[pclayton]

You sit down in the last round of Dan's Thursday night club game. Its a NAP (North American Pairs) qualifier, so the turnout is better than usual; 6 tables. And Dan's crab soup isn't bad either. But Dan is using a relay/by-stand so we are only playing 24 boards.

Things haven't gone your way. Your 12-14 NT has not come up once, and both times that you held a 15-17 balanced hand, your opponent has overcalled 1N. Partner has been bust both times with an entryless 5 card major, so the field is +110 and you are -120 on both.

Looking down at your convention card, you see 13 minus and only 7 plus scores! Just about all of the hands have gone to N/S. All of your decent results have been when we have the cards, or our defense has been a trick better than the field. In spite of the doom and gloom, you estimate you are rolling along at a 56% game. A good last round will get you a decent overall, perhaps even win your direction and ensure a "Q" for the District NAP, where perhaps you can represent District 22 in Pittsburgh for the Spring '05 nationals. Woo-hoo - Pittsburgh. And in March, no less. Where does the league find these locations?

For the final round you face Ruth and Ann. Nice old lady's, but LOL's nonetheless. 3rd seat red on red you look at:

---

Pass - Pass to you and you have an easy 1♥ opening. 2♠ on your left. With partner as a passed hand, you make a silent prayer for a negative double, whereby you will convert and expect +200 or 500 against probable air. But of course Harv trots out 3♣ and you are endplayed into your favorite contract.

Harv puts down his collection and says. I was HOPING you could find a 3N call. Wow - thanks.

Harv..Ann..Me..Ruth
Pass..Pass.1♥..2♠
3♣..Pass..3N..AP

---

Wow - nice 2♠ call Ruth. LHO tables the spade 5. Plan the plan for the 1st few tricks.

END - Part I

[luke warm]

this makes me dizzy, i can't plan past the 2nd trick (if that far)... win the spade in hand, play A,K and another ♥, hoping for 3/3

you said "1st few tricks" so that's as far as i'm going heheh... tough hand

[paulhar]

My original intent is to play for the jack of clubs to be doubleton and hearts 3-3. Club to king (Maybe Ruth will cover!), then queen of clubs. If the jack drops, I'll cash the 9 when in dummy and duck a heart.

When the CQ loses to the Ruth's ace and the jack doesn't drop and Ruth leads another spade, I play three rounds of hearts and assume that Ann won't unblock with queen-third, so she'll have to lead from the DA when she's in.

When the CQ loses to Ann's ace and the jack doesn't drop, she probably doesn't have the HQ and the DA. I have to try a diamond to the King and hope that Ruth keeps playing spades when in with the third heart.

[pclayton]

By the way, I'll post the second frame when I get some more responses; +/- 8 I suppose.

[pclayton]

Against my better judgement, I'm continuing this for now. Hopefully, the posters ('cept Paul and Jimmy) will chime in with some ideas.

We have 5 tricks off the top (3 ♠'s and 2♥'s). Spades aren't really a problem, but unless we get some decent splits in the red suits, we probably won't make 9 tricks. Clubs represent a possible source of tricks; well, at least one . Unless the red suits are very cooperative, we'll need at least one club trick.

We lead the club 10. Ruth flies with the A!. Not an unpleasant surprise. Surely, she's good enough to duck this from just about any holding, except a singleton Ace?

Instead of continuing a spade, she has another surprise for us: The Q♦!. Suddenly 5 tricks have become 8! And plenty of chances for 9!

If diamonds are 3-3, then this has become an easy hand. Lets let her do a little work for us and play the ♦7. Surely she hasn't shifted from AQJ of diamonds; that would give her a huge preempt.

She continues the ♦J and we win this now.

(Hand repeated for reference)

pclayton, on Aug 6 2004, 09:16 AM, said:

Harv..Ann..Me..Ruth
Pass..Pass.1♥..2♠
3♣..Pass..3N..AP

---

Trick 1: 5♠, 10, 7, Q
Trick 2: 10♣, A, 3, 4
Trick 3: Q♦, 3, 6, 7
Trick 4: J♦, 5, 4, K

How do we continue?

[pclayton]

I told myself I wouldn't PLAY on line during the month of August. Which of course means that I have to do more on BBF .

Here's one of the hands I posted when I first started here. I am restarting it in the hopes that some that haven't seen it will take a look and those that ignored it will give it a try. It is one of my all time favorites.

After 2 years its 'new' to me too, by the way, but I think I remember it

[FrancesHinden]

If you want to have faith in your convictions about the singleton CA, then you can play LHO to be originally 6421 and continue ace of spades, A of hearts, Queen of spades, King of hearts, diamond exit endplaying East. This also works if East has 2335 and doesn't or can't unblock in hearts. That D10 in dummy stops East discarding the DA on the third spade.

But it will look a bit silly if East was originally 2344 and West has Qxx in hearts and AJ doubleton club.