Message from Gianarrigo Rona, President, World Bridge Federation Dear Bridge Friends The World Wide Bridge Contest is a long-standing tournament in the World Bridge Federation's calendar, now in its 27th year, and I do hope you all enjoyed this event and found the hands interesting and challenging – my thanks go to Eric Kokish for his excellent and most entertaining commentary. The World Wide Bridge Contest has been joined by four new Simultaneous Pairs events held during the year for your enjoyment. These new events are much simpler ones, and are run specifically to raise funds so that the WBF is in a better position to support, promote and develop Youth Bridge. The World Bridge Federation has always been strongly committed to the promotion of Youth Bridge, which we strongly believe represents the future of our wonderful sport. So, as well as the four new events, it has been decided that any profits made from this event will also be used specifically to assist the development of Youth Bridge. Our Youth Projects will include better teaching aids for countries trying to encourage young players, assistance for youngsters to attend World Championships and other initiatives to encourage youngsters to learn bridge. You will find the dates of these new events on the back cover of this brochure. Please join us for as many of them as you can. The WBF Website, at www.worldbridge.org will have information about the 2013 World Bridge Teams Championship to be held on the magical island of Bali in Indonesia. This Championship includes the World Transnational Open Teams, a championship that any players who are bona fide members of their NBO can participate in – it is a really exciting tournament, giving players the opportunity of enjoying not only a wonderful venue but an event where they can play against or watch some of the greatest names in bridge today. Do give consideration to joining us – the WBF would welcome your presence. Once again, thank you for taking part in the World Wide Bridge Contest – and please continue to enjoy your bridge. With warm regards
Gianarrigo Rona, President
Board 1. Love All. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
J 10 7 6 Q9 KJ52 874
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
AQ4 J 10 6 5 2 10 A962
[ ] { } K98532 K 987 Q53
— A8743 AQ643 K J 10
Most North players will open 1], depriving East of that opportunity. Whether East passes or overcalls in diamonds will depend on personal views on this issue; indeed, there is no perfect strategy with this type of hand. Where East passes, South will bid 1[ or a weak 2[. North, with a minimum opening bid, should raise 1[ to 2[ rather than introduce his clubs, and might consider raising 2[ to 3[ as a tactical move. Over 2[, East will choose from among pass, double and 3{, with the delayed overcall implying a good hand with length in hearts, at least for those who believe in passing over 1]. Where 3{ is a reopening action, however, that inference is not as strong. Either North or South will usually bid 3[ rather than sell out to 3{, and it is quite possible that East or West will double 3[ to protect their likely equity in 3{. At the tables where East overcalls 2{, South will pass, overbid slightly with 2[, or try a negative double, intending to convert 2] or 3} to 3[, not without risk.West will raise to 3{ and occasionally buy the contract, or raise to 4{ and more often silence everyone. However, East might well bid 5{ once he knows of four- or five-card support (from his perspective, it would not take much to make game excellent: four or five clubs to the queen, a singleton heart, jack-fifth of trumps, for example). Where South has volunteered 2[ over East’s 2{, North will raise to 3[ over 3{ and will almost certainly bid 4[ over a preemptive raise to 4{. It is not clear where the auction will end, but the frequency sheets will include 4[ and 5{, doubled and not doubled. Although 3[ can be beaten, it takes a wildly unlikely sequence of plays: ]9 to the ace and a 2
second heart; declarer ruffs and plays a diamond, but the defense continues diamonds to force dummy; declarer will not be able to avoid losing either two trumps, a club and a diamond, or two trumps and two diamonds. West will usually lead a diamond and, once in a while, a club or the ] Q, but the timing will be different, and even if declarer is forced to ruff a diamond with a high spade, by judging to ruff out the ]Q, he will have time to discard two clubs on high hearts as West ruffs with trump winners. N/S +140 will be quite common, with +530, -50, and -100 making cameo appearances. In diamonds, with the ]K capitulating, it might seem that declarer has only two club tricks to lose, but that is not nearly the same as counting 11 winners; in fact, even 10 winners will be too tall an order if the defense leads and continues trumps.There will be some interesting variations in the play after a spade lead, but to come to 10 tricks declarer will probably need to avoid leading a low heart towards the queen and will eventually have to lead a club to the king. The lead of the ]K reduces the play to the same position for declarer. Plus 130 in diamonds will be superb for E/W, and there won’t be many permitted to buy the contract at 3{ and record +110. N/S might not double 5{, and E/W might score well for -50 or -100, but 5{ doubled, -300, will surely be awful.
Board 2. N/S Vul. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
543 Q8642 10 5 4 82
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
A K Q J 10 6 AK K98 K6 [ 82 ] 10 { AJ63 } J 10 9 7 4 3 97 J9753 Q72 AQ5
Par for N/S is +1440 in 6NT, and many N/S pairs will get there once the decision to drive to slam is made, either when North represents his hand as quasi-balanced or when North judges that he will not need to establish South’s heart suit by ruffing. The World Wide Bridge Contest
North will open (rarely, these days) a strong 2[, or an artificial forcing bid of 1}, 2} or 2{. If N/S are given a free run and South is in a position to make a natural positive response in hearts before rebidding in notrump over North’s spade bid, North will usually simply check on aces in his favorite way and bid 6NT. North might be motivated to try for the extra matchpoints accruing from the otherwiseirrelevant 10-point difference between 6S and 6NT when both contracts can be made, but there is also a safety issue as 6[ might occasionally go down on a ruff. Where South’s initial response is an artificial waiting bid of some sort (e.g. 2}-2{ or 2{-2]), perhaps due to the poor quality of the heart suit, North will plan to either show his suit before suggesting notrump, jump in his suit to set trumps and initiate control-showing bids, or simply treat his hand as balanced without revealing his trick source. Although all are viable strategies, the straightforward approach of bidding spades will be the popular choice. Where South has not yet shown his values (or his ace), he will need to take strong action and will not always have a comfortable sequence of bids to engage North in a constructive dialogue; some might underbid and risk missing slam altogether while others will drive to slam, guessing whether to play in spades or notrump. At favorable vulnerability, many Easts will come in over a strong club, and some will compete over a strong two-level opening. As West won’t be able to cooperate in an obstructive campaign, N/S should be able to cope with a 2} or 3} overcall. In practice, their task might be easier as a result because South, with two club stoppers, will be keen to bid notrump, and even if he doesn’t, North might bid notrump early to secure the declaration in that strain before branching out into spades. Overall, few N/S pairs will miss slam and those who record only +680 will score particularly badly. 6NT will be the majority choice and the frequency of that choice will determine the fate of those who stop in 6[. No one will go to bed with the {A, so we will not see any 13-trick scores in either spades or notrump.
Saturday 8th June 2013
Board 3. E/W Vul. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
KQ852 10 5 3 K62 65
[ ] { }
J 10 7 A6 Q 10 8 7 A 10 9 8
[ ] { }
A63 842 543 J432
[ ] { }
94 KQJ97 AJ9 KQ7
Most will open North’s chunky 11-count in third position at favorable vulnerability; indeed, the hand is worth opening in any position. Where North opens 1NT, East will double, which might well end the auction, and perfect defense would hold North to just his three aces for an 800-point set, better than the 620 available for bidding and making 4].Where N/S are systemically precluded from finishing in 1NT doubled, their escape methods might land them in 2}, which can be set three tricks. The fate of those 500-point penalties will depend on the number of E/W pairs scoring +620 or +800. Where North opens one of a minor, East will overcall 1] or 1NT. West will usually raise 1] to 2], though some will prefer to bid 1[ in case the lead proves to be an important issue or showing the suit helps East value his hand more accurately in assessing game chances. In practice, 1[ – whether forcing or nonforcing in partnership style – presents East with a modest bidding problem; some will choose a heavy 1NT, others a jump to 2NT, while a few will cue-bid to buy some time. As long as West can convince East that he has three-card heart support, the partnership should reach 4], the best game on this layout, but some will certainly reach 3NT. In 4], declarer will lose only three aces on any normal line of play, but in 3NT, the defense has a chance for a fourth winner by leading clubs. South will have to rise with the [A the first time the suit is led to clear clubs (or cash a club winner) or declarer can take one spade, four hearts, three diamonds and two clubs for +630 and a huge score.
3
Board 4. Game All. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
AQ93 A K 10 9 AJ9 K6
[ ] { }
K 10 7 Q732 Q 10 6 J73
[ ] { }
2 654 K874 Q8542
[ ] { }
J8654 J8 532 A 10 9
West will open 2NT or start with a strong artificial opening. N/S will not participate in the auction, regardless, and virtually every E/W pair will find a route to 4[, more often than not from the West side after a transfer sequence. The best lead for the defense is a diamond because it puts some pressure on declarer should he do the wrong thing in hearts. However, most Norths will lead something else: a heart is clearly worst as it gives declarer 11 top tricks after knocking out the [K. Declarer has several options on a low club lead. He could play the nine and take the queen with the ace, then finesse the }10 on the way back to discard a diamond and be in the right hand to lead trumps toward his ace-queen. Consider, however, that playing clubs for three tricks will not help declarer to come to 12 tricks: to achieve that total, declarer must run the ]J, playing South for the queen. To this end, declarer would have to risk holding himself to just 10 tricks if North has led a diamond or switched to diamonds after winning the [K (but, as the {J would be guarded, the contract would be safe even if the ]J were to lose to the queen). As the third club winner is not vital for declarer, he might elect to win the }A to lead a trump to the queen. North make a good play by ducking painlessly. When declarer cashes the ace, he no longer has a third-round trump entry to dummy so if he wants to play South for the ]Q he will need to use a fourth round of trumps to get there and in the process lose a club ruff in the West hand. In effect, he forces himself to play North for the ]Q, but must still lose a diamond as he has only four spade tricks, three hearts, the {A, two clubs and a club ruff in the short-trump hand. 4
Alternatively, declarer could win the }A and pass the ]J immediately, effectively giving up on Kx of trumps in South or singleton ten in North. That line has considerable appeal as it offers the best chance for the maximum, but it also risks making the minimum. Declarer can still come to 11 tricks if North wins the ]Q and switches to a diamond to the king and ace; he must cash the [A and revert to hearts, discarding both diamonds from West as neither opponent can ruff. That is not as double-dummy as it might seem as (a) the [A might drop the king; (b) an opponent with three hearts might have been dealt king-low of trumps; (c) the same hand has four hearts and the two remaining spades. Where East declares, South might lead a diamond on the theory that he needs less from North to build a trick or two. Now declarer has serious immediate concerns as he could go down if he takes a first-round heart finesse through South. Most will not take that risk and either play on trumps and lose two diamonds and the [K, or play ace-king-ten of hearts, intending to discard a diamond if the queen does not appear. If North covers the ]10, declarer again faces a decision. Should he lead a spade to the queen and risk going down if it loses and North can cash diamonds and play another heart, forcing declarer to guess the trump position; or should he lead a spade to the ace and play the winning heart, guaranteeing the contract with the chance for an overtrick as described in the previous paragraph?
