Having a couple of days rest from the NABC, I'm resuming my occasional Bridge Veritée" series, where I write about every deal from the late round of a top event. Here it's the first session of the final of the Platinum Pairs, played in New Orleans this past Sunday.
My partner was Ron Gerard.
The boards start here:
https://live.acbl.org/event/NABC231/PLAT/5/board-detail/W?board_num=1
I suggest you open a second window or tab to follow along.
The event was played barometer style, so every pair played boards 1-18 in order.
1
S W N E
1c 1H
Dbl 1S 2c
Ron took one more trick than the eight he was entitled to.
69%
2
S W N E
1d P 3c!
3c was invitational.
Ron led the normal spade. Our declarer decided to take 10 tricks instead of either 9 or 13. Declarers in NT had a similar decision to make.
81%.
3.
S W N E
1d P 1S P
2c P 2H! P
3d P 3S P
3N
2H was described as natural and non-forcing. I wonder how light they open!
Knowing that declarer was likely short in spades I led a spade. Declarer hooked, cashed the ace, and played a third one, Ron discarding a discouraging club. I led a heart to the queen and Ron returned a heart to my king. Declarer ducked for some reason, and I neglected to give him a kind of a guess with a third heart.
-400 was 88% since most pairs made 420 in spades.
4.
S W N E
P 1c P
1d P 1N
Ron led a normal heart, giving up the 7th trick. His hand does not quite meet our standard for a vulnerable overcall.
19%.
5.
S W N E
1N P
2H P 2S P
P 3d 3S
I tried to drive the opponents into the cold game but I was unsuccessful.
Would you get there? I'd have invited with the South hand opposite a 15-17 1N.
96%.
6.
S W N E
P
1c P 1H 1S
2H 2S
Our opponents reached 3H and took 9 tricks.
73%
7
S W N E
P 1N 2c
2S 3H!
3S! 4H!
4N 5c!
5d! 6c!
X P 6d
7S
3H was a spade slam try with shortness.
3H asked where.
4H showed short hearts.
4N asked for key cards.
5d asked for the trump queen.
6c showed the trump queen and the club king while denying the diamond king.
Double was ill-advised, since a trump lead would always have been safe.
I bid 7S thinking Ron had shown the dQ.
North led a club and I saw that I had play and that I likely needed trump 3-2 plus a diamond hook through North. I played ace and a heart, queen of spades and spade to the ace. With 4-1 trump I could have changed tack and take my finesses through South. As was I trumped a heart high and South threw a diamond! This made his shape likely exactly as it was, so I cashed the cK, played a diamond to the J, and cashed the last two trump to squeeze South in the minors. This was not best. There was no reason to cash the cK first - it could have waited until trump were drawn. But all's well that ends well.
100%, the same score we'd have had for +1460.
8
My opponents miscounted key cards, or something like that.
A lucky 73% for -480. Two pairs went down in NT contracts by North, a bit unluckily.
9.
EW Vul
S W N E
P P
3S X P 3N
Ron ducked the spade lead and a spade came back to the Ace. Mikael Rimstedt now did well to shift to the H9. Ron made the normal guess of the Ace and played on clubs to make 3. 8 tables played 3NT. Only one other was held to three. Four EW pairs defeated 3S doubled 2 tricks and two made part-scores.
50%
10.
S W N E
P
P P 1N
Ron led a diamond to the king and my ace. Declarer led a spade to the Q and I made the mistake of winning. This was not fatal but made the subsequent defense more difficult and I faltered.
Our -90 was entered as +90 and I only noticed on Wednesday as I was writing this. I submitted a correction, but it was too late.
Curiously, the swing from plus to minus would have been small: 58% to 42%.
11
S W N E
P P 1c P
P X P 1H
P P P
I passed the double planning to double diamonds at my next turn but timidly passed out 1H.
8%.
12
S W N E
1c Dbl 1H
3S P 4S
Down one. Normal enough. Four pairs took the phantom save in 5c.
42%.
13
S W N E
2N
After winning the spade lead, Ron cashed the cA and played a small club for eight tricks.
All the declarers in 3N went down, as did some in 2N.
73%.
14.
Our auction was something like this:
S W N E
1d 3S 4H
East led the SA and his diamond shift was won by the king. A club came back and Ron ended up down three, not playing West to be 1-1 in the red suits.
4%
15
S W N E
1d 2c
2H 2S
3d 3S
3N
In our methods, my 2d would have denied 4H.
I was favored with a diamond lead. West won the second round of clubs and did not play a spade.
96%
16
Our auction against this Precision pair was something like:
S W N E
1d 2c X
3c P P X
P 3S
I won Ron's heart lead and shifted to the c9. -140.
A few pairs reached 4S or NT contracts or sold to undoubled club part-scores. Two EW pairs were +300 against 3cX.
31%
17
S W N E
2H X
3H X 4S
Ron played this awkward contract well to take 10 tricks. It turned out to be cold on the lie of the cards.
HA x x x
Hx Q K ruff
dx K x x
Hx x x ruff
Dx x Q x
Sx x Q x
SA x x K
Now South can score only his long trump.
18
S W N E
1H
2c 2H
2N 3N
I won the diamond lead in hand and led the cJ, then a club to the Q, cA. Now a spade, and the defense cashed their three heart tricks. +400.
Not at all flat. Some pairs stayed out of game, others made overtricks in 3N.
50%
19
I don't remember the auction. Our opponents sniffed at slam but did well to stay at the four level.
12% for -420.
20
S W N E
1N 2c
2d 3H!
4S! 4S
3H showed 5S and 4H. 4S showed good trump.
Our opponents managed to score both their aces.
42%
21
S W N E
P P
1d 1S P 2d
P 2H P 2S
North led a diamond to the Ace and south returned a heart after some thought. I decided to duck and was happy to win the 9 in dummy. It was difficult to go wrong now. I played the K and A of trump and led a heart from the dummy. When North got in with his trump he had to give me a trick, an entry, or both.
58%
22
S W N E
1d
1S X P 2d
P 3d
Ron won the HK lead, played a diamond to the ace and a club to the ace. Something good must have happened now, because we ended up +130. Other declarers took 9 or 11 tricks.
23
S W N E
1N 2c! P 2H
P P 3c
I was West and showed both majors. North's 3c turned out to trade +100 for -100. How to tell?
96%
24
S W N E
3d P 4d
X P 5c
Six pairs were in 5c, presumably on similar auctions. Five reached the slam, one played 7c, and one defended 4dX.
69%
25
We played this against the pair who finished a close second. They reached the normal spot of 4H. It's better than 3N if and only if the defenders will lead a club against 3N. On most auctions that lead would be far from obvious.
65%
26
East opened 1N and took the normal seven tricks on a spade lead. Two declarers were set, or set themselves, while one made an overtrick.
Two pairs competed our way and went down one in a black suit. That would have shown a profit NV but cost them here.
54%
27
S W N E
1S 2c
3S 3N
4N
+490
6N is above par. It will make with 3-3 clubs or the SJ falling or an unlikely squeeze. Ignoring the squeeze that's 36% + (64% * ( (3/7) * 62% + (2/7) * 31% + (1/7) * 7% )) ~= 59%. On a heart lead declarer must be careful to put up the K.
3 other pairs played NT games, four bid and made 6NT, five played in spade games. The pairs playing in spades tilt the matchpoint odds against bidding the slam, even though it will make more often than not.
50%
28
S W N E
1c P 1S
X XX! 2d 2S
2N P 3c P
3d
Ron lost two aces for +150.
31%
We ended up with 56.73%. An average carryover placed us third going into the final session.
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