Making an Overtrick in 2NTX :)

[OliverC]

Paula (Manso21) and I had some very interesting hands today. Paula bid this one very intelligently:

You are North (Vulnerable and the Dealer):

North
  8
  A
  AJ8
  AJ865432 (!)

You open 2 , which is passed around to RHO, who bids 2NT. What now?

You can argue for some large number of Clubs, and as long as that number does not exceed 3, you'd be okay (but getting a small minus IMP score). Paula chose to Double and this was passed out. Since Partner wasn't rescuing into a Major and neither Opponent seemed to be remotely interested in bidding Majors, it looks like Opps will not be running a Major for loads of tricks, so I think this was an intelligent choice.

Paula opened with her 4th highest Club, Dummy went down with the 109 and Partner contributed the & on trick one, which pretty much showed up the Club position. Declarer played a Spade to Dummy's Queen and another Spade back to their King (South playing the 3 and then the 7), but now the floodgates opened when Declarer led a small Diamond. Paula went up with her Ace and 9 tricks later on she conceded a Diamond to Dummy's Queen. +800


A few Boards later we had the following hand: Again, I'll give you the hand from Paula's viewpoint: You are North (EW Game, Dealer South), holding:

North
  3
  AKQ6
  Q104
  AJ872

Bidding
South     West     North     East
2          No         No(1)      X
2NT(2)     X           All Pass

Paula led her singleton Spade and Dummy went down with

East (Dummy)
  A104
  1083
  AK75
  1095

                 North
                  3
                  AKQ6
                  Q104
                  AJ872

Declarer ducked trick 1 in Dummy and Partner's 9 won the trick. Partner now led the Queen, which was also ducked, and then the King, won by Dummy's Ace (on the last 2 tricks, Paula signalled for a Club with the 72 in that order). Actually I nearly switched to a Club after the 7, but I felt it was certain that Declarer would be attacking the Clubs themselves before long.

Indeed, Declarer cashed a top Diamond and then switched to the 10, which they overtook with their King. Paula won her Ace and then switched to the Queen, trying to find me with the Jack. Declarer took the King and played a second Club to their King and then exited with a small Heart. What do you do?

Paula ducked smoothly and that trick was taken by Partner's Jack and after 3 Spades and the Jack of Diamonds, the defence took the rest.

Paula's defence here was incisive, realising that she had to give South every chance to gain the lead in order to be able to cash their long Spades. Worth noting, perhaps, my play of the Queen at trick 2, because I felt that Diamonds was my best chance of an entry. No chanec of anything other than a fairly subtle signal here: the King would have suggested Hearts and the Jack would have suggested Clubs. That was the best I could do, but Paula caught it.

This time 2NTX -4 was worth +1100, but making an overtrick in 2NTX (by Opps) twice in the space of a few Boards is not something I think I'll ever see again