CONTRACT BRIDGE Two-way game on deal from Blenheim

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34104, 17 March 1976, Page 12

CONTRACT BRIDGE Two-way game on deal from Blenheim

For the purposes of bridge administration Marlborough is classified as. part of the Wellington provincial district. This seems to be as far as the link goes, for very few players cross Cook Strait to take part in Blenheim tournament.

It was no different this year at the Victoria League, Blenheim, pairs championship, for the majority of contestants were from local clubs, Nelson, Westport or Christchurch. The major prizes were taken by Cantabrians, but Dr and Mrs J. J. Ashley of Nelson put up a strong performance to finish in third place. The runners-up were W. Kun and P. Marston, while the winners were S. J. Blackstock and R. P. Kerr. This deal went a long way to deciding the final placings: N. A Q 10643 V Q ♦ K 10932 ♦ 10 4 W E A 2 A K 9 VK9754 V A 10863 > J 765 ♦ 8 A A 93 AKQJ62 S A AJB7S V J2 ♦ AQ4 A 875 When they met this hand Blackstock and Kerr were South and North. With West the dealer, the auction was: W N E S No No IV 1A 3V 3A 4V No No 4A Dble All Pass The bidding started quietly with two passes, before East opened one heart third in hand. South overcalled one spade and West made a limit raise to three hearts. North now made the very good tactical call of three spades, and when the opener went on to four hearts he allowed himself to be pushed to foutspades.

For all the world it sounded as though he was -acrificing and did not expect to make the contract. East’s double was, one suspects, based partly on the bidding and partly on hope.

Against four spades doubled, the defence started with a low heart to the ace, after which East cashed two high clubs. Then he switched to the nine of spades. The declarer looked at this for a long time before taking the right view. He played low from his hand so that dummy’s 10 took the trick. The ace of spades drew the king and South was then in a position to claim the rest of the tricks. Making a doubled game contract was a wonderful result for North-South, giving them the best score on the board. The majority of East-West pairs were allowed to play

the hand peacefully in four hearts, making 11 tricks without undue strain. South could take two tricks with his ace of spades and diamonds but there was no way a third defensive trick could be developed. To return to the events at the winners’ table, where the auction started: W N E S No No IV 1A 3V 3A At this stage the danger of North eventually calling four spades might have been foreseen. East could well have considered calling four clubs, to show both where his strength lay and also that his hand was strongly two-suited. Over four spades he could then have passed, leaving the decision to his partner. West with a shortage in clubs would have doubled, but on his actual hand with a fit in both suits would have pushed on to five hearts. As we have seen this contract would present no difficulty, and would have represented a considerable improvement on allowing South to make four spades. Convention drawbacks No doubt conventional bids are part of the continual search for progress, but they have their drawbacks. Ely Culbertson himself described his highly artificial asking bids as his greatest technical success but his biggest failure. The trouble was that players tended to forget, with disastrous results. Many years ago I walked into the club card-room to see an unfamiliar face. Inquiry rfevealed that it belonged to the club tutor who had been absent for two years. “A fine teacher who knows the book backwards,’’ I was told. “He is a good player, but at times forgetful.” I was soon to learn the significance of this cryptic comment. We duly sat together, agreed to play all the trimmings. and at an early stage tackled this deal:

A 96 V A K Q .1 7 ♦ AQ63 A 10 4 W E A 87542 AKQJIO V 10 5 2 V 863 A J 97 A 1042 ♦ 97 A K 63 S A A 3 V 94 A KB5 A AQJBS2 The auction, which started promisingly, came to an abrupt halt: W N E S No 1 V No 2A No 3V No 4A All pass Under the system North was a little light for his jump rebid of three hearts so I immediately visualised a slam, small or grand. A smooth sequence was mapped out commencing with a Culbertson asking bid of four

spades, enquiring as to my partner’s holding in that suit. There were a number of possible responses, but pass was not one of them. The truth was that North had forgotten the convention, took the bid as natural and left me to play there.

Choking back, a cry of anguish I pleaded with East to double me so that I would have another bid and a chance to call a sensible contr’act. West lead a diamond to end the discussion, and I viewed a distasteful prospect which improved rapidly. First the three diamonds were cashed, then three top hearts. A low club was led from dummy and when East played low my queen won. The ace of clubs produced the eighth trick, then a low club was continued.

North’s nine of spades came into its own when it was used for ruffing and eventually the ace of spades made the tenth trick.

It hardly seemed possible, but the contract had been made with only four trumps between the two hands. I was almost cheerful as I told East not to forget to claim his 100 point bonus for holding four honours.