Board 5. N/S Vul. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
5 8754 10 8 6 3 Q763
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
Q 10 7 4 2 Q6 KJ4 854 [ ] { } A9863 93 A2 K J 10 2
KJ A K J 10 2 Q975 A9
South will overcall East’s 1] with 1[, and most Wests will not pass, choosing 2] or 3] as system and style will dictate. Although North has fivecard support and a modicum of strength, he has a nine-loser balanced hand with junky values The World Wide Bridge Contest
inappropriate for a game raise or a limit raise, and he will do well not to bid any higher than 2[. Easier said than done, as E/W figure to reach 3] and North will find it difficult not compete to 3[ with at least 10 combined trumps and probably roughly half the deck in the high cards. East has a good hand, but a poor spade holding and weak side suit, and should be able to stay out of -300 territory in 4], but in practice, bidding 4] might nudge his opponents into 4[, down 200 or 500 depending on whether East doubles and defends accurately. Might East double 3[? That seems wildly unlikely if West has shown heart support and a weak hand, but if East judges that his side was likely to make 140 in 3], he might try for a doubled one-trick set and +200 to beat all the partials. That might seem overly aggressive with some questionable defensive holdings, as 3[ +140 might be the normal result while 4] doubled would be too expensive, but East might take the position that if his side would score poorly if N/S had judged correctly to gamble that 3[ would be down one not doubled for -100. It will be interesting to see the results on this deal. To hold spade contracts to eight tricks on the normal heart lead, East must defend carefully, switching to a low diamond after taking two heart winners. Declarer lacks the entries to eliminate diamonds before leading a club from dummy and will not be able to deny East a timely safe exit card. If East errs by cashing the }A at trick three, declarer can win the club continuation with the king (hardly a clear-cut play), cash the [A, eliminate diamonds, and exit in trumps to endplay East, who must concede a ruff and discard. To hold heart contracts to eight tricks, N/S must take an early diamond ruff to go along with the [A and a club trick. If South defends passively, declarer will have time to lead diamonds twice towards his hand, finessing against North’s jack. He can draw trumps and use one trump entry to lead diamonds toward his hand and either ruff the [K (if it’s still in his hand) or play }A, club if it’s not, forcing the defenders to play a second diamond or yield a ruff and discard to provide a second dummy entry for another diamond play. The auction will rarely end below 3[, but there are plenty of possibilities for both sides to judge the level accurately and to play or defend well. Saturday 8th June 2013
Board 6. E/W Vul. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
AK53 654 AK2 A86
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
QJ96 987 QJ9874 — [ ] { } 82 K 10 3 10 5 3 QJ932
10 7 4 AQJ2 6 K 10 7 5 4
The seven-loser East hand is a lot better than some balanced 12-counts that most would open without remorse, but at unfavorable vulnerability, pass will be the popular choice, in part because a 1[ response would force East to raise to 2[ with ten-third or rebid clubs with a mediocre five-card suit. Where East elects to open, it might be difficult to convince West to stop short of a touch-and-go 4NT or a doomed 5}, 6} or 6NT. After East passes, West will open 1} or 1[. North might well try a weak jump overcall over 1}, regardless of the meaning of the opening bid. East, though tempted to mention the promising four-card heart suit, will typically choose between a negative double and a 3{ cue-raise in clubs. South might raise to 3{ where possible, creating a rebid problem for West, who will do best to bid 3NT; however, with no source of tricks and a fine hand for suit play if East has at least four spades (as he often will),West might instead jump to 4[. Where South does not raise, West might cue-bid 3{, intending 3NT over 3] to offer a choice between spades and notrump if East is on the page. Uncontested, West in standard systems will choose between 1[ (very much the French style) and 2NT (very much the American style) after East’s 1] response. After 1[, East will jump to 3}; if West draws the inference that East would have responded 2] as a passed hand with five hearts and at least four clubs and invitational strength, he will have no trouble bidding 3NT rather than a forcing 3] or perhaps a delicate 3{. At some of these tables, E/W might finish in 4], a contract that requires some particularly inspired play. Where West rebids 2NT over 1], East would like to make a slam try in clubs that 5
includes showing diamond shortness, but will rarely have such methods available, rarer still below 3NT; West will reject any invitation and the partnership methods should make it clear that East has only four hearts. Where West opens 1[, East has a complex hand because of his spade support, something that four-card major systems deal with in different ways.There will definitely be some pairs in 4[, a contract that handles more comfortably than 4]. Although declarer can come to 10 tricks in notrump, he will need to play double dummy to achieve that total on an unhelpful diamond lead. The winning line involves starting hearts before clubs, and eventually stripping the majors (and diamonds) before endplaying South, who “had to” insert a club equal on a lead from dummy to prevent declarer putting in the eight, to concede a third club winner. On a deal that will often prove difficult for E/W, +630 will score very well, and +600 might prove satisfactory as there won’t be that many +620s and there figures to be quite a few E/W minus scores.
Board 7. Game All. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
742 K54 K842 Q98
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
863 A A 10 9 5 3 J 10 4 3 [ ] { } K Q 10 9 Q983 6 AK76
AJ5 J 10 7 6 2 QJ7 52
The cards are lying particularly well for N/S, who can make 5} or a far less likely 4[ with an accurate line of play.This figures to be a partscore deal, however, so anyone securing the game bonus will score mightily. North will more often respond 1{ than 2} or 3} to South’s 1}. East, with a balanced hand, modest point count, and topless five-card suit, doesn’t really have the material for a vulnerable overcall, but that won’t dissuade everyone. 1] will be raised to two, where E/W are in serious jeopardy (-200 or -500) if N/S can arrange to sell 6
out, doubled or not, but fortunately for these traveling pairs, N/S will usually opt to bid on in clubs.Where N/S are given a free run, they should be able to stop in 3}; sample auctions include: (a) 1}-1{; 1]-3}; pass (b) 1}-3}; pass (c) 1}-2} (inverted); 3}-Pass. Although South has a sound opening bid, it is still in the minimum range, and with only four clubs and potentially the wrong singleton, both 5} and 3NT figure to require both a favorable layout and some good play. Although clubs offers only 20 points a trick, there’s no shame in trying to go plus in a sound trump suit when higher scoring strains are speculative, even at Pairs scoring. Those plus scores will score well this time. The defense against a N/S notrump contract should be able to prevent declarer from developing a ninth trick – presumably a second winner in a red suit – but we can imagine scenarios in which declarer’s spot cards in hearts or diamonds come into play before declarer builds two winners in the other red suit. To come to 11 tricks in clubs, declarer will need to ruff two low hearts in dummy to make a winner of the ]Q, leading spades towards the honors en route. An interesting variation might materialize where East has not bid hearts and follows with the ten or jack on declarer’s first heart ruff, giving declarer the option of leading the ]Q to pin East’s remaining minor honor the next time he plays the suit, a line that would work when East started with J10x of hearts. Declarer has other concerns to deal with (avoiding an extra loser in the trump suit, timing the play to be able to cash his spade winners), but even if he does the wrong (odds-against) thing in hearts, the cards are friendly enough for him to negotiate a third heart ruff without losing an extra trick. Unless South opens 1[ or North imaginatively places the contract in 2[ when South’s opening shows a three-suiter short in diamonds, it’s difficult to see how N/S will find a logical route to a spade contract. Even two rounds of trumps won’t prevent declarer from taking 10 tricks with accurate play: he can take one heart ruff, draw the last trump, and clear clubs (unblocking from dummy), win the diamond return, cross to a club and lead the ]9 to catch the king. This all sounds fancier than it really is. The World Wide Bridge Contest
Board 8. Love All. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
K92 KJ AQ542 642
[ ] { }
10 8 7 5 A4 J 10 8 6 3 95
[ ] { }
J643 8765 97 KQJ
[ ] { }
AQ Q 10 9 3 2 K A 10 8 7 3
E/W will have an unimpeded auction and will usually finish in 3NT after East shows his twosuited hand and West shows a balanced minimum with only two hearts and no great love of clubs. Inevitably, some will reach 4] when West admits to moderate support and East deems his hand more suitable for suit play. Although South can’t get in to cash a second club winner if declarer ducks one round of clubs, communication problems are simply too great for declarer to cash all his (11) winners once the ] A has been dislodged, assuming North switches to clubs if the suit hasn’t been led. It’s a really annoying hand for declarer, and the defense is not especially difficult, but if N/S permit declarer to untangle his winners, -450 or -460 will be horrible results.
