Skillful

Hi all

Hoek and I practiced our team skills last Tuesday. During summer the field is too random to play just solid matchpoint bridge. You have to kill some palooka’s to score above average, else other people will do and leave you empty handed. There is a dangerous downside playing soft opposition, you don’t get put to the test. And that can lead to a comfortable laziness. Hoek and I were invited to show our skills in a teams match against strong opponents.

Hoek wasn’t afraid when he bid a vulnerable game on the following deal. His reasoning was clean and clear as always, when I have four trumps and bring a significant number of tricks I bid game. So true, but they didn’t bid it at the other table.

South Dealer
EW Vul
North
A64
42
J9854
T52
West
KT832
AQ875
3
43
East
95
JT63
Q62
AKQ9
South
QJ7
K9
AKT7
J876
West
North
East
South
1NT
21
2
4
a.p.

1. Landy, showing both Majors

At both tables slam was reached with the following hands:

North Dealer
– Vul
North
KQ865
AKJ52
A62
West
J73
T763
9853
J4
East
A42
84
KQJ76
953
South
T9
Q9
AT42
KQT87
West
North
East
South
1
pass
2
pass
3
pass
3NT
pass
???

North produced a masterbid with 4 and slam was reached. I don’t know how they bid slam at the other table, but I really like 4 here. It is a well timed bid that should make your partner smile for the rest of the evening.

The rest of the boards were kinda flat, so there was little room to score. In the end, due to a defensive error and a few scattered imps we lost the match by 10.