1:

?

...............4

...............Q987

...............1096542

...............53

1063.........................AJ

J6.............................AK1052

AQJ..........................87

AKQ62.....................J987

...............KQ98752

...............43

...............K3

...............104

?

Left to their own devices, E-W might reach 6C. The auction would start 1H-2C; 3C and then West might bid 3D. If East then bids 3S instead of 3NT the fair 6C might be reached. As the hand is South will come in with 3S or at least 2S over 1H and then West will be pushed. 3S might be too effective if anything. If West bids 4C either East or West may end up driving to 6C just out of knowing that 5C is not likely to score well. Contracts were 3Sx S twice, 3NT E, 3NT W(!), 5C E, 5C W four times, 6C E and 6C W. Pauise were the pair in 6C E after the auction P-1H-3S-X; P-4C-P-6C.

?

Without a spade lead, declarer in 6C needs only one of two finesses to work at worst. If North does lead a spade, declarer will need the heart finesse to work and either the diamond finesse or the hearts to split no worse than 4-2. Here with both red suits sitting kindly declarer can take all the tricks in clubs, which was duly done five times. Louise, in 6C E, did not have to risk the heart finesse. When trumps split 2-2, she had a cold twelve tricks by establishing dummy's spade ten. 3Sx can be set four tricks by force but not quite five. Jacob was E-W top in 6C W +1; N-S top was shared between Fivy and Jemer on 5C = and 3NT =.

?

3NT W =; 5C W =

5C E +2; 5C W +2 (3)

3NT E +4

3Sx S -3

3Sx S -4

6C W =

6C E +1

?

2:

?

...............43

...............10952

...............AQ108

...............J53

J5...........................AQ97

8.............................K74

KJ643.....................975

K10542...................AQ8

...............K10862

...............AQJ63

...............2

...............96

?

1NT from East and then it is a question of how (or just perhaps if) South competes. If South shows both majors, North may well compete in hearts despite the vulnerability, although it may be tempting to leave West in diamonds if that is how West proceeds over South. West gets stuck not being able to show invitational values (except perhaps against a Landy 2C, allowing a 2NT relay to 3C followed by 3D instead of bidding a direct 2D), and East may get pushed into 3NT; the stoppers are there but there are not enough fast tricks. Contracts were 1NT E, 2H S, 2NT E, 3C E, 3C W, 3Hx N, 3NT E thrice, 4D W and 4Hx N (the last auction being 1NT-2D-X-2H; 3NT-4H-P-P; X).

?

N-S can take eight tricks by force against no-trumps, although six was quite a fair outcome. With East marked with the majority of high cards, it is not shocking that the layout allows a make of 4H, although declarer has to be dedicated to the correct line of ruffing spades as quickly as possible, especially against a trump lead (declarer can bypass the diamond finesse - with 3-1 trumps South just gets back to hand in time to draw the last trump and cash the thirteenth spade for trick number ten). Homer made 4Hx for the N-S top; E-W top was Wendric's defending 3Hx -1.

?

4Hx N =

4D W -3

2H S =

3NT E -2 (2)

3C E -1; 3C W -1; 3NT E -1

1NT E =

2NT E =

3Hx N -1

?

3:

?

...............AQ

...............KQJ94

...............Q2

...............KJ85

976........................J10854

A82........................1063

J10863..................97

Q4.........................A93

...............K32

...............75

...............AK54

...............10762

?

N-S could easily have reached 3NT S at every table. If North rebid 2C instead of 2NT after P-1H; 1NT, there was a chance of finishing elsewhere. 3NT S was played eight times, along with 2C N, 3H N and 4C N.

?

Declarer can take eleven tricks in no-trumps by force, although West can give declarer a little anxiety by ducking the first two rounds of hearts. Also the play is complicated by the entry difficulty to the South hand; declarer needs to lead a low club to the jack early in order to benefit from the onside doubleton queen. Fay, Jeff and Jeanne took eleven tricks to split the N-S top. The other five declarers in 3NT took ten for the middle score. Jamob were one of the pairs defending 3NT +1; declarer was still in with a chance at the end of the hand, not having touched clubs, but cashed the spade king at trick eleven instead of taking the club finesse.

?

3NT S +2 (3)

3NT S +1 (5)

4C N +1

3H N =

2C N +2

?

4:

?

...............Q643

...............K2

...............AK87

...............Q105

A5..........................J109

AQ65.....................J87

J1063.....................942

KJ7........................A862

...............K872

...............10943

...............Q5

...............932

?

West's 1NT opening bid should save North from doing anything to get N-S into trouble. We could have seen 1NT W at almost every table and it was the contract eight times. One North declared 2S one way or another and East declared twice, once in 1NT and once in 2NT.

?

N-S can take seven tricks against no-trumps by force. If West declares it is harder; North must lead a diamond to South, who must return a spade through the ace, giving N-S three tricks each in spades and diamonds with at least a heart sure to come. This one fell out half and half, with four Wests in 1NT being set and four making the contract. East took six tricks in both no-trumps contracts declared and Henry made 2S N. Jemer, who defended 2NT E -2, were N-S top; E-W top was Pauls's in 1NT W +2. N-S began with three rounds of diamonds, the second and third rounds each giving up a trick, followed by North's club switch to give Paul his second overtrick.

?

2NT E -2

2S N =

1NT E -1; 1NT W -1 (4)

1NT W = (2)

1NT W +2 (2)

?

5:

?

...............A75

...............J5

...............A52

...............KJ532

KJ942.......................Q1063

2................................AQ63

J963..........................84

A76............................Q94

...............8

...............K109874

...............KQ107

...............108

?

The auction seemed likely to start 1C-P-1H-1S; P-3S, putting South under a good deal of pressure. The hand is low on HCP but has the loser count to bid 4H. If East bids 2H instead South can bid 3H and then let 3S go knowing that the hand has at least showed some values. A few tables stopped below 3S and there were more contracts doubled than undoubled: 2S W, 3Dx S, 3Hx S, 3S W twice, 3Sx W, 4H S twice, 4Hx S, 4Sx E and 4Sx W.

?

Only three contracts made. In hearts East can duck two leads through from North and, with the diamonds also splitting badly, even a correct guess in clubs does not allow declarer to force more than nine tricks. All declarers in hearts were defeated, with two taking nine tricks and two eight, a good thing for Ritold, who had doubled 3H. Jacbot could not force more than -1 against 3Dx but were allowed -3 for the E-W top, beating out the three declarers who were allowed a ninth trick in a spade contract. One of these, Victoria, received a heart lead instead of the needed spade or diamond. N-S top was shared three ways on +300 by Jarilee and Glynneth, who defended 4Sx, with Jevin, who defended 3Sx. Declarer in spades starts with only four sure losers but, even if North does not draw East's trumps, declarer will still need to avoid a club ruff or an overruff in a major.