Board 9. E/W Vul. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
KQJ54 8542 4 10 8 3
[ ] { }
10 7 2 KJ7 76 QJ762
[ ] { }
863 AQ9 Q 10 8 3 A54
[ ] { }
A9 10 6 3 AKJ952 K9
Most of the Easts who open 1{ plan to rebid 2{ (for which they would be maximum) or 3{ (for which they would be minimum); style and upbringing will determine which sequence holds greater appeal. West will pass either of those rebids. The other 1{ openers, whose 1NT Saturday 8th June 2013
openings would be weak, plan to rebid 1NT (1517), an accurate value bid portraying the balanced character of the hand. While West might pass a strong 1NT rebid, his hand may not be worth much opposite a doubleton spade lacking the ace, so taking out to 2] or 2[ will seem more attractive. East will pass 2[ but will use his judgment over 2], as West might well be five-five. Similar considerations might apply at the tables where East opens a strong notrump rather than 1{. West might simply sign off in 2[, usually via transfer, or instead use Stayman where his methods permit him to show a weak hand with both majors at his next turn, either by bidding 2[ or (as more commonly played) 2], inviting correction to 2[ with longer or perhaps stronger spades. This time, the money contract is 2[, which can produce eight tricks if declarer can establish West’s long heart without losing a trump promotion or losing control. In 2], although the trumps (also) break three-three, the defenders should have time to arrange a fourth trump winner, either by South ruffing a fourth round of clubs high or by North ruffing a third round of diamonds high. The poor lie of the trump suit will be a disappointment to the declarers in diamonds, but not if South leads a spade (the normal choice) rather than from one of his unattractive holdings in the other suits. On a spade lead declarer can win with the ace, cash ace-king of diamonds, and guess to play three more rounds of spades. South ruffs the last with a trump winner and the defense gets only one more trump trick and three tricks in hearts and clubs combined: +90 in 2{, -100 in 3{. If South leads the }A he can still switch to hearts and hold diamond contracts to seven tricks, but a low club will allow eight tricks. Best for South is a high heart, followed by a timely club switch from North after winning the second or third round of hearts, but if West declares, North will probably lead clubs so the defense will be well on its way to taking all seven of its tricks. A few West players will correct 2{ to 2[, especially in systems where (a) this doesn’t show much, and (b) East might have five diamonds and as many as three spades.That will work beautifully this time if East does not raise to 3[, expecting longer spades and often a better hand. 7
Board 10. Game All. Dealer East.
Board 11. Love All. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
942 AJ J 10 5 3 A732
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
A 10 7 3 KQ875 A8 J4
[ ] { }
KQJ865 43 974 K9
[ ] { }
— 10 9 6 2 KQ62 Q 10 8 6 5
Souths who start with a conventional opening bid that shows four spades, five hearts, and minimum opening-bid strength will usually silence West and finish in 2]. Many more Souths, however, will open 1] and West will bid 1[ or 2[. North has the right sort of hand for a negative double, but if that option is unavailable North will have to pass, invent a raise (to 2]) or introduce a four-card minor (at the two level). Where West has overcalled 1[, South will rebid 1NT in reply to North’s double and West should not risk a second bid with a balanced hand and minimum strength; North should pass 1NT. Where West overcalls 2[, South might pass a negative double, trying for +200 (or more) to beat all the N/S partials if this proves not to be a game deal for N/S. South’s only legitimate alternative is 2NT as 3] should show a longer or better suit. The winner this time is to pass the double as 2[ should be held to no more than six tricks. 2NT has eight obvious tricks, but there are possibilities for nine if South ducks the opening lead of a spade honor and West continues the suit or switches to a diamond, declarer covering the nine but guessing to follow low to the three or seven. In order to hold declarer to eight tricks in hearts, West would have to lead either the } K or a low spade (East ruffs and returns a club or a trump, and West still has two natural spade tricks coming), both very unlikely. With N/S +140 in hearts more likely than +110 or -100, and +120 in notrump more likely than +150 or -100, E/W are going to find it difficult to avoid a minus score, and even if they do not incur a 200- or 500-point penalty, they might have to defend especially well to score reasonably. 8
[ ] { }
J8 A82 Q986 10 8 5 4
[ ] { }
7 J743 J 10 7 5 4 2 62 [ A 10 2 ] 965 { AK3 } KJ93 KQ96543 K Q 10 — AQ7
The powerful South hand would have a fine play for game opposite the }J and three low trumps, or a few other very weak North hands, and some will drive to 4[ after opening with a forcing bid. Acol two-bidders, their French cousins who feature two tiers of strong two-bids (gameforcing and “semi-forcing”), some 2} openers who can stop short of game opposite a double negative, and quite a few of the strong clubbers, are more likely to stop at 3[. Those who open 1[ will face a vastly different set of conditions, as North will usually pass (though some forcing 1NT aficionados might try to improve the contract or give their opponents a harder time), leaving East to protect with double or 1NT, according to partnership style and agreement. Where East doubles, South can redouble with the intention of bidding spades as often as necessary later, or South could jump to 3[ to make it more difficult for E/W to find a profitable fit. Both strategies have merit and N/S figure to buy the contract at 2[ or 3[ at these tables. Where East reopens with 1NT, South will double or bid 2[ or 3[, all of which might well end the auction, though North might pull a double to 2{, which might convince South to bid a bit less. To hold a spade contract to just eight tricks, West must lead the [J (this would not be a good time to rely on the traditional wisdom that advocates leading the lowest trump lest declarer take East’s ten with the king at trick one and continue with the queen). Later, West must duck the king and queen of hearts or rise with the ace should declarer try to sneak the ten past him; if the defense gets everything right and retains sufficient safe exit cards in diamonds, declarer can The World Wide Bridge Contest
be prevented from taking a trick with the }Q, which would be his ninth winner. E/W pairs who find this defense will have something special to offer in the post-session social activities. Worst-case scenario for E/W is for West to lead a club against a spade contract, allowing declarer to take two club winners and ruff his low club in dummy, cruising home with 10 tricks for +170 or a wonderful +420. Although the club lead will be quite common, many Wests will prefer to lead from strength, opting for the six, eight or nine of diamonds, according to partnership agreement. If declarer covers West’s diamond spot the position will be clear to the defense, but declarer can eventually reach a position where someone will have to play a club for him. In one variation, East will have an exit card available in diamonds, but declarer will be able to discard the }7 and allow West to win his {Q, but West, out of major-suit cards, will have to give dummy the {J or lead into the ace-queen of clubs. E/W +50 will be excellent as there won’t be many +100s for 4[ down two or 4[ doubled down one or +300s for 4[ doubled down two.
Board 12. N/S Vul. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
J842 Q86 AQ7 AK4
[ ] { }
K Q 10 5 AK73 J Q 10 9 6
[ ] { }
63 J 10 9 4 K 10 5 4 3 2 7
[ ] { }
A97 52 986 J8532
Where West starts with 1NT, North will have to decide whether to settle for a quiet pass, gamble on a thin, atypical high-card double or a two-suited action short a ninth card in the combination; very few will have a three-suited option at their disposal. If North passes, so will East. Although South can place North with quite a good hand when E/W have stayed so low, only the most aggressive Souths will reopen, his choice coming from a Saturday 8th June 2013
modern catalogue that includes but is not limited to: diamonds, a minor, some one-suited hand, four of a major and a longer minor, diamonds and a major, or hearts and another. Some of these methods will locate the heart fit but might convince North to take a shot at game, which doesn’t quite fetch despite a fairly favorable lie of the cards for N/S’s purposes. If N/S find a route to 2{, the defenders have several alternatives to hold declarer to eight tricks, but must commit to one of them fairly early if declarer reads the honor location accurately. The effective defensive strategies include West giving East a third-round heart ruff, West eventually leading a fourth round of spades for East to uppercut with his remaining trump to promote West’s {7, and East giving West a trump promotion by leading a fourth round of clubs if he still has the [A as the late entry to arrange this. Where West declares 1NT or perhaps 2NT (where East has competed with a nonconstructive delayed raise over 2{ or 2]), North will have to sacrifice a spade honor early to prevent declarer from using East’s club winners, perhaps after: ]A (attitude) lead, ]J from South; [K (nine, three, four); [Q. That kills the club suit but as South can’t gain the lead, declarer will be able to endplay North with the fourth round of spades to concede a late heart to the queen, declarer’s seventh winner. As there are many ways North might go wrong on defense, there will be quite a few E/W +120s to go with the +90s. Where West is out of range for 1NT and starts with 1}, many Norths will ignore their serious flaw in diamonds and double for takeout, while others will overcall in a major or perhaps even stoop to showing a major two-suiter; such is life in the Matchpoint jungle. Those players will usually find their heart fit and stop short of game, although some Souths will bury their hearts to show their six-card fit for a suit for which partner is expected to have some support. Where East supports clubs it’s not clear where it will end; West can piece together eight tricks and might score fairly well even if doubled in 3}, down 100, if there are lots of N/S pairs going plus 110 or +140 in a red suit. If West’s systemic opening is 1[, North will pass 9
and will more or less be obliged to pass again if East’s raise to 2[ is passed back to him; 2[ will go down at least one, but E/W should be in decent shape as long as declarer avoids down three, which would be a disaster. East might respond 1NT, however, and North might well double for penalty, implying a defensive holding in spades. Unfortunately for his side, a spade lead won’t defeat 1NT if declarer guesses the play accurately (E/W +180), but if South prefers to lead from his heart sequence the defense will prevail (E/W -100).
