PP 1st Final Board 26

Board 26
Dlr E
Vul Both

	♠ K J 2
	♥ J 9 2
	♦ A Q J 8
	♣ J 9 5
♠ Q 9 8 5 4 3		♠ A 10 7 6
♥ 7		♥ 10 5 4
♦ 10 5 3		♦ K 9 7
♣ K 4 2		♣ A Q 3
	♠
	♥ A K Q 8 6 3
	♦ 6 4 2
	♣ 10 8 7 6

Franco	North	Andy	South
		1♣	2♥
All Pass

South successfully preempted us out of our spade fit and earned a good board for his choice.

2♥ by South, +3, -140, 5.5/17


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PP 1st Final Board 25

Board 25
Dlr N
Vul E-W

	♠ Q 3 2
	♥ J 7 3
	♦ A 8 6
	♣ A 8 7 3
♠ 10 8 7		♠ 9 4
♥ A K 6 5 4		♥ 9 8 2
♦ K		♦ J 5 4 3
♣ K J 5 2		♣ Q 10 6 4
	♠ A K J 6 5
	♥ Q 10
	♦ Q 10 9 7 2
	♣ 9

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	1♠
2♥	3♥	Pass	3♠
All Pass

[Auction somewhat of a guess]

Basically the opponents missed a game here.  Declarer did pick up the diamonds for no losers.
3♠ by South +5, -200, 15/17


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PP 1st Final Board 24

Board 24
Dlr W
Vul None

	♠ A Q 9 7 6
	♥ J 6 5
	♦ 10 4
	♣ 8 5 3
♠ 10		♠ J 5 3 2
♥ A 10 8 7 4 3 2		♥ K 9
♦ K J 8 6		♦ 9 7 5 3
♣ J		♣ 6 4 2
	♠ K 8 4
	♥ Q
	♦ A Q 2
	♣ A K Q 10 9 7

Franco	North	Andy	South
1♥	1♠	Pass	2♥
Pass	2♠	Pass	3♥
Pass	3♠	Pass	4NT
Pass	5♣	Pass	5♦
Pass	6♠	All Pass

The opponents bid to a fine 6♠.  Andy led ♥K and a heart and later scored a trump trick for +50 and 15.5/17. 

[Andy] This is obviously an example of the kind of hand you need to go your way in order to win one of these things. The result was lucky, but not outrageously so -- a 4-1 break is plenty likely to begin with, and presumably more likely when there is bidding by both sides.

A mildly interesting anecdote on this hand.  After the opening lead, looking at my trumps, I basically immediately knew that I would play another heart.  I kind of hate this situation, because I feel like I should play in my normal (slow) tempo, but I don't want to be seen as trying to deceive declarer with it.  I observed Franco's discouraging signal, considered whether there was any chance it could mean that I was not supposed to play another heart, decided no, and played.  (At double dummy declarer might actually make after a switch.)  Anyway, I then felt guilty about maybe having taken too long.

Later that evening, I was chatting with the expert player who was declarer on this board.  His first comment was "you played another heart so fast I knew the spades weren't breaking." :) Read more!

PP 1st Final Board 23

Board 23
Dlr S
Vul Both

	♠ 6 3 2
	♥ 7 6 4
	♦ 10 7 4 3
	♣ K 4 2
♠ J 8 7 5		♠ Q 10 4
♥ Q 10 3		♥ A K J 8 5 2
♦ K 8 6		♦ J 9
♣ 8 6 5		♣ 10 3
	♠ A K 9
	♥ 9
	♦ A Q 5 2
	♣ A Q J 9 7

	Franco		Andy
South	West	North	East
1♣	Pass	Pass	1♥
Dbl	2♥	Pass	Pass
Dbl	Pass	2NT	3♥
All Pass

[Andy] South took like several minutes before his last pass. I knew he had a big hand, and I had wondered if I should have bid 3♥ a round earlier. My actual choice happened to work out a lot better -- South surely would have had to double 3♥ if it had been bid a round earlier, and only bad things could happen to our side from there.

3♥ by East -100, 10/17


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PP 1st Final Board 22

Board 22
Dlr E
Vul E-W

	♠ A 10 9 5
	♥ J 6 4
	♦ Q J 6
	♣ Q J 6
♠ K 7 6 3		♠ 2
♥ 7 5 3		♥ A 10 2
♦ A 4 2		♦ K 10 9 8 7 5
♣ 10 7 5		♣ 9 3 2
	♠ Q J 8 4
	♥ K Q 9 8
	♦ 3
	♣ A K 8 4

	Andy		Franco
West	North	East	South
		Pass	1♣
Pass	1♠	Pass	4♦*
Pass	4♠		All Pass

* minimum GF splinter (3♦ would have been weaker or stronger)

[Andy] They led the ♦10 to the A and returned a diamond. I ruffed and from there did not have any trouble drawing trumps and knocking out the ♥A. After the hand, my opponent observed that the ♦K opening lead would have been more challenging.

4♠ by North, +450, 9.5/17 Read more!

PP 1st Final Board 21

Board 21
Dlr N
Vul N-S

	♠ A Q 3
	♥ K Q J 2
	♦ 7
	♣ Q 10 6 4 3
♠ 6 4		♠ K J 10 2
♥ A 8 6 4		♥ 10 5
♦ Q J 9 8 5 4		♦ K 6 3 2
♣ J		♣ A K 9
	♠ 9 8 7 5
	♥ 9 7 3
	♦ A 10
	♣ 8 7 5 2

West	Andy	East	Franco
	1♣	1♠	Pass
2♦	Dbl	3♦	4♣
4♦	All Pass

Andy made a pushy double and I risked 4♣.  We were slated for 500, but they let us off the hook.


4♦ by West, +4, -130, 10.5/17


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PP 1st Final Board 20

Board 20
Dlr W
Vul Both

	♠ KQ1087
	♥ A97
	♦ 3
	♣ AQ86
♠ A63		♠ J94
♥ K10652		♥ Q
♦ KJ8		♦ AQ10742
♣ 54		♣ J97
	♠ 52
	♥ J843
	♦ 965
	♣ K1032

Franco		Andy
West	North	East	South
1♥	1♠	2♦	Pass
3♦	All Pass

[Andy] It's good that we got into the auction one way or another. They defended correctly for down 1, so this was essentially a flat board (9.5/17). Read more!

PP 1st Final Board 19

[Sorry for the delay in posting]

Board 19
Dlr S
Vul E-W

	♠ J96
	♥ 9752
	♦ Q87
	♣ AK4
♠ A1075		♠ K42
♥ 1084		♥ AQJ6
♦		♦ 10653
♣ Q109753		♣ J6
	♠ Q83
	♥ K3
	♦ AKJ942
	♣ 82

Franco	North	Andy	South
			1NT
Dbl	Rdbl	Pass	2♦
All Pass

1NT was some strong range.  Dbl was 4+ major, 5+ minor 2-suiter.   Andy's pass asked for my minor, but South chose to show his minor.

Perhaps fearing that I would have my bid, declarer missed his chances to lead a heart towards the king and got punished.  He won the club lead, drew trumps in 4 rounds, and led a spade to the 9.  Partner won and cleared clubs, the declarer erred by leading a spade to the Q, which I allowed to hold. This killed dummy and allowed us to force a heart lead out of his hand.

They were already getting a bad board for being in the wrong strain (3N is cold), but the missed overtrick gave us an extra 4 matchpoints for 15.5/17.



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