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Release 2.19q
Worcestershire (home) 09/12/12

North opened  2H showing a limited 2-suiter and as East I was left to reflect that my hand was the reason that weak two bids are so popular. With  no satisfactory alternative I tried 3NT. After all partner usually has the sense not to remove to spades. Now South thought deeply and concluded that I was gambling with a solid club suit. Since I was ready for hearts he led spades and in a sense struck gold. Nonetheless I emerged with 8 tricks for -100, disappointing with 5 of a minor available. 

At our other table David Hodge opened just 1H (usually sound in the system) and East chose to overcall 1NT. Mark bid 3H and after a surprising 3S from West East bid 3NT. Mark doubled (going quietly is not part of the system) and led a heart to Q and Ace. Now declarer had chances; if diamonds could be developed that should be enough and no problems if South continued hearts. Declarer lost a diamond to the jack, Mark put the Q of spades on the table and declarer revised his analysis. Four spade leads from the left were complemented by four heart leads from the right. Five down was 1400 and a huge 16 imps. 

Board 30 was another 16 imp swing:

Irene  and I bid predictably enough to the wrong slam which South doubled (slowly). Easy to say that one of us should now bid 6NT but we did not. A reprieve came when North led not a diamond but a heart (signalling three). On winning the heart continuation Irene had to to find the queen of trumps. Correctly inferring that South had 5 hearts and no diamonds she played him for the spades finessing unsuccessfully to the doubleton queen. North now became the fourth person at the table to realise that South was void in diamonds so that was -300.

Meanwhile things were happening  with our colleagues. A sporting 2 suited overcall led to a sporting 4C doubled played by North. Some dubious card play all round then led to 5 off and -1100 for 16 imps the wrong way.

Overall the slam hands cost us a lot of imps but the one I regret most was board 8 which was flat :

The opponents bid to 6NT showing a club suit and a diamond suit but otherwise cue bidding. Irene led her singleton heart and  declarer played the jack. I considered ducking but saw that Irene would show out on the second round so perhaps no point. In any event there was no time to think if deceiving declarer was the objective so I took the King and declarer played straightforwardly using his spade King to cash clubs and finesse spades for 12 tricks. In the same contract David Hodge won a club lead and established a heart trick before cashing winners to squeeze South in spades and diamonds. No swing.

But consider what happens if I duck the heart lead smoothly as I should. A human declarer will use his only entry to hand to repeat the heart finesse and down he goes. A beautiful missed opportunity.  

And so regrettably we failed to score again. Several players deserved to win but others who wish to remain anonymous did not. We were collectively as sick as 24 parrots.