Empty Handed

Hi all

Here’s an expensive deal from one of the post-Spingold knockout tournaments in DC. Outside it was hot and moist, the kind of weather you can mop me up with. But inside it was sub-Viking cold. At a certain point I even asked the director if he could rub me a little.

1

Pass

1

Pass

2

Pass

…3

Double

3

Pass

4

Pass

4

a.p.

 

I doubled 3 as leaddirecting/penalty when West didn’t alert 3 after a significant pause. Of course 3 could be natural, but it could also be a free “keep-the-bidding-going”-bid. The opponents ended up in 4 after a series of bids that don’t make any sense to me.

Before I start out leading a top my RHO informs me 3 should have been alerted. We ask for the attention of a director. 3 was meant as check-back, but there was a failure to alert. The director instructed us to play the deal and get back to him when finished. This was the full deal:

When the split 3-3 and the suit broke favourably ten tricks came rolling in. The director had nothing to add to the result, West had just (very) conveniently forgotten about their agreements. Talk about luck in extremo, Martin & Remco tried 3NT at the other table but lost the obvious six tricks.

At the table I overlooked my moment of glory. 4 can be set! Had I continued with a 3rd round of , in the double void, declarer’s demise would have been unavoidable. He can ruff on the short side, but if Dennis then ducks the Queen, declarer has fatal transportation problems because of the awkward position of both red Queens. The same story applies if declarer decides to ruff in his own hand, a fourth round of will leave declarer then empty handed.