Swedish
Open Pairs Final
by Sven-Olov Flodqvist
Swedish Open Pairs tends to be a lively and interesting event.
This year’s final begins today with 170 pairs playing a 66-board
qualification from which the 52 best placed will make it into the
A-final. The nicest play from last year’s final was this hand
from the qualification:
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ª Q J 3
© 7 6 5 4
¨ J 3
§ A K 7 2 |
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![Bridge deal](/Graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª 10 6 5
© A K Q 9
¨ 6 5
§ Q 9 8 4 |
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West opened a Multi 2¨ and 2ª showed some interest in a high heart
contract. Why East doubled 4¨ is unclear. It might be that he felt
that his side could do better than +50 or +100 in a spade part-score.
Anyway, West led the ace of spades and East played the ten. West
switched to the two of hearts, third or fifths, and South followed
to two rounds of hearts playing the ten on the second. What next?
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ª Q J 3
© 7 6 5 4
¨ J 3
§ A K 7 2 |
ª A K 9 8 7 2
© J 3 2
¨ 10 9
§ J 10 |
![Bridge deal](/Graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª 10 6 5
© A K Q 9
¨ 6 5
§ Q 9 8 4 |
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ª 4
© 10 8
¨ A K Q 8 7 4 2
§ 6 5 3 |
South was much too strong for a 3¨ first in hand pre-empt and he
didn’t like the alternative of opening1¨. East returned the
nine of spades and declarer ruffed. After drawing trumps in two
rounds, declarer could have claimed the contract. West’s original
distribution was obviously 6-3-2-2 and East must thereby have been
born with four hearts and four clubs.
Four more rounds of diamonds, pitching black losers from dummy,
gives this end position
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© 7 6
§ A K |
ª
K
© J
§ J 10 |
![Bridge deal](/Graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
© A 9
§ Q 9 8 |
|
¨ 4
§ 6 5 3 |
East will still have to play a card. If he throws a heart, declare
can establish dummy’s heart with a ruff. In practice East
pitched another club, but Micke now won the §AK and his hand was
good.
East should have played a third heart to kill the menace for the
ruffing squeeze, after which South would have been doomed to go
one down.
At another table the first round of the bidding was the same, but
then South tried 3¨, and after 3ª by East she persisted with 4¨.
East passed and misdefended, but sadly enough South failed to see
how to make her contract.
Nobody knows how over-heated a bridge player’s brain may
become.
Dealer West. None Vul.
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ª A 10 9
© Q 4
¨ K J 7
§ 10 7 6 5 3 |
ª K Q J 5 4
© 7 6 3 2
¨ Q 8
§ 9 4 |
![Bridge deal](/Graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª 7 6 2
© A J 10 8 5
¨ 9 5
§ K Q 2 |
|
ª 83
© K 9
¨ A 10 6 4 3 2
§ A J 8 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Pass |
Pass |
1© |
2¨ |
2© |
3¨ |
Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
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West lead the king of spades and East showed his length by playing
the seven and played the two on the jack of spades to indicate some
interest in clubs. If West has the jack of clubs it might be essential
to shift to clubs and avoid establishing declarer his ninth trick
with a heart switch. But since West had no help in clubs he played
a heart to the ten and king. South crossed to the king of diamonds,
cashed the ace of spades and took the heart finesse over East, who
after all had opened the bidding.
West ruminated for quite some time on whether to play a heart or
a club before deciding to return a club, only to learn that a heart
would have been more successful.
“Could I know that I should have played a heart instead of
a club?” asked West.
“Well, you might have cashed your two high spades, to see
my discards.” answered East ?
Things went very well for Frederic Wrang on this board against
Altmae – Hjelm.
Dealer Eeast. None Vul.
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ª 10 9
© J 9 8 6
¨ A 7
§ K Q 7 54 |
ª Q 2
© Q 10 5 4 3
¨ K 8 4
§ 8 6 3 |
![Bridge deal](/Graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª K 5 4 3
© 7
¨ Q J 10 5 3
§ A J 10 |
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ª A J 8 7 6
© A K 2
¨ 9 6 2
§ 9 2 |
East opened1¨ and Freddan bid 1ª
West |
North |
East |
South |
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1¨ |
1ª |
2¨ |
Dble |
3¨ |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
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The eight of diamonds was led to the ten and another diamond to
dummy’s ace. The ten of spades was run to the queen and West
played a club to the king and ace after which West continued a third
round of diamonds, ruffed in dummy.
South played a spade to the jack and continued with the ace, ruffed
and overruffed. Queen of clubs and a club ruff and a spade towards
dummy meant that all West could make, despite his stack of trumps,
was the queen for -140.
The wildest board of the first day was this one,
East dealer, All vuln.
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ª
---
© J 10 7 5
¨ A K J 10 9
3 2
§ 9 7 |
ª A
K Q 6 3
© Q
¨ Q
§ A Q J 10 8
2 |
![Bridge deal](/Graphics/Hand/board3.gif) |
ª J
8 4
© 9
6 4 2
¨ 8 6 4
§ 5 4 3 |
|
ª
10 9 7 5 2
© A K 8 3
¨ 7 5
§ K 6 |
which was not entirely obvious from my position in South-East.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Jan-Erik |
Peter |
Hakan |
Fredrik |
Thomasson |
Bertheau |
Straaf |
Nystrom |
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Pass |
1ª |
2§ |
2¨* |
Pass |
Pass |
3§ |
3¨ |
All Pass |
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I don’t know who was most amazed, Håkan to see the
auction end, or Fredrik to see his partner make eleven tricks. Anyway,
Fredrik’s opening bid becalmed both West and East.
At one table did West, rather unwisely, decide to open 1ª
and then bid his clubs vigorously. When East later on - very ambitiously
- bid 5ª over 5¨
West was not too happy with that decision, but had he opened 1§
instead he would not have ended up paying an 1100 penalty in 5ª
doubled. E/W can be held to nine tricks in clubs if the defenders
cash the red kings and ruff a spade, before exiting in a red suit.
Nevertheless, one E/W-pair got +750, maybe after two rounds of
diamonds and an innocent looking spade towards dummy. Maybe South
had bid spades, so that North did not want to ruff his partner’s
trick? A club finesse after the jack of spades is followed by another
round of trumps and the fifth spade can be ruffed in dummy.
South might, however, make twelve tricks in hearts. After a heart
lead, ruffed in dummy, declarer must play the jack of hearts to
the king, dropping the queen and draw trumps with the ten and finesse
East’s nine.
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