Right-click here for hands. Seven tables, including five 99er pairs.
Board 1: Most pairs reached 3NT, after perhaps 1NT-2C-2D-2NT. East could pass, but with 16 hcp and more than his share of Aces, Tens and Nines it will usually pay to bid on. Not today: South leads a heart and N/S collect four hearts and a club. West might reasonably have passed 1NT, downgrading his hand with no Ace or Ten.
Board 5: Lots of choices in the bidding. North's hand is a classic Goren or "Rule of 20" light opener, but those taught to count hcp + long suits may pass. Over 1C, East can bid almost any number of hearts or show both red suits with a "two-lower-unbid-suits" Unusual 2NT overcall. As the hearts are far better I'd lean toward a 3H jump at this vulnerability. Over a pass, 3 or 4 hearts is also plausible but my usual style with 6-5 is to open a weak two if the primary suit is good. South has good shape but limited points; he'll bid 1S after 1C-(1H), of course, and should risk 2S after 1C-(2H), but may not be able to act at any higher level. West will raise almost any heart bid to game, based on the good fit. If South managed a spade bid, North should raise. I would expect a large field to be divided among 4H and 4S contracts, with perhaps some E/W pairs competing to 5H.
Against hearts, South leads his singleton diamond. East may as well finesse as he will lose two diamonds either way if North has KQx -- except that North can arrange to give South two ruffs by returning the King as a suit preference signal for spades. N/S should collect two or three diamonds and two Aces for down one or two, but a defensive slip may allow East to pitch his losing spade on the King of clubs.
Against spades, West presumably leads a heart. East can return another heart (it won't hurt to give dummy a ruff you can't prevent) or try his stiff club. South will likelu lose a trick in each suit, as the normal way to play the spades would be low to the Ace, low back to the Queen. However, if East revealed his two-suiter during the bidding, South may place the King with West and try leading the Queen, which pins the Jack and picks up the suit.
Board 6: South opens 1S, North replies 2H. If this isn't game-forcing, South's 3D rebid is -- a new suit at the three level, with little room left below 3NT, has always been game-forcing in standard bidding, though many players are unaware. North can rebid 3H if he trusts South not to pass; otherwise, he'd better jump to 4H. Over 3H South bids 3S and North raises to game.
South has few losers and a partner who has shown 10 or 12+ points depending on style; but how useful will heart honors be? He can assume no club loser and needs the Ace of spades or the Jack of spades plus the Ace of diamonds to have a good shot at slam. Not a terrible hand, despite the void, for simple Blackwood; you can bid slam if North shows two Aces. True, slam makes opposite Jx KQxxxx Ax Qxx, but no sequence will necessarily inspire North to bid slam with that holding. A reasonable alternative would be to cue-bid 5C, allowing North to cue-bid the diamond Ace. No guarantees but I think N/S should land in 6H or 6S. On a diamond lead South should either win in hand to preserve his entry to dummy, or just win in dummy and pitch his losing club on a heart immediately.
Board 7 South has another light, shapely opening bid. With all his points in his long suits and two quick tricks, this 6-5 10 count is a sound 1S opener.4H was the popular contract, and game makes in hearts, spades or clubs. 6C is also plausible and will likely make unless East starts with a trump, wins the second heart and switches to a spade, destroying dummy's entry.
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