A trump squeeze in five clubs

The trump squeeze matrix was read and prepared for.

A mundane, but not dull partscore

West found the only challenging lead, a bit double dummy in fact to lead from trump QJ tight. I countered with a nice play in the club suit that I just felt in my bones. Many tables were going down

An epic contract in competition

Partner chose to show a michaels two suiter. My four clubs over the three spade raise of intervenor, showed 4+4+ClubsDiamonds and 13+ points. When they subsided in 4S I bid one for the road, still not knowing my partner's minor but knowing he would convert. They chose to double and when the smoke cleared, I had twelve tricks, all on distribution, on paltry values.

Another thin 3NT

Partner, a passed hand has bid 2Diamonds (natural) over your One Heart (one way Drury two clubs). If an unpassed hand, a forcing three diamonds can put the ball in partner's court. Here he needs to use his judgement not to put us overboard. I am also loath to stop on a dime in a low diamond partscore when we might not need much for five diamonds. All was well that ended well when 3NT rolled home, Kx onside and a 3 3 spade break.

Poor East, endplayed twice in trump

A little bird whispered to me not to raise on 7xx to 3H as I am wont to. But when the double came, I redoubled. Perhaps too fast. West ought to have pulled automatically, but he did not and the rest was history

A slam bidding sequence that was flamboyant

The fact that clubs were undisclosed by me led West to helpfully lead the suit. I can take all 13 tricks but I got lazy knowing bid 6 making 6 was a great IMP result

Another under-strength 3NT brought home

Perhaps someone should have stopped off to double 2H? But how? As a passed hand with 15 Points I was caught in a tough bidding spot. I shot out 3NT.

If East had put me to the test I would have to drop club KQ stiff. As it is, I played and timed the hand alright, winning a bushel of IMPs

My luckiest typo to date

So, when I had stuck my neck out on a ratty Axxxx minor suit because of my overall strength, and lack of 4 cards in the other major for a double, my robot partner was firmly with the action till four diamonds (always a dangerous bid, because, where are we headed?).

Sure enough, LHO bid 4H vulnerable.

I was in a fix.

I was playin online prone, head propped on a pillow, laptop on my chest. I said, ahhhhhh,… touch choices… We may have positive equity I may double them into game. I am going to pass having got myself into this fix, I said and… made the mistake of closing my eyes as I hit “PASS” electronically in passout seat.

I open my eyes, and in disbelief, partner has had a bid? WHAT????

Turns out I had hit the double button...

When spades broke horrendously proving my 5D X -1 was a good save, I realize that my best online bridge action to date is …. …. A typo while prone.

Pulling partner's penalty double yet again

Even with my customary discipline I feared the rocks of their distribution. I took out insurance at IMPs by bidding on to five clubs. When it turned out East could never get in with a heart to put a Diamond through, it turned out they could not beat me!

An envisioned four card endplay in 3NT

Both bidding to and making three notrump were worth a lot of imps. Not a difficult endplay but an accurate read, nevertheless.

Points Schmoints, They have not made three clubs yet

Both vulnerable, the south hand looks full of points. When the opponents bid their way to three clubs, an eerie echo of the last post also with a singleton club queen, a common temptation is to bid more. I chose to defend and declarer foundered on the rocks of distribution and went down.

A disciplined pass; Five level belongs to the opps

At equal vulnerability when west is there with five clubs, it does not occur to me to bid again despite our fit. This hand should scream "defend".

Opening 1NT with a five card major

Not nearly as controversial as in a different age, opening 1NT with a five card major is fairly routine. Best played with versions of stayman where you check for five as well as four card majors, as needed. We were not playing such a convention here.

The play had its interesting moment. Would you have developed clubs first, looking for a 3-2 and then looking for a 75% chance in spades? My play worked on the actual layout with spades 3-3 but was it best?

Bad habits I learned from Zia

One of my partners does not mind when I open 1NT with long minors, another does not abide the practice. The second would argue that a three club rebid will also presumably result in three notrump. But I like to overstate or skew the values just once on round one, like Zia.

Bid a lot at IMPs, contract made, but played too fast

Partner did give us a cue bid, supposedly at least limit. At IMPs I bashed game. Yes there were no guarantees of no slow heart losers, but dummy was quite suitable. I played too fast and made on a line that needs a trump break. A better and practically sure-fire line is Ruff trick 1, DA trick 2, diamond ruff trick 3, HK trick 4, and now try to cash the HQ. Presumably LHO will ruff, overruff, and then just cross-ruff in the red suits. That line of play doesn’t depend on a good trump break as much.

A hand showcasing Standard American failure

Unwilling to open One Diamond, I started with Two Clubs and arrived at the solid spade game. Slam depends on clubs 2-2 and not much else. Guess where half the tables played? In one diamond, all passing!

The Five level doesn't always belong to the opps

A somewhat obvious bid at favorable vulnerability, but even at unfavorable vulnerability, it proved right, here. The club fitting honors helped

The cards were lying favorably; do you see it?

I am ashamed to share this deal because I blew it. On a non heart lead, you have to play for the only chance, a red-suit endplay strip-squeeze and it works! On a heart lead when the Jack forces the ace, you are forced to play for H:KJ tight. Quite an amazing deal.

And the bidding? A sedate two clubs game forcing would get you, if you were aggressive to the slam. You would play it better than me.

Probing for information, at some risk

I don't know if you can call this a discovery play. I risked developing clubs, to gain info, when west went in King of clubs and got out with a second diamond, his hand pattern was clear, but not so clear was if his trump was xxx or Qxx/ I actually closed my eyes after finessing in trump, opening them to receie the good news of a small card.

With the good guess in trump, the contract rolled in.

In Scotland, they say the Club King is always single

I do not recall the thought process, was I playing East for a stiff C2? Most likely.

Taking out partner's four level double was unwise here, but in the long term it pays off playing with these robots, who would not recognize a nonpenalty bid more situation if it came up. Many -790 and -490 later I am wiser. Sometimes they get away, like here. But at least I did not have to apologize to a human

Seven five; come alive

Partner had produced a negative double of three spades. It was four spades by RHO back to me. I decided to bash a slam. Should I have bid a heart slam? Since I need the heart fillers for the club slam and 4-2 clubs might be ok in a Heart slam but not in a club?

Obduracy in the face of competitive barrage leads to a good slam

True, with the club honors location, thirteen tricks are there, but taking twelve was good enough. East robot's trump play is desperation but from the bidding I am playing him for the King. (With four out including K,J, Cashing Ace and playing up to the QTxxx has something going for it to avoid a second round guess)

Issuing speeding ticket (Deal 2)

Listening to the auction, you can sometimes wield an axe.

Issuing speeding ticket (Deal 1)

Good penalty double and punishing defence