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Swingy…but flat!

Today’s board also, like yesterday’s, comes from the final of the HCL International tournament in New Delhi, won by Matt Brown and Michael Whibley and their Australian teammates, Sartaj Hans and Andy Hung. This board demonstrates the fine line between success and failure.

It came just two boards after Whibley-Brown bid and made the 6 slam we highlighted yesterday.

 

 

After Michael’s potentially short 1 opening, Kevin Bathurst bid a natural 2. After Matt’s negative double, Bathurst bid more clubs but Matt went straight to game.

A high club lead would have aided Michael but Bathurst’s choice was Q which received an encouraging signal from his partner. Michael won in hand to lead a small trump which Bathurst took with his A with North, John Hurd, contributing 4. Bathurst continued with Q, taken by K in the West hand.

Michael faced at least one more certain heart loser, maybe more, a spade loser and still had to find the Q without loss in order to come to 10 tricks. In dummy, how should he continue?

He needed some good fortune and played a diamond to the ace and a second diamond towards dummy, presumably ruffing a third round if no Q appeared. Yet, it did, doubleton in the South hand. Again, not in the hand he would best like to be, how should he continue?

He tried the 5 from dummy which produced unexpectedly good results:

 

Probably anticipating Michael held J, John Hurd, North, rose with K because he knew the defence had a spade trick to take and he needed to take it quickly. So, he did indeed cash J but that was the end of the defence. Since the J had fallen, Michael could either win the spade continuation or club switch and draw 1O with Q in dummy. The diamond suit was then established and Michael could claim.

Had Hurd ducked 10, Bathurst would win with J but could not play spades. He would have had to play a club, ruffed in dummy. Michael would continue top diamonds only losing to the K. Contract made once again.

It would seem that 4 was both a better but possibly worse contract than the one reached at the other table:

At favourable vulnerability, Andy Hung opened some form of Weak 2 in spades. His partner, having by far the best hand at the table, contented himself with a natural 3. That did not stop West bidding and one bid later, East, Vince Demuy, was declarer in 3NT. Hearts never got a look-in!

With a certain outside entry, Sartaj Hans started with A and continued with 10 which Demuy took with K. All eyes were on the diamond suit. Had the Q been protected in the North hand, the best declarer could do would be to take his top spades and concede down 4. As it was, he counted to 9 tricks very quickly when Sartaj produced Q. Thus, game bid and made at both tables with East-West having only a combined 20 hcp.

So, just one imp to Team Wham which on a slightly different lay-out of the red suits could have produced 12 imps for Shourie  or even 15 imps for Team Wham had 4 been the only making game.

Richard Solomon

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