Justice was Made by Benjamin Robles

This year with my partner Joaquin Pacareu we played in the 2013 Atlanta NABC as part of the d’Orsi team:

Ernesto d’Orsi – Mauricio Figueiredo – Miguel Villas-Boas – Joao Paulo Campos, Sao Paulo Brasil; Benjamin Robles  y Joaquin Pacareu, Santiago Chile.

We signed for a Swiss Team event, and in one of the matchs we had to play against Kit Woolsey & Fred Stewart, this is one of the boards we played:

  IMPS, Dealer Norte,  E/W Vul

White against red I received the following cards:

8 7 4 3

A 8 2

3

A J 10 8 4

The Bidding
Pacareu	Stewart	Robles	Woolsey
NORTH	EAST	SOUTH	WEST
1*	2**	Doblo	Pass***
3****	Pass	4****	Pass
4*****	Pass	4*****	Pass
4*****	Pass	4NT******	Pass
6	Pass	Pass	Pass

Joaquin Pacareu opened 1 (could be short) in a seat where we open all 11’s and some good 9-10 hcp hands. Stewart overcalled 2 and I made the normal double.

Now West, Kit Woolsey took maybe 3 or 4 seconds and then passed which suggested to me that he had the full spade suit. My partner, Joaquin, rebid 3 natural non forcing and now I took some seconds to consider my next move.

There are many hands in which we wouldn’t even make 3, like if partner had:  Jxx xx KQ KQxxxx, but in that case the opponents are cold for game in a major suit, so I finally raised to 4 to see what happens, again natural and invitational to game.

Over 4 my partner bid 4, cue bid and accepting at least to play game. My hand became really strong now and with partner having at most 1 spade card,  slam should be pretty close. I cue bid 4 and my partner now cue bid 4 spades confirming a real hand.

On a rainy day partner might have:  Kx Axxx  void Kxxxxxx and we would be cold for 7 but those hands only cross one’s head and never really happen in the table.

I decided I had bid enough and couldn’t go by myself so I bid 4NT last train and partner signed off in 6 clubs. Stewart only asked if 4 clubs was forcing after seeing this weird auction and we both replied, natural and not forcing laughing. He lead the heart king and I noticed my partner wasn’t very happy with the dummy as his hand was:

—-

10 9 4 3

A K 4

K Q 9 7 5 2

Stewart had bid 2 vulnerable so it looked like a claimer for down 1 with the  A being ruffed. But… of hearts held as Stewart had only 5 hearts! +920 meant 11 imps for our team during the swiss.