The Nationals in Las Vegas (2008) were huge—more than 20,000 tables. Here are some of my favorite deals:

A Good 2-count

There are 2-counts, and then there are 2-counts. I held this hand on the first day of the Spingold in Las Vegas (2008):

8 7 5 4 3
6 4 3 2
Q 3
7 4

With both sides vulnerable, my LHO opened 1, and partner bid 2NT, Unusual. The normal treatment for this bid is that it shows the two lowest unbid suits—in this case hearts and diamonds. What do you think?

The four-card heart "support" and the fitting Q are big plusses. They might even be enough to jump! Picture partner with, say AKxxx and AKxxx and you have play for game. Still, partner need not be that strong, so let's say you content yourself with a 3 bid (as I did).

Partner now cue-bids 4. What is this all about?

He still has red suits, but obviously a very powerful hand. Not only is he insisting on game, but he is showing interest in slam. Are you interested?

I'd say, yes. But, still, this hand has very little to help make a six-level contract, so let's say you content yourself with 4 (again, as I did).

Now, partner gave me one more move. He cue-bid 4. Wow! He has red suits, slam interest, and probably controls in both black suits to be driving on his own to the 5-level. Are you finally ready to admit to having something?

You should be. For all partner knows, you could have had xx xxx xxx xxxxx for your previous bidding. Time to ‘fess up. I jumped to 6. I was finally in love with my 2-count.

Partner now raised to 7! I'm not sure I was in that much love. But all was well, as this was partner's magnificent hand:

Vul: Both Dlr: West	A K A K J 8 7 5 A K 7 6 2 --
	8 7 5 4 3 6 4 3 2 Q 3 7 4

West	North	East	South
	David		Larry
1	2N	Pass	3
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	6
Pass	7	All Pass

The A was led. I trumped in dummy, laid down a top heart (all followed), drew the other trump and claimed 13 tricks for 2210. Our team won 13 imps because the North player at the other table started with a takeout double and reached only 6.

A Nudge in the Wrong Direction

This next deal was from that same Spingold match. This will be the easiest bidding you ever see me write about:

K Q 3 2
A Q 3 2
Q J 8
Q 8

You deal at unfavorable vulnerability. Playing a 15-17 notrump, you have an easy 1NT opening bid. Partner raises to 3NT and everyone passes. The J (standard) is led, and you see:

Vul: N-S Dlr: South	A 7 6 K 8 K 10 9 7 6 10 6 4
	K Q 3 2 A Q 3 2 Q J 8 Q 8

You look to have serious troubles. Obviously, you need to knock out the A to develop 9 tricks. But, when you do so, the defense can switch to clubs to defeat you. Do you see anything?

One well-known ploy is to win the heart lead and play clubs yourself! Maybe the defense will figure that if you are playing clubs, they should be playing something else. Occasionally, you might even find that a club to the queen holds the trick!

I think there is an even better deceptive play available—at least it is the one I tried. I won the K in dummy at trick one and dropped the Q from hand (in tempo, of course).

Now I played a diamond to the queen and West's ace. He couldn't wait to knock out my A to clear the suit. When he did, I had my 9 tricks (3 spades, 2 hearts and 4 diamonds). The sacrifice of the other heart trick was well worth it. This was the full deal:

Vul: N-S Dlr: South	A 7 6 K 8 K 10 9 7 6 10 6 4
J 9 J 10 9 7 6 A 2 K J 7 5		10 8 5 4 5 4 5 4 3 A 9 3 2
	K Q 3 2 A Q 3 2 Q J 8 Q 8

A timely gift

For many reasons, I am delighted about the following deal from the Grand National Teams semifinals. We were playing against a powerful team from Texas. Our Florida team trailed by 44 IMPs going into the final quarter. David & I played a tame set against Bramley-Hamman. Maybe we had slightly the better of it, but nowhere near enough to gain 44 IMPs. I was sure we had lost. The other table still had 5 boards to play and it was late at night. I told the 5^th and 6^th members of our team to go to sleep—"we have no realistic chance. I'll call and wake you up if there is a miracle."

