All News

Malcolm Smith…a man with plenty of  not much!

A Guiness Record Book Deal.

There are two questions for you today relating to the bridge hand below. You are not required to choose a bid. You have already chosen yours and surely it is the obvious one to make.

 

Now, to be absolutely clear. The hand above is not the North hand. That would make no sense since South had doubled for take-out. Nowhere in bridge literature is there a recommended action for a 24 count to make when their partner doubles a one-level opener for take-out…and nor will there ever be!

You, South, did double 1 for take-out.

Our two questions are:

What was the final contract when the auction started as such at one table?

Which were the two games North-South could make and which was their making slam? (1 promised at least 3 diamonds.)

The above was a board during the Matariki on-line fund-raiser for our International Teams played on Real Bridge last Friday. The Open event was won by Pat Carter and Julie Atkinson in some style, they winning all their matches. However, this was one board they did not win.

The above bidding did not occur at their table but did occur at a table where East-West were playing a Precision style system. Something very strange happened or did not happen after Karen Harris doubled with the South hand above. What did happen is that there was no further bidding!

If that seems strange, then take a look:

 

North does have alternatives to passing. They could bid 2 or at a pinch (not recommended though in fact the winning action if you do bid) 1. However, North, Malcolm Smith, could see no joy in bidding. Invariably, his partner would bid a large number of hearts (not this day, of course) and his dummy would not be appreciated despite the polite “thank you, partner”.

So, Malcolm tried the effect of a pass. If East ran, all well and good, for a while, and if East passed the hand out, well at worst there should not be too many overtricks. There were not!

As an aside, and not just because it was absolutely correct on this occasion, you should never stand such a double being passed round to you if you have anywhere vaguely sensible to go. East liked their trump holding and thought it would be worth a couple of tricks. Even that was questionable!

So, a surprised Karen led three top spades and then A. Heart ruff, club to the Q then A, heart ruff, club ruff, heart ruff and a diamond through declarer. Malcolm scored his Q meaning the defence had taken the first 11 tricks. Declarer could not be denied AJ for the last two tricks….and that was + 1400.

East- West may well have reflected that 7 tricks were available for them if East had tried 1. It is interesting as to whether South would have doubled that for penalties, or maybe tried 3NT. Both were, of course, wrong actions on the above lay-out. Had South doubled 1, North did still have the option of pulling that penalty double to 2…and that might have got South thinking of a diamond contract.

At other tables, East either opened 1 or a weak 1NT. Either way, South doubled and North replied in diamonds if they were forced to bid. 3NT by South ended most auctions. It did not matter which suit West led (even a diamond!). The 3-1 diamond break meant this contract had to fail. Julie and Patrick were among the 3NT casualties.

A few auctions did progress to 5. Faisal Alam, Gadi Ben-Tal and Martin Oyston were three North players who were unhappy with their partner’s prospects in 3NT, bidding 4 (their Easts' had not mentioned that suit). Their partners raised to the diamond game and they would have been very impressed with their dummy. “Thank you, partner” and they really meant it.

In fact by leading diamonds twice from the North hand, you can make 12 tricks, North’s 2 small clubs being discarded on the 4^th round of spades and A. 6 is of course a very anti-percentage contract (less so after East opens the bidding) which no pair reached.

Two South players did record a plus when their opponents found their heart fit and 2 was passed round to them. Neither Moss Wylie nor Christine Gibbons thought it right to bid on and both were rewarded with + 200. There were very few plus scores North/South and none even remotely as large as that achieved by Karen and Malcolm.

So, did you guess that the 2 making games were 5 and 4? What about making 6?

What then should go into the Guiness Book of Bridge Records? Has one of a suit doubled contract ever before been passed out by a hand which was a true Yarborough with the result being anything like as good as +1400? I doubt it.

Never underestimate the power of a Yarborough.. with a few trumps!

Richard Solomon

and on behalf of all those going to Buenos Aires in October, thanks to all those players who took part in these fund-raising events….and thanks to NZ Bridge for putting the three events on.

The Restricted Open event was won by Anne and Leo Sim and the Intermediate/Junior event by Judy Russell and Pam Hodgkinson.

Go Back View All News Items