[pilowsky]

I wondered yesterday if it was possible to be dealt a hand so bland that nobody could make any contract.
So I created that most boring hand I could think of, and it still makes 1 of something (except NT).
Here it is:

Here's the double-dummy result: http://bit.ly/BlandHand

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So my question is: Is it possible to be dealt a hand that makes no contracts at all?

[smerriman]

Yes; the simplest example is:

      AKQJ
      x
      xxxx
      xxxx

xxxx        xxxx
xxxx        xxxx
x           AKQJ
AKQJ        x
    
      x
      AKQJ
      xxxx
      xxxx

where not only do all contracts go down, they actually go down 2.

{edited to fix accidentally rotated hands}

[pilowsky]

This example makes 2X for whoever has the AKQJ.
I think it's because your example gives 2 8-card fits to each pair, whereas the original hand only has 7-card fits.

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I think you meant this hand.

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[smerriman]

Oops, yes, messed up the formatting when entering the hands.

[mycroft]

Thomas Andrews has investigated this in (fascinating) detail.