Rose-y outlook

The last time she played in a World Championship, Rose Meltzer went home with a title, becoming the first woman to win the Bermuda Bowl. Nearly a year removed from the victory by her team in Paris last year, she was back at in Montreal in the Mixed Pairs with teammate Peter Weichsel as her partner.

They got off to a good start in the first qualifying session, scoring better than 56%.

As in any pairs event, results can be somewhat random, and woe be unto the pair who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, you need skill as well as luck to be a contender, and Meltzer-Weichsel earned many of their good results.

On this deal, a somewhat heavy but well-timed preemptive bid pushed the opponents too high.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	ª 10 5 4 2 © Q 6 4 ¨ K 2 § K Q 6 5
ª Q 8 © 2 ¨ A J 10 8 7 6 3 § A 8 7		ª 7 3 © A K 10 9 7 3 ¨ 4 § J 10 9 3
	ª A K J 9 6 © J 8 5 ¨ Q 9 5 § 4 2

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
			Pass
1¨	Pass	1©	1ª
2¨	3ª (1)	4©	All Pass

(1) Ostensibly weak.

Weichsel's had more high-card points that one might expect for a preemptive bid, but it worked out very well for his side.

As you can see, if East had pulled out the red card instead of bidding 4©, it would have been a different story as the defense is due two high hearts plus a ruff, the ¨A and a diamond ruff and the §A. Four spades doubled would have yielded plus 300.

Against the heart game, Meltzer led the ªA, followed by the ªK and a club switch. Weichsel false carded at trick three, winning the §K to switch to a heart. Declarer lost two spades, two clubs and a heart to finish two down.
East-West had a chance for revenge on the next deal but it didn't work out.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	ª Q 9 4 3 © 10 8 3 ¨ A 3 § A 5 3 2
ª A 8 2 © Q 9 6 4 ¨ K J § K J 10 7		ª K 7 © K 7 5 2 ¨ Q 8 7 4 § Q 9 8
	ª J 10 6 5 © A J ¨ 10 9 6 5 2 § 6 4

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
1§	Pass	1©	Pass
2©	Pass	2NT	Pass
4©	All Pass

2NT was a game try of sorts, and West was happy to oblige. Meltzer led the ¨2 to the jack and ace, and at that point Weichsel could have assured defeat of the contract by continuing the suit. Even if declarer guessed the correct play in trumps - low from the East hand - the defenders would collect two trump tricks to go with two aces. On a lead of hearts from East, Meltzer step up with the ace and play a third round of diamonds, forcing declarer to ruff with the ©Q or be overruffed. Meltzer could also put in the ©J and, upon winning the ace if declarer took the obligatory finesse, play a diamond for partner to overruff dummy.

Weichsel, however, did not return a diamond, getting out instead with a spade. Declarer won the king in hand, entered dummy with a spade to the ace and played a trump to her king. The result was down one and another good result for Meltzer and Weichsel.

Board 14 was an unfortunate one for Meltzer and Weichsel, who is hoping to win his second World Mixed Pairs (he and Juanita Chambers won in 1990). While North-South didn't enjoy the deal much, Maryse Leenhardt of France had a great time with it. She was East.

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª K Q 8 7 4 © 7 5 4 3 ¨ A 6 5 2 § -
ª A 10 5 3 © Q J 8 ¨ 9 4 § 9 7 6 3		ª 6 © A K 10 6 ¨ K Q 8 7 § A Q 5 4
	ª J 9 2 © 9 2 ¨ J 10 3 § K J 10 8 2

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
		1¨	Pass
1ª	Pass	2©	Pass
2NT	Pass	3§	Dble
All Pass

Meltzer's double looks solid enough, but the contract turned out to be impregnable.

Meltzer led a low spade, taken by dummy's ace. A diamond was led to declarer's king, and she returned to dummy with a heart to the queen. Weichsel took his ¨A on the second round of the suit, and he would have given a lot for a trump to put through declarer. Not being dealt a club, Weichsel tried a second round of spades. Declarer ruffed, cashed the ¨Q, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a spade and ruffed another diamond as Meltzer shed a heart. Meltzer was able to ruff declarer's ©A, but she had to play a trump into declarer's tenace and Leenhardt was home with nine tricks and plus 470.

The next board was also less than optimal for Meltzer and Weichsel.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª Q J 2 © 10 9 2 ¨ 9 6 § A K 5 3 2
ª A 8 7 4 3 © K 6 5 ¨ 5 § Q 10 9 8		ª K 5 © J 8 7 3 ¨ J 8 7 4 3 § 7 6
	ª 10 9 6 © A Q 4 ¨ A K Q 10 2 § J 4

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
			1NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

West led a low spade to the king. East returned a spade, ducked to dummy's jack. Meltzer then played a low diamond to the queen, pausing to consider her options after the ¨A revealed the 5-1 split.

Eventually Meltzer worked out the best line, exiting with a spade to West's ace. After cashing his spades, West could have assured defeat of the contract with any return except a low club - the queen blocks the suit and a heart, although it gives up a trick, still leaves declarer a trick short. West, however, exited with the §8, which Meltzer ran to her jack. She was in the driver's seat now, and had only to cash the ¨K to squeeze West in clubs and hearts (he had pitched a low heart on the second diamond.).

Meltzer, however, did not work it out, instead cashing the top clubs and taking the heart finesse to finish two down.

