Board 98

Board 98
Our side vulnerable

♠ 3 2 ♥ K Q 10 8 4 ♦ J 7 6 ♣ 9 8 5

RHO opens one club. In my experience, bad things happen when your entire hand is in one suit and you don't bid it, so I overcall with one heart. The vulnerability doesn't bother me so long as we're at the one level. In fact, I consider the vulnerability a plus, since it means partner is unlikely to be saving.

LHO bids one spade. Jack's footnote claims this promises five spades. I don't see how that's playable. If you can't handle a diamond rebid by partner after a negative double, you may have no choice but to bid one spade with only four. Partner raises to two hearts, and RHO bids four spades, ending the auction. Partner leads the three of hearts.

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

West	North	East	South
	1 ♣	1 ♥	1 ♠
2 ♥	4 ♠	(All pass)

Four spades! Wow! And you thought one heart was an overbid. Declarer rises with the heart ace. I encourage with the ten. Declarer plays a trump to his queen, a trump back to the king, and a third trump to his ace. Partner plays six, eight, ten, and I pitch the five of clubs on the third round. Declarer plays the deuce of clubs--ace--three--nine. Partner shifts perversely to the ten of diamonds, and declarer claims the rest.

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

Maybe the diamond shift isn't so perverse.  It would be right if I had both minor-suit kings (and no heart queen, so I can't duck the jack if he leads it).  I certainly might have that hand on the auction.  Of course, if I did, I would discourage at trick one to request a diamond shift.  But Jack doesn't know that.

That was some auction the opponents produced! First North bids four spades when I would bid two (if not playing support doubles). Then South passes four spades when I would consider bidding seven if partner were barred. At least Jack is consistent, but I confess I don't understand. Note that a heart is the only lead to stop six (even though we didn't), so it was indeed important for me to get my suit into the auction.

At the other table, North opens with a weak notrump, and the auction proceeds as follows:

West	North	East	South
	1 NT	Pass	2 ♥1
Pass	2 ♠	Pass	3 ♣
Pass	3 ♠	Pass	4 ♠
Pass	4 NT2	Pass	5 ♦3
Pass	6 ♣	(All pass)
1Jacoby transfer
2Ace asking for spades
31 or 4 aces

I don't think South's three club bid promises slam interest. With a 5-4-3-1 pattern, he's supposed to show his second suit even with only game-going values, so North's four notrump is a violation of captaincy. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I think that, after a transfer and a bid of a secondary minor, it's useful to play that a raise of the minor shows a fit for both suits. Playing that way, North should bid four clubs, intending to drive to slam if his partner bids four of a red suit.

They did well to choose clubs, since I suspect East would have known what to lead if he had the opportunity. Against six clubs, West leads a spade, apparently deciding that, on the auction, he is more likely to catch his partner with a singleton spade than a singleton diamond. Six clubs makes, so we pick up 10 imps.

Me: -480
Jack: -920

Score on Board 98: +10 IMPs
Total: -72 IMPs