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Pairs winners, Jeremy Fraser- Hoskin and Matt Brown with
Regional President, Grant Jarvis.

A Double for Matt.

Congratulations to those successful in the Auckland Club’s Easter Congress. It was a particularly good weekend for Matt Brown, successful in both Pairs and Teams.

Here are the top placings in the three events at the Congress.

Auckland Easter Pairs

mpnts

1

Matt

Brown

Jeremy

Fraser- Hoskin

1784.35

2

GeO

Tislevoll

Geeske

Joel

1669.80

3

George

Sun

Jeter

Liu

1646.25

Auckland Easter Teams

vps

1

Michael

Ware

Matthew

McManus

Hugh

McGann

Matt

Brown

135.91

2

Michael

Cornell

Ashley

Bach

Peter

Newell

Martin

Reid

132.15

3

Carol

Richardson

Andi

Boughey

Steve

Boughey

John

Wang

112.56

Auckland Easter Walk In Pairs

%

1

Grant

Jarvis

Leon

Meir

123.70

2

Allan

Morris

Bev

Morris

115.78

3

Peer

Bach

Setsuko

Lichtnecker

115.33

 

 
Double winner, Matt Brown, along with teammates Michael Ware, 
Hugh McGann and Matthew McManus

The events attracted quite good numbers, too, with 42 pairs in the main Pairs event, 34 pairs in the Walk-In and 28 teams participating in the two-day Teams. Julie Atkinson and Pat Carter ably headed the organisation/ directing and scoring teams.

Dead Duck!

It is not quite yet the season that this variety of fowl really hate. It is, though, the season, and it always seems to be that season, when a number of declarers misplay a hand. Take some comfort that you are but one of many. How much nicer it would be to record a plus score when you are able to do so.

 

 

You reach a 25 hcp 3NT after a lively auction. For a passed hand, North does a lot of bidding! Eventually, it seems North asks for a club hold and you own up to holding one. West leads Q. Plan the play.

Our game is great for many reasons and knowing when to break one of its common guidelines is one of them. Here, we have an awkward 3NT contract. We seem exposed in the club suit. It seems we could possibly lead hearts 3 times from the table and score four spades, three hearts and two minor aces, assuming we do not lose four or more club tricks first.

If the club break is 5-3, we have no chance. We still have hope if each opponent had four clubs but West’s overcall tells you that that is most unlikely. What say West had 6 clubs? Another question to ask yourself is where is the K? In a normal lead sequence, it is with East. Have you noticed a rather valuable card in dummy, 10?

The position of one rather important card, A, was not where you expected:

 

The 10 prevented East from playing the K at trick 1 and was declarer’s saviour, as long as they ignored the common rule about ducking to try and sever communications between one’s opponents. South should win trick 1, hoping that the club break is 6-2!

Now, maybe a spade to dummy and a heart towards the king. The news is both bad and good! West wins to play a second club. East wins their K and can tempt South with a small diamond or can exit passively in either major. South can even afford to give the defence two diamond tricks and still make their contract. Play 9 from dummy (had East not played one) and let it run (we know East is a point or two short of an opening bid). They may just hold KQ and there will be an overtrick.

Of course, had West started with a small club, there was no hope of success for declarer. There is a fair case for West to lead a small club since they really need their partner to have the ace or king to beat the contract. Many declarers did fail after the Q lead presumably because they ducked the opening lead. It was time to break the ducking rule in order to succeed.

Richard Solomon

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