?

3Sx W -2; 4Sx E -2; 4Sx W -2

4H S -1

2S W +1; 3S W = (2)

3Hx S -1; 4Hx S -1; 4H S -2

3Dx S -3

?

6:

?

...............A9

...............KQ52

...............J854

...............K84

873..........................KQ64

1064........................987

AKQ97.....................632

A9............................J72

...............J1052

...............AJ3

...............10

...............Q10653

?

?

I thought P-P-1D-P; 1S-P-1NT would be more popular than it turned out to be. West only declared 1NT twice. North declared that contract once on an auction I don't think I'd want to know. There were likely some takeout doubles and perhaps one or two overcalls. Above 1NT, contracts were 2D W twice, 2H N twice, 2S E thrice and 3C S.

?

1NT favoured the defence regardless of who declared. A diamond lead allowed E-W to establish the suit for a fifth trick or even for West to push a spade through North's ace for both a fifth and a sixth. When West declared, a club or heart lead allowed N-S to establish nine tricks and West could force no more. Gareth made 1NT N and Study managed the N-S top defending 1NT W -2, +200 being all they needed for the top score. Jacob received a diamond lead, after which he was head for -1 the whole hand until N-S crashed the club king and queen at trick twelve. Spades could have been held to six tricks but one declarer took seven while Jamie and NJ took eight. This was a little surprising as there was not really much South could do on the hand. Jeff and Karlene took the par nine tricks in hearts. 2D W was also set the par -1 both times. Finally Jeanne, the lone declare in clubs, took the expected nine tricks.?

?

1NT W -2

2H N +1 (2)

3C S =

2D W -1 (2); 2S E -1

1NT N =

1NT W =

2S E = (2)

?

7:

?

...............965

...............AQ109

...............A5

...............A762

AQ1074.................K82

854........................J762

K82........................Q10943

103.........................5

...............J3

...............K3

...............J76

...............KQJ984

?

If South does not open the bidding, North opens 1C and the side may reach 3NT N if West never gets in a spade bid. This does not bode well for E-W, however, as East?will likely lead a diamond instead without the guidance of an overcall. If West opens 2S East may carry on to 3S or South will balance with 3C and North will likely let it go, or at most make some sort of move to see if South has a spade stopper and let 4C rest. If South opens 1C, West overcalls 1S but North is unlikely to be kept out of game. Contracts were 3C N, 3C S twice, 3NT S twice, 4C S and 5C S five times.

?

3NT is quickly set by a spade lead. 5C can be made by force but will likely be set if the lead is a spade. Marilee and Judy (P) made 5C, and Jeff, who received a heart lead, took the easy twelve tricks. The club partials all yielded eleven tricks; E-W top was split between?Leobot and Pauise against 3NT -1 with Linbot?and Michbot against 5C -1.

?

5C S +1

5C S = (2)

3C N +2; 3C S +2 (2); 4C S +1

3NT S -1 (2); 5C S -1 (2)

?

8:

?

...............A

...............AKJ64

...............KQ72

...............AJ6

87642..................K5

95.........................Q8732

----.......................A109643

1098743...............----

...............QJ1093

...............10

...............J85

...............KQ52

?

North has a tricky time on the opening bid with a choice between 1H and 2C. If East comes in either red suit can be serious trouble even at the two-level. Slam is likely enough after 2C with South's holding enough values to justify going beyond game, with 3NT the probable destination after 1H. N-S could potentially make game in either major despite the 5-1 suits along with game in no-trumps, and might manage slam in the minors. Usually people managed to stop in time; Contracts were 3NT N thrice, 3NT S thrice, 4S S, 4NT N twice, 6Cx N and 6NT N.

?

With the wild E-W distribution, no-trumps turned out to be the only safe denomination. There was not quite a way to take twelve tricks unless West held Q532 in hearts and covered the ten, but one would not do so if South were declaring, seeing that the whole suit would establish. All the declarers in no-trumps took eleven tricks except for the two results of 3NT = posted against Pauise and Michbot. 4S does not look too bad but the horrendous splits allow E-W to take the first five tricks; Leobot added a sixth trick. 6C has play looking at only the two hands but the layout is grim, with Linbot taking five tricks against 6Cx for +800 and the E-W top.

?

3NT N +2 (2); 3NT S +2 (2)

4H N +1 (2)

3NT N =; 3NT S =

6NT N -1

4S S -3

6Cx N -4

?

9:

?

...............QJ875

...............63

...............2

...............98542

K102.......................A4

A9542.....................KQ87

876..........................AQ95

Q6...........................AJ10

...............963

...............J10

...............KJ1043

...............K73

?

This was the fiendish hand of the set. East opens 2NT and West has a transfer into hearts. There is no serious chance of reaching slam unless East can show a doubleton spade along with four-card support for hearts. We came as close to getting everyone into the same contract here as we would, with 3NT E twice and 4H E nine times. 6H might be reached playing Precision, but would be wrong-sided played by West.

?

Against 3NT a spade lead from South holds declarer to ten tricks at most. Any other lead allows an eleventh. Hearts played by East can take twelve tricks but requires sparkling play against a passive lead. Declarer has to ruff the third spade after taking one high trumps from the East hand then draw trumps in two rounds ending in the West hand. At this point either minor queen will lead to twelve tricks (or thirteen) three-fourths of the time, but the double dummy line is to finesse a lower diamond. South is endplayed and has to lead into dummy, and then declarer can find a squeeze of South in the two minors, winning South's return in the East hand and cashing the ace in the other minor, then returning to the West hand with the heart nine to run the last two hearts, keeping either the diamond eight or club queen as one threat and club AJ or diamond Ax as the other. It's not an easy squeeze to find, as North could easily hold the club king. A diamond or club lead from South gives declarer an easier twelve tricks; four declarers posted +680. Jacob was E-W top in 3NT E +3 after a low diamond lead and then diamond continuation from South after winning the club finesse. Mahn were N-S top wen East took only ten tricks in 4H.

?

4H E =

4H E +1 (4)

3NT E +2

4H E +2 (4)

3NT E +3

?

10:

?

...............----

...............KJ74

...............AK9876

...............K72

KQJ62....................109854

Q10965...................8

4..............................Q53

Q10.........................AJ85

...............A73

...............A32

...............J102

...............9643

?

Does West open in third seat? It would be nice for pairs with an opening bid to show both majors. North will overcall in diamonds if West opens anything and then it is off to the races. If West stays quiet once we start P-P-P-1D; P-1NT, after which another pass could well lead to 3NT S. If spades ever make their way into the auction E-W get to 4S and then it will be a question of whether N-S go on to 5D or not. We finished with a 6-5 split, contracts of 4S W four times, 4Sx W, 5D N four times and 5Dx N twice.

?

