Verona Revista

by Barry Rigal

While we are admiring the performances of the juniors and schools players, it is worth remembering that last month several experts did better (or worse) in Verona. Consider the following deal from the Rosenblum round of 64.

Board 37. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	♠ 10 9 3 2 ♥ A ♦ K 9 4 2 ♣ K 5 4 2
♠ 6 5 ♥ K J 9 5 4 3 2 ♦ 10 8 5 ♣ 9		♠ Q J 8 7 4 ♥ 8 7 ♦ Q J ♣ A 10 7 6
	♠ A K ♥ Q 10 6 ♦ A 7 6 3 ♣ Q J 8 3

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	1NT
2♦(i)	Dble	2♥	Pass
Pass	3NT	All Pass

(i) One major

Everybody knows that a true expert would rather play for a squeeze than take a finesse; but it is a less well-known fact that the REAL expert would always lead some suit other than his own – fourth highest from your longest and strongest is so vieux jeu.

That might explain why at both tables in the match between Hecht-Johansen and Grenthe West elected to lead a spade rather than a heart against 3NT.

Where HC Nielsen was on lead the spade lead went round to declarer's king as his partner encouraged. Now a club to the king scored the trick and declarer played three rounds of diamonds, letting Nielsen back on lead. When East, Lars Blakset, discarded a heart, Nielsen played back a second spade, and declarer had only eight tricks when much to his surprise the club ace turned up in Blakset's hand.

What would have happened had the ♣A not been ducked? Well in the other room they discovered that. After East won his ♣A and shifted to a heart, declarer played three rounds of diamonds, keeping East off play, and had his contract comfortably enough.

Of course the palookas would examine the deal and point out that a boring heart lead takes the game down three…. But where would be the fun in that? For the record, 3NT made about one time in three that it was attempted.

Of course sometimes there was rather more to praise… In the third set of the round of 32 in the Rosenblum, there was a wild set between Allfrey and Morath (there were five doubled contracts in the first nine deals with penalties of 800, 500, and 300, together with a +750). Deal number 9 produced the most interesting play. You may care to consider it as a declarer play problem, putting yourself as East and covering up the North and South cards.

Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	♠ 9 8 6 5 3 2 ♥ A 7 ♦ J 6 3 2 ♣ K
♠ A Q 7 4 ♥ 9 8 2 ♦ A 5 ♣ 9 8 6 4		♠ K J 10 ♥ K J 6 5 3 ♦ Q 4 ♣ A Q 7
	♠ – ♥ Q 10 4 ♦ K 10 9 8 7 ♣ J 10 5 3 2

West	North	East	South
	Pass	1NT	2NT
Dble	4♦	4♥	Pass
Pass	Dble	All Pass

Upmark as North doubled David Bakhshi's 4♥ contract, and Tornqvist led the ♣10 a card that appeared to have ominous suit preference overtones, by suggesting short spades, perhaps. Bakhshi won in hand and took a little time to digest the implications of the auction. Eventually he found the master-play of the ♥J from hand - a play that is almost necessary (if not sufficient) to make the contract. South won his ♥Q, gave his partner the club ruff, and got a spade ruff coming back. But now the fourth spade took care of the diamond loser and Bakhshi had 790.

There were actually two possible defences even after Bakhshi's fine play; the difficult one is for North not to give his partner the spade ruff but to play a diamond – South still has a trump trick to come and the defence established the diamond trick in time. The easy defence is for South to duck the ♥J – second hand plays low after all! North wins his ♥A, gives a spade ruff, gets a club ruff, and the second spade ruff spells one down! Indeed North could even overtake the ♥Q to produce this defence. On our final deal, from the fourth qualifying session of the Open Pairs, when Paul Hackett invited game, England's Tony Waterlow accepted the invitation – in partnership style he could have held a flat 11-count with only four spades - after which Hackett drove to the small slam. There was still plenty of work to do in the play, however.

Board 22. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	♠ A 10 6 4 ♥ A K 8 7 6 ♦ – ♣ J 8 4 3
♠ – ♥ Q 10 9 5 3 ♦ K Q 10 8 5 ♣ Q 10 7		♠ Q 8 7 ♥ 4 2 ♦ A 9 6 4 2 ♣ K 9 2
	♠ K J 9 5 3 2 ♥ J ♦ J 7 3 ♣ A 6 5

West	North	East	South
	Hackett		Waterlow
		Pass	1♠
2♠(i)	3♥(ii)	Pass	4♠
Pass	5♦	Dble	Pass
Pass	Rdbl	Pass	5♠
Pass	6♠	All Pass

(i) Hearts and a minor
(ii) Constructive spade raise

West led the king of diamonds, ruffed in dummy, and Waterlow played ace and king of hearts, throwing a club from hand, then ruffed a heart, ruffed a diamond, came back to the ace of clubs, and ruffed the last diamond. He continued by ruffing a heart, crossing to the ace of spades, and ruffing the last heart. Having reduced his trump holding to king-jack doubleton, Waterlow exited with the club loser and the defence had to lead into the trump tenace at trick twelve to assure the slam, and a lot of matchpoints for Hackett and Waterlow.