|
Senior Teams — Day 2
by Patrick Jourdain
If I am not to reveal my team’s poor results on the second day this will have to be a very short report. Our opponents played with great skill, in contrast to our own efforts.
Round 3 was the Turkish team containing my old friend (well, it is the Seniors) Halit Bigat of Switzerland. They led the field after a big win over Nissan Rand.
Bigat’s partner, Selcuk Atalik, made the crucial decision on this deal:
| Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ 6
♥ A K
♦ 10 8 7 4 3
♣ A K J 9 3 | ♠ K Q 10 5 2
♥ Q 10 8 7 4
♦ A 5 2
♣ - |
 | ♠ A 8
♥ 9 6 5 2
♦ K Q J
♣ 10 8 7 4 |
| | ♠ J 9 7 4 3
♥ J 3
♦ 9 6
♣ Q 6 5 2 |
The bidding began the same way at both tables:
| West | North | East | South
|
| Dixon | Bankoglu | Czerniewski | Tolun
|
| Atalik | Jourdain | Bigat | Tedd
|
| | | Pass | Pass
|
| 1♠ | 2NT | Dble | 3♣
|
| 3♥ | Pass | 4♥ | 5♣
|
| Pass | Pass | Dble | Pass
|
| ??
|
As they decided to sacrifice over Four Hearts the two Souths might have bid more than Three Clubs the round earlier. Dixon’s decision then to take the penalty looks normal enough but Atalik pressed on to Five Hearts.
Against Five Hearts doubled I cashed the ace, king of trumps but before I had a chance to play the ace of clubs declarer claimed, recording 850. At the other table Five Clubs doubled had failed by only two tricks. 11 IMPs to Bigat.
This deal was the talk of one match in round 5:
| Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ 6 4
♥ Q 8 2
♦ A 9 8 7 2
♣ 7 5 4 | ♠ A 9 5 2
♥ 10 6 5
♦ K Q J
♣ 9 8 3 |
| ♠ K J 10
♥ A K
♦ 10 5 4 3
♣ K Q J 6 |
| | ♠ Q 8 7 3
♥ J 9 7 4 3
♦ 6
♣ A 10 2 |
The contract at almost every table in the Senior and Women’s events was Three No-trumps by East. South leads a heart to the queen and ace. A diamond is led to North’s ace and a second heart clears the suit for the defence.
Knowing South has longer hearts the popular line was to place North with the queen of spades. At both tables in my match declarer crossed to a dummy with a diamond and led a spade to the jack. When this lost the game was two down.
But at the table where Grenthe was declarer at trick four he led the ten of spades and when South played low, let it run. Next declarer unblocked the diamonds and returned to the king of spades to cash the last diamond.
Five cards remained. South, Rhona Goldenfield, had to keep two spades to guard that suit, and the ace of clubs, so she only had room to keep two winning hearts. Declarer led the jack of spades which South, of course, did not cover. Declarer let his jack win and then played a club. South took three winners but had to concede the last trick to dummy’s ace of spades. Declarer had used a stepping-stone squeeze to make his contract. Only if South covers the ten of spades on the first round is declarer blocked off from his nine tricks.
For the amusement of sadists only I report that there was one board in this round where a popular contract was Three Notrumps by North-South, reached at both tables in our match. Deep Finesse provided the news that Three No-trumps can indeed be made, but only by East-West. At my table the opponents unkindly doubled it for 1400, whereas our team-mates more generously sacrificed against their own making game. (Doubtless Patrick must have been expecting to gain IMPs at his table. Ed.)
There were plenty of possibilities on this deal:
| Board 27. Dealer South. None Vul. |
| | ♠ K J 10 3
♥ A Q 6 5
♦ 7 3
♣ 9 6 5 | ♠ –
♥ K J 10 7 4 3
♦ J 6
♣ 8 7 4 3 2 |
| ♠ Q 9 7
♥ –
♦ A Q 10 9 5 4
♣ A K Q 10 |
| | ♠ A 8 6 5 4 2
♥ 9 8 2
♦ K 8 2
♣ J |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Jourdain | | Tedd
|
| | | | 2♠
|
| Pass | 3♠ | 4♦ | Pass
|
| 4♥ | Pass | 5♦ | Pass
|
| Pass | Dble | All Pass
|
Six Clubs by West cannot be beaten, but by East heart leads defeat it. This is because South, when in with the diamond king, can lead a second heart later to promote partner’s nine of trumps. Our opponent did not offer the option of the club suit so South was on lead against Five Diamonds.
He successfully chose the singleton club. Declarer ruffed two of his spades in dummy returning with heart ruffs to play ace and nine of diamonds. However, Mike Tedd knew I held the king of spades because my first spade had been the JACK. So he won the second diamond with his king, underled his ace of spades to my king, and I returned a club for him to ruff and defeat the game.
|
