Revenge is Sweet, is Sweet

Bragging rights bounced back and forth in the round 23 Open match between Austria and Wales. Martin Schifko had an embarrassment on Board 2:

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

West	North	East	South
Wernle	Ratcliff	Schifko	Jourdain
		Pass	1ª
2©	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Against Schifko´s 3NT Patrick Jourdain led a top diamond, and continued the suit when partner encouraged. On these Schifko meade the small error of throwing one club and one spade, when it would have been better to throw two clubs.

Knowing North held good diamonds Schifko could not risk the heart finesse, and played the suit from the top. When Jourdain was in with the heart queen as dummy was down to two spades he could exit with a low spade without conceding a trick.

Planning a strip squeeze, Schifko rose with the ace and cashed his remaining hearts. Jourdain began by throwing two spades, baring his queen. On the last heart Schifko came down to the bare king of clubs and king-jack of spades. South now threw a club. So Schifko triumphantly exited with a club only to find that there was no endplay and the contract was defeated.

At the other table Wales had stopped in heart partscore; 7 IMPs to Wales.

Schifko’s revenge came four boards later:

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

West	North	East	South
Wernle	Ratcliff	Schifko	Jourdain
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1NT	Pass	2ª
Pass	3NT	All Pass

1NT was 14-16, and 2ª was a game try, without a major, accepted by North.

Against North’s 3NT Schifko led a diamond to the ten and queen. Ratcliff finessed and cleared the suit, West throwing an encouraging club, a spade and a heart. Schifko switched to his singleton club, declarer holding up one round. West switched to a heart, to the king and ace, and Schifko cleared the suit by returning the jack.

Declarer won this, crossed to the ace of spades, cashed the last diamond, and returned to the ace of clubs. Schifko smoothly bared his queen of spades (what symmetry with Board 2!) and when Ratcliff tried to throw him in with a heart, claimed two tricks in the suit for one off.

At the other table Austria had failed in 4¨, so the board was flat, but Schifko had re-established bragging rights.

This time it was Ratcliff who needed revenge, and the chance came on Board 16:

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª Q J 7 3 © 10 8 2 ¨ 7 6 4 § K 7 5
ª 6 5 © K Q J 9 6 5 4 ¨ Q 2 § 10 4		ª 9 8 4 © 7 ¨ K J 10 5 § Q J 9 8 6
	ª A K 10 2 © A 3 ¨ A 9 8 3 § A 3 2

West	North	East	South
Wernle	Ratcliff	Schifko	Jourdain
3¨	Pass	3©	Dble
Pass	3ª	Pass	4ª
All Pass

3¨ was a transfer pre-empt. Jourdain made a take-out double and raised the response of 3ª to game.

Schifko led his singleton heart taken by dummy’s ace. Ratcliff at once led a low diamond off the table. Wernle played low, so the ten won. Schifko switched to a trump, won by dummy’s ace.

Playing for diamonds to break, Ratcliff tried ace and another diamond. Schifko won, and missed one chance to extinguish dummy’s fourth diamond by playing a second trump. Ratcliff won in dummy and played a heart.

When West won this, the defence’s last chance had gone. If West plays a club declarer can win in hand, ruff a heart, and cash two trumps to squeeze East in the minors. West actually played a third heart. Dummy ruffed high and two more trumps squeezed East.

East had a second chance to extinguish the diamond menace by ruffing his partner’s winning heart and playing the fourth diamond.

Had declarer known the diamonds were not breaking he would have played a heart off dummy at trick four and the defence cannot stop a squeeze. Declarer can use his club entry to take the heart ruff, and return with a trump to catch East in a squeeze without the count.

The important thing for Wales was they had 10 IMPs (Four Spades failed at the other table) and had regained bragging rights over Schifko. Wales won the match by 33-28 IMPs or 16-14 in VPs.