Making a move

By Brent Manley

Going into the seventh round of the McConnell qualifying, the Lynn Baker team – a squad full of world champions – was tied for fourth in their group and were hoping for a big game to solidify their position as qualifiers for the knockout stage.

Their opponents were a French team captained by Martine Rossard that lay in eighth place out of 10 teams, although not that far out of a qualifying spot. Baker prevailed, but it wasn’t easy against the tough Rossard team. The match basically swung on a grand slam bid by Sabine Auken and Daniela von Arnim, ending at 25-19 for Baker (16-14 in VPs). The first swing went to Baker when Rossard and Johanna Raczynska bid one more than Lynn Deas and Beth Palmer in a heart partial. Two down versus one down was 2 IMPs to Baker. Another 2 IMPs went to Baker on the following deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Rossard	Auken	Raczynska	von Arnim
			Pass
1♣	1♠	Dbl	Redbl
Pass	2♣	Pass	2♠
All Pass

East led the ♣8, which went to the 2, ace and jack. The ♥J was ducked to the queen, and a heart went to the king and ace. Auken ruffed the heart continuation and guessed to play the ♠10 and let it ride. Rossard won the ♠A and played a spade to the queen. Now came a heart ruff, the ♠K and ♣K, the last trick Auken would take. That was two down for Minus 100.

West	North	East	South
Deas	Blouquit	Palmer	Fishpool
			Pass
1NT	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♦	Pass	2♥	All Pass

Catherine Fishpool, South, started with the ♣9, ducked to North’s 10. The ♣K was returned to dummy’s ace. Now Beth Palmer played the ♠A and another spade. North erred by playing the king, dropping partner’s queen. Palmer ruffed the ♣J with the ♥9, South discarding a diamond. Now came the ♦Q to the king and ace, the ♦J and a low diamond ruffed. Now when Palmer played the ♠6 from hand, South ruffed with the ♥Q and returned a heart to the jack, king and ace. Palmer finished with 10 tricks and a ragged Plus 170.

The fifth board of the set represented a 5-IMP gain for Baker and might well fall into the category – at least at the Auken/von Arnim table – of a sow’s ear being made into a silk purse.

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

West	North	East	South
Rossard	Auken	Raczynska	von Arnim
	1♥	1♠	2♦
All Pass

Von Arnim’s 2♦ was non-forcing. Rossard started with her partner’s suit, and von Arnim took some time to assess the awkward contract. She played dummy’s ♠A and followed with a low club to the 10, king and ace. Rossard considered her next play for a time before she exited with a heart. Von Arnim played the ♥K and ruffed East’s ace, continuing with the ♣Q and a low club (East pitched her other heart).

West was not happy to be in again, and she got out with the ♦8, ducked by East to declarer’s 10. Now von Arnim cashed the ♦A (double-dummy, West should unblock the king) and played a low diamond. Now on lead with nothing but hearts, Rossard had to play one. Von Arnim inserted the 10 and discarded a spade when East ruffed with the ♦Q. Now all East could do was cash the ♠K. The inelegant contract had come home for Plus 90. An even more awkward contract was reached at the other table and illustrates, perhaps, why von Arnim eschewed the negative double – where do you go if North rebids 2♥?

West	North	East	South
Deas	Blouquit	Palmer	Fishpool
	1♥	1♠	Dbl
Pass	2♥	All Pass

After South showed the minors with the negative double, 1NT by North seems more reasonable than the rebid of a five-card suit.

Blouquit did well to come up with seven tricks in her 5-0 fit. Palmer led the ♣10 to the king and ace. Blouquit won the spade switch with the ace and played the ♥Q to East’s ace. The ♣9 was taken by dummy’s queen. Declarer cashed the ♦A and ruffed a diamond then played a low club from hand. Deas won the ♣J and exited with a heart. Blouquit inserted the 10, then played a low spade from hand. In the end, Deas had too many trumps and could not get out of her own way. Still, Minus 100 was a 5-IMP loss for Rossard. This deal put Baker up by the score of 23-1.

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

West	North	East	South
Rossard	Auken	Raczynska	von Arnim
		Pass	1♣
Pass	1♥	Pass	2♥
Pass	3♦	Pass	3♠
Pass	4♦	Pass	4NT
Pass	5NT	Pass	7♥
All Pass

Von Arnim started with a strong 1♣, and there was no stopping them from there. Over the key-card asking 4NT, Auken’s 5NT showed two key cards plus a void, which had to be in spades. There was nothing to the play. After winning the trump opening lead in hand, Auken drew two more rounds of trumps, claiming when she cashed the ♣A and the queen fell (West had discarded a club on one of the hearts – not that it mattered). That was a very efficient Plus 2210. The auction was not as good at the other table.

West	North	East	South
Deas	Blouquit	Palmer	Fishpool
		Pass	1♠
Pass	2♥	Pass	4NT
Pass	5♥	Pass	6♥
All Pass

Blouquit’s response to Blackwood showed two key cards but did not reveal the void, so the grand was not reached and Baker gained 13 IMPs.

Rossard got 12 IMPs back on this deal, however.

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

West	North	East	South
Deas	Blouquit	Palmer	Fishpool
	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
2♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
4♠	All Pass

Fishpool started with a low trump, taken by Palmer with dummy’s king. She played a diamond to the king and ace and won the trump continuation in hand with the ♠9. She then cashed the ♦Q and ruffed a diamond – and all hope of making the contract was gone. Declarer lost two diamonds and two hearts to finish one down.

West	North	East	South
Rossard	Auken	Raczynska	von Arnim
	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
4♠	All Pass

Von Arnim also started with a low trump, taken by Raczynska in hand with the 9. At trick two, she set about building a heart trick – clearly one diamond ruff was the most she could hope for.

Von Arnim went up with her ♥K at trick two when declarer played one from hand. Instead of continuing with a trump, von Arnim played the ♥J, covered by the queen and ace. Back came a third round of hearts, but declarer was in control. She ruffed with the ♠J, played a club to the ace and a diamond to the king and ace. Von Arnim played a second round of trumps, but declarer won in dummy, played a diamond to the queen and ruffed a diamond. She played the good ♥10, discarding her losing diamond, and could claim her contract when von Arnim was unable to ruff. A fine result for the Rossard team.

On the lie of the cards, the contract can always be made, but a counterintuitive play must be made in the heart suit to achieve 10 tricks.

On a trump lead – indicated by the auction – declarer can even play a second round, so long as she leads a heart at trick three. If South goes in with the ♥K and continues with the jack, declarer must play low – allowing North in at that point will lead to a third round of trumps, and declarer will have to lose two diamonds and two hearts. Of course, that is a play one would make only if looking at all the cards. If North has the doubleton spade, for example, it would be fatal to the contract to play low. If South wins the ♥K and switches to another suit, declarer must get to hand and lead another heart, ducking when the jack appears.