CONTRACT BRIDGE Tourney A Triumph For Local Pairs

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31195, 20 October 1966, Page 13

CONTRACT BRIDGE Tourney A Triumph For Local Pairs

by J.R.W.) Bridge players from Ashburton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru and Wellington met at Crockford’s Club to compete in the first Christchurch main centre pairs. Not the most serious event on the bridge calendar, it had a free and easy atmosphere made possible by smooth organisation and lavish hospitality. Local players were able to withstand these conditions best, and the winners were H. Pickering and J. D. Thomson with the excellent average score of 63.4 per cent New Zealand representatives, F. P. S. Lu and J. R. Wignail, just managed to hold off a strong challenge from a relatively untried partnership, Mrs W. Ellis and J. Vrylenhoek, for second place, both pairs scoring almost 62 per cent This was the first sponsored tournament played in the South Island, though there was one in Auckland some weeks ago and there are reports that a tobacco company will support a large tournament in Wellington next year. The sponsors of the local event Broadlands Investment Group, Ltd., presented th? Broadlands Trophy for annual competition between clubs, which was won for the first time by the team representing the Christchurch Contract Bridge Club. Aggressive Bidding

The bidding in tournament bridge is much more aggressive and competitive than the purely rubber player is accustomed to. Light opening bids and light take-out doubles lead to keenly disputed auctions in which neither side rests content until it believes it has pushed the opponents too high. This deal produced an interesting auction, followed by defence of a very high order:

After South had decided he had the material for an opening one heart bid, and North had responded one spade, East doubled. This was of course a take-out double promising his partner support in the unbid suits. When South

had rebid his hearts, West recognised that what little he had in the way of high cards was in the suits in which his partner was interested, so he competed with three clubs. North naturally pushed on to three hearts, with which everyone was satisfied. A Tight Defence

West would probably have made ten tricks in clubs for when the finesse in the trump suit is right, the only losers are a spade, a heart and a diamond. But his side now proceeded to give the declarer a sticky time in hearts. Since his partner had shown interest in both minor suits, he started off with a small diamond. East won with the ace, to push a club through. Declarer’s king was taken by> the ace, another club went to the queen and South had to trump the third round.

The latter played off the ace and king of hearts, discovering that West now had as many trumps as he had, He could not therefore draw all the hearts because the defence would then be able to make the fourth club when it won a trick with the, king of spades. South consequently had to tackle the spades at this stage while dummy still 'had a rtump to deal with a club continuation. He led the knave, playing low from dummy, but East smoothly let this win. Declarer led another to the queen and king. West had meanwhile followed with the seven then the six, an “echo” to show a doubleton, so East was able to lead back a third round for his partner to trump. The defence then made another diamond to defeat the contract by two tricks for a penalty of 200 points. Of the 27 pairs who played this deal. 15 were either pushed too high or overreached themselves, and 11 made eight or nine tricks in hearts. It seems it is difficult to stop in a makeable contract, so perhaps the wisest was the solitary pair who threw the hand in.

N S—A Q 1054 H— AJ3 D—32 763 W E S—7 6 * S—K83 H—9872 H—5 D—K76 D—AJ954 C—A J 8 4 C—Q10 5 2 s S-J92 H— -KQ1064 D—Q108 CK9 Bidding: S W N ' E 1 H No 1 S Dble 2 H 3 C 3 H AU Pw