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MOTHER TO MY RESCUE

Have you ever felt like the outsider at the table? It was not that I was in any way made to feel unwelcome but I was partnering Anna Kalma in a Swiss match against her mother, Hermanna, and Hermanna’s husband, Henk.

A nice friendly match, which did not mean that the actions at the table were always friendly. Quite correctly, Hermanna had already punished me for a piece of over-bidding. -500 on my scoresheet was permanent evidence of this!

A few boards later, Anna got to play in 4 and was soon claiming two overtricks. Invariably, when 680 is recorded with no apparent bonus tricks being given, the conversation veered round to whether we could have bid slam…and as I had not overbid my hand (Hermanna’s “double” card was still sitting very ominously close to her hand, ready for further use.), I soul-searched and found how I could have bid rather more strongly.

Disbelieving one’s daughter

No-one disagreed….but then no-one was listening! Anna had entered the score as 680 and Hermanna was checking and was looking puzzled. She had scored an ace and was dangling the unplayed high trump queen in the air ( Anna had claimed after about trick 6).

Much discussion followed and eventually Hermanna got her entitlement. I retracted my statement..but no-one was listening! Thank you, anyway, Hermanna for keeping check on your daughter and proving that my judgement was spot on, for once!

SMALL SLAM OFF: GRAND SLAM MADE

Look at these 4 hands. If hearts are trumps, how high would you like to be as North-South? If East held the K, you would love to be in 6: a New Year’s resolution that all your finesses are going to succeed.

 

I was asked after the session whether we had bid the slam on the above deal  but said that any slam was hard to make on the East-West cards! Indeed, the above was the auction at our table. Before leading to 4, I asked what kind of strength the declarer, Yuzhong Chen, expected for his partner’s Michael’s 2 bid (hearts and a minor). I was told not to expect too much. Obviously, by the look of that South hand, he would be happy with any jack, let alone anything higher.

I guessed that Yuzhong would hold the K and started with the Q! The first two tricks were won by the top two clubs (adios, my spade trick!) and were followed at the speed of light by the Q. I was not going to crush my partner’s singleton ace. I did not…but very soon the ace crushed my king.

Down in small for some…but making grand! 4 well earnt imps, Yuzhong.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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