CONTRACT BRIDGE Grand Slam, A Bridge Player’s Dream

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32030, 3 July 1969, Page 11

CONTRACT BRIDGE Grand Slam, A Bridge Player’s Dream

fCtntributei by J.R.W.) Teams-of-four tournaments, in which every player has to partner each of his teammates for at least one session of play, are peculiar to New Zealand. For a very simple reason they are declining in popularity. As one disillusioned contestant put it: “It is hard enough to find one congenial partner, let alone three.” The entry for this year’s Canterbury teams championship, run by the Christchurch Club, was, then, disappointing in numbers, though most of the province's leading lights were present They were treated to a number of very similar hands featuring eight and nine card solid suits which gave the punters a very happy time. This deal provided the players with the opportunity to achieve the bridge-player’s dream, a vulnerable grand slam:

With both sides vulnerable, the dealer. West, did not feel disposed to open proceedings. It seems incredible that any bridge player could fall to open the bidding on the

North hand, but one or two of the contestants did, on the grounds that they had fewer than 12 high card points. No matter how strongly North called from then on, it was impossible for South to visualise a hand containing six tricks in spades, and the partners allowed the auction to die in six clubs and six notrumps. There are, of course 16 tricks in the two hands—six in spades, the two red aces and eight in clubs—so it is only a question of being able to bid the grand slam. Twothirds of the contestants, however, finished in a small slam only, with six no-trumps, the most popular resting place. One very pessimistic pair of super-sound bidders settled in five clubs, a contract which presented no problems at all. The Christchurch four of J. R. Wignall, E. Dalton, L. S. Julian and F. Lu established an early lead which they increased as the tournament progressed, to win by a comfortable margin. On this particular deal Dalton opened the North hand with one spade and Julian immediately called four no-trumps, the Blackwood convention inquiring how many aees his partner held. The response of five diamonds showed one, so Julian followed up with five-no-trumps to ask for kings. After learning of one. South could count 12 tricks, eight dubs, three aces and one king, and surely his partner had some extra value for his opening bid. He therefore contracted for seven clubs, which of course was made without difficulty. Successful Auction One other pair called seven dubs, one seven spades, and ' two finished in seven notrumps, one of them doubled. But the best score on the hand was made by G. B. P. Wilson and R. R. Hudson, of Dunedin, who achieved the bridge-player’s dream, a vulnerable grand slam in no trumps doubled and redoubled, after this auction:

After Wilson’s opening one spade, four dubs asked for aces, four hearts showed one, and East doubled as an indication to his partner that it would be safe to lead that suit

! Hudson’s five dubs asked I for kings, and five hearts {showed one. Five no-trumps i was intended to be asking for queens, but was misinterpreted slightly and Wilson I “signed off” in six spades. I Hudson dedded to remove

any further opportunity for misunderstanding by jumping to seven-no-trumps. East’s double was based partly on his holding of 10 points in high cards and partly on the uncertainty in his opponents’ auction, but after South had redoubled the defence was to learn that points do not win tricks. It took them quite a while to calculate the score—seven-no-trumps scores 220, doubled is 440, redoubled 880, plus 50 for making a doubled contract, plus five hundred game bonus, plus 1500 vulnerable grand slam bonus, a total of 2930. A score like this shows why the Dunedin team, the other two members of which were Mrs C. R. East and L. G. Townsend, was expected to provide the sternest opposition to the local fours. But they faded a little in the last session to finish fourth. Just heading them off for third place were H. Pickering, C. Rowland, R. I. Steel and J. D. Thomson. Possibly the most popular result, however, was that of the runners-up, Mrs V. Bell, Mrs J. P. Mather and Mr and Mrs P. J. Oakley, who with a good score in the final round edged out other more highly regarded teams.

w. N. E. S. No IS No 4C No 4H Dble 5C No 5H Dble 5NT No 6S No 7NT No No Dble Redble.