so close

by Brian Senior

Going into the final deal of their semi-final match against China in the Venice Cup, USA1 led by 9 IMPs.

Board 96. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	♠ Q 9 7 4 ♥ J 7 5 ♦ A J 8 2 ♣ 7 4
♠ A 6 ♥ 10 9 ♦ 10 9 ♣ A K Q J 10 8 2		♠ J 10 5 ♥ Q 4 3 2 ♦ 6 4 3 ♣ 9 6 3
	♠ K 8 3 2 ♥ A K 8 6 ♦ K Q 7 5 ♣ 5

West	North	East	South
W. Wang	Meyers	Liu	Levin
1♣	Pass	1♦	Dble
2♣	3♠	Pass	4♠
All Pass

The Americans bid their game and, after the auction, Jill Meyers had no difficulty in getting the spades right; +420. Surely, that was the match for USA1?

West	North	East	South
Rosenberg	H. Wang	Stansby	Sun
1♣	Pass	Pass	Dble
3♣	Pass	3♥	Pass
3NT	Pass	Pass	Dble
All Pass

What would you lead from the North hand? A spade would give declarer an opportunity to take the first eight tricks for a mere one down and 6 IMPs to USA1. If the defence cashes four diamonds then switches to a heart, they can only come to three heart tricks and seven in all; +800, a gain of 9 IMPs to bring the scores level, just sufficient for China to win by virtue of their 0.3 IMP carry-over.

Hongli Wang led the jack of hearts! Debbie Rosenberg must have felt ill at this moment. She played low from dummy and Wang continued with the seven of hearts to Ming Sun’s king. Sun’s choice of switch would decide the match, because a diamond would allow the defence to take the first eight tricks, netting them +1100 and 12 IMPs for a win by 3 IMPs. Now there would have been a story. Alas, she selected a spade and Rosenberg won and ran the clubs, down one, 6 IMPs to USA1, and a ‘comfortable’ win by 15 IMPs, 216-201.

Bridge can be a cruel game. Had this deal been the first of the set it would by now have been forgotten, but it was the final deal and so it is seen to have decided the match – a match which was, of course, ‘decided’ many times on earlier deals. So, it is clear that South found the wrong switch at trick three, but was she to blame for the failure to take the maximum number of tricks?

Firstly, we have to appreciate that Ming Sun did not know what her target was. Yes, it was essential to defeat the contract, but would that be sufficient to win the board. She did not know, or even have reason to suspect, that game was on for North/South. If all that was required was to defeat the contract, then probably a diamond honour was the correct play – a spade could be disastrous if declarer held her actual hand plus the queen of spades. But what if the size of the penalty was critical?

When the jack of hearts wins trick one and declarer drops the nine, both North and South know that declarer holds one of the singleton nine or doubleton ten-nine, with the doubleton nine-eight also being a possibility from North’s point of view. North is known to hold at least two more hearts and, from a purely practical point of view, it does not matter which order they are played in. At this point it is very difficult for North, on the final board of a stressful match, to look at things from partner’s perspective, but if she does so, she will see that South may have a problem deciding on her switch. Is not North’s second heart play suit preference?

Wang actually played the heart seven at trick two, no doubt just playing the automatic higher of two remaining cards. With nothing else to go on, Ming Sun took that to be suit preference for spades. And, in my view, she was correct to do so.