Oxfordshire vs Notts, February 2009, Boards 17-32

Board 17 N/ None	5 J 6 4 3 J 9 8 7 4 A T 9
J 8 7 3 2 A 9 8 7 A Q 2 J		Q T 9 Q T 5 2 K 3 K 4 3 2
	A K 6 4 K T 6 5 Q 8 7 6 5

A few EW pairs over stretched and bid game which is a poor contract. Despite the possibility of picking up the heart suit for no losers with a correct guess, it still have very little play. Well done to Gidman and Brown or Keep for rolling this one home, producing a large swing for the C team.

Board 18 E/ NS	J 9 7 5 3 J 8 A K T 9 6 3
T Q T 9 7 4 Q 7 4 3 A K 8		A K Q 8 6 5 3 9 8 J T 5 4
	4 2 A K 6 2 J 6 5 2 Q 7 2

If East opens 1 then EW are likely to over-bid here. In fact of the 12 tables in play, only 4 EW pairs managed a positive score. Chris Wilson was one of them when he rolled in 10 tricks in 2NT after the defence led a club, rose with a heart honour when he led towards dummy and never touched diamonds.

Board 19 S/ EW	T 7 A K 6 A 9 5 K Q J 6 2
Q J 8 3 J 4 Q J 4 T 9 4 3		9 4 Q T 9 8 7 3 K 2 8 7 5
	A K 6 5 2 5 2 T 8 7 6 3 A

After the uncontested auction 1-2-2-2 South has a tricky decision – should they bid out their shape with 3 despite the suit quality or is a quiet 2 better. I chose a the latter and subsequently rolled in 12 tricks in 3NT after crashing some diamond honours! 3 is likely to result in North driving to the zero play slam. One Notts pair in each of the A&B teams bid 6 giving our teams a swing in, while the C team lost a swing when Murray and Currie also wound up there.

Board 20 W/ All	5 2 7 4 K Q 7 6 5 4 8 7 3
A T 9 6 A T 8 5 9 8 A T 2		J 8 7 3 - A T 3 2 K Q J 9 6
	K Q 4 K Q J 9 6 3 2 J 5 4

This board highlighted some partnership bidding problems as several chose to play in 3NT after heart intervention by South. Clearly you want to be playing this in 4. Our opponents played in 3NT and after a lead to the singleton J declarer managed to insert the 8 when I fired a low one through (West had shown 4 on the auction). 11 tricks quickly followed. Proctor and Robinson sold out to 3X which was a small swing out. William and Wilson managed to get doubled in 4 and rolled home the overtrick. Two B team pairs had 800 on their cards, one each way though, while the C team showed how it should be done with all 4 tables playing in 4!

Board 21 N/ NS	K 8 T 5 Q 6 K Q 9 7 5 3 2
A J 8 7 4 2 A T 5 2 A J 6		Q T 9 5 2 A K J K J 9 3 T
	7 6 4 3 Q 9 6 3 8 7 4 8 4

6 is cold if you can locate the Q or you can bring the spade suit home for no losers so not a bad spot, though it wasn’t a big surprise to see nobody managed to bid it. If North decides to open a pre-emptive 3 then East has an easy double. I know this happened at several tables, but only Gidman managed to find the winning action of Pass sitting West. I think this is the right choice give then colours and provided a well-judged 800 and swing for the C team. All the other tables played in 3NT.

Board 22 E/ EW	J 7 6 K Q 3 Q J 9 5 2 J 8
T 9 J T A K 3 K Q 9 7 5 4		K Q 5 4 A 8 7 6 T 8 7 4 A
	A 8 3 2 9 5 4 2 6 T 6 3 2

3NT EW. [This is another 4441 hand which also generated some problems. I’ve heard a couple of pairs opening the East cards 1 and after the predictable 2 from partner were left rebidding 2 on T87x – yuk. One experienced pair ended in 5 going off as a results of this.]

Board 23 S/ All	A 7 6 7 5 K 7 5 T 9 8 7 5
K T 9 2 T 8 6 3 8 6 A K 2		Q J 5 Q J 2 J T 3 2 Q J 3
	8 4 3 A K 9 4 A Q 9 4 6 4

1NT by South was a common spot generally off 1. I managed to sneak this one through after the defence attacked hearts.

Board 24 W/ None	Q 7 3 2 A 9 7 3 K Q 9 8 5 -
K 8 6 J 6 2 7 6 3 J 7 5 3		A 9 4 K Q T 8 A T 2 8 4 2
	J T 5 5 4 J 4 A K Q T 9 6

Quite a few NS pairs played in 3NT and while the J provides an entry to the club suit is does not run. Well done to Webley and Wilkes, Slater and Lonsdale, and Flower and Stead for avoiding this and playing in the making diamond partscore.

Board 25 N/ EW	Q 8 5 2 9 6 K Q 4 K Q J 2
9 K T 8 5 3 2 8 3 2 A 8 3		7 6 4 3 A Q J A J 9 7 T 7
	A K J T 7 4 T 6 5 9 6 5 4

If N opens a weak NT then he is likely to play there. Clacey led the 7 to the K and after a club to the A he found the correct defence of unblocking the hearts to beat this by 4. At most tables 1NT was let through often with overtricks. A switch to a small heart by West should indicate a K so it is surprising to see most Easts failing to unblock and defeat 1NT.

A couple of Notts EW pairs located their heart fit and two tables found game. 4 makes provided you guess the diamonds right, and unfortunately Webley and Wilkes and Goldsmith and Percival-Price both saw this bid and made against them.

