A comical and frustrating hand

[Adam Lea]

Comical or frustrating, depending on whether you were watching or playing.

MPs, no-one vuln, I was South:

Q6543
JT
T9
KT63
KJ7 A
K964 AQ72
J73 AK865
J92 AQ7
T982
853
Q42
854

N E S W
P P
P 2C* P 2H
P 4H P 4NT
P 5C P 6H
AP

This might not have been the exact auction, but West definitely bid
hearts and Blackwood. 2C was Acol game forcing, 4NT standard Blackwood.
My partner led the HJ and 12 tricks come rolling in for a grand total of
two matchpoints out of 14 for NS. 6H is cold so we couldn't do better,
but the room stuffed us up by mostly not bidding it. Three pairs stopped
in 4H making 12, one other pair found 6H and went off, one pair found
6NT making (our two matchpoints), one pair stopped in 3NT making only 10
tricks, and one North hero played in 3S doubled three off (how on earth
they got there I have no idea). What made it worse was it was during the
middle of six consecutive bad scores which really ruined our scorecard
in the end.

[Player]

Post by Adam Lea
Comical or frustrating, depending on whether you were watching or playing.
Q6543
JT
T9
KT63
KJ7 A
K964 AQ72
J73 AK865
J92 AQ7
T982
853
Q42
854
N E S W
P P
P 2C* P 2H
P 4H P 4NT
P 5C P 6H
AP
This might not have been the exact auction, but West definitely bid
hearts and Blackwood. 2C was Acol game forcing, 4NT standard Blackwood.
My partner led the HJ and 12 tricks come rolling in for a grand total of
two matchpoints out of 14 for NS. 6H is cold so we couldn't do better,
but the room stuffed us up by mostly not bidding it. Three pairs stopped
in 4H making 12, one other pair found 6H and went off, one pair found
6NT making (our two matchpoints), one pair stopped in 3NT making only 10
tricks, and one North hero played in 3S doubled three off (how on earth
they got there I have no idea). What made it worse was it was during the
middle of six consecutive bad scores which really ruined our scorecard
in the end.

Just one aside. I really like aggressive leads against slams. I would have a led a C or a S (2nd choice), against this auction. Note the C lead puts immediate pressure on declarer as he has an alternate line in hoping the Ds come in for no losers.