Misadventures In Manhattan

My Thursday evening games with Ralph often seem to produce some weird deals and even weirder results.

This one was just amusing.

East was end-played at trick one! She chose the D4, which I won in dummy with the DJ. Then SA and another spade, and the SQ appeared. So I ducked, of course, and there she was - end-played twice in the first four tricks.

This one was just amazing. Sitting North with West the dealer, I held: SJ HA982 DAKJ83 CAJ5

and the bidding proceeded

W    N    E    S

Pass 1D   1H   1S

2H   Dble Pass 4S

Pass Pass Pass

At favorable vulnerability, I was willing to take a swing at 2H. I have aces, I have four trumps and a singleton in partner's suit. Two down is worth more than our game (if we have one). But as good as my hand is, I don't know if I can make a move over 4S. Surely I must have something this good to chance the double? It sounds like partner has a long suit with nothing outside – can I visualize only one loser? Little did I know.

What a hand! I've never seen a ten-card suit before (in a randomly dealt hand). Naturally, 4S plus 3 was not one of our good scores.

Probably the best pair in the room had a horrible disaster against us.

I led the CQ, and declarer decided to cut down on ruffs by playing HA and another heart. Partner ditched a couple of diamonds while I was drawing trumps, so I was quickly able to claim down eight. I call that -800 the hard way. At another table, North liked his hand enough to double 4S. -1270 is another score you don't see too often.

I like being aggressive in the bidding, but sometimes I maybe take things a bit too far.

Just bidding 4S seemed pusillanimous, but 6S looked really ugly when I got a diamond lead. I actually managed to escape for down one, not that it helped the score.

I've tried a two-suited pre-empt before with some success, but this effort collected a big fat zero.

After two passes, I was faced with the question of what to open. Passing can't be right. It certainly appears as if LHO is about to bid spades, and I don't have much defence opposite a passed partner, unless our hands are a real misfit. Opening 2H seems wrong in several ways, so I see my main choices as being 1H and 3H. The three-level bid is unorthodox, but might present South with more of a problem, so I went for it. As you can see, the deal is a bit of a nightmare. Nobody can make anything, and 3H went down three.