[Tramticket]

Aunty Mabel coerced you into partnering her in the Lower Twaddlebury annual Christmas charity pairs. You arrive and are surprised to see that Eric Rodwell and Jeff Meckstroth have flown in for the event (attracted, no doubt, by the mince pies and mulled wine). You sit down to play Board 1 against the maestros and Aunty Mabel is, fortunately, so overwhelmed that she decides to pass throughout! You can expect Eric and Jeff to make perfect double-dummy bids and plays of course - but since it is Christmas, they suggest that, to even things up, both pairs bid and play double dummy (assistance of double-dummy software is obviously cheating!). They are true gentlemen and offer you your choice of seats.

This is board 1:

---

The evening progresses and the movement finds you playing a "revenge" final round against our stars. Board 24 is the final hand of the night and the dealing machine has clearly also imbibed on a glass or two of the mulled wine and deals the exact same hand as you played on board 1. The final round is an Arrow Switch and the director asks you to rotate seats 90 degrees anti-clockwise. There is a strange symmetry to the two results.

Q1: Where did you choose to sit for board 1?
Q2: What was the rather peculiar auction on Board 1? How did the play go and with what result?
Q3: What was the equally peculiar auction on Board 24? How did the play go and with what result?

Spoiler

A tip to get you started: Law 2 might help explain why the results are different on deals which are the same...

[FelicityR]

I assume the bridge maestros are still allowed to play Meckwell Precision at Lower Twaddlebury, or would that be uncharitable?

[Tramticket]

FelicityR, on 2019-December-16, 12:06, said:

I assume the bridge maestros are still allowed to play Meckwell Precision at Lower Twaddlebury, or would that be uncharitable?

They are allowed to play Meckwell Precision - but this might not be the best double dummy strategy. Since they can see all four hands, they might prefer to bid what they can make ...

[pescetom]

Tramticket, on 2019-December-16, 10:06, said:

Q1: Where did you choose to sit for board 1?
Q2: What was the rather peculiar auction on Board 1? How did the play go and with what result?
Q3: What was the equally peculiar auction on Board 24? How did the play go and with what result?

I'll bite just to get things started, although I have doubts about the second board in particular.

Q1: I choose to sit in North as dealer.

Q2:
3♠ P P 4♠;
Dbl P P P
with Jeff in West running the hearts and then forcing me to play off trumps to comic effect.
4♠x-1 +100

Q3:
I take it I am now dealer in West and both sides are vulnerable?
And all four players recognise the hand and the director is snoring after finishing off the mulled wine?
If so, I don't expect anything peculiar in the auction, except for the eccentric opening and Meckwell passing with 9 trumps:
3S P P P
3♠= +140

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2019-December-17, 08:42, said:

I'll bite just to get things started, although I have doubts about the second board in particular.

Q1: I choose to sit in North as dealer.

Q2:
3♠ P P 4♠;
Dbl P P P
with Jeff in West running the hearts and then forcing me to play off trumps to comic effect.
4♠x-1 +100

Q3:
I take it I am now dealer in West and both sides are vulnerable?
And all four players recognise the hand and the director is snoring after finishing off the mulled wine?
If so, I don't expect anything peculiar in the auction, except for the eccentric opening and Meckwell passing with 9 trumps:
3S P P P
3♠= +140

No, N bids 4♠ on the second auction and goes -1x as the opening lead allows you make 9 tricks.

[Tramticket]

pescetom, on 2019-December-17, 08:42, said:

Q3:
I take it I am now dealer in West and both sides are vulnerable?

You are now dealer in the West seat - but you might want to re-check the vulnerability ...

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2019-December-17, 09:27, said:

No, N bids 4♠ on the second auction and goes -1x as the opening lead allows you make 9 tricks.

Yes - strange hand as both North and West can make 9 tricks in spades, In either case after the 3♠ opening, the other takes the sacrifice in 4♠ !

[pescetom]

Tramticket, on 2019-December-17, 09:28, said:

You are now dealer in the West seat - but you might want to re-check the vulnerability ...

Correct of course, neither side is vulnerable and so now we have another peculiar auction where Eric will sacrifice in 4♠x-1.