Board 1 could have got you off to a good start if you were North or South and knew your odds as declarer in a fairly prosaic 3NT. It seems that only Deep Finesse knows the odds but then, it can see all the hands. A reasonably competent declarer does not need to see all the hands to see the possibilities, at least in this deal. However, not one declarer at our club session made twelve tricks in No Trumps, and only a few did across the whole of X-Clubs, some helped by atrocious opening leads.

Board 1 from Thursday 2/06/2022
Dealer North Nil Vul

	AK92 AJ7 K864 64
853 8543 QJ95 K2		QJT64 62 72 J853
	7 KQT9 AT3 AQT97

aka X-Clubs 16. How many readers are familiar with the “Grosvenor Coup”? I will try and explain it in simple terms: a defensive blunder gives the contract to declarer but it creates so much doubt in declarer’s mind that he takes a losing line when having been presented with the contract. Look up Grosvenor on Google: Grosvenor Coups used to be quite the thing some years ago. But they can still occur today, as evidenced by this deal which left your author with a huge amount of egg on his face and a bottom instead of a top on Board 26 from Friday 6/05/2022.

Dealer East EW Vul
Board 26

	AKJ63 8654 T8 93
T2 AQT7 5 AJ8742		Q84 J93 Q972 KQ6
	975 K2 AKJ643 T5

From “The Archives”. I came across this deal while reviewing some of my more interesting files from many years ago. This one was from an Open match point tournament. There are some interesting aspects and I asked a number of current players what they would do with the South hand.

Dealer North All Vul

	JT32 3 AJ74 A984
Q94 Q5 QT9852 K6		AK6 KJ7652 7 T52
	875 AT98 K6 QJ73

From Wellington Open Pairs Saturday 23/04/2022
Nobody likes opening leads, much less so against slams.
Board 14 Dealer E Nil Vul

	A86532 Q QJT765
AKT8 Q AJ9742 A2		Q54 KJ9 K65 K984
	J97632 T74 T83 3

Declarers and defenders both had the chance to shine on this deal, though I suspect that the best defence and best declarer play was not much often in evidence.

Board 15 from Tuesday 12/04/22
Dealer S NS Vul

	T982 T543 QT632
J942 AQ7 K76 K87		AT853 KJ653 A J9
	KQ76 4 QJ982 A54