More bits & pieces from the first qualifying session

An interesting guess was on for the East players on board 7. What would you bid after: 1¨-Double-3¨?

Board 7, Dealer South, All Vul.
	ª 10 7 © 8 ¨ Q 9 6 4 2 § J 9 6 5 2
ª Q 9 8 6 5 © K J 9 6 ¨ - § K Q 7 4		ª A K 4 3 © Q 10 5 4 2 ¨ J 7 5 § 10
	ª J 2 © A 7 3 ¨ A K 10 8 3 § A 8 3

If you opt for the normal enough 4¨, you might end up in 4ª if partner does not bid his suits up the line but prefers the five-card suit. If he does so, he will be punished severely, because 4© makes with an easy overtrick but 4ª goes down. Heart lead to the ace, heart ruff, club to the ace, heart ruff. There were not too many accidents here.

On the next board, listening to the bidding was worth an extra trick. Slam is easy, but South's overcall should guide declarer to the right line of play.

Board 8, Dealer West, None Vul.
	ª 10 9 8 © J 10 2 ¨ K 8 6 3 § Q 7 3
ª J © A Q 9 7 5 4 ¨ A 2 § A J 6 2		ª A K 6 4 © K 8 3 ¨ 4 § K 10 9 5 4
	ª Q 7 5 3 2 © 6 ¨ Q J 10 9 7 5 § 8

When West opens 1© and East responds 2§, South has the chance to venture an overcall. If he shows his distribution, declarer will probably take the club finesse and chalk up a useful overtrick.

What do you think of 4ª on a club lead on board 10?

Board 10, Dealer East, All Vul.
	ª 7 5 © Q 10 9 7 ¨ 10 7 2 § A K J 6
ª 4 3 © A 8 6 3 2 ¨ 5 4 § 10 7 4 3		ª A K 10 9 8 2 © K J 5 ¨ A Q J § 9
	ª Q J 6 © 4 ¨ K 9 8 6 3 § Q 8 5 2

You ruff the second round and start drawing trumps. If hearts are 3-2 you can concede the last trump, cash the ©K and run the ©J to establish the suit, thus avoiding the diamond finesse. The alternative is to use the only entry to dummy for a simple heart finesse. If it wins, you are home.

It is pretty obvious that the chance of the hearts being 3-2 is greater than the finesse being right, so by adopting this line you go down in practice. One down, good bridge.

On board 12, we could imagine all sorts of funny contracts, and we were not to be disappointed. As usual, some pairs ended up in 3NT, even making, but this was not quite a legitimate result...

A better show we saw when this was the bidding:

Board 12, Dealer West, None Vul.
	ª A 9 3 © A 10 2 ¨ A 8 6 4 3 § 8 7
ª Q J 8 7 6 © K Q ¨ K Q 5 § Q 4 3		ª 10 5 © 6 5 4 3 ¨ J 10 9 2 § 10 9 5
	ª K 4 2 © J 9 8 7 ¨ 7 § A K J 6 2

West	North	East	South
1ª	Pass	Pass	2§
Pass	2¨	Pass	2©
All Pass

Five top tricks, two diamond ruffs and a club ruff are easy enough, and the lucky trump position enables you to make two more trump tricks in the end to bring your tally to ten. +170 does not look at all bad for North-South.

On board 14, Jassem and Tuszynski landed in a strange-looking contract.

Board 14, Dealer East, None Vul.
	ª A K Q 6 2 © K 9 4 ¨ A K J § 8 3
ª 9 3 © Q 8 2 ¨ 10 9 8 5 § A Q 6 2		ª J 10 8 5 © A 10 7 ¨ 4 § K J 9 5 4
	ª 7 4 © J 6 5 3 ¨ Q 7 6 3 2 § 10 7

West	North	East	South
Jassem		Tuszynski	Pass Pass
Pass	2§	Double	Pass
2©	Double	All Pass

Well, with 3¨ on for North-South Jassem would have to scramble to seven tricks one way or another. When the defenders led two top spades and the ¨A, all was set. South ruffed a third round of spades low, so Jassem could overruff, cash two clubs and ruff two diamonds with the ©A and one more spade ruff with the ©Q still to come. One down for a reasonable score.

