Bridge Blog 552: Don't try this

I never should’ve done it, I confessed to partner Beverly Dale after our first board Tuesday at the Airport Bridge Club. I never should’ve opened 1 No Trump on that hand. But I’m always feeling daring on the first round of the day and a hand with 17 high card points, two King doubletons and a solid six-card Diamond suit looked like it might pay off handsomely in No Trump.

It didn’t. The opponents immediately found the suit in  which Bev and I had no stoppers, then nailed me on one of my King doubletons. Down five. Bottom board right off the bat.

It wasn’t our last bottom board. We wound up in another 3 NT contract after I misunderstood Bev’s negative double as a support double. Down six vulnerable. Our opponents didn’t even need to double us to win big.

After playing three rounds at 27.7%, after we resigned ourselves to coming in dead last, we pulled up our socks and played a respectable near-average game, but it was too late to salvage anything but our pride. We finished at 42.5%, seventh out of nine North-Souths.