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ANZAC Weekend in Wellington.

The Wellington Provincial Teams held on the weekend before ANZAC Day produced drama in the final round of 8 x 12 board matches. With one round left, it looked like the team of Michael Ware-Malcolm Mayer, Peter Newell – Martin Reid would claim 1^st place but they lost 0-20 in the last round to David Ackerley- Scott Smith and Jo and Sam Simpson. This allowed Kate Davies- John Patterson and Sandra Calvert- Colin Carryer to win the event as they scored 18.54 against John Davidson – George Masters, Leon Meier- Brad Johnston.

 
Teams winners: John Patterson,Colin Carryer,
Sandra Calvert and Kate Davies. 

Here's an opening lead for you to ponder as you survey those who performed the best during the first three days of the Congress:

 

2 is 5 spades and 4+ minor, less than an opener:

These were the final positions:

Open Teams

vps

1

Davies

Kate

Davies

John

Patterson

Colin

Carryer

Sandra

Calvert

116.98

2

Ware

Michael

Ware

Malcolm

Mayer

Peter

Newell

Martin

Reid

105.76

3

Ackerley

David

Ackerley

Scott

Smith

Jo

Simpson

Sam

Simpson

105.46

4

Henry

Annette

Henry

Stephen

Hentry

Anne-Marie Russell

Wayne

Burrows

100.66

5

McLeod

Debbie

McLeod

Greg

Aldridge

Murat

Genc

Anne

Somerville

96.22

Restricted Open Teams

1

Maxwell

Paul

Maxwell

Gail

Tippett

Sophie

Aitken

Helen

Fitzgerald

59.98

2

Tattersfield

Brad

Tattersfield

Malcolm

Greig

Jan

Borren

Jennie

Borren

59.67

Intermediate Teams

1

Thomson

Lindsay

Thomson

Cheryl

Scott

Stephanie Smith

Sally

Broadhurst

103.22

2

Brown

Susan

Brown

Jude

Lucas

Karen

Eriksen

Denise

Barnett

80.8

Open

Pairs

%

1

Grant

Jarvis

Pam

Livingston

185.57

2

Malcolm

Mayer

Michael

Ware

177.61

3

Murat

Genc

Anne

Somerville

170.11

4

Paula

Gregory

Michael

Johnston

169.89

5

David

Ackerley

Scott

Smith

169.09

 

So, back to our hand above. Remember the bidding. Short and sweet… but for which side?

 

Many West players faced this decision from the last round of the Open Teams. We like to keep partnership harmony by leading partner’s suit. Yet, is that right this time? It often is.

South has certainly bid this slam to make and if they are that confident by bidding this way, then it sounds that they were ready for the suit, or the certain suit, opened by the opposition. It would seem best to lead any lead but that one.

In this situation, leading the singleton J may be unwise. If East held the A, then the contract should  be going down anyway. That leaves the choice between a trump and the old-fashioned idea of leading an ace against a slam. Maybe partner has the K? They did not but this time any lead that was not a spade ensured the contract would not make.

 

There was no way to dummy for South and they had to concede a club trick to be down one. On a spade lead, declarer gets a discard on the A and the ability to finesse the club.

Davies were one team who gained 17 imps when the fateful spade lead came at one table. Three South players made the slam while nine failed.

There was one other success story on this board. Is this the best transfer of all time?

West              North             East                South

Sandy                                     Graham
McKirdy                                 Stronach

Pass                2                   Pass                2NT
Pass                3                   Pass                4
Pass                4                   Pass                6
All Pass

2 was spades and a minor, less than an opener, and on enquiry, Sandy said he was weak with clubs. 4 was key-card in clubs with Sandy owning up to one key card. Graham chanced that would be the K or even the A. No such luck…but East did have what looked like a rather safe top of sequence lead to the slam. We will not say Sandy had no problems making the slam in his void suit but make it he did. It just shows on some days, there is no such thing as a safe lead.

A good weekend’s bridge thanks to the Wellington Region and Club and director and scorer, Caroline Wiggins and Kevin Walker.

Richard Solomon

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