Board 13. Game All. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
96 Q54 9863 Q 10 5 4
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
K J 10 3 KJ9 10 7 5 4 97
AQ2 873 AKQ2 KJ2
[ ] { }
8754 A 10 6 2 J A863
With two balanced hands, all suits stopped, and 27 combined HCP, virtually all the N/S pairs will finish in 3NT. South will open 1{, 1}, a specialized 2{ or 2} opening that shows this hand type, or 2NT. This high-card range (19-21) seems to be increasingly popular these days, although no one finds it easier to bid constructively after a 2NT opening than after a one-bid. Some strong-club partnerships will declare from the North side after North responds 1NT to 1}. Assuming that N/S do not reveal any distributional information at these tables, East will usually lead a passive spade, or a heart rather than a club, which would be the most effective lead this time. After a spade lead, declarer will test diamonds and might run his sure tricks before broaching the kingjack combinations. West will probably discard a club and a heart while East is likely to discard club-heart-club. If declarer then plays a club and misguesses West can win the queen and play a heart, and declarer will be held to nine tricks. If East rises with the }A and plays another club, declarer must rise with the king or risk losing it, and can come to a tenth trick now by leading a heart to the nine or jack. After a heart opening lead to the queen and king, East will have to blank 10
the }A or discard a potential heart winner and may not get a count card in hearts from West in time if declarer cashes diamonds first. On balance, declarer is more likely to make a club trick after a heart lead than a spade lead. At most tables, South will declare, and West’s natural lead is a club, which should hold the contract to nine tricks as long as the defense clears clubs and East saves a club winner. Where South has bid clubs (natural, or balanced, out of range for 1NT), West might lead a red suit instead. A heart works well as the defenders can clear the suit effectively, but a diamond lead brings the position to the one where North declares on a passive spade lead, where declarer might find a tenth trick. It’s not likely that N/S will fetch up in 4[, a contract that will produce +620 or -100, and at most tables the fate of the deal will turn on whether N/S finish +600 or +630 in 3NT.
Board 14. Love All. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
764 943 KQJ943 5
[ ] { }
A952 KJ7 A85 AJ3
[ ] { }
J83 A 10 72 10 9 8 7 6 4
[ ] { }
K Q 10 Q8652 10 6 KQ2
East has a poor 12-count, but most will open 1] or a weak notrump. If West raises 1] to 2], North will hate his heart holding and square shape, but with a fair chance of catching South with a five-card suit or four spades, most will risk an unpleasant takeout double (even if a natural 2NT were available, where would the tricks come from?). South will be delighted to bid his clubs but West might not be through yet with such a good diamond suit. E/W are in -300 or -500 territory whether they play in diamonds or hearts, but if North does not double and the defense is imperfect, E/W will finish -100 and might score extremely well as N/S can make their 3} contract by taking three heart tricks in time to discard a losing spade or diamond for +110. The World Wide Bridge Contest
Where East opens 1NT and West heads towards 3{ via a direct weak jump, a transfer, or a specialized sequence, North might not be able or willing to get involved, and the defense is more likely to take six tricks than seven, so E/W -100 will be the result at quite a few of these tables too. To hold a heart contract to six tricks, South must lead specifically a diamond, and North must duck. Declarer will either have to allow a fourth trump winner or have to lose a second spade trick. To hold East to six tricks in diamonds when he declares from the short side, South must lead specifically a spade, which North must duck. North wins the first round of trumps, switches to hearts, and South takes two winners, crosses to the [A, discards his remaining spade on the ]K, and takes a spade ruff. Where West declares 3{, North can lead a heart or underlead the [A to achieve the maximum for the defense. As most of these lines will not be obvious to the defense, N/S will have to double if their opponents bid beyond 3} in order to protect their equity, a typical Matchpoint “buy it or double” situation. Looking only at the N/S cards, 3NT isn’t such a bad contract, but with both club honors offside, the defense can lead a heart, or a diamond followed by an appropriate switch to a major by West to hold notrump contracts to seven tricks. Where East passes and West opens 3{ or a weak 2{, North will overcall in notrump, which will probably end the auction unless East doubles and South judges to run.
Board 15. N/S Vul. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
[ ] { } AQ7632 52 QJ5 87 [ ] { }
4 AKQ74 A K 10 7 964 [ ] { } KJ85 J 10 8 6 3 62 A 10
10 9 9 9843 KQJ532
Thanks to the delicious diamond position, N/S can make 6] even on the challenging club lead either by ruffing out the West’s honors to Saturday 8th June 2013
establish North’s ten to discard the }10, or by finessing against West’s holding (the better play, though only a 25% chance). Not that N/S figure to reach 6]: West’s weak 2[ opening will undoubtedly keep N/S out of slam, and perhaps the central issue for N/S will be to choose between 4] and 3NT, when South considers a special effort to protect his spade holding. Where North overcalls 2[ with 3] the notrump pilgrimage will be quite rare, but where North prefers to double 2[, South might be more inclined to try 3NT, whether or not East gets his clubs into the mix. Against 3NT, West might lead the {Q, which would give declarer an easy finesse against the jack later for nine tricks. Sure, on a club lead, ducked, declarer could take the double finesse in diamonds himself for a ninth trick, but he’d be risking several extra undertricks in the process. Playing with inspiration, South could come to a tenth trick in notrump on any lead. For example, on a club to the jack, declarer ducks and covers East’s switch to the [10. West captures an honor and reverts to clubs; declarer wins, makes a winning diamond play (re-enters his hand, if necessary, for a second diamond play), cashes the third diamond, and runs hearts ending in hand; now he can lead his remaining high spade to smother East’s nine and build a trick for his [8. That’s an awful lot of trouble to try to beat the other notrumpers when there will probably be only a modest number of their ilk. However, as the notrump declarers can expect most of their colleagues to be in hearts and can’t possibly beat those +450s, and perhaps +480s ad +980s , there is something to be said for trying to do better than their colleagues in 3NT, improving their score from perhaps 5% to 20-25%. It’s an interesting strategic exercise though not one that bears a spectacular reward for a winning solution. Has it come to this, then? Where West does not open the bidding, East will often overcall 1] with 3}, leaving South to choose from among 4], 3] or a very aggressive 4}. Only the latter will excite North enough to go past game – silencing West en route -- but it’s hard to imagine this parlay materializing more than a few times, if that many.
11
Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
[ ] { } AK9754 K94 J7 K6 [ ] { }
10 8 QJ873 K9 AJ93
632 10 6 5 2 6432 85
[ ] { }
QJ A A Q 10 8 5 Q 10 7 4 2
Although E/W can take 12 tricks in notrump by overtaking East’s second spade honor and taking the diamond finesse (the whole suit comes in for declarer this time), the play is much more comfortable in spades and it’s likely that the most popular contract will be 4[, followed by 6[ and (rarely) 6NT. North doesn’t have much of a suit or hand for a 2] overcall of 1[, but at the prevailing vulnerability getting into the bidding will appeal to many players, and 2] will deprive East of the opportunity to respond 2{. Some will prefer 3{, others a negative double (over which the most aggressive Souths might volunteer a hopeful raise to 3]). When West’s spade rebid shows extra length, East will know which suit should be trumps but the level and partnership methods whether he can raise in forcing mode or have to cue-bid hearts or stall with a club bid.West has more than a minimum but won’t love his heart holding, and might not cooperate in a slam investigation. Where North passes 1[, the bidding might proceed: 1[-2{; 2[-3}; 3{-3[, but some might bid 3NT over 3}, leaving East with a tough decision if West has not yet guaranteed a sixth spade. In the example auction above, West, over 3[, might try 4} (intending 4] over 4{) or 4], but further developments are difficult to predict and even uncontested, E/W won’t be able to bid slam with confidence. Those who get to 6[ are likely to make it . . . unless North finds the diabolical lead of the {9 (especially if he has not competed in the auction). If the {9 is a singleton, declarer might still get home by winning the ace and playing North for AJx of clubs, so at least the defense will have a realistic chance to turn a poor score into a top. How will the play go on a heart lead? When North plays the eight on the first trump declarer will 12
rightly worry a bit more about trumps going fourone, so he probably will not overtake the second trump. He might lead a club to the king and ace before playing a second round of trumps. Now, when North exits with the {9, declarer still has options because he still has a trump entry to hand by overtaking and playing for the suit to be threetwo while retaining multiple threats; in practice, declarer can win the {A and run spades. Although South can guard hearts, North is squeezed in the minors; in effect, winning the {A sets up a Vienna Coup with the {J the threat in that suit. Had North exited in clubs, declarer would have won the queen, cashed the second spade, ruffed a club, and eventually taken the diamond finesse.
Board 17. Love All. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
K9 10 5 4 K9832 965
[ ] { }
Q65 J632 Q76 10 4 2
[ ] { }
A4 K987 AJ54 Q73
[ ] { }
J 10 8 7 3 2 AQ 10 AKJ8
South will double East’s second-seat 1[ opening, and West will usually pass. Over North’s 2] reply, East has the playing strength to compete with 2[, and will normally buy the contract there, although West has a good hand on the bidding and might be tempted to raise. N/S have no reason to take further action. There are plenty of ways for South to blow a trick or a tempo on opening lead, but if he leads ace and another trump, he’s off the hook for a moment. However, declarer can win, cross to a high club and lead a diamond and now South is genuinely endplayed if he wins the ace; if he ducks the king wins and declarer figures to lose a heart trick instead, along with the }Q and the [Q. Thanks to North’s 2] bid, South will often lead a heart around to the ace-queen, but if he takes the {A immediately and stays off clubs, he will retain enough safe exits to protect his club winner. Most realistic variations lead to declarer taking nine tricks, so the E/W pairs that climb to 3[ figure to survive. The World Wide Bridge Contest
If South leads a club (perhaps where West took action over the double and North did not bid hearts), declarer can take 10 tricks by playing a diamond up at trick two, then guessing trumps to reach dummy to take his heart discard on the {K. Both +170 and +420 will be superb for E/W. There is an unlikely parlay that might conceivably work for N/S: South is not going to lead the [4, but if he is sufficiently inspired to lead the {A, perhaps hoping to give North a ruff or two, he might switch to a low trump at trick two. As South would not lead away from the queen, declarer should go up with the king, discard the ]Q on the {K and make a club play. However, if declarer makes the reflex play of the [9 from dummy, North can win the [Q and switch to a heart, and declarer will lose two spades, two red tricks and a late club.
