Played with Eric today at the sectional, very eventful evening, but one round in particular stood out:

1. I held Tx xx xx AKJxxxx, all red. Righty opened 1D and I bid 3C. Lefty now bid 3H and partner jumped to 4S. Righty bid 5D ending the auction. My lead.

I thought righty might well have a club void, so I tried a spade, possibly foolishly. Partner held AKQxxxxx xx x xx, and after dummy hit with xx KQTxxxx xx Qx he tried to cash another spade, not knowing what I had. Declarer ruffed and claimed 12 tricks, holding x Ax AKQJxxxx xx.

2. We got back at them on the next board. I held xxx void AKJxxxxx xx white/white. I thought for a while and decided to open a normal 5D (after having considered 1D, 2D, 4D, 1NT, and pass). It went pass pass double and lefty after some thought left it in. She led a heart, which was not a winner when dummy tabled x KQJxxx QTx xxx. 5Dx making 6.

3. On the third board, the auction went 1S (5C) 5S all pass. I actually held a perfectly normal hand: Axx xx QT9xxx xx. A high club lead would have won on both of the first two boards, and this was no different: partner led a normal high club from J Kx xx AKQxxxxx. Declarer had to lose the offside heart king in addition to a club and a spade: a relatively normal +100 for us.

A three-board round: three eight-card suits. I've never seen that one before!

In some book, some top player, I think either Michael Rosenberg or Bob Hamman (perhaps this is an anecdote about Hamman in Rosenberg's book?) relates how he did something really dumb, but instead of letting it get to him, played amazingly well for the remainder of the match. I had something similar happen to me in a Swiss last Monday. On the first board of the match, I dealt and picked up KQTxx AKT AQx Ax, balanced 22. I made the systemic opening of 3NT, and partner bid 4D transfer to hearts. Righty doubled, and I had a good hand, so I decided to redouble, hoping partner would pick up that this implied heart support. Partner now bid 5NT, and I had such good trumps that, after some thought, I bid 7H.

Wrong.

I don't know what on earth I was playing partner for. I suppose some hand like Ax QJxxx xxx Kxx? I don't even know, and even on that hand you might make 7NT anyway, and partner probably would not have bid this way with that hand. All hands where partner's bidding makes sense, 7NT should be a winner.

Partner's hand was Ax Jxxxx Kxx KQx and 7H went down with 7NT making (Jxx of spades onside, hard to go wrong.) So that was obviously a terrible result.

I'm glad I refocused, though. A couple hands later I held an interesting hand: Txx T98xxx x xxx with nobody vulnerable. I opened 1NT in first chair, and the bidding was eventful:

1NT (x) 2C (2D)
p (p) x (p)
2H (3D) 4H (p)
p (x) all pass

Lefty led a small diamond and dummy tabled a nice hand giving me -100:

AKxx KQxxx Qxx K
opposite my
Txx T98xxx x xxx.

But wait, there's more. I played small on the diamond and RHO played the ace. He led back a second diamond which I ruffed, and I led a club. Lefty won and played another club, which I ruffed, and then I led the KH. Lefty won again as trumps were 1-1 and I crossed my fingers. Another club! I rattled off some trumps leaving:

AKx - Q -
Txx x - -

On the play of the final trump lefty, who had QJx of spades and the diamond king, was duly squeezed for +590. I'm not sure why they didn't bang down the diamond king (psychologically rattled by psych?), but my first psych in a very very long time ended up with a pretty happy ending.

This was fun, but it didn't compare to one of the funnest hands I've ever defended. Partner opened a weak 2C, which was passed around to my LHO who balanced with 2D, ending the auction. She led the heart ten and this is what I saw:

         Jxx
         K86x
         9x
         QTxx
                  ATxx
                  AJ7x
                  Qxxx
                  x

Declarer played the king and I won the ace as he dropped the nine. This was an interesting falsecard by someone -- I concluded that he was probably doing it for technical reasons to try to get an entry to dummy if/when I had to return a heart. I switched to my stiff club and declarer won the ace as partner encouraged. He now played the king of spades, which I ducked (not really wanting him to get an entry, which could not possibly be good for me), and the queen of spades, which I ducked again as partner showed an odd number. A third spade went to the jack and ace and I was in with the defense having won two tricks and my best guess of the position being:

              --
              86x
              9x
              QTx
--                      T
x                       J7x
??                      Qxxx
KJxxx                    --
              --
              Qx         
              ?????
              x

Now what?

I led a heart which declarer ducked to the dummy. He then tried running the nine of diamonds, but partner captured the jack and cashed the club king in the presumptive position...

              --
              xx
              x
              QTx
--                      T
--                      Jx
?                       Qxx
(K)Jxxx                   --
              --
              Q
              ????
              x

This is a neat end position and I got it right (always a bit harder at the table), and we beat the contract one trick. Defense to take three tricks in the above setting. Enjoy!