Right-click here for hands. 3 tables each in the Open and 99er sections. I was busy re-arranging my living space (I have to reduce my life to one room by Oct. 1st) and so missed the game.
Board 3: A normal auction would be 1NT-2C-2H-3NT-pass. Various slams are makeable, but notice that you have winning finesses in hearts and diamonds and clubs split 3-3. 31 hcp with no fit will generally not give a good play for 6NT, and only two declarers managed 12 tricks.
Board 6: East should open 3D, even vulnerable vs. not; with such a good trump suit you are unlikely to be doubled. South overcalls 3H and North replies 3S; this is forcing by an unpassed hand. South rebids 4C (has to be natural, for hands just like this) and North should smell a slam, though 4S would be a reasonable matchpoint guess. Over 4D, South's 5 loser hand justifies 4NT; North replies with only 1 Ace or Key card but South guesses he has good trumps for his bidding and signs off in 6C.
West leads a diamond, dummy wins and South unblacks the Ace of spades before tackling trumps (low from hand). West ducks the first trump and South continues low to his King. Declarer plans on winning four trumps, two red aces and 5 or 6 spades along with a diamond ruff if needed. West holds off again, planning to cover dummy's last trump with his Ace. South leads another trump to dummy, and now West has the bare Ace while South has two trumps and North one. Leading another trump would leave no entry back to the spades, so declarer begins running the spades. West can ruff in on the fourth spade but dummy has a trump left for re-entry and N/S chalk up +920.
At 4S, a reasonable line for North would be to win the first diamond, ruff a diamond with the Ace, pitch the last diamond on the Ace of hearts, ruff a heart back to hand, play three top trumps and then knock out the Ace of clubs. Twelve tricks if the ten of spades drops, 11 if it does not but trumps are 4-2.
A safer line for 10 tricks would be to lead a club off dummy after cashing the Ace of hearts; this avoids losing control if spades are 5-1, but allows the defense a club ruff. At matchpoints one rarely surrenders an overtrick to guard against a 5-1 break, unless you're doubled.
Board 15: South opens 1C, North replies 1H, South raises to 2H and North bids either 4H (if South promises four card support) or 3NT (in case South raised on only 3.) Unless you have explicitly discussed and ruled out three card raises with this partner, South should correct to 4H despite his flat shape. (Most experts will raise with Qxx of trumps and a singleton, some with xxx or a small doubleton, so don't assume 4 trumps in this sequence without discussion.)
West has no attractive lead. Adding his 11 hcp to N/S's 24+ for game leaves very little for partner, so West should try to avoid blowing a trick on the lead. Also, the auction did not suggest any strong side suit for dummy or declarer. Leading the Ace without the King is very poor, Qxx in declarer's first suit is surely wrong, and there is no reason to consider a trump from Kx. That leaves the four of spades, high from a doubleton; this is a poor but "least-worst" choice. (With a weaker hand, where partner can be expected to have some values, it is better to lead from an honor than from a small doubleton; imagine partner has the King or Queen in whatever suit you lead. If you have an honor you may build up a trick for your side; if you lead from nothing you will often finesse partner with no opportunity for gain.)
South wins and should play the Ace and a low trump. Inexperienced players often confuse this sort of holding with one such as AJ10x opposite Q9xx; then, you would lead the Queen from dummy hoping East covers. A good guideline is to ask yourself whether, if you lead an honor and it is covered, you gain a trick; if not, do not lead an honor, lead toward it. As it happens, South can still pick up trumps with only one loser if he starts with the Queen by leading low toward the A10 the next round, but that play would cost a trick if West held KJx and can gain only against an unlikely singelton Jack with West.
West wins the King and observes dummy started with 14 hcp, not 12, so prospects of a useful card in partner's hand are quite bleak. May as well try Ace of diamonds and a diamond, hoping for a ruff. No such luck and declarer should score 4 spade tricks, 4 trumps, a diamond and two clubs for +650.
Board 16: West opens 1D, North overcalls 2C, South replies 2S. North has enough to try 2NT; South can support clubs but you hate to leave a secen card major "on the shelf". He should give some thought to 4S but should probably settle for 3S with his Aceless hand and most of his points in his short suits. North may raise but, having basically described his hand, should trust partner and pass.
West would like to pass the lead but the rules require him to select one. "When in doubt, lead a trump" is apt to be poor advice here -- North has announced a good source of tricks in clubs, and declarer can be expected to pull trumps and discard losers on clubs. Leading an Ace to "look at dummy" will generally prove to be an expensive view. And if you lead Ace from Ace-King, how can partner tell when you lead an unsupported Ace?
I think I'd try the King of clubs. This looks wrong: partner is unlikely to have an entry to give you a ruff, and it seems you are assisting declarer in establishing clubs. But he'll have to lead toward one of your Aces, or allow you to ruff a club. The lead proves not to be critical unless West cashes the Ace of diamonds and does not cash the Ace of hearts; West collects three Aces and another trump.
Board 19: West opens 1C and North likely doubles, though I might prefer 1D with this Aceless collection. Some Easts would redouble but the modern style is to respond in a major if possible, ignoring the double. Over 1H, South should go ahead and bid 1S -- don't leave partner to fight the part-score battles on his own; he should not expect more than this in competition. Likewise, West's 2C is "automatic"; pass would suggest a balanced minimum, not this excellent, shapely hand. If you learned from a textbook that free bids, even at levels, promise extra values, rip those pages out and burn them -- that theory has been obsolete for 50 years. Get in the trenches and fight for those part-scores!
North would pass partner's 1S if West passes but should confirm the four card support by raising to 2S in competition. The basic goal of competitive bidding, when both sides have a fit, is to force the oponnents to the three level.
East would like to bid 3NT at this point but lacks a clear spade stopper. I suggest 3D, forcing, hoping for delayed heart support or 3NT from partner. It's routine to bid a 3 card minor as a convenience bid when needed. West bids 3NT. (Ideal would be 3S, asking partner to bid 3NT; this helps when partner has Qx. But you'd need partner to bid 3NT regardless of his spade holding and few partnerships have such an agreement.)
Ten or more tricks are easy at 3NT. Five clubs can also make but requires a bit of guesswork. Long, running suits are ideal for notrump if you have enough quick tricks and stoppers on the side.
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