BRIDGE AT THE MIND SPORTS OLYMPIAD

The 8th Mind Sports Olympiad takes place in Manchester. From the 24th of August until the 30th August there is a full festival of bridge. Information from www.msoworld.com

On his way to a salmon fishing trip with Ross Harper in Scotland Geir Helgemo, the world’s number one player, will be competing in the point a board and the Swiss Teams, whilst several foreign players will be taking the opportunity to combine a football match with a little bridge. The one session point a board teams is an unusual event. Instead of Imping up with your teammates you either win lose or draw the board with a difference of just ten points being a win.

Here is a hand with Geir in action from the Yeh Brothers cup, the invitational tournament held recently in China, which shows how good his technique is:

Dealer South. North/South Vul.
	ª J 9 8 4 © J 6 ¨ 6 4 3 § A K 7 6
ª 2 © Q 4 3 ¨ A K 10 7 5 2 § Q 10 9		ª Q 5 3 © 10 9 8 5 2 ¨ 98 § J 5 4
	ª A K 10 7 6 © A K 7 ¨ Q J § 8 3 2

West	North	East	South
			Helgemo
			1ª
2¨	2ª	Pass	3§
Pass	4ª	All Pass

Geir’s 3§ bid was asking for help in the suit and it was easy for his partner to accept the game try. The defense cashed the two top tricks in diamonds and continued with the 10¨.

Geir ruffed this and cashed one top spade. He now led a club to the K§, and returned to hand with the K©. A second club was now led to the A§ and now he cashed the other top heart and trumped his last heart in dummy. He now played a spade to the ten and spread his hand. He had already counted West for six diamonds, three hearts, two clubs and one spade, so even if the 10ª lost to the Qª, West would have no option but to give a ruff and discard.

The hand below looks relatively trivial, yet the decision at trick two was to cost one team $18,000 dollars.

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

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	1©
1ª	3¨1	3©2	4©
4ª	5©	All Pass

1. 3¨ showed 5+¨ and 4+©
2. 3© showed a good raise to 3ª

The bidding was exactly the same at both tables. Readers may be interested in the two conventional bids. After passing, a jump in a new suit shows a fit with partner and one’s own suit. In competitive sequences it helps the partnership make high level decisions. The bid of 3© (made by East) shows a better hand than bidding 3ª.

North, with his void in spades, was correct to compete to 5© and this left West on lead. At one table the Aª was led and declarer had no problem making his contract. He ruffed a spade, played a round of trumps, ruffed a second spade and drew trumps. He now cashed the ace and king of diamonds throwing his last spade and set up the clubs conceding two tricks.

At the other table the club lead was won by the ace, and a club was returned. It was the moment of decision. Was the lead from §Q62 or was it a singleton? Declarer guessed wrongly and played the ten, which was won by the queen. He now suffered a club ruff to go one down and give victory to the Italians by nine IMPs.
Would you have got it right?