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A Very Handy Mother: National Open Pairs

 Steph Jacob (substitute), Rachelle Pelkman and Tauranga President, Kate Terry

The National Pairs took place at the Tauranga Bridge Club during the past weekend. Perhaps because this event followed too closely on the heels of major Congresses over Queens’ Birthday Weekend, the field had Tauranga was relatively small, just 14 tables. However, 14 tables is the number in the final of the New Zealand Pairs and the quality of the field made this equate to the final of the New Zealand Pairs, the only difference being that there had been no qualifying rounds to get there!

The event was barometered with every pair playing 4 boards against the other 27 pairs, 108 boards; good and plenty of bridge, well directed and scored by Martin Oyston and Kevin Walker.

 

Try this one:

Bridge in NZ.pngnz map.jpg


North Deals
None Vul
   
10 6 4 2
10 5
3
A K 9 8 4 2
 
N
W   E
S
   
West North East South
  Pass 1  Dbl
4  5  5  6 
?      

 

One consistent fact during the event was the name on the leader-board. I use the word “name” carefully in the singular. Rachelle Pelkman (ably assisted by Nick Jacob) got off to a flier with a near 63% first round and after a little dip over the following 8 boards did even better scoring 67.07% in the next 20 to establish a good lead by the end of day 1.

However, a bad bout of flu struck Nick Jacob overnight and although he struggled through the Sunday morning session, he could not continue. For the last session, Nick’s mother, Steph, who had been in Tauranga to spend the weekend with her grandchildren, was the most adequate replacement. Although they were challenged strongly by GeO Tislevoll and Ella Jacob, Rachelle and either Nick or Steph never relinquished their lead, which was 27 match-points at the end of the event, an excellent consistent performance.

 

             

%

1

Rachelle

Pelkman

Nick/Steph

Jacob

58.26

2

GeO

Tislevoll

Ella

 

Jacob

57.30

3

Michael

Ware

 

Malcolm

Mayer

57.09

4

Clair

Miao

 

Wayne

 

Burrows

55.13

5

Gary

Chen

 

John

 

Wang

53.81

6

John

Davidson

Jeremy

 

Fraser-Hoskin

53.45

7

Ian

Berrington

Graeme

Tuffnell

52.10

 

Back then to the above problem.


North Deals
None Vul
   
10 6 4 2
10 5
3
A K 9 8 4 2
 
N
W   E
S
   
West North East South
  Pass 1  Dbl
4  5  5  6 
?      

 

Your attempt at closing off the auction in 4Spade-small had failed miserably. It looked very much, if you bid 6Spade-small that you would have a diamond loser and then there was the case of playing the majors without loss. Spades would probably be fine and it would come down to who had the Heart-smallA. Well, it was not your partner but it was still the right decision to bid 6Spade-small:

 
North Deals
None Vul
9 7
Q J 7
Q 10 8 7 6 5
10 5
10 6 4 2
10 5
3
A K 9 8 4 2
 
N
W   E
S
 
A K Q J 8 3
K 8 4
Q J 7 6
 
5
A 9 6 3 2
A K J 9 4 2
3
West North East South
  Pass 1  Dbl
4  5  5  6 
?      

 

There was always one heart trick for the defence but as long as East was declarer, that was all. Playing Teams, it would seem easier to bid 6Spade-small as 6Diamond-small seemed to be a rather cheap sacrifice over a making spade game but in Pairs?  Many South players would have used a Michaels’ 2Spade-small over East’s opening though West above still had enough information that there was freaky distribution around the table.

Two pairs made it to 6Spade-small, Sandra Calvert and Colin Carryer and not unsurprisingly Nick Jacob and Rachelle Pelkman.

On the edge of a precipice

 precipice.jpg


     
South Deals
None Vul
 
N
W   E
S
 
K
A K J
A K 10 9 2
K 10 5 2
West North East South
      1 
Pass 3  ?  

 

Your opponents are playing 5-card majors. 3Spade-small is 0-5, maybe a poor 6-count with 4 spades, Bergen style. What to do?

Richard Solomon

 

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