We start with an interesting decision: is the South hand worth a strong and artifical 2♣ opener or is 1♥ enough?  I resolve these issues with the guidance I learned in the classic book Five Weeks To Winning Bridge, written by Alfred Sheinwold in 1959 and still available well into the 1980s.  Sheinwold's idea was that a 2♣ opener should always have at least as many Quick Tricks than probable losers.  The South hand has 4½ Quick Tricks (one-half in spades, two in hearts, one in each minor) and 4½ likely losers (1½ in spades, ½ in hearts, one in diamonds, and 1½ in clubs, although one might call it two losers in clubs.)  I decide to open 2♣ and partner doubles the 3♦ overcall.  JACK claims that this shows at least 8+ and both majors, so I bid a forcing 3♥ (4♥ would not be forcing).  JACK raises to game and I try Blackwood, but missing the ace of spades I decide to play 5♥.  Unlucky: JACK has perfect cards, the Q♠ and the KQ♣.  Even this might not be enough if West has a singleton spade to lead, but not this time: 6♥ is easy, and not getting there costs a bundle of matchpoints, as the computers, who have all opened 1♥, get there without a lot of trouble.  Oh well.

McBruce's Result: 5♥s+1, 480 to NS, MY SCORE: 17%.

This South hand has six Quick Tricks and five or maybe six likely losers (depending how optimistic you are about the fourth cards in suits headed by the ace-king), but being a balanced hand of 22 it is too strong to open 2NT and must be opened 2♣.  Partner bids 2NT, showing 8+, and it's hard to know how to proceed.  3NT feels like an underbid if partner has extras, so I try 3♣, a natural call, and partner responds 3♦, showing "a fivecard." (JACK is from the Netherlands, and "a fivecard" is its way to say "a five-card suit.")  Cuebids and ace-asking follows, and when partner settles in 6♦ I think extra action is required, either 6NT or 7♦.  True to form, I choose the wrong one, 7♦, which is almost certainly down one when East leads the K♠.  I win, run all five diamonds, forcing East into some difficult discards.  When one of these is a club, the clubs also run and East is under pressure again, needing to discard from ♠ Q ♥ Q82 on the final club, looking at ♠ 6 ♥ A9 in dummy.  Does declarer (North) have two hearts or three?  The computer guesses right and I am down one for a rough start.

McBruce's Result: 7♦n-1, 100 to EW, MY SCORE: 0%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 8.50%

Another big hand!  This one has 4½ Quick Tricks (AQ is 1½ KQ is 1) and 3½ - 4 likely losers, so a 2♣ opener is clear.  Partner responds 2♦ (a waiting bid, JACK does not have the capability to play the '2♥ negative' treatment that many locals play), and I show hearts and diamonds while partner shows a hand with six spades and some strength.  I choose not to signoff in 4♠ and rebid hearts, and this leads to an ace-asking sequence in which I show four keycards, then show the Q♥ plus one king with a 5NT bid, and partner bids the grand.  (Modern technique is to use 5♥ to deny the trump queen, 5♠ to show it and the K♠, 5NT to show it but no king, and 6♣ or 6♦ to show the Q♥, no K♠, and the king of the suit bid.  JACK instead has a simpler version where 5♠ shows no king, 5NT shows one, and so on.)  The play is difficult after the club lead kills one of my entries to dummy.  I win the king and play a spade to the ace, and North plays the Q♠ after a short delay.  This is clearly NOT a singleton, so I cash the other spade and North drops the jack.  Spades are set to run but trumps cannot be pulled.  But there is one hope.  I cash the K♥ and lead a heart to the ace, seeing with approval North's ten.  I need North to hold only two trumps, so that I can cash one spade without having it ruffed.  I first cash the K♣, pitching a diamond, and then cash the T♠, which South follows to, and after I pitch a diamond North .... discards the 2♣.  Deep breath, but we need one more bit of luck: the diamond finesse.  It works and 7♥ makes for a near top.  On anything but a club lead it is easy to pull trumps, cash two spades, go over to dummy with the ace of clubs, and run the spades for thirteen tricks.  The club lead made it an adventure!