Either suit yields ten tricks. Spade contracts are straightforward, making or failing on the club finesse. Diamonds are a little trickier; declarer comes to ten tricks with North declaring, as there is no way to prevent a discard of a club on the spade ace and then ruffing the fourth heart without East's being able to draw South's third trump. Gareth made 5D and Mike made 5Dx after East led the club ace either right away or when in with the diamond queen. Two declarers somehow missed the timing and lost a fourth trick. Everyone in spades took ten tricks except against Jarilee. Their double of 4S could well have backfired but worked to their advantage, as a nervous declarer went down after the infamous lurker check, drawing trumps but then playing another round just to be sure.

?

5Dx N =

5D N =

4Sx W -1

5D N -1

5D N -2 (2); 5Dx N -1

4S W = (4)

?

11:

?

...............J6

...............983

...............Q103

...............K10986

K9842....................Q7

AK52......................J10

J4...........................K972

Q4..........................AJ753

...............A1053

...............Q764

...............A865

...............2

?

With South dealer, this looks like one of those hands destined for 2NT via the E-W auction 1S-1NT; 2H-2NT. (Had East dealt and passed, West might prefer to take the side's chances in 1NT.) We could consider this a sort of Goldilocks hand with four conservative Easts giving preference to 2S, three optimistic Wests accepting the invitation and going to 3NT, and four invitations declined with a contract of 2NT E.

?

for the most part this was a resounding win for the conservatives. A heart lead holds no-trumps to seven tricks because it kills the entry situation for E-W to be able to establish the spades. Declarers in no-trumps took six tricks twice, seven tricks four times and ten tricks once - by Linda. Play began diamond, club, diamond, diamond, with each diamond lead costing N-S one trick. Linda was E-W top and Minn N-S top defending 3NT E -3. Spade contracts can take nine tricks by force, mostly because North is more or less endplayed on opening lead. Three declarers did take nine tricks; Fivy were allowed to hold declarer to eight.

?

3NT E -3

2NT E -2; 3NT E -2 (2)

2NT E -1 (2)

2S W =

2S W +1 (3)

2NT E +2

?

12:

?

...............A64

...............QJ8

...............A1097

...............A72

K2............................J1075

A1063.......................97542

QJ63........................85

KJ10.........................64

...............Q983

...............K

...............K42

...............Q9853

?

I find this one puzzling. Is there a plausible alternative to 1D from West, 1NT from North and South's eventually reaching 3NT? Nothing else makes much sense to me but only six pairs played 3NT N, with lower contracts of 1NT N, 2C S, 2H W (which makes some sense if North is stuck over a weak 1NT opening bid; I strongly advise pairs to use a double of a weak 1NT as strength-showing rather than for some form of takeout)., 2NT N and 3C S; the N-S partials likely resulting from a takeout double?

?

Although the N-S pairs to miss game avoided a trap (3NT is set by a heart lead; West cannot be put under any pressure), four of the six declarers in that contract made it. Mike was even N-S top taking an overtrick after a spade opening lead and eventually a diamond from West at trick seven when a heart would at least have held him to the contract. Ritold were E-W top defending 3NT N -3; against Pauise declarer also went to extremes when the clubs didn't oblige and finished -2. 2H W could have been set but Jacob made it. Clubs yielded the par ten tricks to Jeanne; Linbot held declarer to eight.

?

3NT N +1

3NT N = (3)

3C S +1

1NT N =; 2C S =

2NT N -1

2H W =

3NT N -2

3NT N -3

?

13:

?

...............Q10

...............432

...............KQ97

...............A843

A975......................J86432

A10765..................98

----.........................J8543

K975......................----

...............K

...............KQJ

...............A1062

...............QJ1062

?

Can spades ever get into the auction here? If East passes and South opens 1NT, West may show both majors and East bids 4S in a flash, this being the sort of hand that could easily have a double game swing.?4S might also be reached after a 1D opening bid and a takeout double. A pass over 1NT from West likely leads to 3NT S, which can also be reached after P-P-1C-1H; 2H. Contracts in either minor are also possible. We ended with 3C S thrice, 3D N, 3Dx S, 3NT S thrice, 4S W, 5D N and 5D S.

?

Diamond contracts look nasty but do better played by North, as West can lead a club and give East three ruffs. Henry made 3D N; Kevin took ten tricks in 5D -1; Vinj were E-W top defending 3Dx S -2. Ten tricks were par in clubs, the result twice with Jamob holding the contract to nine. The nine of clubs was a key card, preventing both 5C and 3NT from making. But 3NT required a spade lead; Fay and Marilee took ten tricks after a heart lead, although Wendric did manage the par -1 on defence. 4S takes eleven tricks but not on the gaudy cross-ruffing. The hearts establish; if the opening lead is a diamond, forcing West to ruff, declarer must suck a heart at once.

?

3NT S +1 (2)

4S W -2

3C S +1 (2)

3C S =; 3D N =

3NT S -1; 5D N -1

5D S -2

3Dx S -2

?

14:

?

...............AJ52

...............AJ62

...............98

...............K86

107.......................KQ98

984.......................K103

A1075...................Q42

AQ74....................932

...............643

...............Q75

...............KJ63

...............J105

?

1C from North in fourth seat and then do E-W ever get into the auction? They have half the points but neither has an easy in.?Some?Easts found the suit good enough to come in with 1S, ending the auction twice and leading to 1NT W, a contract also played twice by South and thrice by North. The higher contracts were 2C N, 2Dx W (I have no idea how that happened) and 3H N.

?

The layout favours E-W. No-trumps technically suits the defence; E-W get?eight tricks if West leads spades through North before N-S get hearts started. North or South can be held to five tricks, West to seven. But, as i often the case, all the declarers overperformed. 1NT was never defeated. Jacob took eight tricks declaring as West, as did Mike as North and Lynn (G). Lynn's overtrick came when West led a diamond at trick five instead of a heart or spade. 1NT was the only contract to make; all the other contracts scored +100 for the defence. John bettered par by one trick playing 3H N -2; 1S E could have been made by force.

?

1NT N +1; 1NT S +1

1S E -2; 2Dx W -1

1NT N = (2); 1NT S =

1S E -1

2C N -2; 3H N -2

1NT W +1

?

15:

?

...............Q983

...............AJ54

...............1093

...............85

AK64....................1052

96.........................KQ72

J8.........................Q64

AK983..................J102

...............J7

...............1083

...............AK752

...............Q76

?

After last board's Tribute to 1NT we seemed headed for 1NT E via 1C-1H; 1S-1NT unless South were to come in with 2D. We only saw 1NT E twice and 1NT W thrice - did West open 1NT. Two Wests disliked the diamonds enough to go on to 2C over 1NT. One South overcalled 2D and played the hand there. The three higher contracts were 2S W, 2NT W and 3C W, the first and third making some sense after a 2D overcall and the second after a 1NT opening bid and an optimistic response.

