Matchpoint wars

By Barry Rigal

This deal threw up a fascinating matchpoint problem.

Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul.
	ª Q 8 6 © Q 4 3 ¨ K 7 3 § A K J 4
ª K 7 4 3 © 9 ¨ Q 6 4 2 § 9 8 6 5		ª J 10 2 © A K J 8 7 5 ¨ 5 § 7 3 2
	ª A 9 5 © 10 6 2 ¨ A J 10 9 8 § Q 10

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

(1) One suit.

On the ©K lead, East could not read his partner's 9 since they were playing that the ©K asked for an unblock on regular count. She cashed the ©A, on which West (can you blame him?) signaled with the ª7, encouraging.
Now East shifted to the ªJ and I realized that if I found the ¨Q I would make 11 tricks. So I went up with the ªA and passed the ¨J for plus 460. If East plays a third heart at trick three, would you risk the diamond finesse into the danger hand? I think not!

In the first final session, we had an interesting duel with Kathie and Jay Baum (ACBL's new chief executive). This was the first:

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

Jay found himself in 4ª after overcalling South's opening bid of 1¨ with 1NT. On the lead of the ©10, he won and carefully advanced his ª4, thus ensuring that his 9 would be preserved for a more important job of drawing a trump later. For his care and attention he and Kathie earned 130 or 180 matchpoints. Jay was declarer again on the next deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Pass	Pass	1§	Dble
1©	1ª	Pass	Pass
1NT	All Pass

On a spade lead, the normal play is to duck the 10 and again when South plays the king before going after clubs (having taken the ªA at trick three). This produces a position where South can shift to the ©K as a Deschappelle Coup, but declarer still has plus 90.

I led a heart, however, ducked to the king. Back came a heart and Jay ducked a club to South's queen. Sue Picus, my wife and partner, played a third heart to the queen, dummy pitching a diamond.

Now came a spade to the 10. To make the contract, declarer must duck, of course. Now Sue can test declarer by getting out with a low spade, not the king. If declarer goes up with the ace he blocks the suit. But if he plays low it lets me win with the ªQ and shift to a diamond to establish the seventh defensive winner. When declarer missed this line we emerged with plus 50 and an 85% board.

From Joy to Despair

Jim Bjerkan called into our office to tell us about a couple of hands from the last session of the Mixed Pairs Qualifying event and one from the final. Jim was partnering his wife, Cheri, who has played in many more World Championship events than he has. The Qualifying stage went very well for the Bjerkans. These two deals show just how well.

Qualifying Session 3

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

North/South quickly bid to 3NT and Cheri led a low heart. If hearts are other than six-two, there is no benefit in playing low as there is no way in which the suit can be blocked. Meanwhile, if both heart honours are with East, playing low could be a serious error. So, declarer put in the jack of hearts and Jim won the queen and returned the nine. Cheri overtook with the ten and, when declarer ducked, continued with the eight. Dummy won the third heart with the ace while West and North three diamonds. A spade was led off the table and Jim went in with the queen, ducked. Jim returned the ª3 and declarer had a problem. If West had started with ªQJ103 he had to run this to the nine, while on the actual layout he had to win the trick. Of course, the other possibility was to win the trick and cash all his black winners then, if spades proved to be four-two, throw West in with the last spade and hope that he would be endplayed to lead away from the ¨K. But that ©8 at trick three looked like a middle card and declarer thought that East held the ¨K so that he had a straight guess in spades. When he judged to play low, Cheri won the ten and had three hearts to cash for down three.

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

We have seen this hand before but Jim and Cheri produced a new result for us. Jim opened the West hand with 1ª and Cheri responded 3§, a four-card limit raise. Having opened that 10-count, some would bid a swift 3ª and hope to make it. Jim made a help-suit game try of 3©, which of course was accepted by Cheri.

The opening lead was the five of clubs to dummy's ace. Jim was in no hurry to test the trumps and tried the effect of the ©9 off the table. South covered with the ten, which held the trick, and she switched to a low diamond, run to the jack. Back came the ©K followed by a club to the ten and king. Jim ruffed and was finally ready to play trumps. It looked to him as though North had the greater side-suit length so he led to the ªK. Next he took the diamond finesse and, assuming the spades to be three-one, continued with the ¨A. Next he ruffed his heart loser and took the spade finesse for ten tricks and a very good score.

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

If the Qualifying had gone well for the Bjerkans, they were given a taste of what the first session of the final would bring on the very first round when they faced Irina Levitina and her brother on this deal. Cheri opened 1NT on the East cards and Jim responded 2¨, Forcing Stayman. Cheri bid 3©, showing precisely 2-5-3-3, and Jim converted to 3NT.

Well, there are only eight tricks, even with the successful spade finesse, but many people would underlead the ace of clubs and present declarer with a ninth trick. Not Levitina! She led the ace of clubs and the defence took the first five tricks in double-quick time; one down and a poor score for the Bjerkans.

He Shoots - He Scores!

In the early seventies the Editor spent a year living in Toronto. An avid fan of Ice Hockey he used to tune into 'Hockey Night in Canada' which featured commentary by the legendary J Foster Hewitt., Canada's premier hockey play-by-play broadcaster from 1923-8 who coined the phrase, "He shoots, he scores!" Here is a deal from the second session of the Mixed final where West was certainly out to score - but by the end of the deal he may have felt he had put the puck into his own net.

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

West	North	East	South
	Jansma		Smederevac
		Pass	1¨
2§!	Dble	4§	Dble
5§!	5©	Pass	6¨
7§!	All Pass

South, who much prefers a strong club system, was not at all happy to have to open One Diamond. When West lurched in (we can think of other adjectives) with Two Clubs, North had to double as Two Hearts would not have been forcing. Now East was able to raise the ante and when South unhappily doubled to show a good hand West was there again. North made the bid South had not been hoping to see but reckoning that North could scarcely have more than one club she tried for slam. West was having none of that and completed his outstanding solo effort by saving.

The defenders made no mistake, cashing two diamonds, one spade and then playing three rounds of hearts to ensure a trump trick for +1400. Not as good as +1430, but way better than +1370.