Dealer: N Vul: N/S
NORTH
♠ AQ10
♥ 732
♦ AJ83
♣ KJ6
WEST EAST
♠ J83 ♠ 97652
♥ AQJ1086 ♥ K95
♦ Q104 ♦ 52
♣ 8 ♣ 1032
SOUTH
♠ K4
♥ 4
♦ K976
♣ AQ9754
Experts will encourage you to play in 3NT rather than 5C or 5D if you have a choice. On Board 8 last Monday this would not have been good advice. Three pairs played in 3NT with different results, two played in a partscore in diamonds when they should have bid a small slam while Claire Duggan and Mary Johmston played in the only straightforward game contract of 5C.
Let’s look at what happened to the 3NT contracts by North. One declarer received the lead of the seven of spades. Declarer could then win with the King and rattle off three spade tricks, six clubs and two diamonds in any order without worrying about the diamond finesse. 660 was a fortunate top score. At the other two tables a heart lead allowed East/West to win five heart tricks to defeat the contract by one trick. 3NT was less than a 50 per cent chance on this Board.
At the sixth table Mary (South), with a singleton heart, guided the partnership to the safe contract of 5C. West jumped straight in with the lead of the Ace of hearts, but found the next trick hard to come by. A heart continuation was as good as anything, as it would use up one of declarer’s trumps. On lead, Mary had a straightforward line of play: draw trumps in three rounds, win three spades, two diamonds and the remaining trumps for the necessary eleven tricks. There was no need to take the diamond finesse. A second top score of 600 was worth 80 per cent on that board. In contrast to 3NT, 5C and 5D were very safe contracts.
Results, Monday, 14/04/25 (6-table Mitchell): N/S J. Mobbs S. Goddard (61.3) 1; R. Hart N. McGinness (60.3) 2; H. Price V. Prentice (51.7) 3. E/W W. Milne J. Sipple (60.7) 1; T. Hinde P. Campbell (52.3) 2; S. Head L. James (51.7) 3. Friday 18/04/25 no play.
