Tollemache 2018

Dorset qualified for the Tollemache final in both 2016 and 2017, although our hopes for what Mr Trump's subjects would call a three-peat were lowered by the absence of the three best players from last year's team, two on the injured list and one lost to a rival team in exchange for a seven figure transfer fee (that's 0.000001 p).

Our hopes were even lower after the first two of seven matches, when we had amassed the grand total of 1 VP out of 40. At that stage our ambitions were limited to avoiding the wooden spoon and winning the local derby against Wiltshire. Fortunately our play improved for the rest of the event (it could hardly get any worse) - we were above average for the remaining five matches and both the minor objectives were achieved.

The most interesting hands were in our match against Surrey, which we lost 20-0 and, in the words of the great Bill Shankly, 'were lucky to get nil'. Here are two of my contributions to the debacle.

Ann's 2♠ was a weak jump shift and North's 3♦ was alerted. I asked about it before making the opening lead and was told that it 'ought to show heart support'. Thinking that we might have a heart ruff I started with the ace of hearts and was very pleased to see a 6-card suit in dummy. Surely partner could ruff the next round, after which a club return would lead to at least two down.  So I continued with a second heart whereupon declarer promptly claimed 12 tricks.

North assured me that her 3♦ did promise heart support, and offered to show me their system file on the tablet which was in her handbag. So I had no redress as it was a misbid rather than an incorrect explanation.

My first thought was to feel rather miffed that I had been misled by two internationals in a long-established partnership forgetting their system, but then I realised that without the inference of North's heart support I would almost certainly have led a spade (5♦ made at the other three tables on a spade lead). The misexplanation had actually led me to find a winning lead. I was just too greedy - I should have cashed the ace of clubs at trick two. If nothing happens I can revert to hearts but on the actual hand partner's king would tell me what to do.

This was the very next board

What do you think that I should bid on the first round? Exclusion Blackwood would have been an option except that we do not play it as it comes up so rarely, so I decided to try and bid the hand scientifically by starting with a splinter bid.  This got us to the par contract, although I had allowed South to make a lead-directing double and the heart lead held us to 11 tricks.

We lost heavily on the board as both Surrey pairs made 6♥ (doubled at one table), when North led a club. Maybe the best tactic with the East hand is just to punt 6♥ on the first round without giving anything away. I ran a short simulation of this problem, generating 30 different hands, and 6♥ was the correct spot on more than half of the hands at double dummy.

So Near, So Far

In the semi final of the Faulkner Salver we were up against the all-international team of Brian Senior, Paul Hackett, Sandra Penfold and Norman Selway. Our realistic expectations were to avoid a complete mauling, and things seemed to be going according to plan when we were 29 imp down after 20 of the 40 boards. Then the tide started to turn - we only conceded 10 imps in the second half and gained three game swings, but it was not quite enough and we lost by 3 imp.

This was an early deal

Barrie's 4♦ was a bit aggressive, but I would still have bid 4♥ if he had made a responsive double over 3♦. 

I ruffed the diamond lead and then played to set up clubs; ace of clubs, club ruff, return to hand with a spade, club ruff. The 3-3 break was good news but when I played a second round of spades East ruffed and forced me with a low diamond. She could now be counted for a 1453 shape. I ruffed the diamond and played a winning club which collected three trumps; six, queen and king. East played another diamond which I ruffed and I was now down to a single trump in each hand while East still held the jack and ten. So I played another winning club discarding dummy's last diamond. East ruffed and exited with a diamond on which I ditched the king of spades while ruffing in dummy. A winning spade forced East to ruff with her last trump but I could overruff with the ace and win the last trick with a club. You can follow the play by clicking on 'Next'.

It was a really neat hand, extracting all of the opponents' trumps without playing a single round. Subsequent analysis with Deep Finesse showed that drawing even one round of trumps would have been fatal. I could also have made the contract by playing a spade instead of a club at trick 8, although the ending would have not been so elegant.

The play at the other table was a comedy of errors. Senior and Hackett had a bidding mix up and finished in 4♠. East led a top diamond which declarer ruffed to play ace and another heart. West ruffed this which was not necessarily fatal but the switch to the queen of diamonds allowed declarer to establish a diamond trick and make the contract.

Neither team distinguished themselves on this slam deal but we lost a big swing. This was the auction at our table

At our table (playing Acol style) Barrie's 4♥ locked us into the wrong trump suit. To be fair to the Rev, I gave his hand to a couple of other decent players and they both suggested 4♥ or a 4♣ splinter.  I think that it is better to rebid 3♠ over 4♥. If partner bids 3NT you can always revert to 4♥. The spade grand is a reasonable proposition, making if hearts are 3-2 and spades not 4-0, with some extra chances if spades are 2-2.  I make it about 65%.

Six hearts by South is not a great contract, but after West led a club it only needed a 3-2 trump break. No such luck, and I ended down three.