?

A diamond lead holds no-trumps to eight tricks the easy way, although declarer might manage not to do any better against passive defence. +120 is the highest declaring score that can be forced; nine tricks are straightforward in clubs and eight not so straightforward in spades. 2D S can be -2 for the E-W top if E-W are able to make sure of two heart tricks without allowing declarer a discard. Clubs never matched par; Fivy were N-S top defending 3C W -1 while Paul scored well playing 2C W +2. The no-trumps partials took seven tricks, eight tricks twice, nine trcisk and ten tricks twice. Linda and Jacob tied for E-W top in 1NT +3, Linda from the East side and Jacob from the West. North gave Jacob two tricks, one with a diamond discard at trick seven and the other with a spade lead at trick nine, at both points on which a heart could have been played instead. Martin took his eight tricks in 2S for close to a middle score. Leigh Ann was able to pull out a seventh trick in 2D to save 80%. My guess is that the opening lead was a spade and that Leigh Ann was able to get two discards on the spade queen and nine, East's trumping the nine just using the defence's natural trump trick.

?

3C W -1

1NT W =

2D S -1

2S W =; 2C W +1

1NT E +1

2C W +2

1NT W +2; 2NT W +1

1NT E +3; 1NT W +3

?

16:

?

...............98

...............AK1086

...............10

...............AKJ82

K753.....................QJ64

4............................QJ52

AKQ874................J52

63..........................Q4

...............A102

...............973

...............963

...............10975

?

The HCP were about evenly divided. Even at reverse vulnerability the North hand can justify an Unusual 2NT; at favourable vulnerability with so much potential offensively and good defensive potential as well I would favour a double planning to follow with hearts, as North is not especially afraid of E-W's getting the auction to a high level in spades. A constructive game bid is not unlikely and North can carry on over just about any E-W auction, perhaps the trickiest being 1D-X-1S-P; 3S, which is about what the West hand is worth; I'd probably rather bid 4S than 2S if I could be sure partner wouldn't take flight and go for slam. On this layout, if North doubles East bids either 1H or 1NT; the former slows North's ambitions. If North overcalls 1H, East may make a negative double, bid 1S or try 1NT. E-W did not often outbid N-S; contracts were 2H N, 2NT N(oops!), 3C N, 3C S, 3H N twice, 3S W, 4H N thrice and 4S E.

?

With clubs 2-2 and the bad trump split, declarer has nine tricks in hearts, the outcome at all six tables playing in that suit. Club contracts take an extra trick, as there is only one heart loser. That happened both time clubs were played. Spade contracts can be held to eight tricks if North gets a diamond ruff. Fivy managed this for N-S top defending 4S -2; Paul made 3S for E-W top. Jamob had a remarkably easy time setting 2NT and picked up another trick for an extra 15% in the score.

?

4S E -2

2H N +1; 3H N = (2)

3C N +1; 3C S +1

4H N -1 (3)

2NT N -2

3S W =

?

17:

?

...............93

...............A98753

...............A

...............J1087

J752........................Q1064

Q4...........................J62

K54.........................QJ106

Q542.......................A9

...............AK8

...............K10

...............98732

...............K63

?

If North opens 2H it probably goes around. Then again, P-P-1D-P; 1H-P-1NT-P; 2H is about equally plausible, although North has the loser count for more. In the end, 2H N was attempted seven times. Higher contracts were 2NT S, 3H N twice and 4H S after the auction P-1D; 1H-1NT; 3H-4H.

?

The Losing Trick Count proves to be right on the spot this time; in 4H North loses one trump and two clubs. Ten tricks were taken at seven tables, with JP (2H +3) overperforming as declarer, Jamob and Leobot (2H +1) on defence. No-trumps get interesting; an early diamond lead not only establishes a minimum of five tricks for the defence but at the same time prevents declarer from cashing the three long hearts. After that E-W ought to come to seven tricks. After a spade lead declarer can force an eighth trick, while a club lead and any return but a diamond lets declarer come to nine, the table result in 2NT +1.

?

?

?

4H S =

2H N +3

2H N +2 (4); 3H N +1 (2)

2NT S +1

2H N +1 (2)

?

18:

?

...............AJ10653

...............85432

...............96

...............----

984...........................Q7

AQJ..........................109

K10...........................AJ73

KQ973......................AJ654

...............K2

...............K76

...............Q8542

...............1082

?

We finished with a trap for E-W. If East opens, West drives to game and may well respond with an immediate 3NT. An inverted raise in clubs gives the side the chance to find they have no spade stopper and then 5C becomes the likely contract - at least there was a good escape available. If East passes West opens 1NT and then it becomes a question of whether North comes in on the 6-5 distribution. If not, East likely just jumps to 3NT. If North does come in E-W have a fighting chance to find their way to 5C. Six of the eleven E-W pairs walked into the trap and declared 3NT W. Other contracts were 3C E, 5C E, 5C W twice and 6C E.

?

3Nt is -2 against any spade lead except the ace. Minn, Leighry, Glynneth, Study and Jemer took their six tricks and split the N-S top. Only Michelle did not receive the killing lead and emerged with ten tricks for the E-W top. Club contracts could have been held to eleven tricks by a spade lead. Wendy could have been E-W top in 5C +1, with Elizabeth following in 5C =. Karleta managed to set 5C when declarer unnecessarily ran the diamond ten for a finesse.

?

3NT W -2 (5)

5C E -1; 6C E -1

3C E +1

5C W =

5C W +1

3NT W +1

Okay; thanks for letting me know.

?

RT

?

Oh, that's right, it's a Wednesday.

?

1:

?

...............Q1032

...............Q10

...............AQ63

...............753

7.......................AJ84

K93..................8742

KJ109752.........84

104...................AJ2

...............K965

...............AJ65

...............----

...............KQ986

?

Had the diamonds not divided 7-2, we probably would have seen a good many N-S pairs in 4S. In an uncontested auction South would have raised a 1S response to 3S and North would have accepted the invitation. But after P-P-1C-3D; a negative double from North produces 4D from South. If North passes South reopens with a double and North might bid 3S, 4S or 3NT, perhaps even pass. Contracts were 3D W, 3Dx W twice, 3S N twice, 3NT N four times, 4Dx W, 4S N thrice and 6S N.

?

