Swatting the MOSCITOs, Boards 18-24

Here are the last 8 boards of the match.
Thanks again to Luis for putting in the work to write up the hands.

Board 18:
NS Vulnerable.
Dealer: East

K973
763
92
KJ97
QT62 8
J54 AQT92
AT843 KQ5
T AQ53

AJ54
K8
J76
8642

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
1c p
1d p 2h p
4h p p p
-------------------------------

1c was 15+, 1d was the negative 0-8 response, 2h showed a 15-17
hand with 5 hearts and west concluded that his maximum minimum
was surely worth a game bid. Declarer lost the obvious 2 tricks,
one trump and one spade for -450.

Closed Room:

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
1h p
1s p 3c p
4h p p p
--------------------------------

The natural bidders didn't have any trouble reaching the same
contract, maybe they gave away more information than the scientists
this time but it didn't matter at all declarer made the same 11 tricks
and scored -450, no swing.

Board 19:
EW Vulnerable
Dealer: South

95
JT654
7432
J5
AT 8764
A9 KQ8
K9 AQ5
T987632 AKQ

KQJ32
732
JT86
4

After too pushes in uninteresting boards the match produced yet
another slam, this time a grand slam in no trumps or clubs for
EW. Being NV with KQJxx of spades can South inflict any damage?
As we are going to see the scientists used prehistoric tools to
bid the grand while a modern cuebid ruined the naturalists auction.

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
p
1d p 1h 2s
3c p 4n p
5h p 5n p
6d p 7c p
p p
-------------------------------

1d showed 10-14 without a 4 card major, 1h was a relay. Inquiry
interposed a weak jump overcall and Luis showed a one suited hand
with 6+ clubs with his 3c bid. Now the "scientists" looked deep
into their bag of conventions and found that blackwood was still
useful after all. 5h showed 2 key cards, there maybe some discussion
about west showing or not showing the cQ, he didn't because he wasn't
sure about club support and because 3c already showed 6+ clubs anyway
this wasn't important here having east the cQ. Now Ana asked for
specific kings and the diamond king was all she needed for 13 tricks
and to bid the cold 7nt slam. Somehow she bid 7c and not 7nt.
On the spade lead declarer had 14 tricks without playing any card.

Closed Room:

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
2s
3c p 3s p
3n p 6n p
p p
--------------------------------

Sartaj used the undisciplined 2s bid with 5+ cards that you either love
or hate. Now had Malucy passed the 2s opening bid might have made life
very hard for the naturalists and they may have missed the grand, but
Malucy did bid 3c bravely and now it seemed impossible for them to miss
the grand. Skystone 3s bid seems to be unnecesary, can pd bid 3c without
any club honor and without the sA? With just JTxxxxx of clubs hA and the
dK ? We don't think so. He did bid 3s anyway maybe thinking that a cuebid
was a logical way to start investigations, South logically took that bid
as asking for stopper and bid 3nt. Now Skystone found himself endplayed
in the bidding, is 4c now forcing? It should be or why would you ask for
a stopper and then retreat if pd does have it? Not being sure about what
would be forcing and what not he did know that he couldn't bid 4nt now
so he just leaped to 6nt hoping for the best. This is the second time
this pair leaps to a slam in two bids without knowing if they can win
7. It will be argued that even after 3s 4c is forcing or 4n is keycard
or whatever and that they should have found the grand but it seems
evident that the cuebid was indeed the source of the problem had skystone
bid 4nt directly the route to the grand would have been automatic.
This time the lack of precision was heavily punished since missing
the grand slam cost them 12 imps. 56-8 to the scientists and the match
was over with 5 boards to go.

Board 20:
All vulnerable.
Delare: West

KJ6
A654
A8
9862

A854 972
Q KJT2
T942 753
A543 QJT
QT3
9873
KQJ6
K7

After a lot of excitement a partscore was displayed, this time NS can
play in hearts or in no trumps the heart partscore is doomed on the
bad break while the NT partscore seems to have only 7 tricks to cash.
Both sides managed to elude the heart contract with the cost of reaching
an 8 trick partscore in NT.

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
p 1c p 2n
p p p
-------------------------------

Luis could have opened the bidding with a 2d bid showing a 10-14
three suited hand with 4/5 clubs. He decided that being vulnerable
a minimum ten counter with a singleton queen was not suitable for
that bid and right he was because any 2x contract might doubled
or undoubled would have resulted in a minus score for his side.
The naturalists reached 2nt in a very normal natural sequence.
West lead the diamond 9 (2nd and 4th), Inquiry took the dA and
started playing a spade to the queen. Luis ducked the first spade
and took the second one, he played now the heart queen ducked and
exited with a spade. Declarer has only 7 tricks and had to finish
down one.