At the other table Hackett and Senior were playing 2-over-1 game forcing, so East was able to rebid 2♠ and there was no danger of playing in hearts, but for some reason they stopped in five spades. Their reward for missing a 98% slam (or 100% if you managed to find 6NT) was a gain of 14 imp. Sometime life just aint fair.

This hand was my biggest regret

My 3♣ was supposed to be weak, although anything goes opposite a passed partner. Barrie led a club to the king and ace. I cashed another club and started thinking. Too late. Eventually I switched to a trump which did not trouble declarer. What I needed to do was take two clubs and switch to the two of spades in tempo. If declarer reads that as a singleton he would go up with the ace and try to draw trumps - down two. Though he might wonder why North had not opened a weak two with K J to six spades. We will never know. At the other table Norman Selway played the same defence, so it was a flat board but a missed opportunity.

One Out of Two

Last month we had two matches where we were very much the underdogs. First up was a quarter final in the Faulkner Salver against Gary Watson's team, one of the original seeds. After the first set we were 10 imp behind, mostly due to a couple of bad boards from Ann and me, and the opponents had seating rights for the next set. Conventional wisdom would suggest sticking to a winning line-up, but they chose to swap opponents. This was the first board we played in the second set.

Ann led the queen of clubs, and Patrick Shields chose to go for a psychological rather than a technical line by ducking the first trick smoothly. If a club was continued and the suit broke 3-2, he would be able to get rid of two of his diamond losers. The operation was a success, as Ann continued clubs, but the patient died when I ruffed and switched to diamonds and we took the first six tricks.

In the other room the opening lead was the same but East had doubled a 4♥ splinter bid during the auction. Keith won, drew trumps and took a heart finesse to throw one of dummy's diamond losers and a 14 imp swing.

That hand changed the momentum of the match, as we had several other good boards and were 27 imp up after the second set. The third set was even and although the final set had plenty of swingy boards, with one grand and two small slams, we held on to win by 10 imps.

Three days later we played the final of the Hubert Phillips Plate against Tom Gisborne's Yorkshire team. Our presence in the final was somewhat fortunate, as Neil Rosen's team had been forced to concede our semi-final match due to illness.

Once again we suffered a small loss in the first set, but this time there was no big turnaround and we lost the second set heavily, with four big swings in the out column.  This one was largely down to me.

I led a top diamond which declarer ruffed. When he led a trump I went up with the king, consulted the ceiling and eventually exited passively with another trump. Barrie won this and switched to a club so the contract made. One of us needed to switch to a heart. From my point of view, a lead away from either king could cost a trick, while Barrie was worried that a heart lead could cost if declarer had ♥AKx. I'm not sure that is quite right, as I am unable to find a hand where a heart lead gives the contract.

But the most serious error was my overcall of 2♦, as was shown by events at the other table where South overcalled 1NT. West raied to 2♠, North bid 3♥ and East bid 4♠. After that auction it was natural for South to lead a heart when in with the king of trumps, leaving declarer with no chance.

That set meant that we were 2100 points down after 16 boards, and although we gained a little in the remaining 32 boards we never looked like turning over the deficit. A disappointing result, although we would probably have settled for one win out of two beforehand.

Hubert Phillips Plate

In the quarter final of the Hubert Phillips plate we were drawn against John Williams' Oxford team. This was an early hand where the Reverend tried to dispel his reputation for cautious bidding.

4♣ was maybe a tad optimistic (3♣ wouild have been forcing after fourth suit), but the slam had reasonable chances. How do you play when West leads the queen of spades?

I ducked this and  when West continued spades I was able to play on cross-ruff lines, ruffing hearts in dummy and spades in hand to come to 12 tricks. The reason for ducking the first trick is that if the defence find a trump switch, you have an alternative line of setting up dummy's diamonds with the ace of spades as a late entry. I think the best line is to win the trump switch in dummy, take the ace of hearts and ruff a heart, then cash the top diamonds and ruff a diamond with the eight. If diamonds are 3-3 you can now claim, but if diamonds are 4-2 and West has not over-ruffed, you can ruff another heart, ruff a diamond with the ten, draw trumps (needing a 3-2 break) and cross to the ace of spades to cash the thirteenth diamond. I would have gone two down on the actual lie of the cards, so there were a lot of points resting on West's play at trick 2.

After two sets the match was almost level, but then we got almost all of the decisions right on a tricky set of boards to run out comfortable winners by almost 2000, though this was a missed opportunity.

I ponderered for a long while over Ann's 3NT opener; my options were to pass 3NT, bid 4♣ and let Ann play in 4♦, or bid 5♦ and keep my hand concealed. 5♦ was the winning move, though I was very fortunate to get a singleton spade in dummy and find the ace of clubs with East.

In the other room West opened 2♠, weak with spades and a minor, and the opponents bid 3♦ - 3♥ - 4♥.  West kicked off with the king of spades but East ducked this and the contract made with an overtrick.

It's a tough defence for East to find but I think the clues are all there - West has at most nine points and you know five of them, so the contract cannot be defeated with high cards and the only chance is to find West with a diamond void. Much easier in retrospect than at the table though..