CONTRACT BRIDGE Silver cups among the gold in Central Otago

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32700, 1 September 1971, Page 10

CONTRACT BRIDGE Silver cups among the gold in Central Otago

(Contributed by

J.R.W.)

The tournament with the longest name in New Zealand bridge, the Otago Central open pairs contract bridge championship, was again this year held at, and sponsored by, the Golden Central Motor Inn at Alexandra. At the conclusion of play, all who were lucky enough to have participated in the bridge and the cordon bleu cookery provided by the management left with happy memories, full stomachs and a keen desire to return next year. The contestants came from a wider area than usual, 10 clubs from both islands being represented. After two sessions it looked as though the championship would be a triumph for Christchurch pairs, but with one exception they all fell from grace in the final round, and it was left to the young and relatively inexperienced partnership of I. Jackson and W. Sadler to uphold the honour of the garden city by carrying off the silver trophy. While this was not their first tournament victory, it was their first in such tough company. In achieving it they had to play through a couple of bad patches when little would go right for them, and in doing so they proved they had the courage as well as the ability to win. The other leading places were filled by Dunedin pairs, the reliable partnership of Mrs J. Jones and C. RJohnston doing best by finishing in second place. F. S. Salinger and R. Scott were third not very far behind. All the top pajrs did well

on this instructive deal from the final session:

. The popular contract was two spades played by South, reached at one table in this way:

W. N. E. S. INT Dble No 2S ' All pass West’s opening bid of one weak no-trump was doubled by North, and removed to two spades by South. Proceedings for the defence were opened by West’s cashing the ace and king of clubs, before switching to a small spade. The declarer made the ace and king of trumps, then led the Jack, overtaking it in her own hand with the queen. A low heart was led towards dummy. When West played the six. North's queen won, and the declarer re-entered her hand by ruffing a club. Another heart was taken by the ace, and West switched to a diamond. Dummy’s ace won, the king of hearts dropped East’s jack and West’s nine, thus making the seven and five good. Five tricks in spades, four in hearts, and one in diamonds added up to 10 in

all. This result was also achieved by Sadler and Jackson who thus earned a good score on the deal.

The defence can however, do much better. When there is a long suit in dummy which can easily be established, it is vital to set up tricks in the remaining side suits as soon as possible. After winning the opening lead with a top club, therefore, West should switch to a small diamond. Now the declarer has to play with great care. If he takes the diamond ace and draws trumps ending in his own hand to lead a heart, West can step in with the ace and lead a diamond to his partner’s king. A .diamond return allows West to make his queen and 10 and the declarer is down one.

South must therefore allow the defenders to win the first round of diamonds, so that he can if need be ruff one or two in dummy. He still has various pitfalls to avoid, but should manage to come to eight or nine tricks eventually.

Salinger and Scott found the defence of attacking diamonds, thereby earning themselves a good result by holding their opponents to eight tricks. When Mrs Jones and Johnston met the hand, they were North-South and succeeded in buying the contract at three clubs, making nine tricks when the defence lost its way.