McBruce's Result: 7♥w=, 2210 to EW, MY SCORE: 99%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 38.67%  

What?  Only 13 points?  What's going on?  After three deals that start with a 2♣ call, I overcall a 1♠ opener with 2♥ and the auction ends.  Did I consider doubling?  I did, but five to the AQ is surely good enough to insist on my suit rather than risk partner responding in clubs with four only.  Dummy hits after the unanimous T♠ lead and I get to win and pitch a club loser right away, then finesse the Q♥.  East puts up the king so I win the ace.  Next job is to play ace and another club from hand, which puts East in with the Q♣.  Back comes the Q♠, ruffed and overruffed by West, who returns a trump to East's jack and my queen, putting me in so I have to start diamonds from hand, playing low to the jack.  The opponents eventually get only the club trick, two diamonds, and two ruffs for West, and I escape with eight tricks for a great score.  After two disasters in the first two boards, I am back above average!

McBruce's Result: 2♥s=, 110 to NS, MY SCORE: 99%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 53.75%

After partner opens 1♣ in second seat and RHO overcalls a pre-emptive 2♦, I have to make some forcing call with my 14-count.  A negative double with only two spades is out, so I choose to bid 2♥.  Does this promise five?  Perhaps.  My computer partner raises to 4♥ and if this shows extras we'll be in the slam zone, but when I see that JACK expects me to have five hearts, I decide to park at the four-level.  Is it a good decision?  Hard to say: partner has four hearts and six might be there.  The danger is in letting South in, who may have only QJTxxx for the 2♦ call, and can lead a diamond through my king.  So I win the opening lead in hand and pull trumps in three rounds ending in dummy.  This sets up an unusual play: the J♣ from dummy.  This unusual way of playing the suit may lose an unnecessary trick, but keeps South out.  South covers with the queen and I guess well, finessing the 8♣ on the second round.  A♠ and a spade ruff gets me back to hand to run the rest of the clubs for twelve tricks.  This is a poor score as the rigid computers are unable to find their heart fit and play a risky 3NT, depending on the location of the A♦.  I like 4♥ better, if it goes awry I'm still getting a plus score, but this is matchpoints and this attitude often costs.

McBruce's Result: 4♥w+2, 480 to EW, MY SCORE: 22%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 47.40%

The auction ends quickly, and I hate all my possibilities on opening lead against 1♥, but I manage to find a decent one, the 8♣.  We get two trumps, two clubs, the K♠ and the A♦, and there doesn't seem to be anything else.  The score is disappointing, but who on our side should come into the auction?  And is spades really where we want to be?  Making seven tricks in spades looks a lot harder than getting seven against one heart.  Sometimes you just get unlucky in matchpoints and have to take what you get.

McBruce's Result: 1♥e=, 80 to EW, MY SCORE: 23%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 43.33%

In my attempt to get JACK to be closer to SAYC, I added this strange convention: Minor Suit Asking.  From JACK I found that 2♠ asks the 1NT opener to describe his hand, and 3♣ promises five clubs, so that's out.  Apparently 3♥ is the correct bid, showing four clubs, but less than four diamonds.  (Watch for this interesting convention the next time you play club bridge in Europe)  With this information, partner chose ... 3NT, and a poor score was guaranteed.  Gee, JACK, I played your convention, made the right bid and still with 16 opposite a 15-17 1NT you bail?  Grrrrr....

McBruce's Result: 3NTs+3, 690 to NS, MY SCORE: 18%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 39.71%

Partner's 1♠ response in competition shows five spades, since a negative double is available with four.  When South continues to 2♥, my hand is much stronger than its thirteen points: a singleton A♣, a long suit to potentially develop for extra tricks, and length in hearts that limits partner to two losers (since the opponents surely have at least eight between them for their bids).  Not quite enough to go straight to 4♠, but 2♠ risks missing a game.  3♠ gets partner to bid the game, and when South chooses to lead a club instead of a heart, this allows me to ruff a club for a thirteenth winner and a good score.  Very poor decision by the computer on opening lead: when both players bid hearts, leading from the Kxx has almost no chance to cost a trick; you need only find partner with the ace or the queen.

