Right-click here for hands. Nine tables, with 10 99er or youth/mentor pairs. Georgia discussed courtesy before the game, then she and I reminded each other to watch our volume and tone of voice!
Board 4: E/W should reach 3NT after an auction like 1C-(1S overcall)-2D-2H-3C-3NT. If North instead jumps to 2S, East has a tougher bid but should risk 3C rather than be shut out or make a game-forcing 3D call. Six clubs is makeable from West's side (protecting the King of spades from the opening lead) but it requires finessing in diamonds and then ruffing to establish three disards for hearts -- not a good bet.
At 3NT North leads a spade, West wins and counts 8 tricks. If South gains the lead another spade would be fatal, but there is no obvious alternative to the diamond finesse. West may as well run the clubs first, pitching a heart; nothing interesting happens, but the finesse wins. West may score an overtrick if the defenders pitch diamonds or North has to lead another spade.
Board 8: West opens a weak 2S, North passes and East should raise preemptively. With three card support, a raise to 3 is normal, but I think with the singleton heart (suggesting N/S has a 9 card fit) an aggressive East may gamble 4S, maximizing the pressure on South. When each side has nine card major fit, it is often right to bid 4 spades over 4 hearts at equal vulnerability; bidding it immediately forces South to guess whether to double, pass, or bid 5H. Bidding only 3S lets South bid 4H (he can expect to ruff some spades in partner's hand) making it easy for North to continue to 5H over a delayed 4S.
Here, South cannot guess to bid 5H and probably doubles 4S, which North should pass. The result is probably down 3, but defenders sometimes slip and South might not double. If East bids only 3S the first round, it is best to pass the second round.
Board 11: South opens a weak 2S and West doubles (takeout.) North should not bid with a poor hand, only an 8 card fit, and the opponents already forced to the three level. East makes the practical bid of 3NT; passing for penalties might work but looks iffy.
South leads the King of spades from his sequence, East ducks once and wins the second round. East cashes 3 rounds of clubs and two diamonds (ending in hand), when diamonds break 4-1, he finesses the heart. This is safe since North should be out of spades. North wins and returns a diamond. Declarer wins in dummy and cashes the 13th club; North is squeezed and declarer winshis 11th trick in whichever suit North pitches.
Board 15: South opens preemptively; it is normal to open 4 with an eight card suit, but at this vulnerability South may open only 3. North must decide whether to settle for game try for slam with 4NT; slam looks cold if opener has the King of hearts and the Ace of clubs, and will have a play if South has the Ace of spades, but the five level isn't safe on a club lead. If North passes 4H or raises 3 to 4, East comes in with 4S; it might make or might be a good sacrifice at this vulnerability. North takes the push to 5H, which requires a minimum of luck. E/W actually have a good sacrifice at 5S but I don't think it is obvious to bid it. A pure guess club lead beats 5H; on the more likely spade lead, East should win and take his Ace of clubs -- it is obvious declarer has few other losers and futile to hope partner can get in to lead clubs.
Board 17: East opens 1S and West is too strong for a 4D splinter. It is unusual to bid Jacoby 2NT with a singleton, but West can benfit from learning a bout a minor suit singleton or extra values in partner's hand, so the forcing raise is probably best. Otherwise, West can start with 2D, planning to bid clubs next and then support spades. Over 2NT, East bids 4S to show a minimum. A minmum opener generally counts to 7 losers, and West has five crisp winners plus his singleton; West checks on key cards and bids slam. East cannot be prevented from scoring two heart ruffs, five trumps, and five minor suit winners. For point-counters, West's hand revalues to at least 19 by adding 3 points for the singleton with four trumps when raising partner.
Board 21: North opens 1NT (15-17) and East preempts 3C. South should simply bid 3NT; the strong notrump will usually contain a stopper. It does, and declarer scores ten or eleven tricks (finessing early in diamonds and probably later in spades after East's J9 drops.) We reached an unmakeable 6D after a "Precision" sequence in which South portrayed his hand as worth 14 points. Remember to deduct a point from strong but Aceless hands.
Board 27: South opens 1S and West overcalls 2D. North has only 10 hcp but visions of slam opposite a hand like AQxxx Kxx xxxx x so bids 2H before blasting to game. (Another possibility would be 4D as a splinter raise, but I'd rather have something in both side suits for that bid.) An aggressive East competes with 3D and South likes his hand enough to venture 3S. West blasts to 5D but North likes the sound of the auction (partner's values should be outside diamonds) and bids 6S, which makes easily with 6 trumps, 3 hearts, 2 diamond ruffs and a club.
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