Last year, we made it to the finals of the team cup of the Dutch Bridge Federation though our performance in the finals themselves was pretty bad. Eager to improve on that performance, we
entered the 2012 event.
The format of this event is a knock-out between teams of 12. The 12 players representing one club form 3 teams, each team plays a short match (2x4 boards) against each other team representing the other club. IMP’s are added up and the club scoring the most advances to the next round. Some 30 clubs participate in the event.
Last Saturday, we travelled to Eindhoven last Saturday for round 1 of the 2012 event. BC’70 was the opponent and we had, at least on paper, a stronger team with a few good players in the line-up that weren’t available for the 2011 event. In short, this should be an easy start of the 2012 event...
... well, to cut a long story short, wasn’t.
Things seemed to start well at our table when we made 4♠x with an overtrick on the first board and I got a KJ-decision right. That was 7-0 after 2 boards, but things went rapidly downhill from there. Down 30 after 1 round, down 60 after 2 and it never became a match after that. I dumped bunch of points myself too, this one was pretty bad, just to show how stupid one can be if you are not in the zone:
South is in 3NT after a Stayman auction. West led the ♥8, 9, small, K. Diamonds seemed like the best source of tricks, so I started with ♦AK10. That sets up 4 tricks there if the suit breaks 3-3 or somebody has Qx or Jx. Well, no. Dummy discarded a small spade on the 3rd round, east the ♣8, upside down attitude. West continued with the ♠10, small, small, ace.
So-far, things haven’t gone too well but the contract is still makeable. The ♠Q appears to be off-side. One shouldn’t pay too much attention to the ♣8, why would east signal that card? Diamonds can be set up but that will give you only 8 tricks (3 hearts, 3 diamonds, 2 spades). So, the only option is to play a club to the 10 and taking a second finesse later, that sets up 2 tricks in that suit for a total of 9. That would work and isn’t too difficult, but I believed the ♣8 and played a 4th diamond and could no longer make the contract. 12 imp’s down the drain in a simple contract that I should make every day of the week.
Quick summary of all this: the 2012 event was over after 24 boards of round 1.