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A Grand Each Way.

We finish the year in a relatively light-hearted style. Back in early 2005, this deal was reported with the above heading. Firstly, you might muse as to what you would bid as West after your partner made a Weak Jump Overcall:

 

I can see 101 reasons why one would bid 5, another 50 perhaps (led by a lead directional action) in trying 3 but I can see only one as to why West chose 3NT. If that remained the final contract, then North would lead a heart and West would soon take K, 6 club tricks and those top 2 diamonds..+400.

Did someone mention spades? That’s poor partner’s job. They just had to have a spade hold to bid 3! Not in 2024 and seemingly not in 2005 either:

 

West’s reasoning was spot on. North saw A as the entry to cash hearts. So, they started with Q prepared to lose to K and awaited…. and it proved a long wait! As an aside, with a certain outside entry, why not start out with A? Next time, West will risk 3NT with the singleton K if that is North's opening lead!

While East’s spade hold was less than desired, they had produced an extra club. 7 rounds of clubs followed and while West had no bother discarding their 2 remaining major cards, South had more problems. When the last club was played, South had left KJ and JT42. Maybe North’s spades were just too good to show interest in that suit (reverse signals run into some trouble when one's lowest card in the suit is the 8!) but the message did not seem to get through to South who fatally discarded a small diamond.

11 tricks became 13 and 520 to East-West, a truly impressive result for the declaring side.

Meanwhile, at the other table, the bidding had started similarly (yes, spade holds were not necessary in those days) but North decided not to sit out 3NT:

The most challenging lead East could find to this contract would have been Q followed by 2 more rounds of diamonds. However, even then North should be safe for 11 tricks by ruffing with J, crossing to dummy (surely a club ruff is safe!) and taking a successful trump finesse. Now, with no 10 yet appearing, declarer must lay down A and hope.

However, East started with a high club, ruffed. Then followed a heart to Q and now North could not go wrong, either laying down A or risking a spade to dummy for a second finesse. Dummy’s spades provided an admirable parking space for North’s 2 diamond losers and as at the other table, 13 tricks had been made.

Indeed at the score-up, East-West announced +520…we made all 13 whereas teammates also claimed all 13 with their +850. There were fears that the board had been played with the hands swapped at one table but it soon was established that 13 tricks had been made in each direction…and 16 imps were recorded in the “In Column”.

Making 13 tricks does not of course mean one should bid to the 7 level. A nice way to score up though. May you have such successful score-ups in 2025.

Richard Solomon

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