Hope for us all

The Year End Congress in London gave us a chance to play against rather stronger opposition than normal, but even the very best can go wrong. Here are three hands where top players misdefended against us.

	♠ Q 9 5 2 ♥ 4 2 ♦ A 3 ♣ A K J 7 3
♠ K J 10 6 ♥ 8 7 3 ♦ Q J 6 5 ♣ 6 5		♠ 8 7 ♥ A 10 6 5 ♦ K 10 8 7 4 ♣ 9 4
	♠ A 4 3 ♥ K Q J 9 ♦ 9 2 ♣ Q 10 8 2

Ann declared 3NT as South against Artur Malinokswi and Janet de Botton and West got off to the best lead of a diamond. Ann ran the clubs and led a heart from dummy, but East went up with the Ace and switched to a spade. West then added to the debacle by throwing spades so that dummy's Queen scored and Ann made 11 tricks.

	♠ Q 7 5 4 ♥ K Q 6 2 ♦ 7 ♣ A 9 7 2
♠ J 3 2 ♥ 5 4 3 ♦ A K J 4 3 ♣ K 4		♠ K 10 8 ♥ A 10 6 5 ♦ 9 8 5 ♣ Q J 5 3
	♠ A 9 6 ♥ J 9 8 ♦ Q 10 6 2 ♣ 10 8 6

I was North and passed as dealer at game all - I don't like opening marginal 4-4-4-1 hands. West opened 1♦ in fourth seat and I doubled, felling quite pleased that I had been able to describe my hand well. But then things took a nasty turn as East (Victor Silverstone) redoubled and Ann bid 1NT - not what I wanted to hear. East doubled and after a spade lead it seemed as if the contract must go one off for -200 (the kiss-of-death at pairs scoring) but Silverstone went wrong at the end to allow Ann to score an unlikely +180.

	♠ 3 ♥ 9 6 ♦ A 7 5 4 ♣ A Q J 8 7 6
♠ K 8 7 ♥ A Q 7 4 3 2 ♦ Q J 2 ♣ 2		♠ Q 9 6 4 2 ♥ K ♦ K 8 6 3 ♣ 5 4 3
	♠ A J 10 5 ♥ J 10 8 5 ♦ 10 9 ♣ K 10 9

The final hand occurred in the Swiss Teams, where we beat a team of junior internationals 18-2 in the penultimate round to reach table 4, before a big loss in the last match (two games let through at our table) sent us tumbling back down the ranking list.

West opened 1♥ and Ann overcalled 2♣. I bid an optimistic 2NT which Ann raised to 3 and East doubled. West led a heart and East returned a spade to the jack and king. West cashed the ace of hearts and went into the tank. Eventually he played his other top heart to set up my ninth trick. The auction was much the same in the other room but North chickened out to 4♣ which was just made so we gained 9 imp.

The first two hands were clear defensive errors but on the last hand West had a guess after cashing the ace of hearts. His defence would have been right if I had held
♠A Q J 5 ♥ J 10 8 3 ♦ K 10 ♣ 10 9 5
Maybe he expected his partner to hold the king of clubs for the double of 3NT.