McBruce's Result: 4♠e+3, 510 to EW, MY SCORE: 63%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 42.63%.

I consider 3NT but hearts appear to be a potential weak spot, so I pass 3♦ and hope for the best.  I win the heart lead, cross to a club, and ruff a heart, then lead a trump from dummy.  South manages to duck and North wins and switches to a low spade.  This allows me to guess the spade position since North would not lead a low spade without an honour, and I make the rest except for the ace of trumps.  Bad score: many computer Souths appear to have gone up with the A♦ on the first round, swallowing partner's king!  Unlucky again!

McBruce's Result: 3♦w+2, 150 to EW, MY SCORE: 30%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 41.22%

My hand looks like just enough to try a Michaels cuebid, promising 5-5 in hearts and an unspecified minor.  Partner's 2NT asks that I reveal my second suit, but before I can, opener rebids 3♠.  When West raises to 4♠, partner decides to double.  Don't panic!  We have a trick, maybe two.  Partner is not counting on much more.  A routine defense nets us a diamond, two clubs, and a heart, getting the plus score, and it turns out to be a top!  Nice double, partner!

McBruce's Result: 4♠*e-1, 200 to NS, MY SCORE: 100%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 47.10%

Partner opens 1♣ and as I am about to respond 1♥, RHO makes a 1♥ overcall.  I have a difficult call, but decide to support clubs with a 2♥ cuebid; LHO doubles to show heart support, and the battle lines are drawn.  Partner shows a diamond suit and I bid 4♣, and two cuebids later we are in 5♣, and it doesn't feel like enough.  Partner has first round control of hearts and I have support for his diamonds and a shortness in spades.  I continue on to 6♣ (aware that it could be an embarrassing move if his clubs are seven to the jack...) and slam rolls home.  Careful though: when you get a heart lead it is tempting to try and pitch that spade loser on the fourth diamond.  Pulling two trumps to make this safe may leave you insufficient trumps to get home.  Better to lead the T♠ and ensure two spade ruffs first.

McBruce's Result: 6♣n=, 920 to NS, MY SCORE: 72%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 49.36%.  Wild roller coaster ride so far, with tops and bottoms and few averages...let's see what the second half brings.

Difficult hand.  I raise clubs and partner takes a shot at 3NT.  This seems a bit scary based on my distribution, but 5♣ is two more tricks and seems an even bigger long shot.  So I pass and 3NT is indeed difficult, especially after a diamond lead.  Down two I go for a poor score.

McBruce's Result: 3NTe-2, 100 to NS, MY SCORE: 21%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 47.00%

A simple auction puts me in 3NT and the Q♦ is the key card; figuring out where it is will be crucial.  My big mistake is to try to sneak a spade trick before deciding how to tackle the diamonds.  I win the heart lead in dummy and play a spade to the king, which East ducks smoothly.  Now the diamond finesse loses to East, a heart to West's ace, and a spade through the QT seals my fate.  Dumb move; better would be to play diamonds first and find out how many tricks elsewhere would be needed.  Time to put the computer down and come back to this before I spiral down even further.

McBruce's Result: 3NTs-2, 200 to EW, MY SCORE: 15%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 44.54%

Not the greatest opener ever, but I am in third seat.  Opponents quickly find their spade game and wrap it up.  I double the support-showing 2♣ cuebid for a club lead, but the layout is such that declarer cannot lose more than a spade and two clubs.  Even a heart lead is not enough: declarer wins in hand and plays a trump to my ace.  I lead a second heart but declarer wins and pulls trumps.  No heart ruff for us.  It's baffling how a majority of the computer declarers went down.  Maybe the first heart honour convinced the computer that it was a singleton and a second round finesse failed!

McBruce's Result: 4♠n=, 420 to NS, MY SCORE: 19%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 42.71%

Heh.  Sometimes this happens.  Like the eye of a hurricane, right in the middle of a wild set of boards there is one where everything seems obvious.  1♦ - 1♥ - 1NT is the uncontested auction everywhere, and the 1♦ opener dissuades West from leading a normal diamond, instead opting for a club, which gives me seven tricks: four clubs and three hearts.  If you chose to open the better-looking club suit instead of 1♦, you get to 1NT but go down one on a diamond lead!  The theory is that 1♦ is the better opener because if the opponents come into the auction you can rebid 2♣ and partner can prefer diamonds without going up a level.