4S and 3NT can both make by force, 3NT is much easier, especially if West has pre-empted. If North ducks the first diamond and wins the second, the suit never runs and then declarer just have to be careful not to get blocked into the South hand. This proved too much at the tables, with -1 posted thrice and Glynneth managing -4 in stages, declarer making two costly discards and then running the heart queen to the king at trick five. 4S is more difficult because declarer must play for the 4-1 split. Declarer usually does not do too badly, especially if the hearts are finessed early, as East has no way to gain control of the hand. The three successful contracts were all in spades, with Barbara posting 4S = for a score of 12/13. When declarer did lose control the penalty was large; Bee defended 4S -4 and Lewbot 6S -5 for the E-W top. Diamonds just manage eight tricks; North's six-spot is not quite high enough to promote. Three declarers in diamonds took eight tricks; Paun bettered par by two tricks for the N-S top. I can see the fifth trick easily enough against inaccurate play, but the sixth remains a mystery. At least only one matchpoint rode on it.

?

3Dx W -3

4S N =

4Dx W -2

3S N = (2)

3D W -1

3S N -1; 3NT N -1 (3)

4S N -2

3NT N -4; 4S N -4

6S N -4

?

2:

?

...............54

...............3

...............AQJ8765

...............Q52

A..............................K98763

K64..........................AJ8

10432.......................K

A10983....................J64

...............QJ102

...............Q109752

...............9

...............K7

?

With each side having an eight-card fit in a minor and a six-card major in one hand, the deal was a good candidate for the rainbow we?almost got. If East opens 1S and rebids the suit, West may go into 2NT or even raise spades on the singleton ace. If East downgrades the singleton king and passes, South may open 2H, which may be the only way to keep North's diamonds out of the auction. It probably would have required two passes ever to play in a club contract. We finished with contracts of 2S E, 2NT W twice, 3D N twice, 3H S twice, 3Hx S, 3S E four times, 3NT E and 3NT W.

?

3NT was the most interesting contract, providing the rare possibility of three different outcomes from leads in the same suit. After the common lead of the queen or jack of diamonds, West has a second stopper in the hand and can come to ten tricks. A low diamond lead establishes the suit for the defence and declarer cannot touch the clubs; eight tricks will be the maximum. The ace lead gives N-S an extra trick and also puts declarer in hand if North establishes the suit, producing a result of seven tricks. When West declared (notably Eric in 3NT W) the opening lead was always an intermediate honour in diamonds and all three declarers emerged with ten tricks. Loren made 3NT E, although I did not see the lead. Spade contracts yielded a relatively straightforward eight tricks, although of the five spade contracts only Bert took eight tricks in 2S =. Leigh Ann took nine in 3S = (heart lead?) but the other three spade declarers took seven tricks or six.? N-S could not force more than seven tricks in either red suit, although Marcia did get out in 3D N -1. N-S top was Con's defending 3S -3 while Lewbot were E-W top defending 3Hx -5.

?

3S E -3

3S E -2

3S E -1

3D N -1

2S E =

3S E =

2NT W -2 (2)

3H S -2

3D N -3

3H S -4; 3NT E =

3NT W +1

3Hx S -3

?

3:

?

...............A5

...............Q105

...............K832

...............K1074

KQ986....................J732

J..............................A6

J1096......................A4

Q96.........................A8532

...............104

...............K987432

...............Q75

...............J

?

At favourable vulnerability South may open 3H, which is likely to be raised to 4H. After 3H-P-P or perhaps 2H-P-3H, does East double? If East does, is West content with 3S or does West push ahead to 4S? Contracts were 3H S six times, 3S W, 4H S four times, 4S W, 5Hx S and 5S E.

?

In order to take a fourth trick against hearts, E-W just have to knock out the spade ace before South gains the lead. Of the eleven declarers in hearts, only NJ and George took ten tricks in hearts; the remaining nine declarers took nine, George's opponents actually did establish and cash their spade trick; he made an overtrick in 3H when he was given a ruff-and-discard in spades. It seemed more likely that E-W would take ten tricks in spades, as declarer can begin the clubs leading low to the queen and bring in the suit for only one loser. Indeed in order to force a fourth trick N-S have to lead clubs in order to pick up the fourth trick with a ruff in the suit (on a ruffing finesse if West declares). Yet none of the three declarers in spades took ten tricks; two took nine and Kelice were fortunate to hold 3S W to only eight tricks, which kept them off the bottom on the board.

?

3H S +1 (2)

3H S = (4)

5S E -2

3S W -1; 4S W -1

4H S -1 (4)

5Hx S -2

?

4:

?

...............74

...............Q62

...............AQ754

...............QJ9

KQJ2......................A10985

974.........................AJ85

10832.....................J

62...........................A43

...............63

...............K103

...............K96

...............K10875

?

Would N-S be scared out of a balance or pre-balance if E-W raised from 1S to 2S? It turned out to be dead even. East played 2S seven times. One South was allowed to play 3C. Five E-W pairs took the push to 3S and one E-W pair got all the way to 4S.

?

It made little difference, but East defending against 3C S missed a sitter after West led the spade king. The line of defence is marked. Overtake the king with the ace to switch to the singleton diamond. When in with the club ace, East can then give West the second spade and set 3C with the diamond ruff. Geoff was allowed to make the contract when East allowed West to lead the second spade. Spades yielded an almost certain nine tricks, the result for eleven declarers. Cindy and Howard took ten, presumably after N-S missed both their chances to establish their club trick.

?

3C S =

4S E -1

2S E +1 (6); 3S E = (4)

2S E +2; 3S E +1

?

5:

?

...............A7

...............A3

...............KQ5

...............AQJ1076

KJ92.........................1064

KJ84.........................Q10762

AJ987.......................64

----............................854

...............Q853

...............95

...............1032

...............K932

?

At least one North upgraded the hand to a 2C opening bid, although 2NT seems likely to lead to game as well and even 1C-1S seems likely to end in 3NT if not 5C. We finished with only one partial; contracts were 3NT N eight times, 3NT S, 4C N, 5C N thrice and 5Hx E (West might come in with a takeout double if the bidding is low enough.

?

This is perhaps the anti-Bill hand. Would he lead the five-card heart suit or try a spade instead? The heart lead sets 3NT in a straightforward fashion; any other lead lets declarer establish a ninth and if attempted a tenth trick in diamonds, with the chance of an eleventh on an endplay. West has a much harder time finding the heart lead and then also has to avoid blocking the suit; Marie, one of the declarers to take ten tricks, received the natural lead of a diamond. 3NT actually made five times out of the nine, with a four-way share of N-S top between Peach, Marie, Paul and Vicki. Setting 5C required only that West avoid being endplay with the second heart after trumps were drawn and diamonds cleared. It was not particularly difficult to manage and the three pairs defending 5C all set the contract. 5Hx E -3 could have escaped for -1, although that would have saved only one matchpoint.

?

3NT N +1 (3); 3NT S +1

3NT N =

5Hx E -3

4C N +1

3NT N -1 (3); 5C N -1 (3)

3NT N -2

?

6:

?

...............87654

...............7632

...............KQ2

...............8

KQ2......................J109

KQ108..................A

A3.........................J1054

QJ109...................K6432

...............A3

...............J954

...............9876

...............A75

?

