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The Wellington Main Regional Teams was held last weekend at the Wellington Bridge Club. While the number of participating teams was at 18 rather low, most of the usual suspects were there. However, there were one pair who really should have worn name-tags as they are rarely seen at bridge tournaments these days.

That is to the advantage of other pairs whose aim is to do well at such events like perhaps the other 35 pairs at this event (excluding the “strangers’” teammates but including three pairs from one team of six!).

One outing a year together is what Scott Smith and David Ackerley usually have and when challenged that they had already been seen this year at the North Island Teams (naturally, they were in the winning team), Scott claimed that was to make up for not playing the previous year! Meanwhile, their teammates were Glenn Coutts and Michael Ware. Michael estimates he and Glenn have played together about four times before but not in the last couple of years.

I also asked Scott and David for an interesting hand from the just completed Wellington event (again, they were in the winning team), something perhaps where they or their partner had done something good. Typically, I drew a blank! "Nothing special" was the reply from both of them. However, Scott was “dobbed in “ by one of his teammates, Michael Ware.

What then would you bid as West with the following hand? The auction had accelerated rather quickly!

 

1 promised 2+ clubs.

You always had an interesting- looking hand and it got more interesting and a little more challenging when the opponents interfered, as is their right!

With Scott West and David East, the bidding was as above. Indeed, the auction was up to that point the same at both tables in their match. However, the next bid by West was different. At the other table, West bid 6, which was doubled by Glenn Coutts, Michael Ware’s partner. In theory, this was a dangerous double though it is somewhat unusual to pull a doubled small slam to grand in a different suit!

With the above hand, Scott bid 5NT played as “pick a slam” and David duly did….but not in spades.

 

A nice pair of bids to end the auction. After a high heart lead, ruffed, Scott played A and ruffed a diamond. Q was covered and taken by A. Scott ruffed another diamond, cashed J and ruffed dummy’s remaining heart. He drew trump and played AK and when no Q appeared, conceded a diamond at trick 13 but had made 12 tricks.

Meanwhile, at the other table, Michael Ware, South, was on lead to 6 x. Michael felt that the double was pure penalties, but just in case it was Lightner, he led dummy’s first bid suit, clubs. Fearing a singleton lead, the declarer played A. Glenn Coutts (North) ruffed and played A forcing a ruff in the West hand. This ensured Glenn would still make a trump trick..and with K, the contract was down 2, - 300.

That was 15 imps to the Ware team, which put them on track to winning the event by 7.21 vps in the 7 round 84 board Swiss event. Second was the team of Peter Newell, Martin Reid and Liz and Blair Fisher with Ian Berrington, Graeme Tuffnell, Fuxia Wen and Pat D’Arcy a further 2.93 vps back in 3^rd place.

 
Glenn, David, Scott and Michael

That double of 6 did give East-West their chance to try their luck in 7. No pair tried their luck at that contract or even made 13 tricks in clubs. However, with both black suit finesses working, it was possible.

Yet, 6 was certainly makeable without a club lead. So, Glenn’s double, which looked like Lightner, was very worthwhile. Had the declarer finessed at trick one, Glenn would have defended the same way, a high heart at trick 2, to beat the contract by 1 trick. 6 played by West is unbeatable…but that is effectively an impossibility.

It now seems likely we will not see David and Scott at the table together for at least a further 6 months. That is a pity except it does give the rest of us a better chance of success! Oh, the player with 100% success this year is David. 

Richard Solomon

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