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A “Grand” start to Trans-Tasman Challenge.

It’s “grand” if you can bid it…and make it, too!

A Trans- Tasman practice series started last Friday evening. Roughly once a month on Friday evenings, New Zealand and Australian Open, Mixed, Women’s, Seniors and Youth teams will play a series of 16 board matches on Real Bridge against each other, all matches New Zealand v Australia. There is one Youth team from each country and 2 from the other 4 categories, thus 8 matches in all.

What’s your line in your grand-slam on this board from the first session?

 

I would have thought that the South hand qualified for a 2 Game-Force opening (more of that later) but two Australian pairs bid in the identical fashion to 7. 5 showed 1 or 4 key cards. West led 3 (3rds and 5ths). What is your line? Spades break 3-2 with the jack in the three-card suit. 

These are the top 5 teams at the end of round 1:

Australia Open 2                    16.73
Australia Seniors 1                 15.92
New Zealand Open 1              15.56
New Zealand Youth                15.56
New Zealand Women 2           14.39

Our Open 1 team is Michael Cornell, Ashley Bach, Tom Jacob, Brian Mace.
Our Youth team is Kevin Hu, Zachary Yan, Jeremy Fraser-Hoskin, Leon Meier while our Women 2 team is Jane Lennon, Mindy Wu and Kate Terry, with Alan Grant in by special invitation!

Board 11 was frustrating for two Kiwi pairs as their Australian opponents bid to grand slam and then played it perfectly to make 13 tricks. There was, of course, a pitfall or two along the way:

 

George Smolanko and Stephen Fischer were the successful declarers. They won A and played two top trumps and then the AK to discover some very bad news. They ruffed a club in dummy, ruffed a heart back to hand and then drew West’s last trump.

Then came the key moment of how to play the diamond suit. West was known to have 3 spades and 4 clubs. Add that to a probable 3 hearts and it was a case of having to finesse..and of course a successful finesse it was. 

There is a lead to beat 7 and that is a diamond, cutting declarer off from their source of tricks at too early a stage, even if South finesses.

With East’s pre-emption in hearts, the chance of their having 4 clubs to the queen seems small. So, this points to the successful line taken being the correct line.

The problem of opening the South hand 2 is getting their two suits in at a sensible level after East’s pre-emption. 6 tables saw the board played in clubs, once even in 7, all unsuccessful of course, with spades not getting a look-in. The 3 natural response to 2 further hampered a clear description of the South hand. 
 
no wonder Julie is smiling. She made a 
good choice at the 6-level. 
However, Julie Atkinson and Pat Carter managed it after Pat had opened a strong artificial 1 as follows:

West          North         East            South
                    Julie                              Pat
                                                        1
Pass            1 (negative) 3             4
Pass            5                  Pass         6
Pass            6                All Pass

4 had to be a very strong 2-suiter and when it was evident that it was the two black suits, Julie chose well to pick the slam that made.

The next round is on March 31^st.

Neat hand..but for what?

 

 
Richard Solomon

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