All the Players Were Valiant

By Mark Horton

There were swings a plenty in the third session of the McConnell final, as the teams battled for supremacy. (Many thanks to Janice Seamon-Molson for providing bidding and play records from the Closed Room.)

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

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Meyers	Gromova	Levin
			Pass
Pass	2♦	2♠	Dble
4♦	Pass	4♠	All Pass

The defence started with three rounds of clubs, North ruffing and switching to the jack of hearts. With both red suit finesses working the contract rolled home, +420.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
			Pass
Pass	2♥*	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

2♥ Both majors, 4-9

South led a club and the defenders took the first five tricks and switched to a diamond. Declarer put up the ace and took the heart finesse; –50 – a loss of 10 IMPs.

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

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Meyers	Gromova	Levin
		1♠	Pass
3♦	Pass	3♥	Dble
3♠	Pass	5♦	All Pass

North led the ten of hearts and declarer won in dummy and played a club. The contract was in no danger as one club ruff was assured and when South, hoping that West might be without the king of spades discarded two of them giving declarer an overtrick; +620.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
		1♠	Pass
2♦	Pass	2♥	Pass
3♦	Pass	3♥	Pass
3NT	All Pass

North led a club and the defenders cashed six tricks for –200 and 13 IMPs.

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

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Meyers	Gromova	Levin
			Pass
Pass	1♦	2♦	3♦
4♠	5♦	Pass	Pass
5♠	6♦	All Pass

South had the right cards to justify North’s brave decision to go on to Six Diamonds, but East led the ace of clubs and continued the suit. West ruffed and played the seven of hearts and declarer refused the finesse; two down for –200.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
			Pass
Pass	1♦	1♠	1NT
4♠	5♦	All Pass

Here East led her singleton heart; twelve tricks for +620 and another 13 IMPs.

Steiner was building up a significant lead, but their opponents were not done yet, picking up a somewhat fortuitous swing on the next deal.

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

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Meyers	Gromova	Levin
Pass	Pass	1♦	1♠
Pass	2♦	Pass	2♥
Pass	2♠	Pass	3♠
Pass	4♠	All Pass

West led the five of diamonds and declarer put up dummy’s ace and played the ten of hearts. When East played the jack the defenders had lost all hope of defeating the contract. West took declarer’s queen with the ace and returned the ten of clubs. East won and tried a hopeful king of diamonds.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
Pass	Pass	1♦	1♠
Dble	2♣*	Pass	2♦*
Pass	3♦*	Dble*	4♠
All Pass

2♣ Transfer, game interest
2♦ Extra values
Dble Don’t lead diamonds

The precise meaning of North’s Three Diamonds is, according to her partner, unclear, but it did not affect South’s decision to bid game.

West led the ten of clubs and East ducked. (The only genuine winning defence is to take the ace of clubs and play three rounds of hearts – West having to take the ace of hearts even if South refuses to cover the jack of hearts – not at all easy to see.) The threat of a club ruff meant declarer had to draw trumps and after three rounds of spades she played a club. East took the ace and played the king of hearts. The heart position was such that the contract was secure, but declarer inadvertently played the eight of hearts on this trick and could not recover. West won the next heart trick and played a diamond. Declarer made a desperate attempt to recover by finessing, but when that lost she had to go two down; –100 and 11 IMPs.

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

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Meyers	Gromova	Levin
		Pass	Pass
1♣	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

South led the seven of hearts to the king and ace and declarer now made the surprising play of running the jack of clubs. North won and switched to the four of spades. South took the ace and returned the suit but when North ducked the defenders had missed their chance to cash out and declarer had survived; +600.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
		Pass	Pass
1♦	1♠	2♣	2♠
3♣	All Pass

The defenders took two spades and a heart; –130, but recovered virtually all the points they had lost on the previous deal.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	♠ 9 5 3 ♥ A K 9 8 4 ♦ A 8 5 3 ♣ 9
♠ A 6 ♥ Q 10 6 3 ♦ 6 ♣ A K Q 8 7 3		♠ K J 10 8 4 2 ♥ J ♦ K 10 7 4 ♣ 6 4
	♠ Q 7 ♥ 7 5 2 ♦ Q J 9 2 ♣ J 10 5 2

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Meyers	Gromova	Levin
			Pass
2♣	2♥	2♠	Pass
3NT	All Pass

North led the three of diamonds and declarer played low from dummy, South winning with the nine and switching to the seven of hearts. North won with the king and switched back to diamonds. Declarer put up dummy’s king and when that held she must have had high hopes. They were dashed when North discarded the four of hearts on the second club, so declarer now had to rely on the spade suit. Naturally she finessed on the second round, so she finished three down for –150.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Stansby	Sokolow	Rosenberg	Seamon-Molson
			Pass
1♣	1♥	1♠	2♥
3♣	3♥	3♠	Pass
4♠	All Pass

South led the queen of diamonds and North put up the ace and cashed a top heart – an immediate club switch would have been only slightly more testing - before switching to a club. Declarer won in dummy, cashed the king and ace of spades and took the ruffing heart finesse for eleven tricks; +450 and 12 IMPs.

Steiner had won the set 57-30 and would go into the last set with a healthy, but far from decisive, lead.