Played in real life for the first time in months tonight.  My partner was Buddy Bass, a very talented young Austin player.  We both blew one board (I wasn't watching pitches closely enough and missed a 100% endplay, cashing out for a top board in what I knew was a really good contract that would likely be missed at most tables.  He outsmarted himself in an unusual position where he thought playing 2nd hand high was right) and combined to blow one more, but ended up with a 70% game.

Here's the board we combined on:

x / Axxxx / xx / KJxxx

Red vs White, Matchpoints.  First board of the evening.

I passed.  Buddy opened 1 Spade in 3rd.  Righty doubled.

What do I bid now?  2 Clubs?  2 Hearts?  Pass?  Redouble?  1NT?

Maybe it's right to pass and then if 2 Diamonds is passed back to you, double for takeout.  But I wanted to show some values now and I didn't feel like either suit was worth bidding unilaterally.  I bid 1NT.

This was passed around to Righty who doubled again.

I passed.  Lefty bid 2 Diamonds.  This was passed around to me.

Sell to 2 Diamonds at matchpoints with an 8 count opposite an opening hand?

It's a little scary, but I just had to keep the auction alive.

I bid 2 Hearts, planning to correct 2 Spades to 3 Clubs.  Surely we have a 7 card fit somewhere.

2 Hearts was passed around to Righty, who doubled again.  Float.

Lefty led the 8 of Spades.

QJT7x / Jx / Qxxx / Qx

x / Axxxx / xx / KJxxx

I covered and Righty won and returned a Spade.  I pitched a Diamond and I won the Spade cheaply in Dummy.  Now I guess I should go after Clubs, but instead I continued with a top Spade, covered, ruffed and overruffed.

Now a Club to the Ace, another Spade (Diamond away) ruffed and a Diamond through ruffed left this:

J / Jx / Qxx / Q

- / Axx / - / KJxx

I figured down 1 was probably a zero, so I should play to make.  I played a Club to the Queen followed by Ace and a Heart.  If the Hearts had been 4-2, I'd have been +670, but they were 3-3 and I was -800.

First board strikes again.