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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Who’s the boss?

Well, some hands involve an exchange of information to reach the right contract, both the level and the suit denomination. Then, there are others where one partner takes control and when it comes to slam bidding, it is the player who asks for aces or key cards.

So, which of those situations do you think occurred here? Who is the boss? 

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Board 12
West Deals
N-S Vul

   

A

8 7 4

K 10 9

K Q J 10 9 7

 

N

W

 

E

S

   

 

West

North

East

South

1 ♣

Pass

1 

Pass

2 ♣

Pass

2 

Pass

2 

Pass

4 NT

Pass

5 ♣

Pass

5 

Pass

5 

Pass

6 

Pass

?

 

 

 

The bidding was natural with 2Diamond-small being forcing for one round. Well, it looked like East had far greater ambitions than game. 5Club-small showed one or four key cards and 5Diamond-small asked for the trump queen with 5Heart-small denying possession of that card. Nevertheless, your partner raised to 6Heart-small. Well, what are you thinking?

Australian Paul Dalley was sitting West with the above hand on the second day of the Bobby Richman Open Pairs. His sequence was slightly different in that he and his partner, Tony Nunn, were playing transfer responses to 1Club-small. However, the information available to Paul when Tony bid 6Heart-small was just the same as above.

He had told his partner he held a club suit and had three card heart support. It looked a routine auction with his partner checking for key cards and then for the Heart-smallQ, before raising the 5Heart-small reply ("I do not hold the Heart-smallQ") to 6Heart-small. Paul was just about to sign off but just as his pen was about to hit the bidding pad, he pulled back.

If his partner was prepared to go to small slam missing the Heart-smallQ, then surely their partnership should hold all the key cards (i.e including Heart-smallK). It seemed there was an alternative to a heart contract. Why not clubs? Then, at worst, it might come down to the heart finesse but there were good chances of avoiding a heart loser. Indeed, if there was a certain heart loser with hearts as trumps, then that could well be avoided if hearts was a side-suit. After some thought, Paul bid 7Club-small.

Board 12
West Deals
N-S Vul

Q 10 9 8 7 5

3 2

J 6 5 3

5

A

8 7 4

K 10 9

K Q J 10 9 7

 

N

W

 

E

S

 

K 6

A K 10 9 5

A 8 7 2

A 8

 

J 4 3 2

Q J 6

Q 4

6 4 3 2

 

West

North

East

South

1 ♣

Pass

1 

Pass

1 

Pass

2 

Pass

3 ♣

Pass

3 

Pass

3 

Pass

4 NT

Pass

5 ♣

Pass

5 

Pass

5 

Pass

6 

Pass

7 ♣

All pass

 

 

 This was their sequence. 1Diamond-small showed hearts. 1Heart-small showed 3 card support and 2Diamond-small was game force artificial. After that the bidding was natural with key-card ask as above.

The lead was Spade-small10 after which trumps were drawn. Then a heart to the ace and the SSpade-small discarding a heart. Heart-smallK and a heart ruff and the heart suit then provided a place to discard West’s small diamond. 7Club-small made. Very well bid.

Only one other pair reached 7Club-small in the top two sections of the Open Pairs.

Top Kiwi Scores (in top 10 Section A and B: top 5 others) non-Kiwi in italics

   

Bobby Richman Pairs

     
   

Open

       

A

9th

Liz  Fisher

 

Blair Fisher

   
             
 

10th

Hugh McAlister

Di McAlister

   
             

B

7th

Michael Ware

 

Pete Hollands

 
             
 

9th

June Lei

 

Jeter Liu

   
             
 

10th

Pamela Nisbet

 

Jan Cormack

 
             

E

4th

Paula Gregory

 

Michael Johnstone

 
             

F

2nd

Jenny Millington

Barry Jones

   
             

K

1st

Debbie McLeod

Brian Cleaver

 
             
 

3rd

Vivienne Cannell

Maureen Pratchett

 
             
   

Intermediate

       

A

2nd

Pryor Rowland

 

Graham Cheater

 
 

 

         
 

5th

Kevin Walker

 

Helen Walker

 
             
 

10th

Susan Stephens

Carol Joseph

 
             

B

9th

Pamela Glyn

 

Julian Glyn

   
             
 

10th

Stuart Grant

 

Pam Whitehead

 
             

E

2nd

Jennifer O'Leary

Bruce Anderson

 
   

 Intermediate

       

A

3rd=

Thorsten Stanley

Bob Ure

   
             
 

7th

Jan Bennett

 

Derek Bartosh

 
             

B

4th

Alan Mace

 

Joy Williams

   
             

C

3rd

Tim Rigter

 

Rochelle Van Heuven

 
             
 

5th

Maggie Robbie

 

Jenni Borren

 
             

D

4th

Sue Hunt

 

Sue Skarupsky

 
             
 

5th

Rosaleen Koch

 

Barbara Fitzgerald

 
             

G

2nd

Anna Powell

 

Nichola Dallas

 
             

H

1st

Marion Coburn

Charmaine Hanbury-Webber

             
   

Sunday Butler Swiss Pairs

 

 

   

Open

       
 

6th

Harry Shepherd

Greg Buzzard

 
             
   

Monday Open Butler Swiss Pairs

   
 

1st

Derek Evennett

Judy McLeod

 
             
 

3rd

Harry Shepherd

Greg Buzzard

 
             
 

4th

Debbie Marcroft

Steve Baron

   
             
 

7th

Joan Waldvogel

Joan McCarthy

 
             
 

10th

Murray Wood

 

Rachelle Pelkman

 
             
   

0-500 Butler Swiss Pairs

   
 

6th

Rhondda Sweetman

Wayne Gyde

 
             
 

8th

Sue Cohen

 

Karen Smith

 
             

Apologies if any names have been missed.

Richard Solomon

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