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                                           Tuesday is "Teams" Day

So, it’s three days of Teams for all whether you are playing in the Open, Seniors, Intermediate, Restricted or Novice sections. There are 12 rounds of Swiss, four per day, with the top 6 qualifying in the Open section but only the top 2 in the other categories. It’s not that gives Open teams that much of an extra chance as you will see when you look at the number of competing teams.

Open                          214

Seniors                         40

Intermediate                  94

Restricted                      90

Novice                           44

That’s a grand total of 482 teams or around 2,000 players by the time 5 and 6 person teams are taken into account.

 We have some teams doing rather well in the Restricted event after 4 rounds:

1st. Hajmasi   66.28        Kinga Hajmasi- Andrew Michl, Jody and Barry Whale

3rd  Whittle    60.41       Yvonne Whittle- Francey Rolls, Nicky Bowers – Joy Watkinson

6th. Tippett    57.36        Gail Tippett- Paul Maxwell, Donna Upchurch – Nebojsa Djorovic

 

In the Open competition, there is Kiwi interest in (New Zealand names only)

1st. Hung          76.27   Michael Whibley, along with ex Kiwi Liam Milne

8th. Cheval       60.82   Jane, John and David Skipper and John Wignall.

13th. Pellegrini 58.16     Val Gardiner

21^st. Moore       55.57     Ian and Pam Moore, Ian and Sue Southen

22 nd Carter      55.34    Pat Carter- Julie Atkinson, Barry Jones - Jenny Millington

 

In the Seniors’ event, we have in fifth place Palmer with 54.73 vps (Barry Palmer- Neil Stuckey, Glenis Palmer- Christine Wilson).

 

Now for some bridge. This interesting deal came from the Weekend Matchpoint Swiss Pairs. You are South and have taken the plunge by bidding over 4, and need to make 11 tricks with hearts as trumps. What’s your line? West leads the A followed by the Q switch.

 

There are lots of little problems here, like trumps, like K, like clubs and if you are going to make your contract, you can only afford one loser in those three suits combined.

At the table, one declarer realised that the K was more likely to be with West, the opener and therefore laid down his other top heart and got good news there but when he played the Q, intending on taking the double finesse, West covered, with East winning the second round of clubs with the jack. A diamond came back and that meant a finesse and….

 

 

......one down.

There was a slicker way. Play that second high trump and assume West has the K. Therefore, play a club to the ace and a second club to the 9, losing only when West held KJx. The advantage of this is on the actual lay-out where West will be forced to give either a ruff and discard or lead away from the K. A well earnt +450 if you got it.

On then to the last match of the day in yesterday’s Teams and a difficult choice of response in the board below for one North player after the sequence given:

 

 

The choice of 2NT (1 promised 4+ clubs) produced 5 from South to end the auction.

Only 32 out of the 214 North-Souths in the Open event bid the slam, (26 made it)one pair bidding  in very straightforward fashion:

West          North         East            South

                   1              x                 3

Pass           6               All Pass

A trump lead from East might have helped but that was somewhat unlikely(!). Thus, four spades could be ruffed in the South hand with North’s little heart being the only loser. Three voids, plenty of excitement. More, no doubt, tomorrow.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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