PP 2nd Final Board 10

Board 10
Dlr E
Vul Both

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

Not clear on the auction.  Maybe Andy passed and they bid 1D-1S-2N-4S.  The opponents bid 4♠ by North making a routine 5.  -650 was only worth 6/17.  Somehow there were 6 620s (and a 230).





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PP 2nd Final Board 9

Board 9
Dlr N
Vul E-W

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

Franco	North	Andy	South
	3♣	Pass	Pass
Dbl	Pass	3NT	All Pass

[Andy]  I wasn't sure about my auction but was happy with my choice when dummy came down.  On a heart lead, the play appeared to present a mildly interesting problem at first.  If hearts are 4-3, you would like to knock out South's presumed two aces first, and then lose a club trick to North to avoid them getting a heart trick.  However, you can't knock out the ♠A without giving the defense an opportunity to play that suit back at you.  I heard that at least one declarer played spades too early on this hand, although I don't know what the auction at that table was.  At my table it became moot very quickly -- when I knocked out the ♦A South couldn't even try to create a pretense of 4-3 hearts.

 Made 4 for 9/17. Read more!

PP 2nd Final Board 8

Board 8
Dlr W
Vul None

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

Franco	North	Andy	South
Pass	Pass	1♥	3♦
3♠	All Pass

I think I'm supposed to make a negative double over 3♦.

The ♦A was led (seems like a heart would be better).

Somehow I wound up with 9 tricks, I can't quite work it out.  Perhaps it was:

Another diamond was ruffed.  I crossed to ♥K to play a 3rd diamond, North ruffed in with the Q and played a trump to the ten, holding.  South ruffed ♥A, cashed a diamond and tapped me with a diamond, but I was able to hook the club and trump coup him.

If instead of tapping me with a diamond he exits a club, now I can't do everything. 

And yet, I don't think this was quite how it went down.

[Andy] I think what happened was that after ruffing with the ♠Q, North immediately gave South a heart ruff, and then South played a trump back.  Now you were able to play the ♥Q, and the defense can't prevent you from taking 9 tricks at that point.  (Indeed, if they ruff this trick you can squeeze North for an overtrick.)

Had the defense played a spade instead of a heart as suggested above, declarer can still make, but it requires very double dummy play.  (Overtake the spade in hand, club finesse, club A, club ruff, diamond, forcing South to shorten declarer for a coup at the end.)  The winning double dummy defense is actually to not ruff in with the ♠Q.

10.5/17


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PP 2nd Final Board 7

Board 7
Dlr S
Vul Both

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

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

2♣ was a touch sick but did not deserve this fate.  My double is not penalty, though it sounded so penalty I couldn't believe we had this agreement.  2NT was scrambling, but I thought I had enough for 3NT anyway.  Just needed clubs to come in for one loser (and an entry they can't or don't kill on the opening lead), so I'm not so sure this bid was wrong.  But there's a lot to be said for quietly passing and taking a nice plus. 
But, -200 was worth only 2.  +200 would have been 13.5.

[Andy] I feel kind of obligated to comment, since I imagine that a lot of old fashioned players will look at this board and make fun of our agreement. A world-class player was on my right, and he asked me the meaning of the double. I told him it was cards and not penalty. Afterwards, he told me that I had explained the double as penalty, he would have taken his chances with 2♠. Franco would certainly double that also, and we can manage to beat it, but it's close -- 2♠ only goes down because I have the ♠8. So defending 2♥ undoubled is really a better choice for the defense than 2♠X.

Also in postmortem conversation, the expert told me "It's easy to forget when you're looking at the hand, but how often do you hold THAT hand?" Essentially, that's the combined argument for the agreement. First of all, a killer penalty double isn't all the common, and even when it does come up it might alert the opponents to run to a better spot. Some of the time, partner will reopen with a double and you'll get them anyway. Meanwhile, when you hold a card showing double you really want to be able to make it.

This argument isn't really different from any argument on the modern theory of doubles, it's just being applied to what would seem to be one of the more extreme cases of it.


