Fun Hands and Stories

On this page, I hope to compile a list of interesting hands played by our members. To submit a hand, email Roger Lee.

These are actually all from Ben Leitner.

Brilliant (for me anyway) Defense: From the San Jose Bridge Club Championship, 12/21/2006
  xx   Dealer: North, Both Vul
KQJxxxxx
AQ10 Bidding: N E S W
KQx
AJxxxx   1* 1 P 4
A   5 5 P P
yyy yyyy   P      
KJ97652 83 * Not playing Namyats
  xx   y = any card, including possible honors
xxxx        
yyyyyy Opening lead: 4
4        
This hand came up playing at the "club championship" at the San Jose Bridge Club with my Dad.  I opened 1, since we don't play Namyats and I felt I was too strong for 4.  LHO overcalled 1, raised to 4 by RHO, and now with no defense and this distribution I bid the 5 sac.  LHO went to 5, and I let them have it.  My Dad chose not to lead my suit, preferring the stiff 4.  The J was played in dummy and I won the Q.  Declarer can make it harder on me by throwing the 8, making me guess where the 3 is, but he played the 3 making it easy to know Dad's 4 was stiff.  Reasoning that I'd never get a ruff if I cashed the A, I instead led back the 10 for Dad to ruff, which he did, and dutifully returned a , which I ruffed for our 3rd and final trick.  5-1 for +100 was worth 5x out of 7.  One other pair had the same result and one was allowed to play hearts, making 6 (evidently on a club lead, one spade is pitched on the next club, and then LHO ruffs the last club on which declarer throws the last spade... poor defense but that didn't matter). 

How I should have made two doubled contracts in a row: From the Caltech Bridge club, 10/23/2006

    Dealer: North, None Vul
Bidding: N E S W
A7xxx
Kx   P P 1 2*
AKQxx 109   X P** P 2
J10xxx   X P    
10xx Kxxx * Michaels, 5-5 in the majors
    ** No preference
       
Opening lead: small
       
I ruffed the opening lead in hand, played a spade to the K and another spade back to the ace.  I then played a spade toward dummy, playing north (Todor) for the J, and ruffed with the 9, which held.  I then ruffed another diamond in hand (low) and ruffed another spade on board, Todor ducking the J.  I then switched to clubs and south (Brian) won and played a diamond, which I ruffed with the Q and played another club.  Brian won again and played another diamond, which I ruffed and Todor was forced to underruff.  At that point I faced my cards claiming one more trick with the A.  I scored all 5 of my trump, both of dummy's trump, and 2 spades, for 2X+1 and a pure top.

The very next hand:
  AKxx   Dealer: East, NS Vul
Jxxx
x
KQxx Bidding: E S W N
Jxx
xx   1 P 1 X*
K10xx AQ9x   2 X** 4 X!
AK10xx QJxx   P 4+ 5 X
x Axx * Takeout
  Qxxx   ** Responsive
8 ! Penalty
9xx + Long hesitation
J10xxx Opening lead: small
Todor led a small diamond which I won on board with the Q.  I played the A , ruffed a club, and played the K, both opponents following.  I then played the 10 and Todor followed low.  Somehow I convinced myself not to take the finesse, after all, even if Brian shows out I still have Q9 over Todor's jack.  Sure enough, Brian shows out, and I realize I'm screwed because I do have the finessing position, but no way back to my hand.  Ruffing a club will leave me with no trump to take the finesse, and unless Todor started with 2 diamonds (unlikely given the lead), he'll ruff as I try to return with the diamond.  Still, that was at that point my only chance, I played a diamond to the ace and Todor ruffed and led a spade.  I claimed for down 1, giving up two spades.  One other pair was doubled in 4 and made it, but didn't make 5, so this was a top-to-bottom swing.  Why oh why did I not trust my instincts and take the finesse?

And yet... there's actually a better line that essentially guarantees making 5, unless one opponent holds all 5 missing trumps, or south has 4 to the J (the latter unlikely when south pulls the penalty double). After winning the first diamond in either hand, win the K.  If south shows out on the first round, there's nothing to be done.  When south shows at least one trump, play a heart to the ace.  If both follow, the Q draws the last trump, and I can claim 11 tricks, one of dummy's losing clubs is ruffed, the other goes on the long diamond, so all I lose are two spades.  When south shows out of trumps at trick 3, play the A and ruff a club with the 10.  The last small is then played, finessing north.  After drawing the last trump, throwing a spade from my hand, I run diamonds, giving up only two spades at the end.

How to make +1400 with 18 HCP: From the LA Regional, Compact KO

  AKJ-   Dealer: South, EW Vul
AK- Bidding: S W N E
xx
10xxx   2 X P 2
x AKxx   P 3 P 3NT
AKQxxxxx 4   P P X XX*
xx Q10xx   P P P  
    *Intended as "Help!"
       
Opening lead: small
       
South preempted 2, Brian doubled, and I bid 2 , showing my 4-card major.  Brian bid 3 (forcing), and with hearts stopped I bid 3NT.  When north doubled I figured we were in real trouble, so I redoubled, hoping Brian would bid a black suit.  Instead he passed and I was feeling rather panicked.  After the lead of a heart, Brian, as he's putting down dummy, says "I hope you have a heart stop, I have 8 running diamonds."  So now all I need is diamonds not splitting 4-0.  I win the A  and cash the K and play the 4 to the A.  South follows and North pauses for a second before removing a card from his hand... it turns just enough that I can see it, and it appears to be the 2 , so I'm about to have a heart attack, but then he replaces it and follows suit.  A notable sigh of relief from me and and I claim 10 tricks, giving up after running the diamonds.  3NTxx+1 vulnerable for +1400.  That hand swung a close match and let us advance to the finals of the compact KO, which we lost.

A fun hand I played at the Pasadena Sectional.
  AJx   Dealer: South
Kxxx
xx
Jxxx Bidding: S W N E
Kxxx
xx   P 2* P 2**
Jx AQ10x   X 2 P 2NT
xx Kxxx   P 3NT    
AKQ10x xxx * 10-15 points, 5+
  Q10xx   ** Asking for more info
xxx        
AQJxx Opening lead: J
x        
I ducked the opening lead of the J around, and south continued with the Q, A, and finally a small which I won with the K, north pitching a heart and a spade on the last 2 diamonds, and from dummy I pitched 2 spades..  I next played a low to the A, and cashed the K revealing the bad split.  I then played the J from dummy, and ducked when north played low.  The jack held, so I played a low heart to my AQ10 and played the 10 when north played low again.  I then cashed the A dropping north's K and pitching a club from the board.  This left the following end position.

  AJ  
  Jx  
Kx
x
Q
Q10 xx

I played the Q, pitched a spade from dummy, and watched north squirm as he's squeezed.  If he pitches a club, I have the Q10 for my 8th and 9th tricks.  If he pitches the J (as he eventually did) I put him in with a spade and he's endplayed into giving me both clubs.  3NT making for +600 and 12 imps on the board.  Note that the defense can take 5 tricks off the top in diamonds and spades.  South's refusal to switch to another suit squeezed his partner early on.