Great Expectations

From Michael McGloughlin

Some readers will recall this further horror story from one of the National Team events last year. I do not have good memories of it and the reasons will become clear when one reads what happened.

With both sides Vulnerable I sat South hand and was contemplating the various bids that I might have were Partner to open I of Minor or I Spade. We had recently added a new feature to our slam bidding ( Exclusion Key Card Blackwood ) and I was wondering whether we might get the chance to show off our new toy but unsurprisingly Hearts were in the action ahead of us with West starting the ball rolling via a Weak 2 Hearts which was Passed back to me. After some thought to weigh up the various possibilities I decided to compete with a Take-out Double (always a bit risky when holding a trump void as became evident very soon
Partner holding 7 trumps to the AJ10 sitting over the opener understandably saw no reason to think that he was not in the running to be entering a very substantial penalty against a Doubled Part score holding AJ10xxxx trumps sitting over the bidder even though he was conscious of the fact that the trumps were 6/7/0/0

The Club King was led and held the trick after which there was no defence to the contract The Spade switched was won in dummy and declarer wasted little time winning the Ace cashing the Diamond Ace ruffing a Spade crossing to the Diamond King and ruffing a second spade reducing his hand to KQ98 of trumps and three small clubs. All that needed to be done thereafter was await his three further trump tricks with the KQ98 all sure to score as North helplessly ruffed each Club as it was played scoring just 3 low ruffs and his Heart Ace to add to the Club King which won the first trick and entering –670 on the sheet

Some readers will no doubt criticise the take-out Double and suggest that a simple 2 S is more descriptive but it seems to me that this is being wise after the event and some will also see that overtaking the Club King with the Ace and giving a ruff suffices to break up the ending and allows the defenders to emerge with 200 + but then there would be no story.