Here is my eagerly awaited New Year’s List of the most infuriating things partner can do:
1. Bid ridiculously to game, get doubled, go for a telephone number and say: ‘Sorry, partner, I could have made that.’
2. Double the opps into game, and when it makes, as it ALWAYS does, say ‘Sorry, partner, I could have beaten it.’
3. Balance in pass-out seat when the opps have stopped in a part score, get doubled and go for 500. Or 800. Or 1,100.
These things happen so regularly that they have become a standing joke, not to mention the butt of my most withering sarcasm. But for once my team resisted any deeply clever moves in the Teams’ Tournament at the Year End — and won!
My partner, Nick Sandqvist, brought home his favourite contract, 3NT, on this deal:
Nick always thinks he is worth 3NT, and I suppose he was expecting to get more in dummy for a fourth hand opening. West led a small Spade. East won the Ace and returned the six, and declarer won the third round. Although the contract has no play double-dummy, Nick came to nine tricks without anyone doing anything stupid. He crossed to dummy with a Club and called for a small Diamond. East played low, of course, and West beat the nine with the Jack.
West got out with a Heart, which declarer won in hand and played a Diamond towards the table — if West put in the King, he would be allowed to hold the trick, but when he played low, Ace and another cleared the suit without East ever getting in to cash his spade. Apart from East putting up the ♦Q on the first round, West could also have taken the nine with the King, but would you?
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