Bridge Blog

Results 6/17

Results 6/17 - 9 diamonds

There were 9.5 tables in play in Vineyard Haven on 6/16. We played a Howell movement - 13 rounds, 2 boards per round. Personally, I’d rather play a Mitchell movement - 9 rounds, 3 boards per round with a skip. NS would play 27, EW 24. Two boards per round is just too slow with the players we have.

1. Len Auerbach & Richard Coban. 2. Jim Kaplan & Miles Jaffe. ¾. Bob Roach & Diane Clayton. ¾ David Donald & Michele Riel. 5.Robert & Ency Fokos. 6. Dan & Nancy Cabot.

            How was the big diamond hand bid at your table?  North picks up:

                ♠ 964   ♥4  ♦ AKQJT9843  ♣ –

 
            I bid 2♣, which I’m told in a tournament would be illegal. Our card says 21+ HCP or a game-going hand, but the hand has no defensive values at all and only 10 HCP. It’s not quite game-going. Nancy bid 2♥, showing either one ace or two kings, and I bid 5♦. I’m sure many Norths would have opened 5♦, but I at least wanted a stab at slam. If she’d had three or four controls, there would have been time to find out where they were.

            5♦ goes down with a spade lead, but at our table the opening lead was a club. Nancy had the ♥A and ♥Q. The finesse won, and so I could dump a spade. Several others had the same result.