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“Good Prediction, Owen”

When the opposition have done well against you and say words like “obvious defence” or “everyone will do that”, you have a little hope that your world has not caved in. Last night, it felt that our bridge world had caved in completely.

You know those nights? I counted 12 wrongly placed important cards in the hands we played, the standard misguess of a two way finesse, a ruff to beat an otherwise very sound game..oh, I could throw in a few self-inflicted transgressions too. This board was typical of how the night went.

Without any opposition bidding, we bid very quickly to 4 to be played by me as North. Owen Camp, on my left, led the A and I surveyed dummy with a fair degree of pleasure:

 

“There could be an overtrick here” I thought. I suffered a full range of emotions when Owen followed up with a second heart which his partner, Anisia Shami, ruffed. “Utter dejection” came first to be followed with huge relief when Anisia cashed a high club. “Surely she could underlead to score a second ruff? I’m alive, again!” That feeling was soon erased when she returned a diamond for Owen to ruff…and within a few more seconds, me and the contract were dejected and down (-300) .

 

 

At this point, Owen came out with his “obvious defence” comment and I could even have felt a huge sense of relief if I had noticed that the opponents were cold for a vulnerable 5 game. I have seen far worse overcalls than 2 by Anisia’s hand though why bother when you can pick up 9 imps Swiss Pairs scoring by defending “obviously” against the opponents’ game? Four other pairs played the spade game with 10 tricks being made at each table. I would change the wording from “obvious” to “good” defence.

Writing can be good for the soul, especially after such a night. On one hand, I went to a very very (excuse me) very dark place but was rescued by an opponent (different opponents now).

We play a variable no-trump partly to avoid the horrors that can accompany partner’s vulnerable weak no trump opening when you hold just a solitary jack as an honour card. So, the story of partner’s 1NT opening when I held 5 hearts to the jack, ten and a 3532 shape (oh with the 10 but 8 cards of 5 and under) at least had us as not vulnerable. Neither were our opponents.

So, South opened 1NT with West doubling, showing hearts and another suit (10+). “Not good” I thought but I could hardly sit there and allow East to pass and then I would have to put down dummy.

So, I set out on our escape route to the opponent’s suit, hearts, by redoubling to show a single suited hand and asking partner to bid 2. East passed ..but so did partner!

The first redoubled undertrick costs only 200 but after that they go up in multiples of 400. I was feeling..well, I had no feeling! Yet, suddenly I noticed West had bid…2. Feeling returned..relief! That was passed round to my partner who was finding more enjoyment in this deal than I was. He doubled, take-out or so I presumed. What to do with: 1074  JT875 743   53?   Any ideas?

If 2 would have ended this purgatory, then that would have been my choice. I knew it would not and so hoping that there would not be too many overtricks, I passed. I had also taken the precaution of taking East’s redouble card out of his box and had it well out of reach. Thus, we defended 2x. I led 5 and we (sorry, “partner”) took 4 of the first 7 tricks with trumps all gone from everyone’s hand. For a fleeting second, I had dreams that we were about to actually beat this contract..but not when you see dummy:

2x made with one overtrick for -280 though was cheap compared to the standard -400 or -430 available in 3NT and an absolute bargain compared to the -1600 available in 1NTxx! In case you wondered at East’s pass of 2, he had been told that the redouble was “to play”. I suspect he expected that South would bid over 2. He was right!

Partner and I will some day soon have a quiet get-together about escaping from 1NTx. Owen Camp will need to brush up his predictions (no need to brush up the defence: you and Anisia took us 13 light over the course of 6 boards!) Meanwhile, when you have read this, please destroy this article just as I will try to erase the memory of an evening when the best part was allowing the opponents to score an overtrick in a part-score. Good night..not!

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

 

 

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