Bridge, Zia… and You! (Part 1) Round of 32: Panahpour vs Auken by Ace Ventura Some of you must have read the book, ‘Bridge, Zia… and Me!’. We could not afford a follow-up by the author Michael Rosenberg, so here is the Tenerife-version – Bridge, Zia… and You! You will be given some of Zia’s hands to see if you can do any better than him. All hands are from the match in the Round of 32 between Panahpour, including the bridge-star Zia Mahmood, and Jens Auken’s Danish squad. Here comes the first hand:   ♠ A Q J 8 7 ♥ Q 1 0 8 6 5 ♦ A K 9 ♣ - West North East South 3♣ Pass 5♣ ?   Some kind of action is to be needed. Do you double, bid 6♣ or do you fancy anything else? After a first flat board Panahpour scored 3 IMPs on board two. Here came 5 IMPs to the Danes. Board 3. Dealer South. EW Vul.   ♠ 9 3 ♥ K 3 ♦ J 4 3 2 ♣ A 10 9 8 4 ♠ K 10 6 ♥ A 9 7 2 ♦ Q 8 7 5 ♣ 6 5 ♠ A Q J 8 7 ♥ Q 10 8 6 5 ♦ A K 9 ♣ -   ♠ 5 4 2 ♥ J 4 ♦ 10 6 ♣ K Q J 7 3 2 Open Room West North East South Robson Kampmann Zia Auken       3♣ Pass 5♣ Dbl All Pass Closed Room West North East South Schaltz King Christiansen M. Panahpour       Pass 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass 4♥ Pass 4♠ All Pass     Small slam can be made easily in either major but how to get there? Jens Auken found a well-timed 3♣ preempt on a six cards suit and Nikolai Kampmann efficiently found a preemptive raise to 5♣. Now Zia, seating East, didn’t have an easy task. In a guessing situation like this you might as well go for the big money and bid 6♣ – but this time West might scent a grand around the corner. Zia doubled, as many of us would have done under normal circumstances, but Andrew Robson slightly pessimistically passed. The club lead was won in dummy, Auken then played a diamond and Zia rose with the king. The aces of spades and diamonds were cashed, Zia then played a spade to Robson’s ten. Declarer was now put to the test on the vicious switch to a low heart. However, Auken avoided going for –800 when he read the situation correctly and rose the king and that was down three and –500. In the Closed Room Martin Schaltz/Soren Christiansen stopped in game, even though they could explore their relay-methods without any interference. East opened a strong club, 1♦ was 6-9, 1♠ game-forcing, 2♣ showed either a balanced hand or an unbalanced with at least 4-4 in the majors, and then 2♠ showed diamonds. A couple of cuebids followed after 3♠ and it might have been sensible for East to continue with 5♣. Nonetheless, 4♠ with two overtricks was worth 5 IMPs for the Danes. King/Phanapour went down in a decent 6♠ on board 4 when Auken/Kampmann stopped in game at the other table; 13 IMPs to Auken. Now it’s your turn again to take Zia’s place.   ♠ A K 9 4 ♥ 8 4 ♦ A J 9 7 6 ♣ A 5 West North East South Pass 1♣ 1♠ 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♥ Dble Redble Pass ?   The redouble shows some values in hearts. What the ****…Did you really bid 3♥ with two small only? Yes, you have to remember you’re now Zia, full of ideas. Your genius bid might have avoided a heart lead through dummy’s honour, for instance if South holds something like five to Q-J-10, dummy king third and North ace third. Man or mouse – are you going for the diamond-slam or not? Two pushes had followed when the next big swing came. This was the complete deal: Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.   ♠ J 10 8 6 3 2 ♥ 6 5 ♦ 10 ♣ K Q 9 2 ♠ Q ♥ A K 9 3 ♦ Q 5 4 ♣ J 10 7 4 3 ♠ A K 9 4 ♥ 8 4 ♦ A J 9 7 6 ♣ A 5   ♠ 7 5 ♥ Q J 10 7 2 ♦ K 8 3 2 ♣ 8 6 Open Room West North East South Robson Kampmann Zia Auken       Pass 1♣ 1♠ 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♥ Dble Redble Pass 4NT Pass 5♣ Dble Rdble Pass 5♥ Pass 6♦ All Pass Closed Room West North East South Schaltz King Christiansen M. Panahpour       Pass 1♥ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2NT Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT All Pass Schaltz/Christiansen didn’t have lofty ambitions and reached game in no trumps. West had show a canapé in hearts and clubs and East forced to game. Declarer made an overtrick on a heart lead. Zia wanted more, so he psyched 3♥ then asked for aces. 5♣ showed one ace and Kampmann doubled. A redouble by Zia presumable showed a control in the suit. After Robson’s cuebid of 5♥ game was no longer an option. Dummy didn’t have the right honours this time and the contract was doomed to go down since the trump suit had to be played for no losers, impossible today. Afterwards we could be wise and say that EW can avoid the slam if East bids 3♠, instead of a slightly hasty 4NT. When West then cannot show a cue in clubs it is unlikely for the slam to make. Zia, though, had decided to bid the slam from the start and wanted to make things difficult for the defence. Better luck next time, all you men out there Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.   ♠ Q 5 ♥ A 9 4 ♦ 9 8 5 2 ♣ K 7 6 4 ♠ A K 10 6 ♥ J 6 2 ♦ K 10 ♣ A Q 9 8 ♠ 9 4 ♥ Q 8 7 5 ♦ A J 6 4 ♣ 5 3 2   ♠ J 8 7 3 2 ♥ K 10 3 ♦ Q 7 3 ♣ J 10 Open Room West North East South Robson Kampmann Zia Auken 1NT All Pass     Closed Room West North East South Schaltz King Christiansen M. Panahpour 1♣ Pass 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass 2NT Pass 3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass 3NT All Pass       Zia Mahmood, USA   Robson opened 1NT and was left to play there; EW +150. In the Closed Room Schaltz/Christiansen kept the artificial engine running once again. They exchanged quite a lot of information on the first round of bidding: 1♣ was strong, 1♦ 6-9 HCPs, 1♥ relay and 1♠ was game-forcing with hearts. Schaltz then wasted a ‘huge amount’ of space in the auction as he jumped to 2NT, showing his balanced hand. A Puppet Stayman sequence followed to 3NT. North led a club to the jack and declarer’s queen. Schaltz played the jack of hearts from hand and as North erred by declining to win the trick, South won the king. Back came the club ten to declarer’s ace then another club was won by North, who exited in the same suit to Schaltz’ winning eight of clubs. Now Schaltz was in a good position, and he played a heart up towards dummy. North jumped up with the ace then played another heart leaving this position:   ♠ Q 5 ♥ - ♦ 9 8 5 2 ♣ - ♠ A K 10 6 ♥ - ♦ K 10 ♣ - ♠ 9 4 ♥ 8 ♦ A J 6 ♣ -   ♠ J 8 7 ♥ - ♦ Q 7 3 ♣ - On the thirteenth heart the squeeze works and Schaltz read the position well; EW +430 and well-deserved 7 IMPs to Auken. Are you ready to make another decision? I thought so. Here you are:   ♠ A 5 ♥ A J 9 4 ♦ A Q J 1 0 ♣ 7 6 West North East South 1♠ Dble Pass 2♥ Pass ?   Your partner’s 2♥ is the expected 0-9 HCPs with four hearts. Seating East all vulnerable, will you push your cards any further? The score was 50-6 to Auken when Panahpour struck back on the penultimate board in the first session. Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.   ♠ K 10 9 7 3 ♥ K 8 ♦ K 9 4 3 ♣ K 2 ♠ Q 8 4 2 ♥ Q 6 5 3 ♦ 8 5 ♣ A 10 4 ♠ A 5 ♥ A J 9 4 ♦ A Q J 10 ♣ 7 6 5   ♠ J 6 ♥ 10 7 2 ♦ 7 6 2 ♣ Q J 9 8 3 Open Room West North East South Robson Kampmann Zia Auken   1♠ Dble Pass 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♥ All Pass Closed Room West North East South Schaltz King Christiansen M. Panahpour   1♠ Dble Pass 2♥ All Pass     Zia did well here by searching for game. Meanwhile Christiansen in the Closed Room passed in the same situation. Schaltz collected nine tricks on a diamond lead; would Robson do any better on the same lead? Yes, as the card lay he could produce three diamond tricks, a diamond ruff, four heart tricks and the two black aces for +620, and that was 10 IMPs to Panahpour. Nonetheless, Auken was up 33 (50-17) after the first session. Part two will follow in a later bulletin.

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