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“What a Pass”

Take a step forward, Stanley Abrahams. In case you do not know, he is a fine intuitive Auckland bridge player. Played for New Zealand, too. So, pardon the expression, “no mug”. Lover of the Multi 2 too, whether he has or has not the requirements to open it. He has many stories to tell, “Multi successes stories”.

Your first question is to identify which seat Stanley occupied in the following real auction from a recent Thursday night at the Auckland Bridge Club.

While you are musing an answer to that, have a glance at the East hand in this auction and decide what you would bid at the point of the question mark:

Dealer South. Nil Vul

West          North         East            South

                                                          Pass

2 1           Pass            2NT            4

Pass            Pass            5            Pass

Pass            5               ?

1 Multi 2

East held:

 10

 AJ9

 AKQ

 AKJ654

While you are thinking about that, have you put down your money as to where you think Stanley may have been sitting? I suspect many of you would be wrong. He was not sitting South.

Here’s another auction for you to consider with that attractive East hand:

West          North         East            South

                                                          4

Pass            Pass            x                 Pass

5              5             6              6

Pass            Pass            ?

Your double was not really take out which tends to suggest that West has a fair few cards in hearts. One further question. Do you want a plus score on this board? Then, you had better bid the grand slam!

 

The “expert” trump lead against even 6 does not work as although declarer must give up a diamond, the defence are then out of trumps! 6 unbeatable. Well bid by Allan and Bev Morris to 6 which East just had to double. Slam bid and made on a combined 11hcp! Victor Mollo’s “Unlucky Expert” or David Bird’s Abbot must have been sitting East.

Most just had to double 5…just another flat board as +750 to North-South was the result at seven of the ten tables. Allan and Bev Morris would have loved to have Trudy Lange and Brent Mandel as teammates as they would have added 920 for 6 making to their 1210 score..but this was Pairs!

and Stanley? Not one of his “Multi Success” stories…or maybe it is? He did open the Multi as West and defended 5x, restricting declarer to one overtrick. A success? “ Say East had bid 6. What would they have done when South bid 6” asked Stanley? We know the answer to that.

So, who then, in true Abrahams style, had found a pass in first seat, against Stanley, and emerged from the bushes later? We will leave you where we came in, but with a couple of small changes:

 “Watt. A pass?”

Well bid, or should I say, “passed”, Russell Watt.

It can be the shape that they hold.

 Richard Solomon

 

 

 

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