Never give up when your teammates are Meckstroth-Rodwell. They came back with a fantastic set and we gained 56 IMPs to win by 12. I had to call to awaken my teammates. Then we won the final the next day to capture the National Championship. That is only one reason to be delighted about this match-turning 18-IMP gain from the 4^th quarter:

Vul:Both Dlr: North	A K A K J 7 6 Q J 2 K 3 2
	J 8 7 6 2 A K 10 8 7 6 5 4

At our table, David and I bid easily to 6 to score 1370. This seemed like a routine push in this competition (the semifinals of an open National Championship). Not so. Our counterparts opened the North hand 2, strong and artificial. South bid 3, natural. So far so good.

I think I would have used Keycard Blackwood with North's hand over 3. Opposite the 2 keycards I'd bid 6. (Opposite 1, I'd bid 5 and opposite 3, 7). So simple.

But, North made a curious underbid of 3NT. South forged on with 4. Now the real trouble crept in. North-South had a dangerous agreement that on some auctions, a bid of 4-of-a-minor (especially a previously bid minor) was Blackwood in that suit. In fact, North thought that South's 4 was asking for keycards with diamonds trump. So, North "responded" 5 to show 2 keycards and the Q. Meanwhile, South had something else in mind. He thought his 4 was natural. When North bid 5, South decided that North had some big solid club suit and wanted to play 5, maybe a hand such as:

Q x
A K
x
A K Q J 10 x x x

South passed! The final contract was 5 by North, down 5, -500 and a ridiculous 18-imp gift. I can't stress enough how wrong it is to have these dangerous agreements. Even on a hand where the toy doesn't even come up, the idea of it lurking in the background (one player thinks it is on, one doesn't) causes disasters. KISS!!!

Three ways to win

Vul: Both Dlr: South	A 8 4 3 Q 10 9 6 5 3 A J 2 --
	K 7 6 4 A K J 4 2 8 Q 8 2

This deal comes from a post-Spingold event in Vegas (in other words, we got knocked out). You open the South hand 1 and end up in 6. Along the way, East has vigorously shown the minors (at a high level, and vulnerable). West leads the A. What is your plan?

If spades are 3-2, there will be no problem. So, assume they are 4-1. You ruff the opening A lead and draw trumps (they are 1-1). Now what?

If East's presumed singleton spade is the 9,10,J, or Q you are home free. Strip out both minor suits with ruffs and come to your hand to lead a low spade. What can LHO do? If he plays low, you duck and RHO wins his singleton 9,10,J, or Q. Then you will get a ruff-sluff to throw away another low spade (if RHO has another spade, then they were not 4-1). If LHO split his honors, that is no better. You can duck in both hands and LHO will be endplayed. If he plays another spade, your problems in that suit are resolved—otherwise, he has to give you a ruff-sluff. Look at the full diagram and you will see that if you eliminate the minors and then make your spade play, you score 12 tricks:

Vul: Both Dlr: South	A 8 4 3 Q 10 9 6 5 3 A J 2 --
Q J 10 5 8 9 7 3 A 9 7 6 5		9 7 K Q 10 6 5 4 K J 10 4 3
	K 7 6 4 A K J 4 2 8 Q 8 2

Note that this was only one of three ways to succeed. The other two winning lines are:

Winning line # 2) Ruff out the clubs, cash two top spades, A, diamond ruff, back to dummy and then the J. When East wins, throw a spade loser. He has to give you a ruff-sluff to throw your other spade loser.

Winning line #3) Ruff out the diamonds, cash two top spades, ruff a low club, come back to hand, then run the Q. Allow East to win his K as you throw a spade loser from dummy. He then has to give you a ruff-sluff to throw dummy's other spade loser.

I happened to choose the first line and our team won a big swing when my counterpart went down in 6 (I never found out how; if this was still in the Spingold, I suspect it would have been a pushed board).