Hi all
Thanksgiving weekend is close, and I’m looking forward to it. I can use the extra days off, I’ve been swamped with work. Even in my sleep I’m clicking through wizards and windows setting up projects for my company’s latest client. But I have been feeling valuable, so that’s a good thing.
This deal is from a sectional in El Cerrito. I was playing with Andrew Gumperz. After the following auction I got to declare 3NT.
I see West leading the Ten of 
. Right, they didn’t need much time to find my weak spot. But to my surprise the trick runs to my Jack. I doesn’t hurt to rattle of six , and I see West discarding three small and two . East followed suit twice, and then rid himself of two , a and a .
Well, that finesse surely isn’t going to work now. I decide to exit in , maybe some endplay will develop. West won that one with the King and thoughtlessly continued a for his partner’s Ace. On the stream of Trifolium marked cards I have just enough consciousness to retain the AQ in dummy.
The magic has happened. Badaboom! East is endplayed, and has to surrender two tricks to the Ace – Queen.
Maybe West should have cashed his Ace somewhere along the defensive line. Perhaps East could have kept a to keep communications intact. There are some learning opportunities here.
I lost my cool, embarrassingly. I was just staring at the cards on the table, full of disbelief and wonder. Really? Really? Did I actually score up 9 tricks?