Board 18. N/S Vul. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
6 A K 10 7 AK9842 63 [ ] { }
AKQJ32 J9 Q63 54 [ ] { } 10 7 4 8432 J A J 10 9 7
North will overcall 1{ with 1[ or 2[ and East will have no convenient action in either case. South should raise spades and West will certainly double 2[, intending to convert clubs to diamonds, and will often double 3[ if put to that test. East will bid clubs or support diamonds, and N/S really should not compete to the four-level. E/W +200 will be excellent, +130 very good, and +100 probably just fine.
Board 19. E/W Vul. Dealer South.
[ ] { } 985 Q65 10 7 5 KQ82
With both sides owning a strong nine-card fit and about half the deck, the bidding is bound to reach the level of 3[. The central issue at most tables will be whether E/W push on to 4{. As both 3[ and 4{ can be made and E/W can double 4[ for +200 to protect their +130, the fate of the deal is “in the hands” of E/W. In practice, West has excellent defensive prospects with his red-suit primes and East has values in the remaining side suit, so it would not be outrageous for E/W to try for that golden +200 by stopping to double 3[ rather than try for +130 or a profitable -50 or -100 in 4{ should 3[ be unbeatable. Although East can lead a trump against a spade contract and lead a second trump if he gains the lead with the ]Q, declarer can get home by leaving a trump entry in South and playing on Saturday 8th June 2013
clubs, trading a second diamond ruff for a second club winner. Indeed, he won’t have any real alternatives in the play and there will be plenty of N/S +140s and some +730s.
KQ4 10 8 6 10 6 K 10 9 8 4
[ ] { }
J 10 9 8 6 95 A4 A652
[ ] { }
A53 AQJ43 Q73 73
[ ] { }
72 K72 KJ9852 QJ
After 1]-Pass-1[, East doesn’t have enough for a sound 2{ overcall at unfavorable vulnerability, but there will be plenty of votes for 2{, regardless. Over 2{, South will pass, raise to 2[, or use a Support Double to show his three-card spade support artificially. West has some values and should consider competing to the three-level (perhaps doubling 2[ where partner would expect two-card diamond support with length in clubs, a variation of the Snapdragon Double), but facing a partner who could have as little as this East has for his overcall, all bets are more likely to be firmly off. In fact, E/W are in jeopardy at the two-level, as accurate defense can hold a diamond contract to six tricks, and if most N/S pairs do not bid and make 4[, it won’t be necessary to double 2{ or 3{ to score well. It’s more likely that N/S will have the early part of the auction to themselves, with South raising 1[ to 2[ rather more often than rebidding 1NT. North’s hand improves significantly when raised in spades, and even at Pairs, where plus scores are prized highly, North might well try for game 13
(indeed, some will simply jump to 4[). Where North passes a raise to 2[, East will face a typical Matchpoint decision: to protect or not to protect. Where East elects to bid there is a greater chance that 3{ will be doubled (for 500 or 800), as N/S have already determined that game was not worth the stretch, but some Norths will simply go on to 3[, letting East off the hook. As long as declarer doesn’t take two spade finesses, he should come to 10 tricks in spades on any lead, and might take 11 if East leads away from the {K and West doesn’t switch to clubs after winning his first trump trick. All successful lines of play will require the proper timing: an early heart finesse and losing the first round of trumps. N/S +420 and +450 will be very good scores as there won’t be that many +500s against doubled diamond contracts. Plus 170 will be below average, perhaps quite a bit below average, but the declarers who manage 11 tricks in spade partials will salvage a few matchpoints as they’ll tie the N/S pairs who collected only 200 against diamond contracts.
Board 20. Game All. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
J9632 K85 10 7 986
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
K7 A743 963 KJ52
A4 10 9 6 KJ42 Q 10 7 4
[ ] { }
Q 10 8 5 QJ2 AQ85 A3
Although N/S can take eight tricks in notrump thanks to the diamond position and combination of fast tricks, it’s not very likely they will find a way into the auction and also reach that strain. Where East is in range for 1NT, West will sign off in 2[, most often via a transfer bid. Although both North and South have relatively short spades and support for the other suits, neither will relish protecting with their balanced hand and assets that seem at least as promising for defending as declaring. Those who do reopen 2[ with a double will do best to locate the four-four club fit, typically via a strain-searching 2NT reply to the double. As 2[ is cold, N/S will score well 14
in 3} as long as they are not both doubled and defeated; to set 3}, E/W must find their diamond ruff by leading the suit on the go – else declarer can draw trumps and lose only two hearts, one diamond and the ace of trumps for a wonderful +110. Minus 100 will be nearly as good for N/S, and E/W have only one chance to avoid a poor score at these tables, by doubling 3} and defending with inspiration. 3[ can only be made on an unlikely diamond lead away from the king, so taking the push to the three-level with their nine-card fit won’t save them. Where East opens 1{ (or 1}) and West passes, North might reopen with 1NT, deeming the character of the hand more important than stopper issues. Whether or not South tries for game, N/S won’t get higher than 2NT and should manage +120. Where West responds 1[ and East raises to 2[, North might double on the way out where East has opened 1{, but here West is very likely to lead a diamond against South’s 3}.Where East opens 1[ and West raises to 2[, South might reopen, and here West, with five-card support, might take the nudge to 3[ and go minus. With opportunities for both sides, this might prove one of the more interesting battles of the war (session).
Board 21. N/S Vul. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
KQ932 AK75 K8 10 2
[ ] { }
865 10 6 2 10 9 7 AJ54
[ ] { }
74 Q84 QJ653 873
[ ] { }
A J 10 J93 A42 KQ96
Unless the ]Q drops doubleton, it would seem that declarer will need three club tricks to come to 12 tricks in spades or notrump, so it’s not a great slam for E/W. If East starts with 1NT, West will most often use a sequence that shows five spades and four hearts. As East could make an advance cue-bid with a good hand for spades, his simple spade raise would normally suggest a slamnegative hand, so West should not blast into slam. If he makes a further non-Blackwood move, East The World Wide Bridge Contest
might well cooperate, having shown a minimum already, so there is no doubt that many pairs will reach slam, 6[ far more often than 6NT as West can envision needing ruffs in one or both hands. Some will stop in 4[ or perhaps 3NT, but those who do not contract for 12 tricks are likely to finish in 5[ or 4NT. Declarer can take 12 tricks on the normal diamond lead without extending himself if he leads the }10 and passes it when North follows low, but this line might not appeal to everyone. If North takes the }10 with the ace, however, and continues diamonds, declarer will need to revert to his original plan in clubs by finessing the nine to get home, after first testing hearts to see if the queen drops. If North wins the } A on the first round and returns a second club rather than a diamond, declarer needn’t finesse the nine to make the maximum. Declarer wins the king, cashes the queen, and runs four spades, discarding a heart after North releases a diamond. When declarer plays his last spade, North can discard a diamond, but when dummy parts with another heart, South must discard a heart to keep a diamond guard. When declarer leads his remaining diamond, North must keep the }J and so discards a heart without much hope. Declarer wins the {A and leads dummy’s remaining heart, taking the last trick with the ]7. Knowledge of advanced squeeze technique is not required, but it is important to keep track of the discards. An interesting variant develops if North makes the unlikely play of covering the }10 with the jack. Declarer wins, comes to a high heart and leads a second club through North, winning the nine when he follows low. One way home from here is for declarer to continue with the }K, smothering the eight and building a twelfth trick with the }6. Alternatively, declarer can leave clubs alone and run spades, reaching a position where North has been forced to release a diamond, and both dummy amd South have been reduced to two cards in each red suit; declarer plays {A, diamond, and South, out of clubs to reach North’s ace, must lead from the ]Q into declarer’s split tenace. There are plenty of opportunities for E/W to do well in the bidding or play and a few for N/S to give declarer a tough defense, so this deal is bound to be a frequent discussion item in the post mortem. Saturday 8th June 2013
Board 22. E/W Vul. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
J5 10 8 Q 10 6 2 AJ932
[ ] { }
K8 AJ962 J83 10 6 5
[ ] { }
AQ96 K43 AK7 Q87
[ ] { }
10 7 4 3 2 Q75 954 K4
N/S will reach 3NT or 4] using their favorite methods after South shows a balanced 18-19 HCP. As luck would have it, West has an easy club lead against 3NT and declarer will need to guess the end position to avoid losing a sixth trick. West exits with a diamond (South has discarded a heart and a diamond on the clubs) and declarer wins, plays his high spades and remaining high diamond, forcing a heart discard from East, who must keep the [10. By now declarer knows East started with 5=3=3=2 shape and that the king and ace of hearts will fell the queen if it has not yet appeared. N/S -50 in 3NT will be a common result, and declarers who suffer a second undertrick will score particularly badly. Where North declares 4], East will most often lead a spade to the jack and king. Rather than rely on the heart finesse, declarer can see his way home as long as East holds the [10 and hearts are three-two; indeed, there is a chance for an overtrick if the ]Q drops doubleton. Declarer plays king-ace of hearts and finesses the [9, continuing with high spades to discard two clubs, and now will lose only a club, a late diamond and the ]Q for an excellent +420. There is a way to defeat 4] and it would not be out of the question for the defense to find it: East must lead the }K, which has some appeal through a strong dummy. Two more rounds of clubs are straightforward after that start, but now West must lead a fourth round of clubs, which might not be as clear. What can North do? If he ruffs with the deuce or six or not at all, East can over-ruff or ruff with a card high enough to force the king, and if declarer ruffs with the nine or jack, East carefully retains his trumps and discards (a second diamond), and must come to 15
a trump trick regardless of declarer’s potential clairvoyance. If West does not play a fourth round of clubs, an inspired declarer might convince himself to play East for the trump queen and not the ten by leading the jack from hand to start the suit. This unusual approach to the suit has many names in the trade literature, but perhaps not as many as E/W will use to describe the declarer at their table who makes the play!
