My partner and I had a 57% game in the first session of the Silodor Pairs. Then in the second session, nothing we did worked. On this hand, I was East, and the bidding went (1H)-1S-(P)-3D (fit jump); (4C)-4D-(P)-4S; (5C)-P-(P)-5S; (6C) all pass.

Nice bidding partner, you pushed them to the 6-level! Except….

I never saw a tournament like the St. Louis nationals for extreme 2-suiters. There was this one, and in the first session of the Silodor I held a hand with 0=7=0=6 pattern, and in the Fast Pairs an opponent held 0=8=5=0. Two hands with two voids, in the space of four days! And there were 6-5’s all over — also in the Fast Pairs I picked up:
AK
AKxxx
—
AKQxxx

(Managed to score above average on that one: my RHO opened a weak 2S, and I managed to get partner to support clubs, and basically drove to 7C, which was laydown.)

I don’t blame him for bidding 6C. I do blame him for playing it against the wrong opponent, lol.

Hey David G,

That 7=6 hand was it board 26. Think you had A105432 Void J1098542 what happend at your table?

Hey MOJO,

Sorry I missed you in St. Louis.

Most players I talked bid 6C so was normal. It was in our discussion that maybe this was the time to walk the dog.

Michael: You’re right, it was 6=0=7=0 pattern, not the other way round.

Anyone wanting to see the full deal can look at page 11 of the Daily Bulletin for Saturday the 23rd; Barry Rigal had an article about it.

http://www.acbl.org/nabc/2013/01/bulletins/db9.pdf

At my table my RHO opened 1C, alerted as Polish Club. I’ve played a Polish Club-style system, and know that it’s somewhat vulnerable to preemption (it gets hard for the opponents to sort out what they need to) so I bid 2S, planning to bid diamonds later. I think LHO made a negative double, and partner raised to 4S. RHO bid 5C, and I bid 5S — normally I don’t preempt and bid again, but this hand seemed like an exception to the normal rules! LHO bid 6C, and partner doubled. This was good, because if he hadn’t I was going to sacrifice.

Partner had doubled wanting a heart lead, but I was of course not able to oblige him. I led the DJ, and declarer (who had not been warned about the 7-1 diamond break) tried to take an immediate second heart pitch. Partner of course ruffed; declarer overruffed but was then unable to avoid two heart losers for down one doubled and a good score our way.

At my table the auction went.
Partner opened 1C-3D-P-P. X-3S-4D-4S. 5C-P-5S-P. 6C-P-P-X. All Pass the lead was the Ace of spades, we make 12 tricks. For most of the match points.