We meandered over to the stationary table for round 4. I was sitting West, which disoriented me. In this room I have always sat North and East, but for some reason I sat West in the first round. Hand #19 was a very strange one. We got a bad score on it, and it was played slowly enough that we did not get to play #20. I think that we would have passed it out, which, by the way, would have earned us another bad score. It was that kind of night.
Board #19
South dealer
East-West vulnerable
| | North
♠ Q 8 7
♥ 10 9 4 3
♦ K 6 5 3
♣ J 6
| | West
♠ K 10 3 2
♥ 8 6 5
♦ A Q J 8
♣ Q 8
| | East
♠ J 6
♥ K Q J 7
♦ 10 2
♣ K 10 9 7 5
| | | South
♠ A 9 5 4
♥ A 2
♦ 9 7 4
♣ A 4 3 2
| |
|
| | | | |
| South | West | North | East |
| 1♣ | Dbl | 1♦ | 2♥ |
| 3♦ | P | P | P |
South opened 1♣, as would most players. My hand is definitely marginal, but I decided to double. If I had been in the North chair, I would have happily passed at that point, but she elected to introduce her diamond suit into the auction. That would have been my third choice after 1♥. My partner made a reasonable jump to 2♥. I am not sure what made South bid 3♦. She had vulnerability in her favor, but that was about it. She probably figured that her partner would not bother to mention a four-card minor after a double.
I should have doubled, I guess. I had by far the best diamond suit at the table. However, I was somewhat embarrassed by my original bid. I just passed, as did everyone else.
It was a massacre. North only managed six tricks. However, when she unfolded the traveler, she discovered that at both the other tables the hand was played in notrump, and in both cases East-West took ten tricks. At one table East-West declared and scored 180, and at the other North declared and scored -200. So, we got a 0 on the hand. If I had doubled, we would have gotten a top.
But wait a minute. How could I possibly suspect that our opponents only had seven trumps? The North-South team did not have a reputation for bidding like hormone-crazed teenagers. North had made a free bid after the double, and South had bid diamonds at the three level after opening a club. I knew that my partner had 9-11 high-card points. So, together we had 21-23. If the bidding could be believed, in all likelihood he had a singleton or void in diamonds. I might end up having to lead them out of my hand and only get two trump tricks.
And what the heck happened at the other tables? North-South only took three tricks, presumably the three aces! How did they avoid taking the ♦K and the ♠Q? If they get either of those tricks, we would have tied for a top.
How would top players bid this hand? I don't know, but I can speculate. South certainly opens 1♣. West should probably pass. North meekly bids 1♥. This hand is not worthy of a second bid, and North cannot risk losing a heart fit. East cannot believe both opponents are bidding his suits and passes.
In round 2 South is trying to remember why she opened at all. She has no choice but to rebid 1♠. West is still tongue-tied. North must choose between passing and rebidding 1NT. Most people would be reluctant to abandon their partner in a 4-3 fit; so, let's say that North bids 1NT. Two passes follow.
West now realizes that he might be looking at the best hand at the table and doubles. This is NOT takeout. The opponents have bid three suits. If he had a fifth diamond, he would have bid diamonds at some point. North-South has nowhere to run. The best that they can hope for is five tricks.