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South deals
EW vul 		 S Q J T 2 
 H 5 
 D K Q J 6 4 2 
 C A 4 
 S K 9 6 
 H A J 8 3 
 D A 9 
 C K 7 3 2  		EW vul  S 8 7 4 3 
 H Q 9 7 4 
 D 7 3 
 C J 9 6 
 S A 5 
 H K T 6 2 
 D T 8 5 
 C Q T 8 5 

West
Rob


1H
pass 		North
John


2D
3NT 		East
Laura


2H
all pass 		South
Elizabeth

pass
2NT

President's Teams 2008
Criss-cross Catherine

Thes President's Teams is an invitational event for former CUBC presidents and other such luminaries. This year, twelve teams entered; in the first round, the "President's Team"—consisting of me, Elizabeth, Currencyboy and Teymur—met Ian Abel's team. Elizabeth and I were NS against Rob Morris and Laura "Nymph of Darkness" Perryman.

We picked up a good score on board 3, where Elizabeth made an overtrick in a thin 3NT on a criss-cross squeeze. Rob led his H3 to Laura's queen and Elizabeth's king. Elizabeth set up the diamonds; Rob won his DA on the second round and cashed two hearts, exiting with a third, while two spades and a club were pitched from dummy. This rectified the count for the squeeze, but if Rob had instead won the first round and played a diamond back he could have been forced to let go of a heart on the run of the diamonds and then endplayed in hearts. Elizabeth ran the remaining diamonds, throwing two clubs and a spade. The position halfway through the tenth trick is:

 S Q J 
 H  — 
 D  — 
 C A 
 S K x 
 H  — 
 D  — 
 C K x 
 S A 
 H  — 
 D  — 
 C Q T 
Elizabeth has two menaces, both blocked. Laura's cards are irrelevant (except for counting purposes), and Rob must bare one of his black kings. Whichever one he bares, Elizabeth can unblock that ace first and cross to the other one to take the established queen.