Closed Room:

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
p 1n p 2s
p 2n p p
p
--------------------------------

The mosqitos started with their 11-14 nt, and Sartaj's 2s was either
an invitation to play 3nt or a weak takeout in clubs. Marston 2n denied
values to accept an invitation and the scientists reached thus the same
contract.
Skystone amazingly found the lead of a low heart, leading 4th best with
KJT in the suit and QJT in a side suit is a serious risk that not many
players would take. Malucy won the hQ at trick 1 and exited with a spade.
Marston played a second spade and Malucy ducked this was a mistake since
now Marston could cash his diamond winners and exit with a spade Malucy had
to win this and was endplayed having to lead away from his cA to give
declarer his 8th trick. 6 imps for the scientists 62-8

Board 21:
NS vulnerable.
Dealer: North

KQJ7542
J9
5
J72
963 T
AKQ2 T3
42 AKQJT9876
QT83 54
A8
87654
3
AK96

Would you believe the freak hand of the match was a push? Would you believe
the auction was duplicated in both rooms? Have you ever seen a longer straigh
flush? Both norths opened 3s and both easts rejected any fancy bid like 2h
or 3n or 4s or 4d or pass. Next time you get a 9 card suit please do something
for the kibitzers!

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
3s 5d x
p p p
-------------------------------

Fred's 3s was alerted as "natural" :-). Ana bid a logical 5d and
Inquiry bid a logical double. Inquiry cashed out in perfect order
and 5d was inmediately down 1.

Closed Room:

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
3s 5d x
p p p
--------------------------------

Same auction, same tricks for the defense. No Swing.

Board 22:
EW Vulnerable.
Dealer: East

632
AQ9
K8
AT872
Q754 AKJT
T42 J87
T965 J743
K4 Q5
98
K653
AQ2
J963

This is an odd hand, in the open room an obstructive opening
bid made the naturalists find a really horrible game that made
on two lucky breaks. In the other room a normal opening bid
lead the scientists to play a part-score.

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
1n 2h
p 4h p p
p
-------------------------------

1n was 10-14 with 4/5 spades and a balanced hand. Inquiry found an incredible bid
of 2h showing hearts and a minor suit. Luis refused to bid 2s because he knew the
hand belonged to their opponents and he didn't want to suggest a 4s sacrifice.
Fred bid a very good 4h that should have a play opposite any kind of 5-4 or better
combination in hearts and a minor in Inquiry's hand. This game depends on hearts
3-3 and clubs 2-2, both breaks materialized so the contract is cold. Luis lead an
unfortunate cK, Inquiry drew trumps stablished the clubs and claimed. Had he lead
a spade declarer can ruff the third run and play two rounds of clubs stablishing
the clubs while retaining control of the hand to draw trumps and claim. A very
lucky result for the naturalists and they badly needed one.

Closed Room:

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
1d p
1s 2c 2s 3c
p p p
--------------------------------

Logically Marston and Sartaje never even smelled the chance of a heart game, they
found clubs and rested in 3c making 3 for +110 and an unfortunate lost of 7 imps.
62-15 for the scientists.

Board 23:
All vulnerable.
Dealer: South

K92
K3
KQT8
A986
Q8 654
AT8764 Q2
A42 J763
T3 Q754
AJT73
J95
95
KJ2

A dull spade game appeared on board 23. This time the
scientists used less bids than the naturalists to reach
the same result, of course from a different side.

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
p
1h 1n p 2h
x 2s p 3n
p 4s p p
p
-------------------------------

Fred found he could bid 1nt with his 15 counter with good intermediates, dangerous
maybe but if you are going to bid that hand it was now or never. Inquiry transfered
to spades and then bid 3nt showing a 5332 hand. Fred corrected to 4s. Declarer lost
just the two red aces for -650.

Closed Room:

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
2s
p 4s p p
p
--------------------------------

Sartaje started proceedings again with the undisciplined 2s 6-10 with 5 spades. Marston
bid game and the result was duplicated. No swing.

Board 24:
Nobody vulnerable.
Dealer: West

9762
QJ9
Q52
QT8
5 AJT43
AT75 K82
KJ976 T8
AK9 732

KQ8
643
A43
J654

What a pitty the match was over before this last hand, because it was a really interesting one.
In this hand the scientists got to a very good 3nt contract that was impossible to reach for the
naturalists. The differences between both systems was clear here when the naturalists bid only
a 2d partscore while the scientists where in a forcing game situation at the 1 level!. This NT
game depended on the diamond finesse, if the dQ is onside declarer easily makes 4d,2h,2c and 1
spade for 9 tricks. The diamond finesse was not onside and there was no way to bring the game
so the naturalists actually won 4 imps on this deal. In average hands like this one will
represent a imp gain for the scientists over the naturalists since the game bonus is better than
what you win when a partscore makes and they go down in 3nt.

Open Room:

Luis Fred Ana Inquiry
-------------------------------
1c p 1h p
1s p 2d p
2h p 2n p
3c p 3d p
3n p p p
-------------------------------

1c was strong and Ana decided to upgrade his 8 counter to 9+ because of his good
intermediates and the good quality of the spade suit. That put the partnership in
a forcing game situation, luis relayed and found Ana held only spades, short
diamonds and 5-3-2-3 distribution exactly. He didn't ask for controls because he
was minimum and the hand was a missfit. Inquiry lead a club and declarer ducked,
she took the second club and crossed in hearts to play the diamond finesse. It lost
and Fred returned a spade. Declarer rose with the Ace and cashed out, nothing
good happened and she was down 1.

Malucy Marston Skystne Sartaj
--------------------------------
1d p 1s p
2c p 2d p
p p
--------------------------------

The naturalists found an ackward hand for standard methods, Malucy having to rebid 2c
over the 1s response.Skystone didn't found another bid but 2d and that ended the auction.
They made 9 tricks for +90 and a 4 imp swing. 62-19

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