Crazy hands as usual at the club, befitting the crazy 17 table movement:
http://clubresults.acbl.org/Results/231159/2010/08/100818M.HTM
(Right-click and select "open in new tab"; results at the top, scroll down for the hands)
Board 1: North deals and either passes or opens a ratty 2S. East passes (a Precision pair might open 1D). If North opened 2S, South should apply maximum pressure with a leap to 4S on AJxx Jxxx x Qxxx. Otherwise, West hears three passes and stares at -- AKx AKQxxxx 10xx .Nine tricks but only 16 hcp and a long minor, not worth 2C so West opens 1D. North likely bids 2S at this point; East makes a negative double with
Qxx Q10xx 10x AKxx . South should cut North some slack for not opening 2S, but should at least raise to 3S based on his shape, not high cards. Guess time for West; there's no way to establish diamonds as trumps and coax a club cue-bid from partner. With nine tricks in hand and a partner who was willing to push to the three level when he doubled, six diamonds looks right. West would like to bid 5S to show his void and try for a grand, but partner is apt to interpret that as confirming hearts as trumps.
If the bidding starts (2S)-pass-(4S), West has a pure guess and 5D is probably best. Raise partner's weak two bids with shapely hands!
Board 3: South opens 1D and West should should pass his flat 13 count with little pause for thought. When they bid your best suit, plan to defend. North responds 1S, South rebids 1NT, and North should count tricks: 7 spades plus partner's opening should give a play for 10 tricks. Should he bid 4S or 3NT? If partner had opened 1C rather than 1D, I might gamble on 3NT at matchpoints, but a club lead here is likely and partner's stopper may be only notional. 4S for me. East has no attractive lead; some might lead a trump but partner rates to have some values (give the opps 23-27 for their game, that leaves 7-11 for partner.) You could try the Ace of clubs, hoping partner is short, but declarer is the one who has shown a shapely hand.
What about diamonds? Inexperienced players often lead dummy's first bid suit, citing the old maxim "lead through strength"; more often than not, this helps declarer establish discards. He was probably going to lead the suit himself and give partner any tricks he has coming. For the same reason a trump lead likely helps declarer. Clubs is your strongest suit but it is usually wrong to lead an Ace without the King, and worse to underlead it.
Process of elimination: lead a low heart, an unbid suit headed by an honor. Jackpot! West wins the Queen (or the ten, reading partner's lead as indicating an honor in the suit.) What now? Before playing to trick one, West should pause to take stock: 24 hcp in view, and declarer likely has 10-14 for his jump (with more, he might've tried for slam, given his long suit.) That leaves 2-6 hcp for East. Either black Ace or the King of spades will give East an entry to continue the hearts, and so at least 4 tricks for the defense. Qx of trumps yields a trump trick but no entry to East, as declarer will surely bang down the AK.
All in all, it looks right to return a diamond despite dummy's length. North might have Ax of clubs and two diamonds, in which case he can pitch one loser, but lacks the entries to establish diamonds and pitch any hearts.
Most declarers failed at 4S, as even a diamond lead proves non-fatal to the defense, as long as East leads a heart at some point. One pair rolled 10 tricks at notrump; the defense is not obvious and the long spades undoubtedly gave E/W discarding problems. (They should collect a club, a diamond and three hearts, but it takes something like a diamond lead, club switch, heart Jack to beat 3NT.) Not bidding game earned a fair score this time, but strikes me as far too cautious.
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