We could have had everyone in 3NT W after a 1NT opening bid and at least an invitation. We were that close - one pair played 3C instead of the 3NT that was the end result at every other table.

?

The contract was right-sided declared by West; South might opt for a passive diamond lead, allowing E-W to establish and cash two diamond winners to go with the two black aces. With West declaring, however, even if North led a top-of-nothing spade eight to South's ace, South did not find the diamond switch at any table, understandable enough. When in with the club ace, it was too late. Either a spade continuation or a heart switch was almost inevitable and then it became a question of whether South would avoid giving declarer a second overtrick. By a 7-6 margin N-S managed to post -630 instead of -660; it did not seem that hard. Defending 3C W = gave Janda N-S top; E-W top was shared between Rich, Henry, Martin, Lynn, Tracy and Eric.

?

3C W =

3NT W +1 (7)

3NT W +2 (6)

?

7:

?

...............A3

...............J965

...............Q1054

...............KQ8

Q107.......................52

AK873....................42

9..............................AJ732

AJ103......................9752

...............KJ9864

...............Q10

...............K86

...............64

?

South has a probable 2S opening bid and West a likely 3H overcall. One or the other ought to be the final contract. Contracts were 2S S four times, 3H W five times, 3S S four times and 3NT.

?

?Hearts can be held to six tricks but never were; North has too natural a lead of the club king and may get endplayed into leading a club. Con and Sirbara were the only two pairs to post -2 and tie for N-S top. Spades ought to yield eight tricks. A diamond ruff does no good unless West gets a ruff and then South opts for a spade finesse afterwards. Don (S) had the best declaring result taking nine tricks. Most declarers took the expected eight tricks; Ruise held declarer to seven to tie Leighry's 3NT -2 for E-W top.

?

3H W -2 (2)

2S S +1

2S S = (3)

3H W -1 (3)

3S S -1 (3)

3S S -2; 3NT N -2

?

8:

?

...............K3

...............J43

...............AKJ95

...............KQ10

654..........................Q972

875...........................AQ10

Q82..........................764

9532.........................AJ8

...............AJ108

...............K962

...............103

...............764

?

If North upgrades to a 1D opening bid because of the strong suit, N-S should reach 3NT, either by North if East passes or possibly by South if East makes a takeout double. One North opened 1NT and was left there; two more Norths played in 2D and 3D; everyone else played 3NT N.

?

East has a grim time of it against 3NT. The layout is exceptionally kind to N-S with almost everything sitting well. Although it is the only lead other than the heart ten to give away a trick outright, a club could work out best; declarer might lead a heart to the king and let E-W escape with a score of -430. East gets squeezed when the diamonds are run early and declarer can always take eleven tricks. +460 was posted five times, by Sarah, Ken, Harold, Paul and Barbara. There could have been a sixth +460; against Conndy declarer had won nine tricks with the good J10 of spades still to cash at trick eleven but misclicked and lost the remaining tricks. Lernot were E-W top defending 2D +1.

?

3NT N +2 (5)

3NT N +1 (4)

3NT N = (2)

1NT N +4

3D N +2

2D N +1

?

9:

?

...............AJ97

...............9843

...............AK52

...............9

K3..............................10864

KQJ2..........................A76

J986...........................1073

A82.............................J104

...............Q52

...............105

...............Q4

...............KQ7653

?

One South passed and West opened 1D, but the opening bid was usually 1D by North. Some Souths responded 1NT and some responded 2C. We had the rare result of contracts with two different denominations played by both sides. Contracts were 1NT S twice, 1NT W, 2D N, 2S E, 2S S, 2NT N thrice, 2NT S, 3C S twice and 3NT N twice.

?

Declarer can just manage nine tricks in clubs thanks to the 3-3 split. Spades can also come to nine tricks for N-S, though perhaps with a bit more manouvering. No-trumps were more of a battle, coming out with seven tricks to N-S, also the par result in diamonds. Only three tables matched par: Marie in 3C S =, Judy (X) in 1NT S = and Troward defending 2NT S -1. Paul got out for -1 in 3NT when East gave away a trick with a spade lead. Other declarers ahead of the curve were Dale in 3NT N -1, Henry in 1NT W =, James (C) in 2NT N =, Don (F) in 2S S =, Hank in 2D N = and Vicki in 2NT N =. N-S top went to Kelice for defending 2S E -3; E-W top was shared between Jerik (1NT S -2) and Conndy (2NT N -2).

?

2S E -3

2NT N = (2)

2S S =; 3C S =

1NT S =; 2D N =

2NT S -1; 3C S -1; 3NT N -1 (2)

1NT W =

1NT S -2; 2NT N -2

?

10:

?

...............KJ932

...............AK85

...............K105

...............4

A4...........................Q105

732..........................J106

QJ643.....................A82

KQ6.........................J872

...............876

...............Q94

...............97

...............A10953

?

The likely start was P-P-1D-1S; 1NT. Then what? 1NT E was played four times. Three Souths raised to 2S and that ended the auction. Half the auctions went to the three-level, with contracts of 3D W, 3Dx W and 3S N five times.

?

The diamond ten was the key card to N-S's setting 1NT, all four tables producing the par result. Spades and diamonds took the expected sixteen tricks combined at par, with a 9-7 division favouring spades. With both sides vulnerable, defending was bound to score better with sixteen tricks total. Matty posted 3D -2, Ritold 3Dx -3 for the N-S top. Against spades, Boric were E-W top defending 3S -2. One declarer took eight tricks, three took nine and three (Ken, James [C] and Hank) took ten.

?

3Dx W -3

3D W -2

2S N +2; 3S N +1 (2)

2S N +1; 3S N = (2)

2S N =

1NT E -1 (4)

3S N -2

?

?

11:

?

...............K109

...............AK109

...............105

...............10852

43..........................A875

3............................862

98763....................AQJ2

AQ643...................J7

...............QJ62

...............QJ754

...............K4

...............K9

?

It looked as if a 1H opening bid would be raised to 3H and likely passed if West did not come in with 2NT for the minors (iffy but not vulnerable). Some Souths opened 2D Flannery, one without a clear explanation when the bid was made. Except for an inexplicable auction that ended in 1NT W, everyone got at least to 3H S, played four times. 4D E was played twice, along with 4H N twice, 4H S thrice, 5Dx E (1H-2NT-4H-5D; P-P-X) and 5H S.

?

The hands outperform the Law this time, largely with both sides having a workable side suit. There were eighteen total trumps and nineteen tricks combined, nine in hearts and ten in diamonds with one finesse working for each side. Except for a result of 3H S -1 against Marudy everyone took the expected number of tricks in hearts and diamonds. Rich was E-W top declaring 1NT W +3, which looks just barely possible after a club lead if North unguards the clubs on the diamonds, and even then N-S had a second chance to run the hearts.?

