All News

Nicely Played.

Today’s deal comes from the final round of the Auckland-Northland Inter-Club competition which has been played on-line once a month on Real Bridge.

The Waiheke Open Team were in the Plate section and in their final match had a narrow win over Auckland Watt. One board was very significant to that win, Board 23, where 17 imps changed hands. We are going to follow the Waiheke declarer, Cathy Carroll, tackle a difficult 6 contract.

3 out of the 10 declarers were in 6 including Cathy’s opponent. Another three played in a heart game. Cathy was the only to make 12 tricks. Cathy's partner was Christine Wilson.

So, what’s your line?

 

 

 

There is no opposition bidding. Looking at the North-South hands, you can see one good reason not to be in slam though none of the declarers received a club lead. Indeed, the lead at all 6 tables was 10 from West.

2NT was Jacoby and 4NT Roman Key Card. 5 showed 2 key-cards and Q.

At trick 1, you discard a club from dummy and East contributes Q. You win and play a heart to K  to discover that all four opposition trumps are with East. West discards a diamond.

Over to you.

 If the trump break had been kinder, declarer could draw trumps, set up dummy’s spade suit and discard two more clubs from the North hand on high diamonds, making 12 tricks. Not today, though!

These then were the four hands:

Cathy played a second round of hearts to 8 and then turned to spades. She played K and then low to the ace and ruffed a spade, no doubt relieved this suit broke more evenly than trumps had done.

She then played a third round of hearts to dummy’s Q and then a fourth round of spades. East ruffed with their remaining trump though Cathy was in control. She over-ruffed and could now safely cash her remaining 2 diamond winners before ruffing her fourth diamond with dummy’s remaining trump.

She had a winning spade and crucially only one losing club left in dummy to play at trick 13. The others had been discarded on high diamonds. Cathy had made 6 trump tricks, 3 spade and 3 diamond tricks though the order she made them was crucial. What was even more impressive was that she did so without any knowledge of the potentially cruel diamond break.

A well-played slam which brought a narrow victory in Waiheke’s final inter-club match of the year.

Richard Solomon

Go Back View All News Items