Matchpoints and Beer

Playing in the first session of a two-session regional pair game, I have a very good, but quirky hand,

Q987

AKQJ543. Being in fourth position isn't going to make this hand any easier, but to my surprise, it goes three passes to me. I could just open 3NT, but after three passes, I don't think preemption is critical, so I open 1

. LHO overcalls 1

, partner bids 1

, and RHO raises to 2

. A scientific 3

might get us to a slam, but it is even more likely to get us past 3NT, and at matchpoints, that can be a disaster, so I just bid 3NT.

Everyone subsides, LHO leads the 3, and I see

	A10954 J104 A5 1076

	K A Q987 AKQJ543

LHO	CHO	RHO	Me
Pass	Pass	Pass	1
1	1	2	3NT
All Pass

Oh, well. 6

looks cold. Even if diamonds are 5-2 and clubs 0-3, that lovely

10 in dummy will allow me to ruff a diamond high for 12 tricks. Ought I have bid more? How about partner? Beats me. But I'm in 3NT, which is where I suspect most of the field will be. I see no reason not to duck Trick 1, and RHO inserts the

J, which I win and take stock. I have seven clubs, two spades, one heart, and two diamonds. That's 12 tricks; is there any chance of a 13th? It looks like LHO has the other top diamonds, so if he has the two top hearts, there might be a squeeze. That doesn't leave RHO much for his raise. The spades may produce a squeeze menace if they are 5-2, which could easily happen since LHO is probably at least 5-4 in the reds. I don't see anything useful to do with the spades, so I think I need to hope for LHO's having both top hearts.

I unblock the K and cross to the 10. On the A, I pitch the 9 (a curse avoidance and beer conservation play), and LHO drops the J. There's nothing to do but run the clubs. I do and come down to

	10 J10 A ---

	--- A 87 3

LHO had one club and pitched the

2, so it looks as if he was 2-5-5-1 and is about to be criss-cross squeezed on the last club. He thinks for a little while and tosses the

K with a resigned air, so I lead the

8 to the ace, cross back to the

A, and triumphantly face the beer card for Trick 13.

Despite our missing a laydown slam, +520 scores very well, because nearly none of the field got to six. The overtrick was worth nearly a half board. And a beer.