Of Scrum-halves and Computer Kings

By Patrick Jourdain (Wales)

Wearing the team uniform of Wales at the reception following the Opening Ceremony had its advantages. Seeing the red dragon of Wales on the blazer pocket, a couple approached. "We're from Australia, but one branch of the family came from Wales," they said. "The name's Farr-Jones".

"That name is more associated with rugby than bridge," I said. (For those unfamiliar with the game of rugby, Nick Farr-Jones of Australia would be on any list for a World Alltime Team. To an American he might be described as the Michael Jordan of Australian rugby.)

I had said the right thing. "Nick Farr-Jones is our son," said Rosemary and Max. Australia and Wales are as close geographically as they are alphabetically, but a partnership between the two was formed for the Mixed.

A journalist is always seeking good copy, and a well-known opponent adds spice to the story, so it was fortunate that both our boards against Bill Gates and Sharon Osberg were worth reporting:

Mixed Pairs Qualifying Session 3

Board 25. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	ª K 7 2 © Q 7 5 3 2 ¨ 8 § A K 8 3
ª Q J 10 8 4 © J 9 8 6 4 ¨ Q J § Q		ª 9 5 3 © A K 10 ¨ K 10 6 5 2 § 6 5
	ª A 6 © - ¨ A 9 7 4 3 § J 10 9 7 4 2

West	North	East	South
Jourdain	Gates	Farr-Jones	Osberg
	1©	Pass	1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	6§
All Pass

Gates alerted the response of 1NT but the subsequent auction made clear it had been forcing! Sharon Osberg's raise to Six Clubs was sensible though, as Gates explained, his suit could be as few as two cards (when opener's shape is precisely 4-5-2-2).

Rosemary Farr-Jones led a spade. Declarer's problem was how to take advantage of a favourable layout in either red suit.

Gates won the spade lead in hand, laid down one top trump, on which the queen fell, ruffed a heart, returned with a trump, ruffed another heart on which the king appeared, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a third heart seeing the fall of the ace, ruffed a diamond finding that suit was not going to contribute an extra trick, but was able to cash the queen of hearts as his twelfth trick.

The fall of the singleton queen of clubs does give declarer the option of reverting to a cross-ruff, planning to make nine trump tricks and the three outside winners, but if the queen of trumps is outstanding then declarer's timing of the red suit ruffs was best, as he had retained the chance of a diamond break if the hearts did not provide the extra trick.

Double dummy it is possible to make all 13 tricks by taking advantage both of the fall of the trump queen and the top hearts. You win the opening lead in dummy, ruff three diamonds and three hearts, drawing one high trump on the way, and then use dummy's jack of trumps to draw East's last trump, before returning to hand with the spade king to enjoy the heart queen.

Six Clubs making brought our computer king 369 out of 414 matchpoints.

The companion board showed Sharon Osberg's expertise as declarer:

Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul.
	ª A 9 5 2 © 7 5 ¨ 10 8 7 6 2 § Q 4
ª 10 6 © Q 10 8 6 2 ¨ Q J 9 § K 7 3		ª K J 7 © - ¨ A 5 4 3 § A J 10 9 5 2
	ª Q 8 4 3 © A K J 9 4 3 ¨ K § 8 6

West	North	East	South
Jourdain	Gates	Farr-Jones	Osberg
		1§	1©
1NT	Pass	Pass	2©
Dble	All Pass

Farr-Jones looked a little worried about passing my double with a void in trumps, but all was well. The defence began: club to the ace, club to the king, spade to the king, ace of diamonds. We had four tricks in the bag and my five trumps were still all in place behind declarer, so you might expect two down, but East quite naturally continued with a second diamond, and Osberg was not unhappy to reduce her trump holding by ruffing low. One top trump revealed the layout in the suit, and she used the spade entry in dummy to ruff another diamond.

In the ending declarer laid down a top spade knowing, when I ruffed, she would make her nine of trumps on the return, and then, when she played the last spade, I could ruff again but would have to let her make her jack of trumps in hand. One down for 200 to the Australia/Wales combo was a respectable result for the USA pair (140/414 MPts), particularly when you appreciate that Osberg managed to make all six of her own trumps.