The most interesting play hand of the first session was this:

Board 23. Dealer South. Game All A 10 9 7 4 K 6 5 4 6 6 4 3 8 2 K Q J 6 10 3 2 A 9 8 7 AK Q 10 4 3 10 8 7 5 A Q 2 5 3 Q J J 9 8 7 5 2 K J 9 West North East South Baldursson Gawrys Westra Mari Lambardi Kholomeev Jourdain Bessis Pass Pass Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass

At every table, East opened One No Trump and ended in Three No Trumps, usually by a direct raise from West. Kholomeev was almost the only declarer to succeed.

South led a diamond won in dummy. Which suit should declarer tackle at trick two? Take first the play at the Editor's table.

At trick two Lambardi took a club finesse. I won and led a second diamond, the eight, which was consistent with a holding that did not include the jack, so Lambardi put up the king. Westra threw a spade. Declarer could not afford to cash his top diamond, so he now finessed a heart. I won and exited with a heart. Declarer now had to play spades from his own hand. Westra won, cashed the heart and exited with a spade. Declarer cashed his major suit winners and, destined to go at least one off, had now to guess who had J. If he plays ace and another club South has to concede the last trick to dummy. But Lambardi took the inference that Westra's failure to play a club when in with A meant he held J. So he threw North in with the fourth spade to go two off for a shared bottom.

The declarers who played on hearts at trick two also usually failed. South won and played a second diamond and again the finesse was refused. (Perhaps declarer should finesse at trick one, so he has no worries later.) If declarer now finesses hearts again South can exit with a spade; and if North wins the heart he can play a club.

By contrast Kholomeev as declarer led a spade at trick two. The king won and he ducked a heart. South led a second diamond. Kholomeev refused the finesse and led a second spade off dummy.

Mari, North, ducked again so the queen won. Now Kholomeev led another low heart which was won by South, Michel Bessis, who had only minor suit cards left. Bessis knew if he exited with the king of clubs he would be end-played again to lead a diamond, so he had to play a diamond first.

Declarer therefore not only got back his two diamond tricks in dummy - he also was able to take a winning heart finesse. This gave him nine tricks.

This was well played, but there were some other points of interest. On the second heart, when South played the queen, declarer made the technical play of unblocking the ten from dummy. This gave Mari the chance to overtake his partner's heart to play a club. Now declarer can only succeed by playing the queen. South cannot avoid giving dummy the lead.

Note that declarer fails if he ducks the club - South wins the jack and exits carefully with the club king to end-play declarer into conceding two spade tricks to North. Note also that if Mari puts his ace of spades on the second round and then plays a club South will win and play a second heart. Declarer lets this hold and South is end-played.

Suppose, finally, North takes his ace of spades on the first round of the suit in order to play a club. Declarer must finesse the queen. South wins this and plays a second diamond, declarer refusing the finesse. Declarer can cash then two more spades before exiting with ace and another heart. North cannot afford to overtake because of dummy's ten of hearts, but if South is left on play he is finished.