Board 26 E/ All	A Q 7 4 T 8 T 3 K J T 7 4
K 5 A 6 2 K 8 7 6 4 A 6 3		9 8 6 2 K J 9 5 4 3 Q 9 5 -
	J T 3 Q 7 A J 2 Q 9 8 5 2

4 makes for EW, and isn’t a bad spot despite being thin on values. At our table West opened 1NT, Piper doubled the transfer completion and East competed to 3. West was unsure whether this was invitational or just competitive so placed game on the table. The takeout double meant guessing the hearts was not a problem. Well done to the Lintotts and Gidman and Whitehouse for finding this one.

Board 27 S/ none	5 8 5 2 J 9 5 3 2 K Q 7 2
J 4 2 K J 9 3 T 8 7 6 4 4		A K 9 8 3 A 7 6 K Q A 9 3
	Q T 7 6 Q T 4 A J T 8 6 5

4 is untouchable and the winning line is fairly easy to spot – you make by ruffing two clubs provided trumps are 3-2 or the Q is onside. It was disappointing to see a couple of Oxon declarers go down, I’ve yet to hear how. A couple of Notts pairs elected to play in 3NT which obviously didn’t make. This resulted in a game swing in for the C team, but one out for the B team.

Board 28 W/ NS	Q 9 8 7 4 3 T A T 8 5 T 6
A J 4 8 5 Q 7 3 2 A J 8 3		K 8 5 7 4 K 9 6 4 Q 9 7 5
	T A K Q J 9 6 3 2 J K 4 2

It’s difficult not to get excited when you hold 8 solid and unsurprisingly this board generated a swing or two. 4 was the normal spot a few being doubled.

Piper and Angus managed to play in (a fortunate, but not so well judged!) 2+1 which scored well with 5 -2 at the other table. “5H was an undisciplined phantom sacrifice over my undisciplined 5D call” comments Proctor. Moss was faced with a difficult lead problem after 1NT (2*) P (4), P (P) X AP. The selection of A did not fare so well and resulted in a game swing out for the B team. Murray and Currie also managed to roll in 4 after West pitched one too many clubs when trumps were cashed.

Board 29 N/ All	7 5 J 8 4 3 8 5 3 T 6 5 2
9 8 A Q 9 A 7 4 A K Q 7 4		Q T 6 4 T 5 J 9 6 2 9 8 3
	A K J 3 2 K 7 6 2 K Q T J

A mixture of contracts and results here. A few will overcall 2 over 1 as West, but I much prefer double as your hand is playable in any strain and partner will often pass 2 with game making e.g. holding SA and CJ. There were plenty of 200s on the cards both positive and negative. Webley and Wilkes will be disappointed to concede 3NT and this resulted in a large swing out for the A team. The B teams also lost a swing on this partscore hand, but the C team gained one.

Board 30 S/ none	K 4 A J T 5 A 7 2 A 7 5 2
Q J 8 7 5 2 K 8 3 J 9 8 6		T 9 6 3 9 6 2 T 4 K 9 4 3
	A Q 7 4 K Q 6 5 3 Q J T 8

NS in the slam zone again, but most failed to show off their bidding skills. 6 is better than 6 as you don’t require the diamonds to break. After a WJO in spades West is faced with an interesting lead dilemma against 6. From the South seat you are making 6 provided a) the diamonds break and b) one of the two finesses work. However if West leads a heart or a club there is a chance it is a singleton. A game of psychology develops – do you lead a heart from Kxx (assuming you know the A is with N) to encourage declarer to reject the winning finesse or lead a club hoping declarer will take a losing finesse!

Well done to Goldsmith the only Oxon NS to make bid and make slam (6). Everybody else in the B and C team played in game. 3 tables bid slam in the A team. 7 by N was not a good spot at our table, for which I have to take full responsibility for. I’ve since been informed of Piper’s Law which states never bid grand at pairs, teams or aggregate (I won’t interpret your bidding as a grand try next time!) This was flattened by Proctor and Robinson who defeated 6 after declarer ducked the singleton club lead. Webley and Wilkes located the better contract of 6, but went one off after a heart lead - unlucky.

Board 31 E/ NS	Q 5 J T 7 2 K 9 6 5 3 Q J
A 9 8 7 4 3 A 4 Q K 6 3 2		K 2 Q 9 8 5 3 T 7 4 2 9 8
	J T 6 K 6 A J 8 A T 7 5 4

3 and 2 were popular contracts here, neither of which make but
2 often scraped home. To beat 2 you need to lead trumps to prevent the club ruff then the defence should arrive at 3 club tricks and one in each of the other suits. A small swing in for the C team here.

Board 32 W/ EW	A 4 9 8 8 3 A Q J T 5 4 3
K J 9 8 3 K Q J 6 A 7 6 9		Q T 7 6 T 7 3 2 T 4 2 K 8
	5 2 A 5 4 K Q J 9 5 7 6 2

It takes a diamond lead to beat 3, though many NS pairs over competed, several playing in 5. The common defence to 5 started with a spade lead round to declarers A. Declarer plays on diamonds and after ducking 1 round West switch to a heart to remove dummys entry. Now if the club finesse works the contract is home. Unfortunately it doesn’t, but at both our table and Webley and Wilkes East exited with the wrong major and 5 made, doubled at Webley and Wilkes table.

At the Gidman/Whitehouse table declarer took the zero play line in 5X of leading a 4th diamond from dummy. Gidman correctly ruffed with 9 preventing declarer from discarding his final loser and then droping the bare CK. Unfortunately Whitehouse over-ruffed and also exited in the wrong major and a club entry to the final diamond let the contract slip through.

Finally I’d like to thank to Alastair Gidman, John Williams, Robert Protor, John Slater, Andrew Lintott and Malcolm Currie for providing commentary which has help me to compile this report and meant I haven’t had to highlight all of my suboptimal bidding decision!

Ian A.