A First for Me

I am playing in the finals of the North American Pairs. This event used to be called the Grand National Pairs, which sounds so...grand. Why was it changed to the sleepy-sounding "NAP?" With a bunch of kibitzers around, I pick up a poor hand in fourth chair,

A10

J109872

652

98. Partner opens 1

and RHO overcalls 1

. This is passed back to partner, who cue bids 2

. RHO passes, so I have to do something. My instinct screams to pass, but I have an ace and a stopper, so I bid the normal 2NT. Partner raises to game and LHO leads the

7. I see

	KJ3 4 K10 AKQ7632

	A10 J109872 652 98

West	North	East	South
Pass	1	1	Pass
Pass	2	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

It looks as if we have enough tricks if they cannot take five first. The

A is probably offside, and I can possibly block the suit by ducking the opening lead if diamonds are 6-2, but that will still give them two diamonds and three hearts. I guess I have to hope the

A is onside, so I rise with the

K. Wrong. It was

AJ doubleton on my right, so ducking would have blocked the suit. LHO runs six diamond tricks. I pitch a spade and three clubs from dummy and two hearts and a club from hand. LHO continues with the

K, so ducking Trick 1 wouldn't've helped. It looks as if I am down four, but RHO ducks the

K, and LHO shifts to a spade. RHO hasn't pitched a club, but unless clubs are 4-0, I have the rest. Just in case they are, however, I hop with the

K. RHO looks pained and discards the

Q. I play another spade to my hand, and RHO pitches the

A. I claim three heart tricks to go with my two spades and one club to end up down three.

The whole hand turned out to be

	KJ3 4 K10 AKQ7632
Q76542 K Q98743 —		98 AQ653 AJ J1054
	A10 J109872 652 98

RHO was squeezed on the run of the spades. I think this is a first for me. Never before have I successfully run a squeeze to avoid a fourth undertrick. I note to partner that his hand only took two tricks and mine took four, so I had my bid!

It looks like they only have five tricks against 2, so my instinct was right in a way. West, however, was 6-6, so I suspect 2 would not have ended the auction. Maybe some pairs will be -170 against a spade part score, so my -150 will gain some matchpoints vs. -200. Why didn't West bid anything?