Jeff, JZ, Nic and Kamel faced off against Cayne again tonight.  Unfortunately, Jimmy was absent.  I missed the first half or so, but here's a (somewhat briefer than last time) board by board summary.  To look at the boards yourself, go here

Board 1

Weedo made a strange decision here that worked well.

All white (duh)

T54 / K63 / JT84 / QT2

 

Pard bids 1 Spade.  You bid 1NT.  Pard bids 2 Diamonds.  You bid 2 Spades.  Pard bids 3 Hearts.

4 Spades makes no sense to me.  Your Club Queen is almost worthless.  It's a white game.  If pard wants to drive to game, let him do it himself.  He bid it.  It worked. 

T54 / K63 / JT84 / QT2

KQ983 / AKQ / QJT7 / 8

Lose 6

Board 2

Cayne's squad went for 800 into a partscore.  They got to 4 Hearts whipped on:

AKT9 / K84 / AKQ652 / -

 

J76 / J765 / J4 / 8763

 

and took 2 tricks less than the double-dummy line.  Jeff and JZ's system deserves a lot of credit here.  Believe it or not, the auction wasn't that insane.

Board 3

Flat slam.  Grand is cold if trumps are 2-2 (with significant chances if stiff Q)  Neither side bid it.  Both scored 1010 when trumps were 2-2.

Push

Board 4

Nic and Kamel got to a silly spot on a silly auction.  Nic opened an 11-14 NT.

Kamel held

5 / Q82 / KJ754 / A862

When you play such a wide range for an opening NT, you don't try for 24 point games (because playing 2NT with 21 high is rarely a successful endeavor.)  Kamel bid stayman and then passed Nic's 2 Diamond response.

5 / Q82 / KJ754 / A862

AKQ / JT3 / 63 / Q9754

JZ and Jeff defended 3 Clubs.  Neither opening leader found the double dummy 'down 2' lead, but Nic ended down 2 and the other declarer ended down 1.

Lose 3

Board 5

Flat 3N.  Nic and Kamel held Declarer to 1 less trick (par was 630, the Cayne declarer scored 600.)

Win 1

Board 6

Transfer overcalls created a silly-looking auction where Jeff had to pass a 1 Club opener (on his Right) with:

A4 / 975 / AKT62 / K65

Lefty bid 2 Clubs passed back to Jeff and he balanced back in with 2 Diamonds.  Now JZ bid 2 Hearts.  Jeff bid 3 Clubs ('the nuts').  JZ subsided in 3 Hearts.

A4 / 975 / AKT62 / K65

T987 / KJT64 / 8 / QT2

At the other table, they had a more sensible auction and ended in 2 Hearts (Diamond overcall.  Heart bid.  Heart raise.  Fini)  But 20 points and an 8 card fit was enough for game when everything behaved.  The Cayne declarer slipped a trick.

Win 1

Board 7

Jeff got put in a real tough spot

All red 1st

QJ4 / AT7 / K986 / 862

He passed.  Lefty bid 1N (15-17) and JZ bid 2 Spades (Spades.)

I think bidding probably wins the quiz (especially red,) but I have a lot of sympathy for pass with 4-3-3-3 shape.  Jeff did balance back in with 3 Spades later when opener balanced back in with 3 Clubs, but I don't see how JZ can ever go if Jeff doesn't raise at his first opportunity.

At the other table, Nic opened 1 Club.  Now after a 1 Spade overcall, Charlie Weed made a somewhat pushy cuebid and the game was bid.

QJ4 / AT7 / K986 / 862

AK9762 / 32 / QJ5 / K5

Lose 10

 

Board 8

The good news is that Jeff and JZ's Raptor auction prevented E/W from finding their 5-3 Spade fit and they played in 5 Clubs instead in their 6-3 fit.  The bad news is that Spades were 5-0 and Clubs were 2-2 with K onside.

4 Spades went quietly down 3 undoubled (Kamel underplayed it a couple of tricks but it had absolutely no play.)  5 Clubs quietly made doubled.

Lose 12

Board 9

Cayne's E/W went for 800 at unfavorable in 5 Hearts (they had an 11 card fit.)  Jeff defended well (lazy defense earns only 500.)  Nic and Kamel wisely stayed out of the auction and were -450.

Win 8

Board 10

Jeff and Charlie both misguessed how to get out for down 1 in 3 Clubs and ended down 2.

Push

Board 11

Nic and Kamel slipped a couple of tricks defending a cold 1 Heart contract.  Jeff was in the par spot of 1NT making 2.

Lose 2

Board 12

Against 3NT the Cayne defender didn't lead his partner's suit.  The same contract was played at the other table from the other side and Nic led his own suit.  All the matchpoints for leading that suit.  But only ...

Win 1

Board 13

Neither side's defense was brilliant against 4 Hearts, which should have been down 2 but was down 1.

Push

Board 14

Jeff and JZ had another strange-looking auction that got them to their 5-2 Club fit instead of their 5-3 Spade fit. 

JZ held all white in 4th

AT742 / Q6 / AQ62 / QT

 

Lefty opened 1 Heart and Righty raised to 2.  JZ bid 2 Spades and now Jeff bid 3 Clubs (intended as fit-showing.)

JZ wasn't sure, and passed. (I'm sure Jeff will soon comment that JZ knew EXACTLY what he was doing, but I'm going to preemptively call bull$hit on that.)

3 Clubs had the advantage of being cold while 3 Spades has no play on reasonable defense.

AT742 / Q6 / AQ62 / QT

986 / T8 / JT9 / AKJ64

At the other table, Nic and Kamel were in the par contract of 3 Hearts, down 1.

Win 2

At the half, Canada was down only 6 IMPs.  33-27.  I'll finish this tomorrow.