Bridge Big: Amnesty

Hi all

My apartment in Amsterdam is a charm. I’m so happy with it I could burst with joy. I zig and zag thru the city on my way to work, or get lost going home after the Monday night bridge club, or just feel super snazzy on my purple street bike. Who needs a car when one can bike thru one of the coolest cities in the Netherlands? Yesterday when I biked home after work I saw this poor dude working a sweat uphill with a cute girl on the back of his (less flashy) bike, she seemed unimpressed by his efforts as she was completely immersed in some app on her smartphone. I thought it was a pretty funny sight, true in any era, guys go all in anytime for girls’ favors.

I haven’t been playing a lot at Bridge Big lately, mostly due to work and getting acquainted with Amsterdam. Here’s a nice deal. Why do I only pick up +800’s in pairs and not when playing Cash games?

South
A6
A6
AT962
QJ98

This is what I hear:

West
North
East
South
1
pass
2
pass
2
pass
2
pass
3NT
pass
pass
???

I swung a speculative axe at it.

It wasn’t because I particularly wanted a lead, I’d rather preferred a lead actually. I thought it was just too high. My partner leads a and I scream at my monitor. Why? Why? Why? You idiot, you have zero entries for your suit!

 
East
QT87
J
QJ7
AKT42
South
A6
A6
AT962
QJ98

I win my Ace and declarer drops his King. Ohhhhhhh. Trick one, ladies and gentlemen, we have a count! From here all is clear, I switch to a for dummy and next the Jack of wins the trick. When declarer asks for a I rise and clear my suit. After the dust clears declarer has scrambled together 6 tricks so we write +800 and a clean top.

West Dealer
NS Vul
North
J95432
T742
53
7
West
K
KQ9853
K84
653
East
QT87
J
QJ7
AKT42
South
A6
A6
AT962
QJ98

Okay, I forgive my partner. You can lead like a simpleton but when you bring that all important Ten of to the defence I’ll offer amnesty for your sorry ass any day. Just imagine the excruciating pain I would have been subjected to had declarer put me through the wringer of six rounds of . Surely less than pretty.