Championship Stories

Heart Attack - by Mark Horton

This deal from the third session of the Rosenblum and McConnell produced all sorts of drama, but also offered an opportunity for a classic piece of defensive play.

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

West	North	East	South
Steiner	Daryanani	Letizia	Tagliavia
1NT	Pass	5♦	5♥
All Pass

After West's mini no trump and East's jump to game South, with the best hand at the table must have been delighted to have to see the auction had already escalated to the five level by the time the bidding tray got back to her side of the screen.

Resisting temptation to do anything speculative she close proceedings with her bid of Five Hearts. West, Carlin Steiner, cashed the ace and king of clubs and continued with the five of clubs. East, Marinesa Letizia, made no mistake, ruffing with the seven of hearts, thereby promoting a trump trick for her partner.

100% Solution - by Mark Horton

Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ Q 9 3 2 ♥ K 6 5 2 ♦ 6 ♣ J 7 5 3
♠ A K 10 8 ♥ A 9 4 ♦ 8 7 3 2 ♣ 8 4		♠ 7 ♥ Q J 10 8 3 ♦ Q 10 9 ♣ K 9 6 2
	♠ J 6 5 4 ♥ 7 ♦ A K J 5 4 ♣ A Q 10

West	North	East	South
Versace	Kovachev	Jacobs	Hecht-Johansen
1♦	Pass	1♥	Dble
Redble*	1♠	2♥	Pass
Pass	Dble	3♥	3♠
Dble	All Pass

After a typical matchpoint auction West must have though he was on to a good thing when he got to double Three Spades.

East led the seven of spades and West decided to play the eight. Declarer won with the nine of spades and played a club to the queen. When that held he played dummy's heart and put up the king when West ducked. Now he ruffed a heart, cashed the ace of diamonds and ruffed a diamond. A heart ruff was followed by the king of diamonds, declarer discarding a club and when East delivered the queen, another diamond winner, discarding a second club. When declarer played dummy's last diamond West discarded a club, but so did declarer, and now the ace of clubs ensured a trick for the queen of spades. Two overtricks and +730 – a complete top for North/South.

George Jacobs parting shot to the large crowd of kibitzers was 'A typical Italian double.'

Surrounded - by Maureen Hiron

Board 20. Dealer West. Game all.
	♠ Q 9 7 5 3 ♥ K 3 2 ♦ Q 7 4 3 ♣ 9
♠ A K ♥ Q 8 7 ♦ K 8 ♣ A K J 7 4 2		♠ J 10 4 2 ♥ 10 5 4 ♦ A 10 9 6 ♣ 8 5
	♠ 8 6 ♥ A J 9 6 ♦ J 5 2 ♣ Q 10 6 3

West	North	East	South
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
2NT	Pass	3♣	Pass
3♦	Pass	3NT	All Pass

North, Irving Gordon, aka Haggis, led a fourth highest spade, to the 2, 8 and ace. Declarer set about clubs, the ace fetching the nine from North, and the diamond eight to the ace for a finesse of the club jack brought good news and bad news. On lead with the fourth round of clubs, Ian Panto learnedly returned the jack of hearts – the surrounding play – to the queen and king, and the heart return from Haggis, through dummy's ten, gave the defenders the four heart tricks that set the contract.