Stanford 1/8

I still have hand records from SF Nationals. I was planning to post some of them, but I got sick of bridge.

Here's one from Stanford tonight

Our auction was
....  p
1D 1S
2C 2H
3H 3S
3N

We have J ATx QT87x AKJx. Comments on what to bid over 3S? Stiff J good for bidding 4S?

Anyway, 3NT

AQTxxx
Qxxx
J9
x

J
ATx
QT87x
AKJx

Opponents start three rounds of diamonds, LHO having Kxx and RHO having Axx.

I still have no idea how to play this hand. I'm hopeless at these, so I'll just present what I did. There was a common theme in the ending.

I immediately played the SJ, playing the Q from dummy, losing. :(  Small club came back, I stuck in the J, it held. Now I just played AK and another club. They broke 4-4, RHO was in and was forced to lead a heart away from the K. 10 tricks.

She asked if there was anything she could do to avoid that, and I mentioned off the cuff that if she unblocked the CQ earlier, her partner would be in to put a heart through and put me on a guess. It was only on the drive home that I realized I had missed the common theme: I have no guess if she unblocks. The unblock marks her with the HK.

Anyway, thoughts on how to play 3NT after 3 rounds of diamonds?

San Francisco 11/24

1st r/w MPs Ax AJxxx xxx Qxx

p (3D) 3S (4D)
?

Yarb

In a casual game, my friend got dealt a 46 Yarborough. Nothing higher than a 6.

Santa Clara 9/3 - play 2S

3rd seat

AQT8xx Ax -- 98xxx

p (p) 1S (2C)
2H (p) 2S

Kx JTxxx QJTxx x
AQT8xx Ax --- 98xxx

CK lead, trump shift. If you play small from dummy, RHO plays the 9.

Don't be careless. I was.

Santa Clara 9/3 - play 4H

To recap, I played in the two day pairs, where day 1 was the qual. I played terribly, and we didn't make the cut.

Then we played in a bracketed KO where we asked to be moved up and promptly lost.

So now we are in the final round of the loser loser swiss.

Here's the one thing I did well all weekend.

Kx AQJT7 x JTxxx

1H (3D) 3H (p)
4H (p) p (x)

DQ lead, we see

xxxx 865 Kxx AK9
Kx AQJT7 x JTxxx

I duck the opening lead, and the ace appears on my right. RHO now plays ace and a spade.

I cross to dummy's CA and casually float the H8. LHO shows out. Repeat the finesse.

At this point, I play a club to dummy's K, dropping LHO's Qx! Now, I play the DK to try to induce the ruff, and RHO obliges. Cross back to dummy's C9, pick up trumps, 4Hx+1.

Santa Clara 9/3 - hand 1

imps

AKQxxx -- x AKxxxx

1S 1N
3C 3N
4C 4S

Do you move or give up?

I passed, partner is Jx AQxx QJTxxx x

Got a heart lead, so shed the diamond, ruffed two clubs, and when everything behaved, I made 7. Would you reach 6? The other table did and it takes a very specific defense to beat it, so it seems like a good slam.

7/25 Palo Alto

QTx Kxx QJxx xxx

Partner deals and open 1D, you bid 1N and buy it

H9 (0 or 2 higher) led

Kxxx Jxx AKxx xx
QTx Kxx QJxx xxx

it goes to the A and the 7 comes back.

In a bout of retardedness I held up, then cashed diamonds, then played a spade toward my Q. RHO thought about it, flew ace, and they cashed out

should've just won HK at T2, diamond up, and spade toward my Q, hoping to take 6 tricks