Another 2/3 set with Jeff today.  Not as solid as yesterday (one 5 IMP system drop by me and careless play on the last hand risking a cold overtrick) but no real disasters.  Off to Boston bright and early tomorrow (flight leaves at 6 AM, Priceline is not my friend.)

The system drop was the auction 1 Club Dbl 2NT.  I held 8743 / AQJ3 / K7 / K62 and passed. 

On BridgeBase, you can attach 'notes' to other player's profiles, but unfortunately the software doesn't let you read what you wrote when it's your turn to bid.  Ironically, it lets you read your convention card whenever you want.  I was leaning about 60-40 towards our having agreed to play Flip-flop (inverting the meanings of 2NT and 3 of a minor so that the doubler is on lead if the partnership ends in 3NT) but I couldn't confirm it and I figured that if Jeff had a weak Club raise that the auction wouldn't die here anyway.  I was mistaken.  -300 (instead of -100 in 3 Clubs.) 

The careless play was leaving the master trump outstanding before running the side suit (AKxxx opposite my original holding of stiff Q - unblocked)  in a dummy with no reentries.  Chalk that one up to last board distraction (the contract was never in jeopardy.)

Here's a nice read by Jeff.  I'm not sure if I'm missing an inference, but it certainly worked.

 

AKQT2 / AK / K742 / 63

 

He opened 1 Spade, I gave him a limit raise, he cuebid 4 Hearts, I tanked and subsided in 4 Spades.

 

LHO leads the 3 of Spades.

J985 / 532 / AJ93 / K2

AKQT2 / AK / K742 / 63

Jeff started well by playing 2 rounds of Spades and switching to Hearts when his LHO showed out on the 2nd Spade.  If RHO shows out, you have to draw the 3rd round, but when LHO shows out you're safe because in the unlikely event that RHO ruffs a Heart, he's endplayed.

When the AK of Hearts survived, he drew the last trump with the Jack and ruffed Dummy's last Heart.  A Club to the King won and his LHO won the 2nd Club and went into the tank, emerging with a 3rd Club.

9 / - / AJ93 / -

Q / - / K742 / -

When I saw that, I remember thinking that he sure looked like a guy with the Ten of Diamonds (if you switch to a Diamond, you'd expect Declarer to insert the 9 here) but that seemed like a pretty flimsy inference.  You're not thrilled about leading away from Qxx either, but maybe not quite so desperate to find an alternative as with Txx or Tx.

Jeff picked up something, though, and followed his instincts, ruffing in Dummy and leading the Jack of Diamonds.  When his RHO ducked, he ran it and chalked up +680.

Or maybe he just played it that way because he trusts my bidding so implicitly that if the Queen of Diamonds were onside, I would have bid the slam.

Nah.

And yes, playing for the drop also works.

LHO

3 / JT9864 / T85 / AT8

RHO

764 / Q7 / Q6 / QJ9754