More by Luck than Judgement

By Mark Horton

I suspect there is a conception that being a VuGraph commentator is an easy life. After all, you can arrive just a few moments before play starts, settle into a comfortable chair with coffee and water to hand, and only have to make a few remarks for a couple of hours.

Of course there is the small matter of having to read many different system cards – and remember the information at a critical moment.

Explaining the auction can be a problem, especially if one or both pairs use a lot of gadgets.

The most awkward scenario is when a complex play problem surfaces. You don’t have long to analyse, because although your audience will contain some of the best players in the world, those who want you to tell them what is likely to happen will also inhabit it. This is even truer when you are commentating on the Internet. Sometimes, just as in the VuGraph theatre, you suggest a contract can be made without really having had a chance to give it serious thought.

Bridgebase has started its coverage of the Rosenblum and I like to keep one eye on what is happening in case a significant deal crops up.

Just before the deal I feature in this article appeared, one of the commentators, clearly having made some rather clever comment, declared that he felt himself to be invincible.

As this deal flashed up on the screen I typed in ‘So make Seven Clubs on this.’

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

Before we move on, here is the auction from the Closed Room:

West	North	East	South
Townsend	Rodwell	Gold	Meckstroth
	1♠	Pass	2♦
Pass	3♥*	Dble	3NT
All Pass

Three Hearts disclosed North’s hand type. West led a heart and declarer ducked the queen, won the next heart with the jack, cashed the king of clubs, played a club to the ace and took a diamond finesse. In typical style he claimed eleven tricks, +660.

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Moss	Soloway	Forrester
	1♠	2♥	3♦
Pass	4♣	Pass	6♣
All Pass

Rather than indulge in any scientific manoeuvres, South bid what he hoped his partner would make.

East led the king of hearts and declarer won, West following with the four. He crossed to the ace of clubs, finessed in diamonds, cashed the ace and ruffed a diamond as East discarded the eight of hearts. A club to the king was followed by a diamond, ruffed and overruffed, and declarer cashed his diamond to reach a three- card ending, West having discarded the six of hearts and the two of spades, East the two, three and seven of hearts and the five and six of spades.

	♠ A Q 9 ♥ – ♦ – ♣ –
♠ K J 10 ♥ – ♦ – ♣ –		♠ 8 ♥ Q 10 ♦ – ♣ –
	♠ 7 ♥ J 5 ♦ – ♣ –

While declarer was pondering his next move the co-ordinator mentioned that a French pair had bid and made Seven Clubs.

Almost at once Norway’s Jon Sveindal asked me if I knew how. Without giving it much thought I punched in a few lines involving playing winning diamonds through West. We’ll come back to that in a moment. At our featured table declarer had three possible plays: Finesse in spades; play East to have blanked the king of spades; endplay East with a heart.

If declarer believed the plays in the heart suit the suit was divided 3-6, (would Soloway have overcalled on ♥KQ732?) and in that case the endplay was ruled out, but nevertheless that is the line declarer finally went for.

Okay, how do you make Seven Clubs?

The French declarer, Franck Multon was favoured by the lead of the ten of clubs. (The bidding sequence to the grand slam is best consigned to the dustbin of history.)

He won in hand, finessed in diamonds, set up the suit with a ruff, drew trumps, crossed to the ace of hearts, cashed the diamonds and finessed in spades – an effortless +2140.

The play on the lead of the king of hearts is much more difficult – any declarer who found their way home would surely walk away with the IBPA hand of the year award. You win with the ace, cross to a high trump (seeing the ten) and take the diamond finesse. Now you must finesse in spades. You can then set up the diamonds, ruff a spade and play a winning diamond. West has to ruff, you overuff, ruff a spade and play a diamond. West is helpless – if he ruffs you overuff, draw the last trump and cash two spade winners.

So Jon – I was right – after a fashion – but more by luck than judgement.