The (Doe) Rabbit visits the club (part I)

I had another interesting daytime bridge experience recently.  During a three-board sit-out (when we were bumped), I kibitzed boards that we had already played (I was South) and became increasingly impressed by the player that was sitting in my seat at the next table.  On the first board, a run-of-the-mill 3NT by East, our hand held ♠A432 ♥J942 ♦JT8 ♣Q8.  The auction had proceeded 1NT (12-14) – 2♣ (Stayman) – 2♦ – 2NT (balanced invitation) – 3NT, all pass.  Nothing looked appealing and at my table I lead a prosaic ♥2 chosen in preference to the deuce of spades on the grounds that, in order for my lead not to cost a trick outright, partner will need to contribute the Q, T or 8 whereas a spade lead would typically require partner to have the K or perhaps four small for my lead to give nothing away.  Dummy fielded ♠J6 ♥Q753 ♦K3 ♣AJ952 and, somewhat surprisingly declarer went up with dummy's Q.  Partner took the A and returned the T (a sensible looking play, though not the best in practice as we had two spades to cash) which declarer took with the K.  Declarer then rattled off ten tricks in the minors, everything behaving beautifully and conceded the last trick to partner's K and my A of ♠.  That was good for 3.5 matchpoints out of 11.

In the replay, my counterpart took a different approach to the hand, leading a deceptive ♠3.  North produced the K (note to self!) and RHO won the third spade with the Q (all following except dummy) and then played to make the rest of the tricks.  Five rounds of clubs followed on which our hand pitched a deceptive ♦8 followed by two hearts, declarer pitched the ♥6K and the hand opposite pitched the ♥T8.  Declarer now set about the diamonds starting the K from dummy.  All followed with small cards except our hero who played the J.  The small diamond from dummy was led and second hand played a small card.  Declarer was at the crossroads.  Our hand was now down to ♠2 ♥J9 ♦T ♣–.  From declarer's point of view our hand had come down to two spades, a heart (possibly the A) and one other red card.  RHO reasoned that some other declarers might have received a heart lead instead of a spade and that he was therefore behind the field.  That being the time to take risks, he now finessed into our bare T.  Declarer got one more diamond at the end, but the mystery South's deception had set a cold contract which resulted in 10.5 out of 11 matchpoints.

Who was this South, I wondered?  Was it Zia disguised in drag?  Or perhaps the Doe Rabbit who, with fingers sticky from chocolate almond biscuits, had detached the ♠3 instead of the ♠2 by mistake?  But, in that case, how do we explain the absolutely brazen diamond plays?

To be continued...

The Rabbit puts in an Appearance

Here's a little comedy from last evening's club game.  It demonstrates the absurdity of the term "dummy".  In this case, all of the other three people at the table acted like, well... dummies.  The tale is told from dummy's point of view (not this blogger).  Declarer's identity may or may not be revealed at the end.

You pick up this fine hand as dealer with none vulnerable: ♠– ♥T753 ♦K5 ♣AKQ8765.  You open 1♣ and there is a predictable 1♠ overcall on your left.  Partner joins in with 1NT and RHO bids 2♣.  You decide to try 2NT and there the matter rests.

RHO leads ♠4 on which partner dumps your small diamond while LHO wins the trick with the A and partner follows with the 2.  So far, things are proceeding more or less as expected.  LHO persists with the ♠6 which partner wins with the K, LHO following with the 5.  You get ready to pitch a small heart when you think you hear "small club, please?".  "Small club, did you say?" you ask somewhat incredulously.  "Small club, please."  So, from your solid seven-bagger you are now down to six tricks.  Oh well, maybe he isn't quite over his recent malaise, you think.

Partner now plays the ♣4 from his hand, followed by the 3 and you confidently reach for the A.  "Small club," says partner again.  Is the record stuck, perhaps?  "Small club, did you say?" you ask somewhat incredulously for the second time.  "Small club, please."  OMG, you think.  Partner has really lost it.  From a solid seven card suit he's now down to five winners only.  LHO, with a somewhat bemused air wins the trick with the 9.

Another spade (3) is played which partner wins with the Q, RHO following with the 9.  This time partner calls for a heart.  Have you heard that right?  "Small heart, did you say?" "Small heart".  Somewhat relieved, you put the small heart on the table.  Things become a slight blur now as partner rattles off the five remaining clubs.  A flurry of red cards is being pitched all over the place.  Partner pitches two diamonds and two hearts.  LHO lets go a bunch of red cards and, somewhat reluctantly, the SJ.  RHO is pitching red all the way.

Finally, partner calls for the DK which is won by RHO's A.  A diamond is returned and partner claims ten tricks for 180.  LHO somewhat unnecessarily observes that his ♣9 was a singleton.  All have a good laugh.

Yet, it seems declarer has had the last laugh, as no other declarer in our direction made even as much as 150.

So, what was going on?  Partner, like our famous friend the Rabbit, was guarding against an unlikely 4-0 split in clubs?  Absurd at matchpoints, you say?  Well, yes, but partner was under the impression that RHO had bid clubs, having forgotten apparently, despite the presence of a solid seven card suit, that I had opened one club!

BTW, just as in a famous hand which I think is reported in Points, Schmoints, there is something funny about this deal.  Nobody bid a heart.  Nobody played a heart, other than to discard one.  

The identity of our rabbit?  Ah, modesty forbids.