Winning
A Membership
Congratulations to Nancy Glenn and Anne Schaeffer who
narrowly nosed out two other East West pairs to take the Club Championship
Win-A-Membership game by 2.5 matchpoints.
Here are a few of the key hands:
It is likely that most South players intervened over East's
1N opener on 25 with some kind of 2 suited overcall. Only 3 pairs found the 10th trick
available when South holds the stiff T or J of spades. Annie, sitting West, got to open 1N with the
board reversed and found the extra trick in the spade play.
An unusual contract, 2N-N by Colin Kehe on Board 30, might
have cost the 2nd place finishers, Cezanne Martin and John Minton
the victory. A normal diamond lead from AQxx combined with the HT lying
third, provided the ingredients for a
big NS plus score.
Much more common was the 2H contract played at 7
tables. The defense is easily entitled
to 3 clubs, a diamond and the heart K.
Our winners, Nancy and Annie were the only pair to score a sixth trick,
available with an uppercut on the third diamond, or if North plays for East to
have the T98 of spades. In our penultimate round Cindy Balderson played the HQ
at trick 2 after partner's opening Spade lead was won in hand with the K
leading me to consider that my partner might hold the trump ace. We proceeded to cash our 3 clubs ending with
my K and diamond to partner's Ace was
followed by exiting with his last spade.
After my partner showed up with the CAQ and DA, I should
have known that Cindy held the HA. For a
reason I still don't understand I thought I would still score my HT later and I
failed to ruff the third diamond (uppercut) to beat the contract. That's one way to toss a ½ board away. There's really not much excuse to lose
concentration after so much high card information is gained, and it's small
consolation that most others did not find the defense either.
Defensive Coups
The entire field played 4H on board 19 and it's a safe bet ?! that most
declarers received the CK as the opening defensive salvo. At tables with a spade overcall I would presume
most declarers would advance the SQ and run it if not covered. A ruffing finesse against the SJ on a cover
would lead to making 5. Barry chose to
double, then smoothly ducked the SQ. Our
declarer flew SA, relying on the likelihood that the DQ was onside if the SK
wasn't. Making only 4 cost ½ a
board. All hail the smooth duck. If
declarer is trying a Chinese finesse with Qx with partner hold Jx Easts who
don't cover won't enjoy the postmortem as much.
If your LHO, after making some kind of interfering noise, ducks smoothly
I think the percentages still favor letting the Queen ride.
John Minton
praised his partner, Cezanne Martin, for a fine defensive play on Board 17
where she created a losing option for Joe Barrett in his 4S contract: “Cez. Led a club
to my ace, and I shifted to a small diamond.
After North won it and played a spade, Cez. Flew with the K, encouraging
the illusion that I had Jtxx. Joe then
played a diamond, allowing me to win it and give Cez. A diamond ruff with the
spade 10. Such hands as these keep
bringing me back to the bridge table.”
If RHO has JTxx of
spades behind the AQxx there is no play for the contract, but that takes
nothing away from the fine “pop” of the K from KJ or KT doubleton. For those of you who have picked up “The
Rodwell Files, Secrets of a Bridge Champion”, check out page 257 for a
discussion of creating losing options where this kind of play is
highlighte. This new publication is
destined to become a classic.
This week we are
holding our annual membership game with a full sectional rating at no
additional entry fee. Come down to play
and become a member if you haven't done so already.
-Mike