Saturday night was a fitful sleep.  I was
not haunted by the Ghost of Crucial Mistakes Past.
Rather, I woke up in the middle of the night 
four times.  The first time, I felt my bed 
vibrating--and, no, it was NOT the kind that is
supposed to do that.  Next, I thought I heard 
jackhammers.  I woke up the third time thinking 
that there was an earthquake.  The fourth and 
final rousting was the sound of people doing 
structural repairs to our hotel's foundation.

	And what was the root cause of all of this?  
You guessed it:  my roommate's snoring.  We are
talking Ground Zero, Hiroshima, here.

	Sunday morning arrived on the wings of what
John Stewart would call "Angel Rain":  a light
ethereal drizzle that gleams like planetary
perspiration on the streets.

	I was not going to play today, but got
drafted as a fourth in the Swiss Teams by good
friends Dave Sokolow, Sekhar and Bill Gamble
(of Gamble Gambit fame).

	The critical hand in the first half 
involved a favourite theory of mine.  I would
contend that the single worst number in bridge
is +150.  Think of it:  the ONLY ways to get +150
are to either miss a game (in No Trump or a minor)
or to set a non-vulnerable contract THREE...since
such a contract rates to be doubled at many tables.

                  RHO
                S- xx
                H- KQJxxx
                D- KJxxx
  Pard          C-            Me
  S- AKx                      S- Qx
  H- A9xx                     H- 10xx
  D- x                        D- Qxxxx
  C- J9xxx        LHO         C- Kxx
                S- J109xxx
                H- void
                D- A10
                C- AQxxx

	Partner opened 1C and RHO (who has obviously
never heard of LOTUS) bid a very unusual 2NT to
show the red suits.  I passed and, to my surprise,
LHO stopped in 3D.  Pass, Pass, Double.

	Against 3D doubled Partner (who has obviously
never heard of the Principle of Reluctant Choice)
lead the Spade Ace and continued with the Spade
King.  Next, Partner made what he later described
as "the worst play in bridge history".  He tried
to cash the H-Ace, thereby evaporating 2 Heart 
tricks into none.  Fortunately for us, Declarer's
only entries to dummy involved short-ruffing that
hand, and we eventually set 3D *one* for +100.  Not
+500, mind you, as any red card OTHER than the H-Ace
would give us.  +100.  :(

	And what did our team mates say about this?

	"Colin, you shouldn't double part scores for
a one trick set at IMPs!"

	Fortunately, I don't wear dentures--I might
have swallowed them. :)

	Vancouver 1999 Spring Nationals, Day Five CLICK HERE to proceed to Colin's report from Day Five.
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