There were seven full tables in play, awkward in terms of the movement. Seven rounds of three boards each would amount to only 21 boards, while six rounds of four provide 24 boards to play, but pairs play only six of seven possible opponents. The ungainly solution adopted here was a “Pivot Mitchell”, where E/W pairs arriving at Table 7 pivot to N/S after the round and play a second round there before moving on to Table 1 to resume play E/W. To further confuse everyone in the room, in the last two rounds some but not all tables pivot the cardinal directions, so that E/W become N/S and vice versa. It’s a single winner game, and scoring errors are not infrequent.
The Deal in the Field
At any rate, out of seven plays of this board, E/W declared four times: 2♣ making three, 2NT making four, 3NT making three, and 5♣ down one. N/S declared three times, one in 3♥ down two undoubled for –100, one in 2♥ down three doubled for –500, and at our table, 3♥ down four doubled for –800. The double dummy optimal score for E/W is 3NT making four for +630.
The Auction
We have no record of the other auctions as we would in an online game, but the contracts and scores indicate that both the auctions and the play of the hand were lively and heartily volatile. The first issue is whether to open the 10 HCP East hand, which falls just shy of a “Rule of 20+2” opener. Add your HCP to the combined length of your two longest suits. If that sums to at least 20 and you have two quick tricks, open. As a general rule, we aren’t fond of Rules and prefer thoughtful, informed decision–making. For better or worse, we would have opened the East hand 1♠ in a heartbeat. After South’s presumed Pass, most Wests might just jump to 3NT.
Other Easts might decline to open, and assuming South isn’t feeling frisky, West would likely open 1♣, opening the door for North to compete in diamonds. After East’s spade response, E/W should do their best to get to 3NT. Against any defense declarer can bring home ten tricks.
We like an opening 1♠ by East for another reason: A jump to 3NT by West slams the door on any possible competition by N/S, and it also conceals any information about the West hand that North might use to inform the opening lead. This amounts to analysis by result, but hey.
At our table, South is not at all unfrisky and makes an adventuresome, obstructive 3♥ jump overcall. West could have bitten the bullet and bid 3NT but instead passes. Whatever for? Perhaps hoping for a big hand in the East and slam prospects? Fearing a diamond assault in notrump? Regardless, with some trepidation East reopens with a Double, and there you have it. West leads the ♠K.
The Play
E/W must set the contract four tricks to beat +630 for ten tricks in notrump their way. Click here to see the defense do so. After the opening lead, West continues the ♠2. East wins the jack and continues the ♠A. West discards the ♣4, upside down and encouraging. With the ♦AK in dummy, the defense must try to cash two club tricks before one of them goes away. After doing so, the defense exits with a club. South does her best by shortening herself in trumps and leading toward the ♥J in dummy, but it is not to be. At trick eleven, South is thrown in, and West must win one of the last two tricks. What a heartwarming outcome for the defense!
Closing Thoughts
One of Eddie Kantar’s maxims is, “She who knows, goes.” We strongly prefer that West not pass South’s jump overcall when it is virtually certain that a vulnerable game is in hand, so to speak. Might there have been slam prospects? Perhaps, but competitive bidding – even South’s daring jump overcall at our table – is all about interfering with the opponents so that they do not conduct an unobstructed auction. If we allow the opponents to do so, more often than not they will find a good contract and score well. The corollary, of course, is that we will not.
On the other hand, there is a fine line between daring and reckless, between going out in a blaze of glory and going down in flames. Should we do everything we can safely do to obstruct the opponents’ auction? By all means! But while we may profit in the long run, in the short term there are bound to be occasional catastrophic outcomes. We do not fear them, provided we stay on the right side of the statistical fence.
Defense is hard enough without making it necessary to defeat a contract four tricks to turn a profit. 3NT making four for +630 would have been a cold top worth 6 matchpoints anyway, as the only other pair in that game took just nine tricks. Setting 3♥ doubled only three tricks for –500 would have been worth only 4.5 matchpoints. On such slim margins are games sometimes won and lost.
All the best,
Rex