McBruce's Result: 1NTs=, 90 to NS, MY SCORE: 49%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 43.13%

I open, North overcalls, partner makes a free bid of 1NT, and South cuebids 2♣ to indicate spade support.  When North's 2♠ is passed around to me, I decide to try 3♣.  Partner's hand is a bit of a disappointment and I go two down, turning an average defending 2♠ into a near-bottom.  Sigh.

McBruce's Result: 3♣w-2, 200 to NS, MY SCORE: 14%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 41.31%

Another wild hand.  JACK seems to think that cuebidding diamonds shows 5-5 or better in the black suits, but cuebidding hearts is natural.  I guess in the Netherlands players psyche responses more often than they psyche openers!  With 6-6 and partner making a free bid in one of my suits, I am not giving up just because they outbid my 4♠ call.  It gets a bit scary in the play when they take two clubs, a club ruff, and the ace of diamonds, with a trump trick coming later.  But 6♦ is on (actually it can be beaten with a heart ruff at trick one, but no computer finds this lead) and down three is a good score!  Don't give up early when you have a decent 6-6 hand!

McBruce's Result: 5♠*-3, 500 to EW, MY SCORE: 65%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 42.71%

JACK does not like to open 12-counts in third seat, so I win all the matchpoints but it takes a little work.  After the spade lead, it appears I have two tricks in each black suit, one diamond, and three needed in hearts.  I lead the T♥ from dummy at trick two and South covers with the jack, which sets up three tricks in that suit.  A ninth comes in by accident at the end, as my ♦87 is fired into South's ♦T6 and a trick comes back.

McBruce's Result: 2NTw+1, 150 to EW, MY SCORE: 100%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 45.89%

Partner's 3♥ bid cannot be a four-card suit; we have negative doubles to cover those hands.  With a known eight-card fit a raise to 4♥ is automatic, but over 4♠ it is not certain what my best move is.  Pass must be forcing, compelling partner to either bid on or double but not let them play 4♠ undoubled, but in this case I think double is clear.  Two small spades means two likely spade losers unless they have a ten-card fit, and if that was the case, South would surely bid 4♠ right away.  So I double but partner overrules and bids 5♥.  It hinges on the heart finesse and we get lucky for another good score.

McBruce's Result: 5♥e=, 650 to EW, MY SCORE: 69%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 47.11%

A simple Stayman auction and a not-so-simple 3NT.  North leads a small heart and I win the ten in dummy and finesse the J♣ successfully, but North's ten indicates that there is trouble ahead.  I continue clubs and discover I am limited to three tricks there, as well as two hearts, two spades, and a diamond.  My mistake was at trick one, winning in hand would allow me to lead the 7♥ later and finesse against the 9♥ for a ninth trick.  Oops!

McBruce's Result: 3NTw-1, 100 to NS, MY SCORE: 30%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 46.25%

My 4♥ bid is a bit of a stretch, and Professor JACK, a function in the program to track bids and plays that the computer disagrees with, claims to expect more, after the opponents crank out enough tricks to generate a poor score for us.  But really, where are the extras in the East hand that warrant a shot at the five-level that I can take with a really good hand?  Just getting a takeout double of 1♠ is already minimum.  Beating 4♠ would have been a top, if only the computer could pass it.

McBruce's Result: 5♥*w-3, 500 to NS, MY SCORE: 1%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 44.10%

2♥ is a weak jump shift, which is one of those bids that takes some openers a while before they learn to pass and hope for the best.  The AQ♥ looks great but there are a lot of losers to cover to make game.  But this time it makes, and there is even an eleventh trick available: win the diamond lead, ruff a diamond, and lead a club honour, forcing North to cover with the ace and get it ruffed.  Ruff a second diamond and play the other club honour, discarding your remaining diamond, leaving only the K♥ and the A♠ to lose.

McBruce's Result: 2♥e+3, 200 to EW, MY SCORE: 44%.  MY TOTAL SO FAR: 44.09%