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PP 2nd Final Board 6

Board 6
Dlr E
Vul E-W

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

Franco	North	Andy	South
		Pass	Pass
1♥	Dbl	2♣	Pass
4♥	All Pass

2♣ was a 4 card constructive or better raise.  Now that I see it here, I think we should not play that wide a range over a double.

In any event, they didn't find any ruffs and I found the ♣J for 650 and 12.5/17


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PP 2nd Final Board 5

Board 5
Dlr N
Vul N-S

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

Franco	North	Andy	South
	Pass	1♦	1♠
2♠	Pass	3♦	Pass
3♥	Dbl	Pass	Pass
3NT	All Pass

♠J led to my K.  I must have run some diamonds before playing a spade and so made only 3.  Had I immediately set about establishing another spade I would have made 4.  Oops.

400 was worth 4, vs 11.5 for 430.  I imagine some of those 430s were heart leads. 


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PP 2nd Final Board 4

Board 4
Dlr W
Vul Both

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

Franco	North	Andy	South
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♥	Pass
4♥	All Pass

+620 was worth 11/16.  630 was a great result for someone, seems like that should be more findable.   Apparently 3 pairs went -100, and 4 settled for a partscore.  Not sure how any of those happened.




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PP 2nd Final Board 3

Consider just the West hand for a lead problem.


Board 3
Dlr S
Vul E-W

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

Franco	North	Andy	South
			2♥
Pass	2♠	Pass	3♣
Pass	3♥	Pass	4♥
All Pass

Apparently 2♠ was forcing and South was unsure whether 3♥ was forcing.  What would you lead from the West hand?

I chose the ♥A, and then continued hearts.  I like this choice as it seems to safely kill any ruffs in dummy but I still rate to get my 2 natural tricks.  Sadly, with partner's spots we had 3 natural tricks. 

Declarer played a club next, partner winning the ace and then the ten.  Next trick was ♣9-J-Q.  Sadly, I now played a spade.  I was thinking declarer could have taken his spades earlier if it was important to him, but of course he couldn't.

+100 was worth 4.5/17, +150 would have been worth 12.  This was a big error.


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PP 2nd Final Board 2

Board 2
Dlr E
Vul N-S

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

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

North cashed 1 club (RHO playing the ten), then switched to ♦6.  How would you play?


Fearing a ruff and wanting to ensure my plus, I flew ♦A and drew trumps, which split 3-3. Next I led a diamond to the queen which held as LHO followed with the 2 and RHO followed very slowly with the 8. Now what?



I played another diamond, RHO won the K and played the ten. On this, pitch a club and RHO must lead a heart into your tenace.

Stopping in 3♠ was worth 11, but making 4 was good for 16/17 matchpoints.

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

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PP 2nd Final Board 1

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

Board 1
Dlr N
Vul None

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	Pass
1NT	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♠	Pass	4♠	All Pass

A 3rd/low ♥3 lead runs around to the 9 and your jack. How do you play?

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

I still have no idea what's right.

After winning ♥J I played a diamond to the king and a club to South's Ace. Then they played 2 more diamonds tapping me, and I was worried about losing a trump and having some trouble on the 4th diamond.  So I banked on 3-3 hearts and crossed in hearts to lose a spade finesse, then only needed one club trick to go with 4 trumps, 4 hearts, and the ♦K.

If I lost a spade hook at trick 3, they'd tap in diamonds and now I'd have to guess to ruff a diamond high and hook the ♠9 to get home.

Perhaps for this reason playing a diamond is wrong. I could see crossing in hearts to play a club, or even playing a club out of your hand to retain communication. If they push clubs you have more flexibility to retain control, plus they might not be able to ever overruff. Say you lose the first, ruff the 2nd, and hook in spades.

Note that 4th best leads would have made this hand a lot harder.

In any event, 420 was good enough for 15/17. As for bidding game, well +140 would have been 10.5 -- most common result appears to be 4♠ down 1. Read more!