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Daily Bridge in New Zealand

Jan’s Day: A “Freaky” Day.

There’s nothing very balanced about the two deals featured today. Indeed, of the 8 hands, the closest to being balanced had two doubletons! The two deals include 4 void suits and 5 singletons. So, fasten your seat-belts but just before you read on, it’s you on lead…

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West Deals
N-S Vul
 
N
W   E
S
 
7 3
K J 9 7 5 3 2
A Q 8 2
West North East South
3  4  5  6 
6  6  All pass  

 

The bidding started high and accelerated quickly to the 6-level. That’s a fine place to introduce a new suit, and it became the trump suit… and it’s your lead?

Jan's Day

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 Jan Cormack

“It was one of those nights, at the Auckland Teams Club, where the cards decided to have an early New Year’s Party (here, in 2021, it is St Patrick’s Day, an ideal opportunity for some “wild” events). The deals were wild and a lot of scary decisions had to be made at rather high levels.

The following deal presented a huge imp turnover, luckily for my team.

 

West Deals
N-S Vul
K Q 10 9
A
6
A K J 9 5 4 2
8 6 5
Q 4
K J 10 9 5 4 3
7
 
N
W   E
S
 
7 3
K J 9 7 5 3 2
A Q 8 2
 
A J 4 2
10 8 6
7
Q 10 8 6 3
West North East South
3  4  5  6 
6  6  All pass  

 

The above was the bidding at my table. Although 4Club-small might seem a trifle conservative, North reasoned the bidding would not stop there and, of course, he was right.

East led the Diamond-smallA and switched to a heart. My partner, Alec Moore, (North) made quick work of cashing up 12 tricks.

At the other table, the bidding was a little different and the final contract was, once more, 6Spade-small, this time played by South.

 

            West              North            East                South

 

            3Diamond-small                   4Diamond-small                 5Diamond-small                   5Spade-small

 

            6Diamond-small                   6Spade-small                   All Pass

 

As West, Lorraine Boyd was on lead. She made the excellent choice of the Diamond-smallK (with the intention of retaining the lead and then working out what to do next). After observing dummy and partner’s play of the Diamond-small2, Lorraine switched to her singleton club to give her partner a ruff.

It is not often you can give your partner a ruff holding a singleton in that suit yourself. Lorraine told me later she was reluctant to do so but she had to trust her partner’s signal, the Diamond-small2 requesting a switch to the lower non-trump unplayed suit.

So, were you in the above lead problem up to leading the Diamond-small2 at trick 1, underleading your ace? You had to do so to tie the board. Only in the most horrible of nightmares would dummy put down the singleton Diamond-smallK and you had two original cashing tricks including the Diamond-smallA! “Great lead” your partner should say, with sincerity. Shame about the 14 imps in the out column!

 

When did you last pick up a 10-card suit, if ever? Look at this one in the East hand.

North Deals
None Vul
A Q 7
K 7 5 4 3
10 8 6 5 2
K Q
K 2
Q 10 9 2
K Q J 7 3
 
N
W   E
S
 
A 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
6 5 3
 
J
J 10 9 8 4
A J 8 6
A 9 4
West North East South
  Pass 4  Pass
Pass Dbl Pass 4 NT
Pass 5  Pass 5 
Pass Pass 5  Dbl
All pass      

 

East opened 4Spade-small which was passed around to North who doubled. East passed and South bid 4NT, requesting partner to bid a suit. North chose 5Club-small. After East’s pass, South bid 5Diamond-small.

West passed this (I think as West I would have taken some action at this point). When West could not double 5Diamond-small, East pushed on to 5Spade-small which was duly doubled by South.

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Happy day for East-West

 

East was rewarded with a golden dummy, trump support, ruffing value and a doubleton heart for + 650."

It is nice to remember two former top New Zealand players, Lorraine Boyd and Alec Moore, who sadly are no longer with us.  

 

For Less Experienced Players and others

 

North Deals
Both Vul
9
J 6 3
Q J 8 2
A K 9 6 5
   
N
W   E
S
   
 
A K 8 2
A K 5
A 6 5
Q J 3
West North East South
  Pass Pass 2 NT
Pass 4 NT Pass 6 NT
All pass      

 

After passing initially, North felt they had some catching up to do when their partner showed a 20-22 point balanced hand. 4NT was invitational to slam and with 21, South took up the challenge. West led Club-small10. Plan the play to make 12 tricks.

Richard Solomon

 

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