Stories From The Championship

Backward Glances - By Barry Rigal

It may not have been a giant coup, but it is always pleasant to bid to a slam when the field is going down in 3NT. Reaching slam after opening the East cards 1♦ might be easier –after a 15-17 no-trump it was more challenging. The deal comes from the third qualifying session of the Mixed Pairs.

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

West	North	East	South
		1NT	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
3♣	Pass	4♣(1)	Pass
4♥	Pass	4♠(2)	Pass
5♠	Pass	6♣	All pass

1. KC for clubs

2. Ask for ♣Q East had the rare hand that was able to use key-card after West showed clubs and a GF hand, instead of the knee-jerk 3NT bid over 2♦ that was found at many tables. Of course on a spade lead 3NT wraps up 12 tricks – is there any justice. Since making slam scored 19% we can assume that 38% of the field did reach slam – well bid overall on a combined 27-count?

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

West	North	East	South
1♣	Dbl.	Pass	1♠
Pass	3♥	All pass

Can N/S make game here? The answer is no – but the defences to set the two likely games are by no means automatic. To set 3NT by South West must either lead the ♦Q or cash a top club and shift to the ♦Q!. Dummy covers and East ducks, clearing the way for West to get in and play another diamond through the tenace and set up a fifth winner.

How about 4♥? On a club lead declarer puts up the jack and ruffs away the king. Then he draws trumps in three rounds, pitching two clubs from dummy. The ♠K and ♠10 are ducked, and West takes the third spade; what next? If he leads the ♣A, declarer ruffs and gets out with the ♦K, and the defence can take only two diamond winners whatever they do. If he leads a diamond declarer can play low or more likely put in the jack. Either way he again holds his diamond losers to two. At the table West had the opportunity for a ‘cost nothing’ false-card which turned out to work like a charm. On the opening club lead, which was clearly from one or three-cards, West covered the ♣J with the ace, suggesting to declarer that East had the ♣K. Play proceeded along predictable lines. Declarer ruffed the ♣A, drew trumps in three rounds, then led the ♠K and ♠10, both ducked, before leading a third spade and leaving West on play. But at this point when West led a low diamond, declarer knew he had to have the ♦A for his opening bid; so he went up with the ♦K. When this lost to the ♦A and a club came back, declarer could ruff the ♣10 away and exit with a low diamond to West’s bare ♦Q, but he still had to lose a trick to the ♦10 and so had only nine tricks.

So what is the defence to 4♥? East must lead a trump, which gives the defence one more club exit at a critical moment. Whatever declarer does he must lose three diamonds and a spade.

Report from The Trenches - By Barry Rigal

Not all ‘equal’ cards are equal, as the following deal demonstrates.

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

West	North	East	South
			1NT
All Pass

East has a difficult choice at the vulnerability – bidding to show the majors is a risky action but would work fine today. At the table she passed, though, and it was up to the defence to try to extract compensation for missing their spade partscore.

On a top spade lead and low spade continuation declarer wins in hand and plays ace and a second club, East winning as West shows three. Now two spades are cashed, and what is South to discard? At the table South decided to throw a heart and a diamond, reasonably enough, but elected to pitch the heart jack, not the ten. Now East can infer South started with precisely 2-3-3–5 shape with both red aces. Had South pitched the heart ten it could have been from A10 x; but as it was, his heart holding was almost sure to be A J 10. So the right exit is a top diamond; maybe a deceptive queen is best. When West gets in with the ♣J he plays a low diamond and declarer has to guess diamonds to get out even for two down. Sometimes the right technical bid gives too much away – but sometimes the rewards are wholly out of proportion to the virtue of doing the right thing. You hold

and you open 1♥ with a song in your heart, metaphorically speaking, but after LHO passes, partner jumps to 3♥ preemptively and RHO doubles. How now, brown cow? At the table you might choose to bid 4♥, but in reality you know LHO will bid 4♠ and leave you to guess what to do now. You can sacrifice or defend – but as the cards lie neither action is going to be cheap. The full deal:

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

However, West had the opportunity to be master of his own domain; over the double of 3♥ his right action is to bid 4♣, which should be played as hearts and clubs, but not setting up a forcing auction if the opponents bid 4♠. If West bids 3NT here it should be used as a hand worth at least 4♥, setting up a forcing pass auction if the opponents bid 4♠.

I missed my chance here, although to be fair I’m not sure whether the right line is really indicated.

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

Whether we should have reached the excellent 4♥ once I downgraded the West cards to a 15-17 no-trump, I do not know. As it was, partner took up the slack, and we did play 4♥, on the lead of the ♠Q to the ♠A and the ♠10 returned. You take the ♠K, and it looks natural to unblock the diamonds and either lead a heart to the ♥A to arrange the spade discard and spade ruff, or pass the ♥Q in an attempt to go for more. Neither line succeeds – thanks to the unlucky 4-1 trump break offside.

(If the heart finesse loses and the ♥10 comes back it does look natural to put up the ♥J, and now you are dead). You can no longer build a club discard for your spade loser since you do not have the re-entries to hand at the right time. A slightly better line is to play the ♣K at trick three. Why? Well North does not know who has the ♣A yet and is likely to give partner true count. That is all you need; after you pass the ♥Q and discover the bad trump break, the fall of the ♣Q 9 give you a ruffing finesse in clubs against the ♣J, and you still have your diamond re-entries to hand to pitch dummy’s spades. I’m not normally known as a pessimist, but when I was faced with the following bidding problem I took the path of least resistance. Holding:

You hear a Multi 2♦ on your right, and 4♣ from partner – showing a two-suiter with clubs and a major, at least 5-5. How should you value your hand, and what should be the trump suit. I have to confess I took the coward’s way out and passed… I did have the excuse that we had been doubled in 4♣, though! This was the full deal:

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

Curiously enough, South had hit the nail on the head with her penalty double! There is no play for 4♣ so long as South avoids leading her spade, to give declarer the finesse she cannot conveniently take. Alas for her, South actually chose to lead the ♥A and shift to her spade. Sue Picus won cheaply in hand and simply played to ruff her three spade losers in dummy, and could limit her losers to one heart and two clubs.