A First Look at the Pairs

While most of the attention is on the KO Teams, we sent our ace investigative reporter to watch the start of the Open Pairs Qualifying. There are plenty of big names in amongst the less well known players, so we could hope to see some good bridge.

We start with a look at Jaggy Shivdasani and Barnet Shenkin.

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

West	North	East	South
Weniger	Shenkin	MacKenzie	Shivdasani
		3§	3¨
Pass	3ª	Pass	3NT
All Pass

Pre-empts catch all of us from time to time and Rod Mackenzie's 3§ opening caused big problems for his opponents. Shivdasani overcalled 3¨ and now Shenkin had the distribution to justify a move. Three No Trump was the normal rebid on the South cards and now perhaps Shenkin should have tried 4¨ - he was only worth his first bid because of the shape of his hand and the lack of a fitting diamond honour is a significant worry for 3NT. Bear in mind that partner would often have gambled 3NT at his first turn with running diamonds plus a club stopper.

Had Shenkin bid 4¨ over 3NT, Shivdasani would have tried 4©. As long as that is understood to be natural, the best game is then reached. Leo Weniger led the queen of clubs against 3NT, ducked to the king. Shivdasani cashed a top heart then crossed to the ªK and led a diamond to the king. Not being sure that the clubs were running, Weniger ducked that. Shivdasani cashed the other top heart and crossed to the ªA to lead a second diamond up and now the defence had the rest; down three for -150.

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

West	North	East	South
Lair	Shivdasani	Finberg	Shenkin
			1©
2©	2ª	Pass	3§
Pass	4©	All Pass

Mark Lair showed spades and a minor and Shenkin made a game try over Shivdasani's limit-raise plus 2ª bid. That was accepted and Lair led the queen of spades to dummy's ace. It looks right to play a diamond now to establish the discard for the spade loser, but Shenkin instead ran the jack of hearts. When the four-nil split appeared, he switched to diamonds - low, king, ace - and back came the ªJ. Shenkin won the king and took his pitch on the ¨Q then made the odd play of ruffing a diamond before playing ace and another club.

When Richard Finberg won the §K he returned a heart to declarer's eight. Shenkin led the §8 and decided to ruff it in dummy. That was over-ruffed and a heart return meant that he was left with a losing club at the end for down one; -100. Declarer would have been OK had he not played around of trumps earlier, but also it appears that he succeeds if he does not ruff the third club. East can ruff and play back his last trump, but there is now a trump left in dummy to take care of the last club.

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

The players had switched back to their correct polarities for this one so Lair was East and opened 1§ in third seat. He passed the 1ª response and Shenkin led a trump. Shivdasani won the ace and switched to a diamond for the jack and queen and back came a second trump. Finberg did well now by playing a heart to the ten, after which nothing could prevent ten tricks and a useful matchpoint score; +170.

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

West	North	East	South
Habert	Shenkin	Wildavsky	Shivdasani
		Pass	1§
Dble	Pass	1¨	All Pass

Adam Wildavsky played this partscore nicely. He received the defence of three top clubs from Shivdasani and, of course, ruffed in dummy. Wildavsky played a diamond to the king and a second diamond to Shivdasani's ten. He led the fourth club and Shenkin ruffed with the ace. Now Shenkin switched to the ten of hearts, which was run to the king. Wildavsky played three rounds of spades, ruffing, then exited with his last diamond, throwing the spade from dummy. Shivdasani had to lead away from the ©Q to give the ninth trick; +110.

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

Time to move onto a new N/S pair, Tim Cope and Glen Holman of South Africa. On this deal they faced Australia's Barry Noble and George Bilski. When Bilski opened the West hand with 1¨ after two passes, Noble responded 2©, which I guess he intended to be weak, though Bilski was not so sure of that. When 2© came around to Cope, North, he shrugged his shoulders and made a take-out double. Holman responded 2ª and played there.