Board 23. Game All. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
J965 KQ7 10 6 A 10 5 2
[ ] { }
A84 10 4 J72 Q9843
[ ] { }
10 7 AJ953 K985 KJ
[ ] { }
KQ32 862 AQ43 76
The bidding will usually begin 1]-Pass-1NT-Pass; 2{-Pass-2]. East can’t tell whether the bidding is about to end as South could still have quite a good hand, but Matchpoints is a game that rewards small differences as highly as huge differences; East might gamble that his side can either make a partial or push N/S a trick too high, and double 2] or try a hopeful 2[. If East passes 2], so will everyone else, but if East risks a thin competitive action, his side will buy the contract in 2[ and make it. The fate of E/W +110 will largely depend on whether the much more popular 2] contracts go one or two down. West, with no very attractive lead against 2], will probably try a spade, ducked to the queen. East will continue spades or switch to a trump or a somewhat dangerous club. West will revert to spades and declarer will go about his business, continuing or broaching trumps. As long as he does not start diamonds by allowing West to win a cheap trick with the {10, he should be able to retain control and develop two diamond winners, losing only a spade, two tricks in each red suit and the }A for -100 and a respectable score. It`s certainly possible for declarer to go wrong in diamonds (say low to the jack and queen, then low on a suspiciously gratuitous diamond return) and -200 will be especially bad. 16
Board 24. Love All. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
J 10 9 AK8 AQ8 A Q 10 3
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
A42 J2 J 10 9 7 6 4 84 [ ] { } Q763 765 K52 652
K85 Q 10 9 4 3 3 KJ97
East has mild slam interest opposite a 20-21 2NT opening and West has a good fit with both his partner`s suits should East decide to show both of them (say by transferring to hearts and continuing with a natural 4}). E/W would prefer to declare 6} from the East side in this case, to protect the [K; then, if hearts behave, declarer could ruff two diamonds in hand, drawing trumps en route, and later discard two spades from West on the long hearts. However, because East knows that there won`t be enough combined high cards to make any slam a popular venture he will have to decide whether to introduce clubs or continue with 3NT to offer a choice of games after West takes the transfer to hearts. To an extent, East`s choice will depend on his confidence in handling the subsequent auction if he shows his second suit. Will the partnership have clear agreements about bids other than 4] over 4}? Will 4NT be safe if West has no primary support for either suit? Is there a way to check on key cards for one or both suits? If East deems the impending slam investigation potentially too complex for his partnership, he might decide it`s not worth jeopardizing a certain safe plus in 3NT or 4]. Where East settles for a second-round 3NT after showing hearts, West, who did not super-accept the transfer, might bid 4} on the way to 4] to show a good hand for hearts in that context. It is not written in stone that 4} shows both length and concentrated values in the suit, but opener will go out of his way to bid that sort of suit when there is a choice of slam tries in suits lower-ranking than responder’s major. East has enough to commit to slam in this scenario, as he really cannot have a better hand for his previous The World Wide Bridge Contest
bids, and seems to have found a viable alternative strain. Whether he bids 6} over 4} or takes a slower route that risks revealing information to the defense is impossible to predict, but West will declare 6} (and 6]) at these tables. As North will virtually always lead a diamond, or cash the [A rather than underlead it, 6} will pose no problems. Meanwhile, with an established discard for a spade on a diamond winner, the fate of 6] will turn on a straight guess for the ace-queen of spades rather than requiring the queen in North, as it would on a neutral heart or club lead. Any E/W slam will score mightily, as will any N/S plus score for setting a slam. Most E/W pairs will be in game, however, with 4] likely to be more popular than 3NT (or 4NT), and the central issue will be declarer’s quest for a twelfth winner.
Board 25. E/W Vul. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
— A K Q 10 74 AQJ8642 [ ] { }
10 8 7 6 3 5 KQ82 10 9 5 [ ] { } AKQ5 J643 10 9 6 3 7
J942 9872 AJ5 K3
It’s not easy to project where this one will end, as N/S can in theory use their nine-card spade fit to profitably outbid their opponents by sacrificing through the six-level. The key word in that sentence is “theoretically,” as E/W will have some jeopardy in achieving a plus in hearts at the four level or higher. Club contracts play much more comfortably, and could produce 12 tricks even if North does not lead his singleton heart or if declarer does not divine to take a first-round finesse against the ]J. The diamond layout allows declarer to build a second winner for a twelfth trick. Although many will not do so, it’s practical for South to open 1[ in third seat, especially at the prevailing vulnerability. If he does, North will usually jump to 4[ over a 2} overcall or takeout double by West. Whether East passes or doubles 4[, West, with a special hand, will not pass. Some will settles for 5}; others will take a shot at 6}; a Saturday 8th June 2013
few will try for hearts by bidding 4NT to suggest at least two-card disparity between clubs and their unspecified red suit. Although we can see that E/W have an apparently viable fit in hearts, it will be tough to find the heart fit at the tables where N/S get their spades into the game, but if North bids conservatively, the bidding might look something like: Pass-Pass-1[-Double; 3[-PassPass-4}; Pass-4] . Even 4] requires careful play on a spade lead to the nine and queen: declarer ruffs, plays ace-king of trumps and would normally start clubs (though that is not strictly necessary on this lie of the spades); South ruffs the second club and plays high spades; declarer discards a diamond and a club, and now – with the [J high – South can’t stop him from gaining the lead, drawing South’s last trump, and claiming with club winners and the {A. Where South opens 1{ after two passes, North shouldn’t be reluctant to raise to 2{ or 3{ (weak) after a 2} overcall, but might introduce spades if West starts with a double. East has enough for a responsive double of 2{ and perhaps of 3{ (a style issue), after which E/W may well find their heart fit and buy the contract for 4]. A N/S sacrifice in 5{ will cost more than the value of a N/S vulnerable game, but the unlikely 4[ doubled will yield seven or eight tricks and should be good for N/S as there won’t be that many E/W minus scores.
Board 26. Game All. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
QJ8 J 10 6 4 3 AJ53 3
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
A64 AKQ52 K 10 Q82 [ ] { } K92 8 Q8742 AJ97
10 7 5 3 97 96 K 10 6 5 4
N/S will usually find their way to 3NT, where there are plenty of tricks available, at least in theory. Although West might dredge up a thirdseat opening, the vulnerability should preclude any further E/W activity, but perhaps 1] by West will do his opponents some harm. If North overcalls 1NT, there will be no story, but if North 17
tries the effect of trapping and East passes, South will double and N/S might well defend 1] doubled, or perhaps 1[ doubled. Although N/S can hold both these contracts to three tricks for gratifying 800-point sets, it’s easy to see that the defense might not be so easy. Against hearts, for example, North may need to get diamonds going early enough to prevent declarer from scoring a spade trick, and there will be some scattered N/S +500s gracing long columns of +630s and +660s, and some +600s on the frequency charts. Where North passes over 1] and East responds 1[, West will pass and North will double. South won’t readily appreciate that defending right there is his best double-dummy move, and so will respond 2{. If North continues with 2NT, South should raise, and it’s difficult to imagine N/S stopping in a most inadequate partial. Uncontested, N/S pairs using standard systems might bid: 1]-1NT; 2NT-3NT / while strong clubbers will follow a path like: 1}-2{; 2]-2NT; 3NT /. There are 11 tricks available on any lead if declarer plays clubs for four tricks by double finessing against the king-ten and is willing to lead a diamond to the ten while his entries are fluid. It’s certainly possible for declarer to go wrong and hold himself to 10 or even nine tricks by starting one or both minors differently, but those who do not make the maximum figure to score quite poorly.
Board 27. Love All. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
K8 7 AQJ985 KQ75
[ ] { }
542 QJ94 K76 10 6 2
[ ] { }
Q97 K8532 42 AJ4
[ ] { }
A J 10 6 3 A 10 6 10 3 983
Although some South players will open this balanced 10-count and catch partner with a useful fit, both their hands are balanced and N/S are unlikely to get past the two level; E/W probably won’t be particularly inconvenienced. 18
After: 1]-2{-2], East will try 2[, 2NT, 3{ or a responsive double (planning to convert clubs to diamonds). It’s not clear where E/W will land, but their options and challenges will be much the same as when N/S remain silent. Not that this is an easy combination for E/W; it is not. Uncontested, after 1{-1[; 2}, East has an awkward decision, complicated by the form of scoring.At IMPs, East should offer false preference to 2{ and leave West the option of going forward should he have something in reserve. While 2{ is certainly sensible at Pairs too, East might be reluctant to settle for 20 points a trick when he might take at least as many tricks in notrump or perhaps in spades. If East settles for 2{, West might pass to preserve a sure plus, but, alternatively, he might continue with 3{ or a fancier 2[, hoping that the limited assets mesh well enough to provide a fair play for 5{ or 3NT, for example: (a) 109xx, Axx, 10xx, Axx (3NT is about 50%); (b) Axxxx, xxx, Kxx, Jx (5{ is superb); (c) Qxxx, xxx, Kxx, Ax (5{ is where you’d like to be). Easts who risk 2NT over 2} will set a delicate problem for West, who has enough to commit to game but has reason to fear that hearts might be a problem in notrump if East can’t take the first nine tricks. West would like to bid 3[ to pinpoint his heart shortness, but East would assume three-card support, so while West could try 3[ and rethink his position if East raises himself to 4[, he might look for an alternative. A forcing 3{ would fit that bill, and indeed many would have that agreement in place (preferring to rebid 2{, not 2}, with lesser six-four hands). After 3{ it might continue: 3]-3[; 4[-5{ /, although West can consider passing 4[. West could simply raise 2NT to 3NT, of course, and that variation will have plenty of support frrom the field. With the {K offside, 3NT has no chance on a heart lead and will go two down when the defense takes four hearts, the }A, and the {A. Although it might seem that 4[ has some sort of chance with trumps three-three, communications and other handling charges will be too difficult to overcome on the expected heart lead, or on a diamond lead; declarer will usually lose a second trump trick on a promotion or lose one trick in each suit. Diamonds is the winning strain this time, The World Wide Bridge Contest
as declarer can use East’s two sure entries to lead towards his club honors, and might have time to try for the doubleton [Q en route. However to do that, declarer will have to give up on both the trump finesse and a spade finesse through North, and he might well adopt one of a few losing lines of play and take only 10 tricks. That might not be bad in a diamond partscore as there will be plenty of E/W pairs going set in 3NT or 4[, but one down in 5{ will be respectable only if 3NT down two is a high-volume result.
