Trials upset

Press, 5 July 1983, Page 14

Trials upset

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignail

It is always interesting tc play bridge in Auckland, as we “Mainlanders” were reminded when we travelled to the Queen City for the first round of this year’s trials to select the 1983 New Zealand teams. The game begins long before the first card is played. One first has to hear how high the general standard is in Auckland, next comes a very understanding show of sympathy at the problems of finding sufficient competition in the South Island, and then a tolerant hope that we will not be beaten too decisively. Finally, there is a rapid description of the latest wonder system played by the locals. After all this, the results of the first stage must have been puzzling in some quarters. The South Islanders acquitted themselves rather well. In the Open section B. R. Anderson, R. P. Kerr, J. R. Wignail and K. G. Wooles, all of Christchurch, finished first on 75 victory points, with the nucleus of last year’s New Zealand team M. Cornell, M. Mayer, A. A. Taylor and L. Wright, of Auckland, in second place with 68. Third was S. J. Blackstock’s Wellington team on 56.

The Women’s event was won by Mrs D. Randle and Mrs V. Russell of Alexandra and Mrs W. Blackham and Mrs P. Bryant of Auckland.

The second team was Mrs K. Boardman and Mrs J. Cormack (Auckland), with Mrs J. Evitt and Mrs J. Kerr of Christchurch.

In third place were Mrs D. Brophy (Christchurch), Mrs F. Sheehy (Oamaru), Mrs G. MacKlin, and Mrs S. Wood (Auckland). The final stage of the trials will be held at the very end of July in three days of concentrated bridge. There is still a long way to go, but at least the field seems more open than it did to some at the start. On this deal from the Open trial, one Christchurch player achieved the ambition of a life-time by executing a criss-cross fangledangle trump squeeze. East was the dealer with neither side vulnerable:

4<? All Pass East-West certainly made life as difficult as they possibly could for their opponents, forcing the auction to the three level before South could show his

spade suit. With values to spare, North raised his partner to four spades. The final contract, however, was eminently reasonable, for if East had held the king of spades the declarer, by finessing against it would have been able to restrict his losers to two in hearts and one in diamonds. West started the defence with a heart to the king and East cashed the ace of hearts before switching to the queen of clubs. Winning with dummy’s king, South called for the queen of spades, playing low from his own hand when East followed with the deuce. When West’s king won it looked as though the contract had to go down, for the declarer had lost three tricks, and had nowhere to dispose of his third small diamond. But he saw one small ray of hope. He won West’s club continuation with dummy’s ace, and drew three more rounds of trumps to produce this situation:

4The play of the queen of hearts, on which North’s small diamond was discarded, completed East’s downfall. If he parted with a low club, South would cross to the diamond king to ruff a club. The ace of diamonds would then be the entry to the established thirteenth club. Seeing this, East discarded a small diamond, but this did not save him. The declarer promptly cashed the ace and king of diamonds, returned to hand by ruffing a club, and claimed the last trick with the thirteenth diamond. Criss-cross trump squeezes are not rare in the text books, but they are very seldom seen at the table.

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