Emory requested some more hands, so here was an interesting hand from the finals on Sunday:

A AQJT87632 KQ J

That’s nine hearts!! A 3-loser hand but I hate opening 2 with freak hands. Particularly when red versus white as we were on this board.

At any rate the auction went:

West                North               East                 South

                                                                      1

Pass                1                   3                  4

Pass                4                   Pass                   ?

Over 3 I truly had no idea what to do, I cuebid 4 but when I bid it I knew partner would have no idea whether I had spade support or not. When he bid 4 it wasn’t clear if he was cuebidding or maybe leaving room for me to show him what suit I was slamming in. I think over 4 maybe I should have bid 5 , but at the table I made the bid of  6 .

The lead was the  8 and this was the hand:

          KQ654

          A8542

          KT3

           A

          AQJT87632

           KQ

           J

Disappointing, maybe the K is singleton. I played the K in dummy, RHO won the A and switched to a low diamond.  When I cashed the A, RHO showed out. Down one.

In the replay at the other table, my hand opened a strong club. In a competitive auction, my hand eventually jumped to 5 and played it there. So, did we lose 13? On a low club lead declarer played low from dummy and RHO won the Q and continued with a low club. Now declarer had to weight the possibility of  8-1 clubs versus 4 -0 hearts. At any rate declarer ruffed with the T and now had to lose 2 hearts tricks. Just another routine push board.