Board 28. N/S Vul. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
86 AJ6 8654 A975
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
A K 10 3 Q 10 8 7 J J 10 8 3
Q974 542 10 9 7 2 42
[ ] { }
J52 K93 AKQ3 KQ6
Many will open the North hand, with some support for 1] and 1[ but with 1} the most likely choice. East will overcall 1} or 1] with 1NT (double-then-1NT would be an overbid with dull pattern and poor intermediates) but will probably double 1[ for takeout. Although South will have no interest in the auction after 1} or 1], a 1[ opening will convince him to raise to 2[ or 3[ over a double by East. West has a sound responsive double of 2[ and a reasonable responsive double of 3[, and East might judge to defend in both scenarios, hoping that repeated trump leads will protect his side’s wealth of high cards. That strategy will hold declarer to five trump winners but if he uses South’s trump entries to work on hearts he can develop two tricks there for a total of seven winners, down only 200 in 2[ doubled with a chance to beat all the E/W pairs who concede -400 or so against the normal E/W 3NT. The problem with that E/W position is that 3NT might require some good luck or a good guess for success, and might well fail of natural causes on strong defense. N/S can cash out four spade tricks but if they do, North is going to come under some pressure, and particularly where Saturday 8th June 2013
he has opened the bidding, declarer is likely to get the ending right. To defeat 3NT legitimately after a spade lead, North must win and switch to the {J without playing any more spades -- hardly obvious. There are so many interesting variations that this deal is sure to inspire some lively postmortem discussion. Here’s one: say that the defenders cash only three rounds of spades ending in South, dummy releasing a diamond, and a heart switch follows to the ten and king. Declarer cashes two clubs and three rounds of diamonds; North can part with a heart bit then must blank the ]Q or discard his remaining spade; if he throws his spade, declarer plays }A, club and North must lead into the ace-jack of hearts. It’s best for the defense if South leads a heart, but a diamond is fine too. Declarer can’t really advance the play to his advantage while the defenders retain communications in spades, so after two high diamonds (North can part with a heart or a spade – ideally the ten), declarer might try the effect of exiting in spades. In this position, the defense can take three spades ending in South, and play a second heart through. Now North can discard a heart safely on the third high diamond and come to a heart and a club to set the contract. With no clues from the bidding, declarer might simply try for four tricks in one of the minors with the heart finesse as a fallback position. However, if he judges that spades are four-four, he might try to learn more while advancing the play by exiting with a spade: the defense will be in good shape if that spade is the jack, but on a low spade towards the eight, South must go in with the nine to switch to a heart. Even then, if declarer wins in hand and tries another spade, the defenders must proceed along similar lines, with South playing a second heart after at most two more spades. There are as many ways to fail as to succeed in 3NT, with both sides sure to have a say in the outcome at most tables, so guessing whether N/S -200 in 2[ doubled will score well seems like a futile assignment. 19
Board 29. Game All. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
8764 A76 10 AK975
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
K9 KJ9432 Q7 J 10 3 [ ] { } Q J 10 3 Q85 AK32 Q6
A52 10 J98654 842
North would like to have a better suit and less outside quackery for a vulnerable weak twobid, but 1] seems significantly worse, and a socalled “disciplined” pass will not appeal to most tournament players. Opposite a perfect maximum like: x, AK10xxx, QJx, xxx, or: xx, AKxxxx, Qx, Jxx, South can envision a good play for 4] or 3NT, but with so many top cards missing, South might not be willing to risk going minus by trying for game. If South advances with a 2NT inquiry, North will have a tricky rebid, as he has a maximum only in terms of high-card points, and his only full notrump stopper is high-ranking than his main suit. Typically, a raise to 3NT would indicate a particularly strong weak-two suit, so describing this hand via 3NT would be a major distortion. Perhaps North should hedge his bets by rebidding 3}, upgrading his near-stopper, then converting South’s invitational 3] to 3NT, which South might well pass. Unfortunately for N/S, West has an easy club lead against 3NT, and South will go two down, -200, for a poor result. If N/S stop at 3], E/W will set the contract if East leads a club, as West will win and switch to his singleton diamond and arrange a diamond ruff shortly thereafter. If East leads a diamond, West should take the second trump, cash the }A (theoretically denying the king) and switch to the [8, denying the ace or king. East will win and return a diamond because neither black suit will offer any hope based on West’s earlier carding, and declarer will have five losers after West cashes the }K. The same issues will surface against 2], but West is unlikely to sell out so cheaply, protecting with 3}, a dangerous diamond-support-flawed takeout double, an eccentric 2NT, or more eccentric 2[. 20
Although N/S can double any E/W intervention with profit, or in most cases sell out quietly and chalk up +200 with reasonable defense, in practice South will usually take the push to 3]. Norths who open 1] will not be able to convince their partners that this is a partscore deal, with -200 the likely result in 4] or 3NT. Where North sticks to his principles and passes as dealer, South will open 1NT, 1[ or one of a minor in third position. West will often enter the auction with a conventional two-suited bid over 1NT, a double of 1{, or a natural 2} overcall, but North will most often bid his hearts rather than look for a penalty, and might be able to stop safely.
Board 30. Love All. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
[ ] { } KQ9863 J J92 AK8 [ ] { }
A 10 K954 A Q 10 8 7 Q 10 [ 7542 ] Q2 { 654 } 9652 J A 10 8 7 6 3 K3 J743
With both sides enjoying a 10-card fit in a major there is a fair chance that the bidding will reach the level of at least 4[ at many tables. Some Souths will pass or open 1], but most of the field will start with a weak two-bid. West will overcall 2[ or perhaps an intermediate 3[. North will get his side to 4] either directly or after showing his diamonds or via a cue bid. Where West has shown at least six spades, East might compete to 4[, but if he passes and West has overcalled just 2[, West might reopen with a double that East will take out to 4[. There is nothing bad for N/S to do over 4[ other than pass: if they go on to 5] they will make it and if they stop to double they will collect 500 points, more than adequate compensation for their +450 in hearts. Where system dictates an initial pass for South, North will choose from among double, 2{ and 1NT over West’s 1[ opening. We can imagine East raising to 2[, or even a rather cavalier 3[, The World Wide Bridge Contest
after which West is likely to bid 4[ when South bids 4]. At these tables, N/S are much more likely to double 4[ than continue to 5]. Those +500s will be the best N/S scores, and +450 will be much more popular. It’s difficult to imagine any N/S passing out 4[ for +150.
Board 31. N/S Vul. Dealer South.
[ ] { }
64 K62 Q9862 AQ4
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
K 10 8 7 A K 10 4 3 6532 [ ] { } A 10 9 A943 J K J 10 9 7
Any N/S minus will be dreadful, but +50 or +100 won’t be good either. N/S +130, hardly routine, will nonetheless be sufficiently frequent to relegate the outliers to the purgatory of averageminus.
Board 32. E/W Vul. Dealer West. QJ87532 QJ5 75 8
After: 1}-1{, North will decide whether to trap with the intention of going after the nonvulnerable E/W opponents in 1{ doubled, or whether to do a bit more to exhaust his side’s potential by raising clubs or bidding notrump. East will mention his spades in most variations, and N/S must be careful not to double too early, as East can take seven tricks (South gets a trump promotion on the third round of diamonds), or perhaps eight if the defense loses its way. N/S will do best to bid up to 3} or double their opponents if the bidding reaches 3[. South might wish to bid something after: 1}-(1{)1NT-(2[), but nothing really fits, and if he passes, Norths who have reason to fear South holding 4423 or 4333 shape might judge to sell out and regret their reticence. At the tables where North passes over West’s 1{ overcall, he faces a similar problem and will have to do the right thing over 1[ or 2[ to save the Board for his side. Where North raises clubs, South will go on to 3} over East’s 2[, and that should end the auction. 5} isn’t the worst contract, but the trump layout dictates that declarer exercise a modicum of care to secure 10 tricks on a heart lead. If declarer cashes both high diamonds before ruffing a diamond to hand to discard a heart from dummy on the [A, he must be careful to part with a spade rather than a heart. If he does not, East can throw a heart on the third round of diamonds, Saturday 8th June 2013
and declarer will not be able to ruff a heart safely or play trumps without West clearing the suit; if he keeps both hearts, however, he can play on trumps, and take one heart ruff, which will establish the long card in that suit.
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
9 8654 AKQ976 K7 [ ] { }
A K J 10 8 2 10 J 10 5 653 [ ] { } Q764 A92 84 Q942
53 KQJ73 32 A J 10 8
Following the traditional wisdom that “the five level belongs to the opponents” will not do N/S much good on this potentially lively deal if E/W find their heart fit.Thanks to the vulnerability, N/S have a paying sacrifice of 500 points against the 650 available to N/S in their major. However, if E/W, jammed by enemy preemption, attempt to fetch up in 5{, N/S will have the opportunity to go plus by finding their heart ruff to set the contract. Let us not speak of 5{ down two on an opening heart lead, heart ruff, underlead to the [Q and a second heart ruff — that would involve unimaginable greed and perhaps a post-session saliva test. Over West’s 1{, North might overcall 1[, 2[ or 3[ with some justification. East will bid 2] over 1[, and probably risk 3] over 2[ (although that would effectively force his side to game), but is more likely to hedge with a negative double over 3[. South will bid 4[ where North has preempted, but might settle for only 3[ after a 1[ overcall; North will bid 4[ over 4] at these tables. West is almost certain to take the push to 5] where East has bid the suit, but might try to play in diamonds where East’s minimum heart length is less clear, perhaps via a two-suited 4NT, intending 5{ over 5}, or simply by bidding 5{. 21
As few E/W pairs will stay out of hearts and most will stay out of an undignified six, the main chance for N/S will be to compete to 5[, but it’s difficult to see why either partner will find that attractive after forcing their opponents to guess at the five level.
