Colombia headed the table at the end of the qualifying stage of the National Ladies Teams Championship. They chose Venezula as their semi-final opponents, giving them an 18.5 IMP carry-forward into the 48-board match. In the other semi-final, second-placed Trinidad face Jamaica, with Jamaica having a 9 IMP carry-forward score. Meanwhile, Guadeloupe lead the National Open Teams qualifying with three rounds to go. Five teams are still in contention for a knock-out place, with only Jamaica and Barbados out of contention. There are still four matches to go in the Open round robin but four teams are over 35 VPs clear of fifth, so it would seem that the qualifying places are virtually decided, short of a dramatic collapse

The field in all three teams events had terrible problems with this deal and no doubt there are many partnerships who are feeling bad about their failure to bid to a grand slam. I thought perhaps that many of you would feel better if you could see how many other pairs also played the wrong contract.

7¨ needs a 3-2 diamond split, which is around a 68% chance, while 7NT needs that plus good news in one of the other suits or a squeeze, with the alternative that if diamonds do not break you may survive if both clubs and hearts behave. As you might expect your counterparts at the other table to at least reach six, either grand slam is well worth bidding with, I think, 7¨ having a slight edge.

The breakdown of contracts reached was as follows:

As many pairs stopped in game as reached seven. It gets worse, because even some of the pairs who bid seven were not sure what they were doing. I heard of one pair who bid it via four-ace Blackwood, asked for kings then just guessed that the one king would be the ¨ K. Another pair were using Precision and a trump asking bid was misinterpreted and an impossible response made, after which everyone was guessing.

So if you were feeling bad or were critical of partner’s efforts, at least you had a lot of company. This is not an easy hand.

Just to show how easy it is to manufacture plausible auctions when you can see both hands, it might start 1© – 2¨ – 3§ (promising extras) – 3ª (fourth suit) – 4¨ – 4ª (cuebid). Now, if West likes his hand enough to bid slam he can bid 5© on the way and East bids 5NT(GSF). There is room to differentiate between zero and one top honour so seven can be reached safely (West must have enough tricks for seven to be good if he can bid 5© over 4ª ). If West signs off in 5¨ over 4ª , thinking that the spade cuebid has not improved his hand, then East surely still has enough to bid six and can bid 6§ on the way as a grand slam try. Now West can bid seven as he knows about the § A and East can hardly need him to have more than one top trump honour.

As I say, it is easy after the event. I had the good fortune to be sitting North/South so was not tested.

At many major championships there are awards for the best played, bid or defended hand. I would like to nominate this hand from Round 8 of the Open Teams as the worst defended hand at these championships.

North opened a ‘classic’ example of a 3© pre-empt, East overcalled 3ª and West converted to 3NT, ending the auction. 3NT appears to have less chance of survival than a snowball in hell, but…. North led a heart to the ace and declarer tried a spade to the nine and king. North switched to a low club to the queen. The ª Q was ducked and declarer threw a diamond. Now declarer, trying to get out for as few down as possible, switched back to clubs, leading the jack to North’s ace. A club was returned to dummy’s seven and declarer led a low diamond and, when South failed to split his ten-nine, put in the seven, forcing the king. Back came a diamond and South, who could see the setting tricks in his own hand, ducked! Declarer won the ¨ J and cashed his two winning clubs and South was squeezed in three suits. In practice, he threw a diamond and a heart and declarer gratefully cashed the king and jack of hearts for an unbelievable nine tricks.