Bid Boldly, Play Luckily

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday July 3, 2006

Ron Klinger

When Australia played Poland, both sides reached game on this deal from the 2005 Bermuda Bowl, but only Australia made it:

Round 13 : Board. 14

West dealer : Nil vulnerable

(Directions changed)

Bermuda Bowl: Australia v Poland

West North East South

Hans Nunn

1D Pass 1S 2C

2D 3C 3D 3NT

Pass Pass Pass

Lead: D7

Dummy's bare DK won and next came a club to the five and jack. West discarded a

heart. After CA and a club to the king, West discarding two more hearts, East returned a diamond the ace. West now had four diamond winners and the HA. Declarer could have succeeded at this point: club to the eight, spade finesse, but despite East's 1S bid, declarer placed West with the SK, otherwise West would have opened on just 9 HCP.

Hoping to catch West via a squeezeendplay declarer ran the clubs. As the SK was

with East all along, the contract went one off.

West North East South

Thomson Marston

2H (1) Pass 2S (2) 3C

3D (3) 3H (4) 4D 5C

Pass Pass Pass

(1) Weak two in spades or weak, hearts and a minor

(2) Pass or correct

(3) Maximum with hearts and diamonds

(4) Club fit, values in hearts

Lead: DQ

With the SK and HA where they figured to be on the bidding, Marston lost one club and one heart for +400 and +10 Imps.

Women's: Australia scored +550 in 5C doubled by South on the DQ lead. That was

worth 3 Imps, as Sweden made 430 in 3NT by South, also on the DQ lead.

In the Australian Seniors match, Japan played and made part-scores in both rooms:

West North East South

Haughie Nagy

Pass Pass Pass 1NT

2H (1) Dble 3C (2) Dble

3D Pass Pass Pass

(1) Hearts and a minor

(2) Pass or correct

Lead: SJ

To these jaded eyes, the South hand looks too strong for a 15-17 1NT with that long club suit, great intermediates and the three aces.

Declarer covered the SJ and South won. To reduce dummy's ruffing power, South shifted to the DA. Oops. Japan +110.

West North East South

Smolanko Lilley

2H (1) Pass Pass 3C

3D 4C All pass

(1) Weak, hearts and a minor Declarer made eleven tricks for +150 and 6 Imps to Japan.

Results: Open: 5C doubled +550; 5D

doubled -500 five times; 3NT +430, +430,

+400, - 50; 5C +400 four times; others partscores; best East-West score 3D +110.

Women's: 5C doubled +550 twice; 5D doubled -500 twice; 4D doubled -300 twice;

3NT +430 three times; 5C +400; others partscores; best E-W score +150 for 3NT S down three and 4S N down three.

Seniors: 5C doubled +550; 5D doubled

-500 twice; 3NT +460, +430, +430, +400; 5C +400; 5D doubled -300 twice; 4D doubled -300; others part-scores; best East-West score 4D +130.

Morbid: The prequel to a minus score.

Tomorrow's problem:

East dealer : North-South vulnerable

West North East South

--- --- 1C Pass

1S Pass 1NT (1) Pass

2C (2) Pass 2D Pass

2S (3) Pass 3NT Pass

?

(1) 15-18

(2) Puppet to 2D

(3) Game inviting with 5+ spades

What should West do with:

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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