?

The interesting part was almost the possible adjustment, as West at the table where 2D was not explained said he would have bid 2NT for the minors had he known 2D to be Flannery. As the table result was 4H N -1 and E-W could not have forced anything better (except with a double, which would not have happened; East would have been far more likely to have bid 5D) the result was allowed to stand. There were some interesting possibilities, though. It would have been most interesting had hearts taken ten tricks and diamonds nine, which would have made 5Dx -2 the par result. There would then have been grounds for adjustment, possibly to 5Dx -2, possibly to average-plus for E-W.

?

3H S = (3)

5Dx E -1

3H S -1; 4H N -1 (2); 4H S -1 (3)

5H S -2

4D E = (2)

1NT W +3

?

12:

?

...............AKJ

...............A5

...............10986

...............AJ85

863.......................Q94

1062......................QJ983

AKQJ4..................7

107........................Q962

...............10752

...............K74

...............532

...............K43

?

Presumably 1NT from North, and then will either East or West enter the auction? Most did not; 1NT N was played nine times. One North did not open 1NT, the contract being 3NT S. At one table East played 2D, after West balanced over 1NT with a single-suited 2C, then passing 2D when East completed the relay. Two Wests declared 2D and one South came in over 2D with 2S.

?

Interestingly, par was seven tricks for N-S in any contract. Five declarers succeeded, four of them Norths in 1NT. East has a tricky time finding discards against 1NT N if diamonds are run before declarer gets into difficulties losing the lead to East more than once. Marcia was the only declarer in 1NT to take eight tricks; three others made the contract. 1NT was set five times, -1 once, -2 thrice and -3 against Jerik when Jim set up the hearts in the East hand and Erik took four diamonds at the end. This tied Jerik for top with Doren, who defended 3NT S -3. All the declarers in diamonds overperformed, 2D W finishing -1 against Saranne and Ritold while Bert played 2D E +1, which requires more than N-S's simply not finding the heart ruff.

?

1NT N +1

1NT N = (3)

2D W -1 (2)

1NT N -1; 2S S -1

2D E +1

1NT N -2 (3)

1NT N -3; 3NT S -3

?

13:

?

...............Q873

...............KQ84

...............AJ

...............AQ4

54........................A

96........................AJ10732

KQ10984.............32

K105....................J832

...............KJ10962

...............5

...............765

...............976

?

East's choice of overcall could play a significant role here over a 1C opening bid. After 1C-1H, South has an easy 2S if played as weak and a reasonable 1S otherwise; N-S are then likely to reach 4S. A 2H overcall probably quiets South and leaves North with an uneasy call, especially if South has passed out of tempo. One auction ended in 2H E. At least three Norths opened 1NT either on a range that goes to 18 or on a downgrade; they declared 2S once and 3S twice. One contract was 2NT N, which suggests the auction 1C-2H-P-P; 2NT and a pass from South. South declared in spades at all the other tables, 3S thrice and 4S six times.

?

Heart contracts can be held to eight tricks; North either covers the nine on the first round or plays the eight if West leads the six and declarer cannot bring in the trumps for one loser. Just playing the hand should be enough to win the board anyway; Howard would have been E-W top in 2H +1 without the overtrick. No-trumps is the most interesting denomination. North can be held to eight tricks by force, but only by a strange line. East must lead a diamond, which obviously North must duck. West then cannot lead a second diamond, as there is no entry, and must switch to clubs to establish two club tricks to go with the diamond and the two major aces. Even though the heart six to queen and ace and a second heart to the nine must be ducked, that does no good as North's ninth trick has been established in hearts before the fifth trick for the defence. Boric scored well enough for -150 defending 2NT N +1 and not finding the arcane line only cost one matchpoint, as only one declarer in 3S took nine tricks. Ten of the twelve declarers in spades took ten tricks with the club finesse succeeding. Jerik were second E-W defending 4S S -1 when declarer discarded a diamond on the second heart instead of a club.

?

4S S = (5)

2S N +2; 3S N +1; 3S S +1 (3)

2NT N +1

3S S =

4S S -1

2H E +1

?

14:

?

...............AK62

...............10952

...............AJ

...............973

10975....................J8

A4.........................KQJ76

963........................8752

AJ108....................Q2

...............Q43

...............83

...............KQ104

...............K654

?

Those Easts who bid 2H on strong five-card suits are likely to play the hand there. Otherwise the most likely start to the auction is with a fourth-hand opening by North, although Daeff-Jerik passed the hand out. A 1S opening bid likely leads to 2S N if South is allowed to bid Drury, perhaps a higher contract if East overcalls 2H, as South is on the spot. P-P-P-1C; 1H often led to South's raising clubs, a most unpleasant development for North. Contracts were 1D S (I am thankful to report that the East who left 1D in was not a player of whom I had any knowledge), 1NT S (still strange), 2C N four times, 2D E, 2H E, 2S N twice, 2NT W and 3C N twice for a full rainbow and with two denominations played by both sides.

?

None of the thirteen contracts bid should have made. In both diamonds and no-trumps the advantage of the opening lead allows the defence to take most of the tricks. Both declarers in diamonds finished -1, but both declarers in no-trumps took eight tricks, as either West or North would have had to begin with the doubleton ace, not often a standout lead against no-trumps. Defensive speed was the overall theme of the hand. Heart contracts offer declarer eight tricks on gaining the lead, but N-S can take a sixth trick by playing four rounds of diamonds before East gets in; the fourth round promotes a trump trick for North. Defending spades is a bit tricky, though less so with North declaring. Were South declarer the defence might start with three rounds of hearts, letting South ruff low and declarer cannot be hurt after that. A club lead or switch from East and declarer is in deep trouble. Only club contracts don't rely heavily on early play; E-W have at least six tricks and perhaps more if declarer gets unlucky in the trump suit. The club contracts all failed, with declarer taking five tricks once, six thrice and seven twice. Along with the two no-trumps contracts all three major contracts succeeded; N-S did not find the trump promotion to set Judy (P) in 2H E and against both 2S contracts West won the second heart and it was too late for the killing club shift from East. Ken as N-S top playing 2S N +1; Lewbot took E-W top defending 3C N -4.

?

2S N +1

1NT S +1

2S N =

2D E =

Passed Out

1D S -1; 2C N -1 (2)

2C N -2 (2)

2H W =

2NT W =

3C N -3

3C N -4

?

15:

?

...............109743

...............10

...............A76

...............J932

K.............................J652

Q973.......................AJ

943..........................J10852

108654....................A7

...............AQ8

...............K86542

...............KQ

...............KQ

?

