Paul says: "Their sequence:

1H    1N    2H    X*(raise to 2N)
all pass

"I was a bit light for my raise to 2N (though my plan had been to Stayman and treat the hand as invitational if they had not raised). We ended up defending a tight 2Hx contract.

"SK lead won by A. DJ,K,A,x, DQ pitching a spade. And then a club to the J and Ace. Alex now switched to a low heart. I won and returned a diamond. Declarer pitched, Alex ruffed, cashed HKQ and I had CQ to come for one off.

"Due to the very good position of all the honours, declarer can actually make (I think)- by ruffing the 3rd round of diamonds with the J. If Alex over-ruffs and draws trumps she butchers her trump trick. If he/she pitches a spade, then declarer can cash CK, ruff a club, spade ruff, cash a club. If she pitched a club, then ruff a club, ruff a spade, ruff a club, ruff a spade..."

Steve adds: "Their sequence was strange at our table: 1C-1S; 2NT (17-18) all pass
Keith led a diamond to my jack. Declarer won and knocked out the ace of spades. I returned a heart and essentially declarer cashed his 7 tricks and gave up."

And Jeremy? "I decided West’s hand was not worth a vulnerable opening bid (only 10 HCP including three Jacks, and a poor suit).  North opened 1NT (15-17).  After two passes, I bid 2C (H and a minor) and over East’s 2H, South ventured 2S.

"We began well: DJ,K,A,x; D 10 (W pitching C5); C 2,8,9,A.  Declarer unblocked HA, then led a diamond.  When I discarded, North ruffed and cashed two hearts (South pitching clubs).  Eventually, South emerged with nine tricks.

"As West, I can certainly hold declarer to eight tricks by ruffing the third diamond with the trump Ace and cashing the King of clubs.  At the end of the hand, I thought that this might lead to a winning defence, but I’ve now tried various lines and can’t find one."

Goldsmith opened the East hand 1D, South doubled and I tried 1S. North chipped in with 1NT and Goldsmith bid 3S. South called 4H and Goldsmith took the push to 4S. This was doubled and –500 when spades and diamonds misbehaved. I feel that South should have bid 5C over 4S – that would have got his shape across pretty well and maybe North would have raised to 6C.

The Lintotts, as so often, were the one pair to notch up +1370 while there were no lucky 1430s, so –500 didn’t represent that much of a saving. But both our teams gained 15 IMPs. Hayes/Landy were happy to defend 4C + 2 while McPhee/Lonsdale gained 1100 (although the recorded contract of 6C must surely be wrong – 6S* seems more likely.)

The auction at Paul’s table:

P    1D    2N*    P
3C* P    3H    P
3S    P    3N all pass

2N=16+ 5-5 any two suits
3C=ask
3H=H+S (!)
3S=preference
3N= values in the minors(?)

"DQJx is just enough a stop for 3N to be cold.

"They did miss the slam - but so did Steve and Keith on a more reasonable auction

1D-2N-P-3C
P-4H-all pass

"I have sympathy for the pass of 4H by Keith- however I would have pre-empted with 4C over 2N after which bidding slam is easy."

P    2D    X*    2H
X all pass

(note North is declarer)

"X=t/o w/o either major (not sure why you want to make a t/o double on that!)

"They led Sx, which gives us a chance. SQ, SA, S ruff. Now diamond to K and A. Club to the King, HA and a spade ruffed.

"Now is the moment of truth. Declarer played CQ. This was ducked, and when West got in later with CA, she could play another club for a trump promotion. It is better to play a trump, or a club to the J. Say one plays a trump. East wins, and plays a club, and there is no longer a trump promotion."

19.

Steve: "I was a bit wet here. North opened 2H 1st in hand and I failed to protect on the West cards."

Jeremy: "We played in 3S by East, after West bid Stayman and made a dubious
invitational raise.  South somehow found a club lead, and the inevitable club ruff led to one down."

(we defended 3S and Goldsmith led C3 to 10 and J. When trumps were led, he hopped up with the K and we played two rounds of hearts and D2 to A, 4 and 8. When I won the next round of trumps with the A, I wasn’t 100% sure which minor to return. If I get it wrong, dummy’s red losers disappear on the clubs. The odds seemed to favour playing pard for C3 singleton rather than 32 doubleton and it was one off. )

Some might open the South hand with 1NT but I went 1S and we proceeded in uninspired fashion 1S – 2H – 2S – 3C – 3NT – Pass. 4H is indeed a slightly better contract.

West led DQ to 4, 7 and 5. East won the next trick with DK (I could not afford to take this, I felt) and persisted with D2. I led H10 and when W played the 7, I paused to think.

It was fairly clear diamonds were 5-3. If so, do you:

A: play HAK and another
B: go up with HA, cross to CK and aim to run H9
C1: run H10, win spade return and play hearts from the top
C2: run H10, win spade and run H9

I opted for C and went off. All are around the 70% mark but which is best? A and B would have worked but B feels slightly better. The advantage of B over C is that if RHO does have HQJxx, you find out in time and you’re forced to put in SQ. Now you finesse CJ, concede another heart and RHO is forced to lead a black suit. With clubs 3-3, you’re home. I think you need RHO to have Kxx QJxx Kxx xxx precisely for B to gain over C.

C’s big advantage is when LHO has HQJx. There is also some gain when LHO has HQJxx - admittedly less likely. H10 holds. H9 is covered and won in dummy. With only 3 hearts, you need five black winners so you play 3 rounds of clubs and revert to the spade finesse, if necessary (it isn’t). Thus you have much better chances against those 4-1s.

So I think C was justifiable (maybe 80%?) and I suspect I would have gone for C1 if LHO had followed to the second round.

4H also has problems on the 4-1 break but, with both black suits lying so well, I don’t think there is any way of going off. One Warks pair and one Oxon pair (Fearnheads, Wilkes/Webley) made 4H in each match. 3NT -1 at the other four tables. I wonder if the play was the same at all those tables?

Jeremy: "At our table, Warwickshire’s declarer followed Nick’s line C.  West
had played his diamonds in an order that suggested a spade entry, but (in the immortal words of Mandy Rice-Davies) he would, wouldn’t he?"

Paul adds: "We bid 1N-2D-2H-3C-3S-4H

"They led DQ, and what is the best line? I won and started on trumps (what is best?) by cashing HAK. They are 4-1 offside. Now should I take spade finesse to pitch diamond loser (all or nothing), or hope the clubs come in (with the potential black suit squeeze).

"I opted for the latter - exiting a trump. They cash HQJ,DK, played a spade. SA,S ruff, CK, C finesse and clubs 3-3 meant I made. I think anything works - but what is best (e.g. spade finesse is *likely* to be wrong, club finesse *likely* to be right, on vacant spaces; but spade finesse will make you hot favourite to make the contract if it is right - while you still need a bit more if club finesse is correct)."

(Jeremy Bygott concludes:)

"We didn’t do too well on the boards discussed by Paul, Steve and Nick, emerging with -5 imps and missing 6C when South showed the wrong two-suiter.

"Our gains came elsewhere.  We gained 13 imps on the four hands where I declared 1NT.  I expect the Double-Yous (Dubyas?) had a lot to with that.

"Another 18 imps came on three hands where we defended accurately against 3C: on board 3 (after North’s preempt) and on boards 31 and 26, in which West’s defence to South’s multi 2D was twice exposed as inadequate, leaving his partner to struggle.  We especially enjoyed the last of these.  When dummy put his 17-count down on board 26, he said ‘I had my bid this time, Jim!’  Sorry, three down vulnerable."