The deal was also of interest to Daily Bulletin Editor Mark Horton, who, as West, defended 3NT. This was the auction:

West	North	East	South
			1§ (1)
1© (2)	2§	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

(1) Precision.
(2) Two suits of the same color.

Horton also started with a low spade, and the defense played three rounds of the suit. In dummy with the ªQ, declarer, noting the auction, called for a dummy's ¨9, letting it ride when East failed to cover. That brought declarer to nine tricks. On the run of the diamonds, Horton could see the squeeze coming, so he blanked his ©K early, only to see it drop in the end as declarer cashed out on her way to a near top.
Meltzer and Weichsel got back on track, scoring plus 400 in 3NT - as defenders.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª Q 3 © A Q J 6 4 ¨ J 8 6 § J 10 3
ª A K 10 8 © K 3 ¨ 9 7 5 3 2 § 9 7		ª J 7 5 © 7 5 ¨ A K 10 § A Q 6 5 4
	ª 9 6 4 2 © 10 9 8 2 ¨ Q 4 § K 8 2

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

1NT was 14-16, and it worked out horribly the East-West as they landed in a notrump game unlikely to be bid at most tables.

Meltzer got the defense off to a great start with the ©10, and Weichsel was soon cashing his fifth heart. He then switched to the §J, earning two more tricks for his side. Having discarded down to the top two spades, declarer nowhere to go for tricks but diamonds, and when Weichsel got in with the ¨J, he had a club to cash. That was plus 400 and a great result .

Board 18 prompted Weichsel to comment that his next book will be about squeezes for women. Whereas Meltzer had missed out on a squeeze earlier, it was an opponent this time.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª J 10 6 © 9 7 6 5 ¨ - § Q 9 7 6 4 2
ª K Q 4 2 © A J 8 ¨ A J 8 7 6 § 8		ª A 9 7 5 3 © Q 3 2 ¨ Q 4 2 § J 10
	ª 8 © K 10 4 ¨ K 10 9 5 3 § A K 5 3

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
		Pass	1¨
Dble	1©	1ª	Dble (1)

(1) Three-card spade support.

Meltzer began with a high club, switching to a low diamond when Weichsel played the §2 a trick one. Weichsel ruffed and exited with a spade. Declarer won the king in dummy and could easily have taken the rest of the tricks. She could play a spade to the ace, picking up trumps, following with the ¨Q to the king and ace, the ¨J and a diamond ruff, then a club ruff high and a trump to hand. The last trump would have forced a discard from South, holding a high diamond a three hearts to the king. South could then fold up her cards and try to do better on the next deal.

East, however, fouled up the communication between the two hands and could come to no more than 10 tricks. Minus 420 was an excellent result for Meltzer and Weichsel.

There was nothing to the play on the next deal, but Meltzer and Weichsel had a nice auction to get to a grand slam that was by no means a universal contract.

Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	ª A K Q 10 5 © A K J 7 5 2 ¨ 5 3 § -
ª J 8 7 4 3 © - ¨ Q 10 9 6 § Q 6 4 2		ª 9 6 2 © 8 6 3 ¨ J 8 4 § A K 8 5
	ª - © Q 10 9 4 ¨ A K 7 2 § J 10 9 7 3

West	North	East	South
	Weichsel		Meltzer
	2§	Pass	2¨
Pass	2©	Pass	3ª (1)
Pass	3NT (2)	Pass	4¨
Pass	4NT	Pass	5§ (3)
Pass	5¨ (4)	Pass	6¨ (5)
Pass	7©	All Pass

(1) Good heart raise with spade shortness.
(2) Slam try.
(3) One key card.
(4) Trump queen?
(5) Yes, plus the ¨K.

East led the §A and Weichsel claimed seconds later.

Late in the opening round, Meltzer made a good play against one of the top pairs in the event to earn a big share of the matchpoints.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª Q 10 7 6 2 © A 8 7 2 ¨ 2 § 10 6 3
ª K 9 8 5 4 © J ¨ A 10 5 3 § A J 2		ª J 3 © K 10 9 6 5 4 ¨ Q 8 7 § K 4
	ª A © Q 3 ¨ K J 9 6 4 § Q 9 8 7 5

Rita Shugart, East, opened a weak 2© and played it there.

Meltzer started with the ªA, switching to a low diamond at trick two. That turned out to be the key play. Shugart, playing with Andrew Robson, won the ¨8 in hand. Shugart might have entered dummy with a club to play a trump up to her hand, but she played a low heart at trick three. Meltzer pounced on it with her queen, gave Weichsel a diamond ruff (Shugart went up with the ace) and got a spade ruff. She cashed the ¨K for the fifth trick on defense, and Weichsel still had the trump ace to come. Plus 50 was good a lot of matchpoints.

Shugart and Robson got it back on the next deal, however.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª A J 10 9 5 © 10 6 3 2 ¨ Q 5 4 § 8
ª 4 © A K 5 ¨ K 10 7 § K J 6 4 3 2		ª 6 © Q J 9 8 7 ¨ J 8 6 2 § A Q 7
	ª K Q 8 7 3 2 © 4 ¨ A 9 3 § 10 9 5

West	North	East	South
Robson	Weichsel	Shugart	Meltzer
		Pass	2ª
3§	4ª	5§	Dble
All Pass

4ª was cold - and so was 5§. In fact, Robson made off with an overtrick when Weichsel, searching desperately for the right lead in response to Meltzer's Lightner-ish double, started with a heart. Robson shook his singleton spade on a long heart and led up to the ¨K for his 12th trick.