Wheeling and Dealing near Las Vegas

By Barry Rigal

Last month’s Cavendish Invitational Pairs in Henderson, Nevada (not far from Las Vegas) was won by Dutchmen Ton Bakkeren and Huub Bertens. Here are a few deals from that annual event.

How would you rate East’s chances in 4♠ here? Not so good, I’d say, but more tables succeeded than you might think. Billy Pollack was one of the declarers who brought home the game.

Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ 4 2 ♥ K J 3 ♦ Q J 9 2 ♣ A Q 6 5
♠ Q J 8 ♥ 9 8 6 2 ♦ A K 5 4 3 ♣ 3		♠ A K 7 6 5 ♥ 10 7 4 ♦ - ♣ J 10 9 8 2
	♠ 10 9 3 ♥ A Q 5 ♦ 10 8 7 6 ♣ K 7 4

After North-South had bid and raised diamonds, South led the ♠3 against 4♠. Pollack won in dummy, cashed the ♦A and ♦K, pitching two hearts, and exited with a club to North’s ace. Back came a trump as Pollack rose with the king and led the ♣J. If South ducks, North wins the queen and leads a heart to South, who can play a third round of trumps, leaving declarer with a third club loser to go with his heart loser. But when South covered the club jack, Pollack ruffed and returned to his hand by ruffing a diamond, then drew the last trump and conceded a club to the queen. Plus 420 for E/W and 122 IMPs.

Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ Q J 10 ♥ Q 9 7 3 2 ♦ 6 4 ♣ A 10 3
♠ 3 2 ♥ J 4 ♦ K 9 8 7 3 2 ♣ 7 6 5		♠ A K 8 7 5 4 ♥ A 10 ♦ A 5 ♣ K 9 8
	♠ 9 6 ♥ K 8 6 5 ♦ Q J 10 ♣ Q J 4 2

Marc Bompis/Jean-Christophe Quantin bid the E/W cards to 3NT. Dubinin led the ♣2 to the ace, and Gromov returned the ♣10 at trick two. Bompis knocked out the spade stopper and soon had nine tricks. Plus 400 was worth 125 IMPs.

That might seem a little lucky for East-West, but Kit Woolsey and Fred Stewart played the hand in 5♦ against Lew and JoAnna Stansby. Remarkably, that contract is cold on any lead as the cards lie. When a heart was led, declarer played as follows: ♥A, ♠A, ♠K, spade. When South ruffed, declarer simply pitched his losing heart and later used the ♣K entry to the good spades to pitch his third club, losing only a trump and a club.

If South had discarded on the third spade declarer would ruff, setting up the spades, then cash ♦K followed by a diamond to dummy’s ace. He then plays a good spade, and whether South ruffs right away or not declarer pitches his losing heart and later his losing club, using the ♣K as a late dummy entry. All that this contract needs is the ♣A onside, and spades 3-2 with South having the long spades, plus three diamonds, so there is no trump promotion!

Board 13. Dealer North. Both Vul.
	♠ K 9 6 ♥ 10 9 4 3 ♦ A Q J 7 ♣ 6 3
♠ A Q 8 ♥ A K J 5 2 ♦ 6 ♣ A 8 5 3		♠ J 5 3 ♥ Q 7 6 ♦ K 5 4 ♣ K Q 9 7
	♠ 10 7 4 2 ♥ 8 ♦ 10 9 8 3 2 ♣ J 10 4

West	North	East	South
Levin		Weinstein
	Pass	Pass	Pass
1♥	Pass	2♣	Pass
3♣	Pass	4♣	Pass
4♥	Pass	6♣	All Pass

Weinstein’s 2♣ was three-card Drury, with 3♣ a long-suit slam-try, and it was excellent judgment to bid the slam in clubs rather than hearts - with an inescapable diamond loser, the hearts are needed to get rid of the spade loser in the likely event that the ♠K is not onside doubleton. Plus 1370.

The wildest set of results of the tournament came on this deal: how often do you see the same suit-game contract declared by both sides?

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ 6 ♥ Q 9 8 7 3 2 ♦ K 10 8 6 2 ♣ 5
♠ K J 5 4 3 ♥ 4 ♦ J 9 3 ♣ A Q 9 2		♠ A Q 10 ♥ K J 10 6 5 ♦ 7 ♣ J 6 4 3
	♠ 9 8 7 2 ♥ A ♦ A Q 5 4 ♣ K 10 8 7

Freak hands do throw up odd results, admittedly, but Bjorn Fallenius and Roy Welland had the pleasure of defending 4♥ doubled with the North-South cards, while Martel/Fleisher had the pleasure of defending that contract with the East/West cards. Both collected 800.

By contrast diamond contracts were always played by North/South but they had a range of plus 380 in 2♦ doubled, collected by Bramley/Rigal and Bompis/Quantin on a non-trump lead, to the plus 1100 recorded by Gary Cohler/Howard Weinstein from 5♦ doubled, when they did remember to lead trumps. Sometimes very similar starts to the play can produce quite disparate denouements (hands rotated).

Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ A 8 7 5 2 ♥ K J 10 7 ♦ K J ♣ 10 8
♠ Q J 6 4 3 ♥ Q 8 2 ♦ 5 3 ♣ A Q 4		♠ K ♥ 9 6 5 4 ♦ 9 8 7 6 ♣ J 9 7 3
	♠ 10 9 ♥ A 3 ♦ A Q 10 4 2 ♣ K 6 5 2

Vastly different results ensued in the contract of 3NT by South (on the unopposed sequence 1♠ - 2♦ ; 2♥ - 3NT) after the “fourth-highest” lead of the ♠3. Both Entscho Vladow and Ralph Katz made this play, and when the lead went to the ♠K and ♠9 they both won the low club shift by their partners (yes, perhaps the ♣J might be a technically superior play) to lead another low spade. Ralph’s went up with the ace, then guessed to run the ♥J next. Down 100. Your author ran the spade to his hand. When his ♠10 scored he cashed out the diamonds, triple-squeezing West for plus 460 without a guess!

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ Q 9 3 ♥ 10 8 ♦ K 8 3 ♣ A J 7 5 4
♠ A 10 7 ♥ Q ♦ A Q J 5 ♣ K Q 9 8 2		♠ 6 5 2 ♥ J 9 6 4 3 2 ♦ 6 2 ♣ 10 6
	♠ K J 8 4 ♥ A K 7 5 ♦ 10 9 7 4 ♣ 3

With one session to go, Rodwell/Hampson were leading the field. But the last set did not go well, and board 19 was typical of what happened to them: as North/South they failed to catch North/South for a penalty, and ended up declaring 3♣ themselves, down 100. Meanwhile the Dutch played 2♥ doubled from the West seat, on a trump lead and club shift and went for 500. But that was almost an average result here; why? Well, after West overcalled an off-center 1NT at most tables, the final contract was 2♥ doubled by East-West. The defense have seven almost top winners, if they play spades early enough, and can also arrange a trump promotion if they are careful, no matter what declarer does.

Of course some East-West pairs did better than that. When South opened 1♦ Weinstein overcalled 2♣ and Levin sat it out when this was doubled. On a diamond lead declarer wrapped up eight tricks in 2♣ for plus 180. This was a gain of 208 for their combined good judgment.