The lead of the king of hearts did not do declarer any harm. He won the ace and ran the queen of spades to the king. Back came the ¨Q to dummy's ace. Holman drew the trumps, pitching a club from dummy, and had to play a club up to achieve the maximum. However, West had not sounded totally confident as to what the 2© bid would deliver, suggesting it might be a little stronger than was actually the case, so Holman instead played a diamond to the ten then cashed the ©Q before playing a diamond to the jack and king. Bilski returned a diamond to the nine so that when Holman crossed to the ©J and led a club up he could throw the §Q on the heart and keep a winning diamond with the §A; nine tricks for +140.

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

After a pass from Holman, Marc Bompis of France opened 1© and Cope tried an off-centre weak jump overcall of 2ª. Holman raised pre-emptively to 3ª but that was not enough to keep Bompis silent. He doubled for take-out and Christian Mari judged well to leave it in.

The South African pair had been caught speeding and there was an on-the-spot fine of no less than 1100. Mari led the ©K and switched to the seven of diamonds. Bompis won the king, cashed the red aces, then played another heart. Cope pitched his diamond loser on that and Mari ruffed. His club switch netted two tricks in that suit and now a fourth round of hearts promoted the ªQ; down four!

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª J 10 2 © 10 9 7 ¨ J 8 § K 7 6 4 2
ª K 8 6 © A K 6 5 4 ¨ Q 7 4 § 10 3		ª 4 © Q J 8 3 2 ¨ K 10 9 5 § A J 9
	ª A Q 9 7 5 3 © - ¨ A 6 3 2 § Q 8 5

We were not bringing much luck to Cope/Holman and so time to go and ruin another pair's score. This time the choice was the top Egyptian pairing of Tarek Sadek and Waleed El Ahmady.

West	North	East	South
Rautenberg	Sadek	Casen	El Ahmady
	Pass	Pass	1ª
2©	2ª	3ª	4ª
Pass	Pass	5©	All Pass

With so many hearts in support of a two-level overcall, it was tough for Drew Casen not to go on to 5© as a two-way shot, hoping that one or other game was making. Perhaps Lee Rautenberg, who was very balanced for his overcall and held the ªK, should have doubled 4ª? Sadek led the jack of spades against 5©. El Ahmady won the ace and switched to the queen of clubs. Had he not switched to a club, declarer's club loser could have gone away on the diamonds so the switch was essential. Now, Rautenberg could draw trumps and play on diamonds but El Ahmady could win the ¨A and play a club to the king for down one; -50.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª K 9 2 © 10 8 ¨ A Q J 8 7 4 3 § 5
ª 6 © Q 5 ¨ K 6 § A Q J 10 9 8 6 4		ª A J 8 © K 9 7 6 4 3 ¨ 9 5 § K 7
	ª Q 10 7 5 4 3 © A J 2 ¨ 10 2 § 3 2

Judith Weisman opened 4§ on the West cards and Sadek overcalled 4¨. When John Solodar raised to 5§, El Ahmady doubled. OK, so what would you lead from the North hand? It is so unlikely that the remaining diamonds are going to be 2-2-2 round the table with opener holding the king that cashing the ace to take a look at dummy, hoping to then find the killing continuation, hardly looks to be unreasonable. That is what Sadek chose and that was the contract; +750.

Board 22. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	ª Q 3 © 8 2 ¨ A Q J 9 7 6 5 § A 5
ª A K 9 2 © A K 9 6 ¨ 2 § 8 4 3 2		ª J 8 5 © J 7 5 ¨ 10 8 4 § Q J 10 9
	ª 10 7 6 4 © Q 10 4 3 ¨ K 3 § K 7 6

Just two deals later Sadek was looking at ¨AQJxxxx once again against Poland's Jaroslaw Cieslak and Jan Moszynski. When a Polish Club was opened on his right, he overcalled 1¨. El Ahmady responded 1NT and Sadek leaped to the no trump game. The opening lead was the ©A, collecting a discouraging seven from East. On the ªA switch, East encouraged with the five, so West played king and another spade to the jack. The jack of hearts return was covered by queen and king and declarer had the rest for one down; -50.

Sadek was probably hoping not to pick up that diamond holding again for a few days after the two results he achieved with it.