6/25 one more

I have K97 Kxx xx AQJxx

RHO deals, the auction goes

(1H) - p - (2N)* - 3S**
(p) - p - (4D) - p
(4H) all pass

*4 card GF raise
** When 2N got around to partner, I said to him, "do something destructive."

I choose to lead the SK, in case I need to hold the lead for some reason. Yes, I don't really have a reason to hold the lead since I probably want a club through. But look! We get

--------Q
--------QTxx
--------KQJxxx
--------xx
K97
Kxx
xx
AQJxx
-------
-------closed
-------hand
-------

The first trick goes K Q J A! Declarer ruffs a spade in dummy and calls for the DK. Partner covers, declarer ruffs. Declarer ruffs another spade in dummy as I follow for the third time. He comments on how I have so many spades.

Declarer plays DQ, shedding a spade. My jaw drops, and I look at partner. At this point, I really should have asked who had the 5th spade. Sigh, it's hard to be witty in tempo. Declarer plays another top diamond, shedding a club, and I ruff. The position is

-----(v)
-----QT
-----xxx
-----xx
(v)
Kx
(v)
AQJxx

It seems like declarer is 4504. I felt like I was stuck at this point, but then I realized the solution. We have to exit a trump. By sacrificing our trump trick, we can get 3 club tricks in return for off 1. (Okay yes, declarer can win a trump, draw a trump, then if he has the KTx of clubs, he can exit the T. If he does this, hold your cards back next time, or play in a weaker game.)

some from 6/25

By drinking half a bottle of wine, I discovered that I had much more than just half a bottle at a friend's wedding.

In other news...

p - (4S) - all out

Partner leads the H6 (3rd/low)

972
Q3
A764
KQxx
----------x
----------A9
----------Q532
----------JT9xxx
(closed
hand)

You win the A, declarer follows the 4.
I thought about it for a while and shifted to a diamond, which is necessary. It really wasn't that hard, but I'm still glad I got it right. This was a game swing, since the other table did not beat it (the player in my seat tried to prevent a swing by preempting my hand, since I am known to be extremely wild. This got his partner off to the CA lead.)

They bid 2C 2D; 2H 2N; 3N

I lead DT, we see

----------A86
----------AKQT9
----------A3
----------Axx
QJx-----------------Kxx
Jx------------------xxxx
T984----------------Kxx
Kxxx----------------Jxx
---------closed
----------hand

Partner won the DK and returned a diamond. Both defenders can see 8 tricks for declarer, so the only hope is that if declarer does have a 9th trick, he can't reach it. We (west) know declarer has the DQ, so we must never touch the suit again.

Declarer plays a club to the Q, I win the K. I exit a club. Declarer ducks to partner's CJ, and partner exits a heart.

Declarer cashes all his winners, and I pitch all my diamonds at my earliest opportunity to clarify the diamond position. Declarer plays SA and another. Partner ducks smoothly in case declarer has another QT guess, but it's all over. We managed to hold declarer to the 8 tricks we saw in dummy.

I think I could have done better by clarifying the diamond position at trick 2. I'm not sure which card would attempt to make it unambiguous for partner, maybe the 9? In any case, I followed with my smallest diamond which can't be right. Thankfully partner held the SK (instead of us) so he knew there was no hurry. I admit that I was rather wined up by this point and didn't really think about the defense until trick 3. Then again, if I held KQ of spades, maybe I would have been more alert to try to play a revealing diamond at T2.

Stanford 6/15

KJxxx x JT9876 J
A AKx xx AKT98xx

South deals.

BBO 6/13

You reach 4S on the auction
1S - 2S
3C - 4S
with both opponents being passed hands (you opened in 4th).

ST is led

Q43
62
AKT76
T63

AKJ72
T
983
AQ82

Trumps break 3-2, LHO having 2.

San Francisco 6/12

IMPs, they bid 1H - 2D - 3N - 4H

Partner leads the S2 (3rd and low), we get

--------Kx
--------QJx
--------QJxxx
--------QTx
------------------A83
------------------xxx
------------------T9x
------------------KJ9x
-------closed
--------hand

BBO 6/3

They merrimac'd my partner's beer. I choked on my wine when it happened.