The Riddle of the Sphinx

Although no Egyptian pair qualified for the final of the Women's pairs their most famous combination scored well on this deal:

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

West	North	East	South
Maud		Lily
1ª	2¨	2ª	Pass
4ª	All Pass

North led the king of diamonds and declarer won with he ace and ran the nine of hearts to South's king. Not wishing to allow declarer to shorten her trumps South found the good shot of switching to the nine of clubs. Declarer won in hand, cashed her top trumps getting the bad news and then played the ten of hearts, covered by the queen and ace. A diamond ruff to hand allowed declarer to score the eight of hearts and she then crossed to dummy with a club to cash the last heart and ruffed a diamond. Making ten tricks was a very fine score.

The only lead to defeat the contract by force is the queen of hearts, which removes a vital entry from dummy.

An Early Claim

By Patrick Jourdain (Wales)

Cezary Balicki approached. "Do you want a good hand?" he said. "Is the Pope Polish?" was my thought. The deal arose in the first set of the Power Rosenblum quarterfinal. The England team containing a Scot, a Swede and a New Zealander was playing Poland, a team with two Italians. (In the old days we expected Poles in teams of other nationalities; now it seems the wheel has turned).

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

West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Hackett	Balicki	Hackett
	2ª	Dble	Pass
3©	Pass	3NT	All Pass

The Poles play Lebensohl after a weak Two is doubled for take-out, so West's Three Hearts was actually showing extra values.

South led the king of spades, then a second spade. Balicki as declarer already had a problem: what to discard from dummy? He could not afford a club if North had singleton honour, he certainly did not want to ditch a diamond, and if the hearts were coming in he would be throwing a winner if he released a card in that suit.
Eventually he chose to throw a heart on the basis that if the suit was favourable he would be home anyway.
When North won trick two he switched to a heart which went to the king and ace.

South could not play a minor suit without conceding an immediate trick, and continued hearts. Declarer won in dummy with the ten and North showed out, throwing a spade. Balicki now tested clubs by cashing ace and king. When North showed out again, this time discarding a diamond, Balicki, with some flamboyance, laid down the queen of spades, and claimed. This was the ending:

	ª J 9 7 © - ¨ 8 7 4 3 § -
ª - © 9 6 ¨ K 10 6 § Q 9		ª Q 8 © Q ¨ A J § 3 2
	ª - © J 4 ¨ Q 9 5 § J 10

To South he said, "you have to keep your hearts and clubs, so will have to come down to two diamonds now. I throw a heart from dummy and play two more rounds of clubs. You will have to win and return a red suit. After the ace of diamonds and top heart your partner has to keep spades guarded, so will also have to come down to two diamonds. I make a ninth trick whoever has the queen of diamonds."

The twins conceded. At the other table Two Spades doubled had gone only one light, so the Poland team had gained 7 IMPs.