Board 33. Love All. Dealer North.
[ ] { }
KJ62 J5 10 9 8 K842
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
Q75 AKQ94 73 J73 [ ] { } A 10 9 4 3 10 7 2 J52 A6
8 863 AKQ64 Q 10 9 5
With the strength evenly divided and both sides having two eight-card fits, this deal has the potential to be a fiercely contested partscore battle. Where North starts with a weak notrump, East might not have an easy way into the auction and South will attempt to play in 2[. If he does so via a transfer, East will have to enter a live auction to avoid selling out cheaply, but if South signs off with a natural bid, East will find it easier to protect with 3{, double, or a two-suited 2NT, the more flexible actions getting his side to 3}. South will be reluctant to go quietly and might well double 3} to try to protect his probable equity of 110 or so. 3} doubled turns on the play of the trump suit with E/W likely to score well for -100 and spectacularly for +470. North might not sit for an action-style double, however, and will get his side to 3] or 3[, both of which are touch-and-go but likely to finish a trick short. More often, North will open 1]. The East players will overcall 2{ more often than they pass.Where South raises to 2], West will compete to 3{, leaving South to choose between pass, 3], and double. As South expected to make 2], there is no money in selling out to 3{. If it makes it pays to bid 3]; if it’s going down and 3] makes, it’s best to bid 3]; if both contracts can be made, competing to 3] is the winning move; if both contracts are a trick too high, doubling 3{ will improve N/S’s score. The truth is that passing out 3{ will mean 22
settling for a below-average result most of the time, while backing your judgment by taking one positive action or the other might occasionally turn a poor score into a zero but will far more often produce a better result than passing. As both 3{ and 3] can be defeated, the winning decision is to double 3{ and get around to clubs before allowing declarer to ruff a heart in dummy: declarer will either lose his heart ruff or concede a club ruff, but along the way, South will have to take his [A on the first round or risk losing it. Of course, if N/S do not find a successful line of defense and declarer guesses clubs correctly, it would be better for South to bid 3], which should fail on any normal sequence of defensive plays. Those intangibles contribute to making bridge – especially Pairs and Board-aMatch Teams -- so difficult . . . and at the same time so interesting. Where East does not overcall, South must choose between a heavy 2] and 1[, a seemingly “easy” action that might lead to a modest bidding problem on the next round if North were to rebid 2} or 2{. In those scenarios, simple preference might be offered with both a weaker hand and only two-card support; as this hand is so much better, South will need to consider an invitational jump to 3], which might well get the partnership too high. If South opts for 1[, North will either raise to 2[ or rebid 1NT according to system philosophy. While 2[ will end the auction and usually net N/S +110, 1NT will either be passed out for +90, or converted to 2] by South, in which case East might well protect with a double and reach 3}, with all the follow-up issues discussed above.
Board 34. N/S Vul. Dealer East.
[ ] { }
[ ] { }
62 QJ7 74 A K Q 10 4 2 [ ] { }
QJ97 A86 A 10 9 2 87
} A K 10 K53 QJ653 J9
[ 8543 ] 10 9 4 2 { K8 653
N/S have the high cards to seriously consider The World Wide Bridge Contest
game, but they lack an eight-card major fit and anything resembling a club guard for 3NT, so their most likely destination is 5{, the strain in which they have a good nine-card fit. As we can see 5{ will fail due to the unfavorable location of the {K, so N/S pairs whose sole focus for game is diamonds will do well to quit short of game; +130 should be a fine result.
Board 35. E/W Vul. Dealer South. [ ] { }
Q9763 Q52 A 10 7 73
We might think that avoiding an undignified 3NT should not be difficult, but where South starts with 1NT – either 11-14, 13-15, or an upgrade to 15-17 due to the five-card suit – West may well pass (due to system constraints or tactics), after which N/S will cruise into 3NT after a Stayman investigation. N/S will chalk up -200 without much remorse. West might try 3} over 1NT, however, and North will choose between double (whether negative or cooperative penalty) and 3NT, and might judge to pass South’s 3{ in the former scenario. Defending 3} doubled will not be as gratifying, as the defense has only five tricks with no chance for another, although N/S +100 might turn out rather well if most are going minus in 3NT or 5{.
[ ] { }
J85 AKJ QJ5 A K Q 10
Where South opens 1{, West will overcall 2} or perhaps 3}. North has a negative double in both cases and South will usually rebid 2{ when legal, but will consider passing or bidding a major options after North doubles 3}. N/S will avoid 3NT at these tables and will often stop at 3{ or 4{ (when North settles for an invitational sequence) or perhaps defend 3} doubled. Could N/S find a route to a spade contract – indeed 4[ is excellent and unassailable, even on three rounds of clubs, as declarer can take the ruff in the short hand and drive out the {K in comfort. That could happen where South responds to a negative double in his chunky three-card major, or perhaps if South, after limiting his hand, tries 4[ as an offer to play over an invitational 4{ by North. N/S +170 will be very good, +620 spectacular. If E/W opt to bid up to 4}, they will provide N/S with a surprise opportunity for +300 to beat all the partials in their direction. Saving at 5} doubled for -500 over 4[, while the best that E/W could do in that situation, would be just about as bad as the -620 they would endure by defending. Saturday 8th June 2013
[ ] { }
A K 10 4 2 73 864 J98
[ ] { }
— 10 9 8 6 4 K932 6542
Where South opens 2NT or with a different artificial two-level bid, N/S will probably finish in 3NT more often than 4[ when North offers a choice of games between 4[ and 3NT on an uncontested auction. Knowing of five spades on his left will usually steer West away from leading his best suit, but while none of his alternative choices figure to make any difference, a club lead will preclude declarer taking a wrong view in that suit (finessing against the jack) where he starts spades unsuccessfully by leading low to the queen. 4[ can be made whether North or South declares despite the bad trump break, as long as declarer does not start spades unluckily. West will eventually succumb to a trump coup, but declarer must be careful not to let West ruff the third round of hearts, and will manage this as long as he plays three rounds of clubs early enough. Plus 420 will score poorly but the successful declarers will have the satisfaction of having played the hand well. Where South opens a strong or forcing 1}, West (not you of course) might overcall 1[, creating a chance for N/S to double for penalty and extract 1100 points.
Board 36. Game All. Dealer West.
[ ] { }
KQJ98 10 9 3 K 10 4 10 6
[ ] { }
A5 K876 J87 5432
[ ] { }
10 7 3 2 54 96 KJ987
[ ] { }
64 AQJ2 AQ532 AQ
23
Uncontested, natural bidders might proceed: Pass-1{; 1[-2]; 3{-3NT/. Some Easts will prefer to open 2NT, treating their hand as a balanced 20-value, and West might consider a slam try at these tables, but with no practical way to move in that direction, they too will probably stop in 3NT. Although E/W can make 6NT or 6{ without guessing spades with East declaring, 3NT is where they’d like to play. South will usually lead a club into declarer’s tenace, but in practice that will probably not cost the defense a trick. Declarer will win the club lead and lead to a spade honor, ducked, after which he will cross to hand in diamonds, lead a second spade to an honor and North’s ace. Declarer will win the club continuation, cross to the {K and cash the remaining high spade to see North show out. Declarer must carefully discard the queen or jack of hearts so he can play low from hand when he leads the nine or ten from dummy and North follows low. Now he can remain in dummy to repeat the heart finesse for +690 (or a very rare +1440).
]10, repeat the heart finesse winning in hand, and play a second spade to an honor; North wins and plays a club but declarer takes the ace. That’s all very nice, but if spades produce four tricks declarer has a choice of rounded-suit finesses for his twelfth trick, so he might not follow that line of play, instead crossing to the {A to test that suit, followed by a second spade play. When North takes an honor with the ace and returns a club, declarer can’t quite arrange to take all his winners even if he judges to win with the }A. He crosses to the {K and cashes a high spade, discarding the }Q, but must take four heart tricks to organize 12 winners. He runs the ten but must win the next round in hand and North takes the last trick. In effect, declarer is caught in a one-suit squeeze in his own suit. Had declarer started hearts after the first round of spades, he would have been taking his third heart finesse late in the day. Interesting, perhaps, but almost certainly moot, as the club lead will be nearly universal. E/W pairs who finish with less than +690 will score very badly.
If South -- for very personal reasons, no doubt -- decides not to lead a club, declarer can still come to 12 tricks. Say that South leads a diamond. Declarer can lead to a spade honor and pass the
Thanks for joining us today. We hope you played well and enjoyed your session, and look forward to meeting you again in 2014 in the next edition of this worldwide competition.
Eric Kokish married Beverly Kraft, his
Eric is a former editor of the Unit 151 newsletter, author of a weekly bridge column in the Montreal Gazette from 1977 to 1997, has been a principal contributor to most world championship books since 1979, directs the Master Solvers Club and Challenge the Champs for the Bridge World magazine, has been editor of the World Bridge News since 1994 and has contributed to bridge magazines and bulletins around the world as well as doing VuGraph commentary at many World and International events.
childhood sweetheart, in 1986. Son Matthew, two dogs: Lady (Golden Retriever) and Jackie Robinson (Black Labrador); Kitten called Kitten! Residence: Toronto Eric learned bridge at High School and has been fascinated by the game ever since. He has made his mark on bridge in several areas. He served in administration, as president of Unit 151 (Montreal); as District 1 judiciary chairman in the Seventies and Eighties, as a Canadian Bridge Federation Board member and as a member of the ACBL Goodwill Committee.
Kokish is also the author of several conventions, including the Kokish Relay and the Montreal Relay. In 1980, he won a Bols Brilliancy prize and the ROMEX award for the best bid hand of the year.
Results can be found at:
www.ecatsbridge.com 24
The World Wide Bridge Contest
