Favourites win Canterbury title

Press, 13 May 1986, Page 8

Favourites win Canterbury title

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignall

The Canterbury Teams of Four has never been the most popular tournament on the calendar, largely because there is usually one dominant team which other competitors feel is the preordained winner.

This year’s event attracted a better than normal entry of fourteen teams.

It is pleasing to report then that the undisputed favourites, R. P. Kerr, R. D. Scott, M. Sykes and K. G. Wooles, had their problems, and had to win all their matches before they took the title. The runners-up were Mrs S. Newtons, S. Helms, P. Dewar and J. Skipper.

There were plenty ot interesting deals, of which this one appealed to me. East was the dealer, with neither side vulnerable: ■ N

W N E S 14 No 14 No 2V 34 No 44 All Pass After an auction in which East had shown a strong hand with a Precision club opening and a good heart suit, NorthSouth did well to reach four spades. West led a heart to the ace and king, and a heart was returned. Lazily, South won with the jack of hearts, drew the adverse trumps in three rounds and laid down the queen of clubs. The defence did not slip. East allowed the declarer to? win the trick, and when South continued with a club to the king, he took his ace and played

back another heart. After trumping, the declarer eventually had to play away from his king of diamonds to lose two tricks in the suit. Since he had already lost to the aces of hearts and clubs this meant he was one down.

A little foresight would have seen him home. All he needed to do, after a heart opening lead to the ace and king, was to win the heart continuation with dummy’s queen to lead up to his diamond king, through the announced strong hand. No matter what the defenders did, in the fullness of time South would collect seven tricks in spades, one in diamonds, one in hearts and one in clubs to make his contract.

On another hand, EastWest were happy with their result, until they heard what had happened at the other table. Only North-South were vulnerable.

East opened one spade, South boldly came in with two clubs and was doubled for his trouble. After the lead of the ace of spades the dummy was a horrible sight for the declarer who eventually emerged with five tricks. This was a penalty of 800 to EastWest, far more than the value of any game contract they might have made.

Actually, the best defence could hold the declarer to only four tricks for a penalty of 1100, but the defenders, not being greedy, did not worry too much — until they later found what happened when the board was replayed at the other table. Here South wisely did not intervene over the

opening bid, so East-West had the auction to themselves. As sometimes happens, after a slow start it went out of control and never stopped until West found himself at the wheel in a contract of six notrumps. Though on the face of it this seems hopeless there were so many cards favourably placed that in practice it was made.

North found the unfortunate lead of a low heart, and South, mistakenly, but it did not matter, played the king on dummy’s five. Winning with the ace, West crossed to the king of clubs and, a desperate man, led a diamond to the eight, ten and two. When he won this trick he brightened up considerably. After cashing the ace and king, the four of diamonds was established, so the declarer had four tricks in that suit, three in hearts and the two top clubs. There was now only one more finesse to go. Confidently by now, he played the ace of spades, and led a spade to the jack. When it won the trick he had three tricks in the suit and a total of 12 in all. The lucky slam had come home.

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