Israel vs Wales - Junior Round 14

By Patrick Jourdain (Wales)

The youngest player in the Junior event is Catherine Evans, 14, of Wales. She was playing in the match when Wales beat Belgium 16-14 and also in the encounter with leaders, Israel, that Israel won by the same narrow margin. Catherine’s partner is David Davies, 23. The Welsh team, incidentally, has an Evans, a Jones, and a Davies, needing only a Williams to complete the quartet of most common family names in Wales.

The key deal of the match was this problem facing Ranny Schneider of Israel:

Schneider dealt at red and this was the auction:

North, who had pre-empted with Four Clubs, leads the six of clubs, and this is what you see:

ª © ¨ §

Q 10 2 K Q 10 8 6 2 K Q J 2

ª © ¨ §

A J 9 5 3 A Q 10 9 5 2 A 10

How do you play?

If you put in the ten South follows with the eight.

Before revealing the winning line we report this good play by Aran Varshavski of Israel:

Board 2. Dealer East. North-South Vulnerable.
	ª A K 7 © A K J 8 ¨ 7 § K J 8 4 2
ª 6 5 4 3 2 © 6 ¨ J 3 § A 9 7 6 5		ª Q 10 © Q 10 4 3 ¨ K 10 8 6 4 2 § Q
	ª J 9 8 © 9 7 5 2 ¨ A Q 9 5 § 10 3

North’s 2NT was Lebensohl, so South bid Three Clubs in case North had a weak Three Club bid, and North’s Three Notrump continuation was strong.

Against Three Notrumps East, Jake Dunn, led a low diamond. Declarer finessed the queen, and ran the ten of clubs to the bare queen. A second diamond was ducked to West’s jack and a low spade switch was won by North. On a high club East discarded a diamond, and West took the ace to lead another low spade. Declarer got this right, rising with the king to fell East’s queen. He then cashed one top heart and the third club. East had to retain all his hearts, so threw another diamond. Now declarer entered dummy with the spade jack and played ace and another diamond. East was end-played to lead away from the queen of hearts. Well done. At the other table Wales reached Four Hearts doubled which went one light. 13 IMPs to Israel.

Going back to our first deal this was the full layout:

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

West was in Six Hearts, and North, who had overcalled Four Clubs, led a club. Declarer put in the ten, which held, and led a trump. North won and gave his partner a club ruff for one off.

There are two points here. First, when the ten of clubs held North knew West held both missing clubs and that South held a singleton, so it was easy when he was in with the trump ace to play another club. Declarer does better to overtake the ten in order to leave North in doubt about the suit.

Second, declarer knew South had a singleton club, and was likely to have two trumps, so must consider the danger of a ruff if North holds the ace of trumps. The winning line after taking the club finesse is to unblock the king of diamonds, cross to the ace of spades, and play good diamonds.

If the diamonds are 3-3 both clubs go away and the danger is averted. The diamonds are not 3-3 but when South ruffs the third one, the danger has been removed in a different way. You simply over-ruff and now play your trump. North wins, but South has no trumps left with which to ruff the next club.

This is a losing line where North has short diamonds and a small trump, so it was a close decision for declarer. Evans did well not to bid Five Spades, which might well have led declarer to find the winning line.

The auction at the other table was:

East’s Three Spades was a splinter. Despite this North led his singleton spade, and declarer, Dafydd Jones, had no problem in making his slam. 17 IMPs to Wales.