Epson contest draws another big entry

Press, 27 June 1989, Page 16

Epson contest draws another big entry

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignall

Last year’s Epson World-wide Bridge Contest attracted an entry of .85,000 and this year’s, the fourth such event will probably prove to be about the same size. There were hopes of a big increase in Chinese participation but the troubles in the People’s Republic came at a very bad time. As usual the deals, analysed by Omar Sharif in a souvenir booklet presented afterwards to all participants, were very interesting. Board 20 was dealt by West with both sides vulnerable:

It was expected that East would play the hand in'spades after an auction along these lines: W. N. E. S. 1V No 14 2< All Pass For making nine tricks, six spades, two hearts, and the ace of diamonds, East is rewarded with 46 out of 100, in the instant scoring used in the Epson. If the defence slips allowing him to make 10 tricks his score improves to 72, and for plus 200 he earns 85. Meanwhile, the NorthSouth pair score the reciprocal. At one table South bid up to three diamonds and was left to play there, leading to a very interesting defensive problem. After cashing the ace of hearts, West decided to restrict dummy’s ruffing power by switching to the ace and another diamond.

That was a reasonable enough try, but it enabled the declarer to draw trumps and run off the club suit making 10 tricks in all. For that Score EastWest earned a miserable 7 points while North-South received 93. West was on the right lines, but missed a chance to earn an Epson-Seiko Best Defended Hand prize. If she had switched at the second trick to the eight of diamonds the declarer would have been in terrible trouble. No doubt he would have won in hand and led a spade, but West wins with the king, cashes the ace of diamonds to draw dummy’s last trump, and then the defenders can win two more tricks in spades. And that would have put the contract down one. The best score for New Zealand on the East-West hands was earned by Bob Scott and Michael Sykes playing at the Christchurch Club. They had a bit of luck on this hand dealt by West with only North-South vulnerable:

This was the auction at thei|ktable:

W. N. E. S 1V No INT 4* 4* All Pass The one no-trump response to the one heart opening bid was a replay, almost game-forcing and asking West to describe his hand. Knowing this South threw a spanner into the works by jumping to four clubs. Undeterred, Bob Scott guessed to bid four spades which was passed out. When North led a diamond, East’s jack was taken by South’s ace, and it was fairly clear that North was void in clubs. But South was unwilling to give his partner a ruff with what might have been an eventually winning trump. So he returned a heart taken by West’s ace, and now the declarer had to play well and very carefully. He led a low spade to the nine, and a spade back to his ace. Then came the king of hearts followed by the jack' which North covered with the queen. Dummy ruffed with the spade jack, the king drew the queen of spades, and it only remained to cash the king of diamonds, ruff a diamond in the West hand and claim the balance with the established hearts plus the ace of clubs. For making 12 tricks West scored 92, and North-South only 8. South was left lamenting his failure to give his partner a club ruff which would have earned his side 44 points — quite a difference. The top pair for New Zealand were Mr and Mrs Hawes from the Waikato Club and playing NorthSouth. Other good scores were H. Moot-Mrs R. Sutherland (Crockford’s), J. Machin-H. Colquhoim (Oamaru), and A. L. Dowden-G. L. Shore (Otago) who were sixth, seventh and nine best North-South pairs for. New Zealand. J