CONTRACT BRIDGE Teams-of-four tactics

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32849, 24 February 1972, Page 10

CONTRACT BRIDGE Teams-of-four tactics

(Contributed by J.R.W.)

The annual Canterbury in-ter-club teams of four chant-, pionship produced its by now’ traditional finish when the I issue was again decided in the final round. The team from the Christchurch Club had started off looking as though it would win the event in a canter, but faltered rather in the closing stages and had to win its last match to make sure of the title. Crockfords Club (Mr and Mrs P. J. Oakley, Mrs V. Bell and R. O. Haigh) was second, while a composite team consisting of pairs from the two major local clubs (Mrs E. G. Garbutt and Mrs G. Nutt, Mrs R. 0. Haigh and G. L. Bradbury) was third. Teams representing the Ashburton, Rangiora, Timaru, Waimate and Westport Clubs also took part. The idea behind the contest is to give local players some experience of teams-of-four play, and to acquaint them with the special tactics ; required. It is not only in the! bidding and play that these are necessary. In a teams match, each deal is played twice, so that a pair from each side plays the NorthSouth hands, while their team-mates have the EastWest. Then the scores are compared. This comparison, a sort of super-post-mortem, can for the uninitiated be one of the most harrowing experiences in the game, especially for a pair that has not played too well. But the old hand excels in this department. One wellknown player invariably

comes bouncing away from his table announcing confidently that he and his partner j! have done “quite well”, his side should be “quite a bit up”, and apart from one hand when his partner went to sleep they scarcely put a foot wrong. In this way, he has established a wonderful position in the post-mortem, for if his team is leading it was only to be expected, while if it is losing it cannot be his fault. Varied Contracts These tactics are frowned upon in Christchurch of course, but there was a certain amount of rivalry between the two pairs of the: winning team, H. Pickering and J. D. Thomson, and C. Rowland and J. R. Wignail. This deal from the match Christchurch versus Rangiora produced some discussion:

With neither side vulner- i able, and East the dealer, , when Pickering and Thomson j sat North-South the auction , was:

' The play was soon over. ■ West led his singleton diamond to his partner’s ace, and ruffed the diamond con-i tinuation. A heart to the ace was followed by a second dia- | mond ruff and that was one down. At the other table, the final contract was different:

Here East jumped to four hearts principally to keep his opponents from getting together in spades or diamonds, and was mildly surprised to find the contract makeable. He ruffed the spade lead, played the ace of diamonds and trumped a diamond. When he tried to exit from dummy with a club, North ruffed, and continued with another spade. The declarer trumped this, played

off the ace of hearts, ruffed his last diamond on the table. and carried on leading clubs. All the defenders could make were three trump tricks, so Christchurch chalked up four hearts bid and made. But East was not satisfied with this. “I was a bit sur-l prised you were not in five diamonds on that hand,” he! said loftily to his team-mates, and explained how this con-, tract would be easily made, by way of five tricks in dia-1 monds and six in spades. All! the defenders could make would be two red aces.

After a quick examination lof the deal. South came up with his answer. “Not at all,” he said. “We were afraid that if we messed about during the auction, the opponents might get together in clubs. East-West can make six clubs, you know.” East quickly changed the subject, for his team-mate was absolutely correct. In six clubs,"East ruffs the spade lead, draws three trumps ending in dummy to lead a heart. If North plays low the declarer puts in the nine, plays ace and another diamond ruffing in dummy 4nd leads another heart. All North can do is to make one trick in hearts.

It is probably not a record, but at least it is extremely rare, to find a hand on which in descending order of suits, North-South can make three spades, East-West can make four hearts, North-South can, make five diamonds, and EastWest can make six clubs.

N. S—Q J 5 H—K Q 7 4 D—Q J 9 7 5 3 C— W. E. S—7 6 4 3 S— H—8 5 2 H—A J 10 9 3 D—8 D—A 6 4 C—A Q 9 7 5C—K 10862 S. S—A K 10 9 8 2 H—6 D—K 10 2 C—J 4 3

w. N. E. IH S. IS INT 3S No 4S All Pass

w. N. E. E. 1H IS 2H 3D 4H All pass