Did North respond to South's 1H opening bid? It seems safe to say that North passed 1H at least thrice, as three Souths played 2H, not at all a likely rebid if North responds. Two pairs reached game, which probably requires a response from South. The other eight contracts could go either way. Whatever happens on the first round of the auction, South does not have a happy rebid on the second after either 1H-P-1S-P or 1H-P-P-2D. Over 1S, a 2NT rebid may be as good as anything else. It does make me wonder whether it is worth playing 3NT over 1H-1S as showing a hand willing to commit to game with exactly three spades, as otherwise one would have to manufacture a jump shift into 3m and hope not to be raised. The 3NT rebid after 1m-1M shows a hand with a source of tricks, but after a 1H opening bid declarer can just bid 4H if the suit is that good. Contracts were 2H S thrice, 2NT S, 3C S (did North really pass a jump shift?), 3H S seven times (1H-1S; 3H? the hand is likely worth a downgrade out of being a game force with the KQ doubletons but the heart suit is dreadful), 3NT N and 3NT S.

?

3NT makes by force on a strange line. With the spade king singleton, declarer can establish nine winners but has a nasty time unscrambling them. After a diamond lead, play might go something like diamond to king, club king to ace, diamond to queen, club queen, spade ace, spade queen, spade eight to nine and jack. East cannot return a diamond or the fourth spade and therefore must get out with ace and jack of hearts. But South ducks the heart jack. If it wins, East must put North in. If West overtakes, West must either give North the balance by leading a club or give South the balance by leading a heart. 4S makes on a similar line, only after the spade ace South leads a heart to East's jack. Eventually North ruffs a second heart and finesses spades through East, losing only one heart, the club ace and one spade, either on a ruff or East winning the fourth round with the high jack.

?

At the table only three contracts made - 2H S = by George, 2H S +1 by Linda (R) (the only par-beating declarer) and 3NT S = by Alice for the N-S top. -1 was just above average for N-S; four E-W pairs posted +200, Ruise against 3C S, Lewbot and Bee against 3H S and Troward against 3NT N. Against Troward declarer began the spades leading low from the South hand at trick five instead of leading the ace.

?

3NT S =

2H S +1

2H S =

2H S -1; 2NT S -1; 3H S -1 (5)

3C S -2; 3H S -2 (2); 3NT N -2

?

16:

?

...............K1053

...............862

...............J98

...............854

976.........................QJ84

KQ1075..................J4

106.........................AK752

QJ2........................K3

...............A2

...............A93

...............Q43

...............A10976

?

1D from East in third seat. South might pass, overcall 2C on the poor suit or upgrade the hand to a 1NT overcall. 1NT S might be left in or West might come in with a non-forcing 2H. West might declare 1NT if South stays quiet; over 1NT W East might come in with 2D again and West could give preference back to 2S. South could play 2C or 3C and we did in fact, get another rainbow. Contracts were 1NT E(!), 2C S, 2H E(upgraded to a 1NT opening bid?), 2H W four times, 2S E, 2NT W, 3C S thrice and 3D E twice.

?

Against clubs, it does not really matter whether or not West gets a diamond ruff, as it just cancels out the second trump trick. Declarer comes to seven tricks, although Randi picked up one extra trick on defence against inexact play. A spade ruff does make the difference against a diamond contract, giving N-S six tricks, both 3D contracts finishing -2. Eight tricks are straightforward in either no-trumps or hearts (both NT contracts yielded eight tricks as did all four 2H W contracts; curiously it was only in 2H E against which South did not get the spade ruff; South did not lead a spade against Jim (U) and ducked the first heart. 2S is the most interesting contract. N-S have four top tricks and can pick up a fifth either by drawing West's trumps and preventing the hearts from running or else by aggressively playing clubs and forcing East to ruff. Lewis, the only declarer in 2S, managed a ninth trick to tie for E-W top with Jim in 2H E +1. Saranne and Ritold shared the N-S top defending 3D E -2.

?

3D E -2 (2)

2C S -2; 3C S -2 (3)

2H W = (4)

1NT E +1; 2NT W =

2H E +1; 2S E +1

?

17:

?

...............Q653

...............Q53

...............QJ84

...............109

----.......................AK108

AJ1092................874

A1073..................96

AK84...................Q632

...............J9742

...............K6

...............K52

...............J75

?

We could have had the auction 1H-2H; 4H at every table. Even if West were not to go directly to game but were to invite, East would have a clear acceptance. That there were ten contracts of 4H W has to be considered too low. Partials were 2H W twice, 2NT E and 3H W.

?

Declarer has eleven tricks in hearts with little trouble. The trickiest lead is a club; if declarer wins in the East hand and finesses a trump at once, North leads the second club and then declarer gets stuck leading the trump ace from hand, but that get lucky when the king drops. The only pair to hold 4H to ten tricks was Vioebe; declarer never finished drawing all the trumps and eventually surrendered a club ruff. No-trumps can be held to ten tricks by a diamond lead. A club lead is not quite tricky, as East's six-spot serves as a second entry. 4H W +1 was posted by Tracy, Ruth, Eric, Connie, Erik, Rich, Henry, Gernot and Lewis. N-S top was Sirbara's defending 2H W +2.

?

2H W +2

2H W +3

2NT E +3

3H W +3

4H W =

4H W +1 (9)

?

18:

?

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...............962

...............Q1092

...............QJ94

1087642.............9

AK......................J10743

J7.......................K6

A63....................K10875

...............AK53

...............Q85

...............A8543

...............2

?

South opens 1D and West overcalls 1S. Then comes 2D by North (not always) and perhaps more. East might have a light responsive double or a 2H bid; West might reopen with a double or even 2S. Contracts were 1S W, 2D S, 2S W thrice, 3D S thrice, 3Dx S, 3S W, 4D S, 4H E twice and 5D S.

?

E-W cannot quite set 3D by force, but can force declarer to guess if West gets a heart ruff off the top; declarer must then run the diamond queen to pin West's jack. Four of the seven declarers in diamonds took nine tricks (Dianne and Don [F] tied for N-S top in 3D S =); Boric were a little lucky to post 3Dx -1 to tie for E-W top with Bee (5D -2) and Glotin (4D -2); South led a low diamond at trick five when a spade, heart, or the diamond ace would still have allowed the make. East can technically force nine tricks in hearts and both 4H contracts yielded the par nine tricks; clubs can come in with one loser and the diamonds are frozen. In spades declarer has four trump losers if N-S don't crash honours. N-S can collect their trumps and the diamond ace and then wait for the club trick, or defend actively, push three rounds of clubs early and then after South's last trump is gone force West with the heart queen and make West break the diamonds. Declarers in spades took seven tricks three times, eight once and nine once.?

?

2D S +1; 3D S = (2)

2S W -1 (3); 4H E -1 (2)

3D S -1

1S W +1

3S W =

3Dx S -1; 4D S -2; 5D S -2