaces in all the other

suits), and it made. However this was 26 away when both Warwicks pairs

bid it and Brian and John did not.

The fourth hand is also againt Warwicks. I played a diamond up, which

was correct (DA onside, SQ offside). I thought DA was slightly better,

as even if it is offside, if that person has A,AQ,AJx,AQx left then they

get end-played. This was flat, as often 3N is played the other way up on

a spade lead.

All in all a pretty poor match -45.

Then Surrey. I pulled 3Nx on the first. 4D made +130. 3NT depends on the

lead: What would you lead from

xx _ xx _ xx _ KQJxxxx

A spade for +200, anything else for -750 (-950 is possible as well).

Partner has HA and SKQJxx.

On the fifth Graham Osbourne did well to rise with HA to block the suit.

-750. No-one else bid the game, so my double was not too costly.

On the sixth I was very poor and passed. Alex had a nice 17 count, and

game is reasonable. (and more importantly makes).

Nick and Mike bid a slam (I think) requiring Jxx opp AKxxx to play for

no loser (25% or so. They thought about bidding it against us but unfortunatelythey stayed at a safe level), and it went off. -69!

Back to Warwicks:

On the next hand I just bid 1NT. this wrong-sides 3N (Opp

QJx _ AQx _ Qx _ KQ10xx). Change D7 to D8, and all would

have been OK!

On the next, against us they bid 3S raised to four by Kx _ xxxx _ Jxx _ KQx.

Against Richard and Stuart they fortunately

passed over 3H (-1).

Then on the 1N hand, I thought Alex did very well. She rose with the K

(necessary, as otherwise declarer has 7 tricks), and switched to CQ.

Declarer has Q10x _ AKx _ xxxx _ Kxx, and this takes it one off.

All in all that was -4 (and a 16-4 loss)

The second half against Surrey finished very poorly. Nick and Mike

missed a game, and one Surrey pair (also against N&M) bid:

AJ9x _ K _ xx _ QJxxxx

opp

Kxxx _ AQx _ xx _ Kx

to 6S (which requires both black suits to behave and SQ onside- which

they did). -58 and 0-20.

_____________________________________________________________________

Game All

Q876 _ KQx _ AJx _ xxx

they bid P 1C (natural or 4333 or 19-20 bal) all pass.

Lead?

Red

Jxx _ xxx _ J9x _ AK9x

P 1D X P

2C 2D 3C P

?

Love All

J10 _ Qx _ Kxxx _ A10xxx

they bid

1C(strong) 2D X P

2N P 3H P

4H all pass (or something similar atleast)

lead?

you bid to 3N (1N-2C-2D-3N)

KQ10x

Jxx

A10x

Kxx

Jxx

Ax

KJxx

Axxx

You geat a heart lead to the J and K. Heart back. You win and play spade

spade. They win and cash two hearts (4-4). (you pitch C from dummy, and

D and C from hand). Next comes a spade. You cash the two spades in

dummy.

They are 3-3 and both defenders pitch diamonds as you pitch clubs. next

comes CA and CK (Q falling on your left).

You are left with:

DA10x opp CKJx. How do you play the suit?

Love All

Kxx _ xx _ Q987xxx _ A

3D 3H 3N 4H

?

Red

xx _ QJxx _ Qxx _ K10xx

1H X 3H 3S

4H 4S ?

Game All

A109x _ Qxxxx _ Kxx _ x

they bid 1C-3C-4D-4H-4N-5D-6C.

3C was inverted (but was thought to be natural). 4D a splinter, 4H a cue

(first or second round), and 5D shows

an ace. You lead?

Ax _ KQ10xxxx _ x _ AKx

1H P 1S

?

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Spoiler

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V

On the first a trump lead is needed to take it two off. On a non-trump

lead declarer gets two ruffs in the dummy.

I think I should have led a trump, but led a spade.

I was wet on the second and passed. This seemes a reasonable view when

dummy hits with:

AKx _ AJ10 _ x _ J10xxxx

However SQx and it makes. Both their pairs bid it.

The we bid to 6D on:

Kxx _ xx _ KJxx _ KQ10x opp AJxx _ x _ AQxxx _ Axx

which seems OK (very slightly less then 50% on a heart lead, and very

good without one). They led a heart, and spade finesse was wrong. Both

their pairs played in 5D (and Richard and Stuart got to 3N also one

off). So that was

very costly and -57 meant a 12-8 loss.

Then we played Kent. The third hand above was the killer in this match.

Stuart led a diamond. They had

AQxx _ Axxx _ Qx _ KQJ opp xxx _ KJ10x _ Ax _ xxxx

and that gives a trick. Declarer then guessed trumps, and that was that.

Everyone else played it the other way up on

a club lead, and ruff. Now against us they got the trumps wrong, and

that was 3 off. That meant -25 and a 7-13 loss.

The next four hands were from the match v Hants. Against us he guessed

diamonds correctly - cross to the King

and finesse the 10. Everyone else was -1.

Then I think I should have hit 4H. It went two off (we misdefended, but

he played for an epsilon% chance of making and gifted us back the second

undertrick. Alex has Axxxx _ Kx _ AJ _ Qxxx. DK is onside so both 3N and 4S

make. I thought they did well, as the 3H bidder had HQJ10xxx, stiff DK

and a couple of jacks.

On the next I need to double again. Everything is wrong for declarer

(and the 4S bidder does not have his bid). So hearts were 2-2, and we

can take it 3 off. 4H also is a lucky make (they bid it against N&M).

The last hand from that match was the costliest. We led SA, and that set

up declarers SK for the twelth trick.

(Dummy had a very good 3C bid - including a singleton heart and 6

trumps). A heart lead is also fatal.

Despite +800 on the next hand, that was -50, and another 8-12 loss.

Then came Leics (we sat out). +15, and 8-12.

The last hand was against Herts. I did not know what to bid, and ended

up with 3H. Alex bid on so we got to game

(which makes). Anyway, R&S in particular had a huge set so we won by 95,

and 17-3.

Alex and I also sat out the last match (v Worcs) we lost 14 on the

match, to draw 10-10.

I think we came 7th (ahead of Lancs and Worcs).