A few boards later, Jassem got his revenge when he had to bring home a more normal contract.

Board 17, Dealer North, None Vul.
	ª J 4 © A K Q 10 7 ¨ J 3 2 § 9 8 4
ª K Q 7 5 © 3 2 ¨ 7 § A K J 10 7 3		ª A 9 2 © 9 6 5 4 ¨ A K 6 4 § Q 2
	ª 10 8 6 3 © J 8 ¨ Q 10 9 8 5 § 6 5

This time, Jassem was in 4ª and got three rounds of hearts. He ruffed the third and what now? It's so easy once you think of it: just play three rounds of clubs and hope.

What can South do? If he ruffs, he can only return a diamond or a trump, so trumps are drawn and declarer has the rest. But if he does not ruff, ten tricks are there as well: one heart already ruffed, three clubs, ¨AK and a diamond ruffed low as well as the ª KQ and the ªA. Elegantly played.

Jan van Cleeff from the Netherlands had a few nice throw-in and squeeze plays. This was board 16:

Board 16, Dealer West, East-West Vul.
	ª K © Q 10 9 8 ¨ A 10 7 6 3 § A Q 9
ª 9 7 5 4 2 © A J 4 3 2 ¨ K 5 § 6		ª Q © K 7 6 5 ¨ J 9 8 § J 10 8 7
	ª A J 10 8 6 3 © - ¨ Q 4 2 § K 4 3 2

West doubled the transfer bid of 2©, after which South became declarer in 4ª. This is what happened:

West	North	East	South
	Van der Neut		Van Cleeff
Pass	1NT	Pass	2©
Double	Redouble	Pass	3©
Pass	3NT	Pass	4ª
All Pass

West led his singleton club and declarere won the king. A trump to the king felled the queen, and a low heart was ruffed. On the ªA, the bad news was confirmed, and a low club from hand was ruffed by West. Next came a heart to the queen and king, on which South discarded a diamond. Another heart was ruffed by declarer and trumps were all drawn. On the last top club West came down to the ¨ Kx and one top heart, so he was thrown in with that heart to lead away from his ¨K to concede the contract. Well done.

Who is afraid of a singleton club? This might be the explanation for a lot of 620's appearing on the frequency sheet for board 23.

Board 23, Dealer South, All Vul.
	ª 10 7 © 9 2 ¨ J 9 7 4 3 § A K 9 2
ª K 9 5 4 3 2 © 6 5 ¨ 10 8 6 § 8 4		ª A 8 6 © Q 4 3 ¨ A K Q 5 2 § 10 6
	ª Q J © A K J 10 8 7 ¨ - § Q J 7 5 3

How can you make less thans 11 tricks in 4© with the trump queen nicely onside?

A simple Vienna Coup and squeeze produced the tenth trick on this one, also from the Van Cleeff Collection.

Board 26, Dealer East, All Vul.
	ª A 3 2 © K 4 3 ¨ J 10 8 7 4 § Q J
ª K 9 6 4 © 10 9 5 ¨ A K Q 3 § K 2		ª J 5 © J 6 ¨ 9 2 § 9 8 7 6 5 4 3
	ª Q 10 8 7 © A Q 8 7 2 ¨ 6 5 § A 10

West	North	East	South
	Van der Neut		Van Cleeff
		Pass	1©
Double	Redouble	2§	Pass
Pass	2©	All Pass

Nothing special in teams, but possibly of interest at matchpoints as for the number of tricks declarer can get. West led a top diamond and switched to a trump. Declarer won in hand and played a diamond himself. West won and returned another trump, won in hand again. The last trump was drawn, on which East carefully discarded the §6 to give no clue at all. Another diamond was led from dummy, declarer discarding a spade and West winning. As West could not safely return any black suit, he was forced to return yet another diamond. Now declarer could throw a club and another spade on the diamonds, cross to hand with the A (Vienna Coup) and play off his hearts, squeezing West on the black suits for a second overtrick and a good score of 170.