15th World Bridge Series (XVI)

by Phillip Alder

Before we get to the action, here are a couple of bidding problems.

1. With only the opponents vulnerable, you pick up:

‰ 4 3 Š A K 10 8 4 ‹ – Œ K 9 8 4 3 2

The bidding starts like this:

West North East South Partner Responder You Opener 3‹ Pass 3NT ??

What would you do?

2. Again at favorable vulnerability, you are dealt:

‰ 6 Š J 9 4 2 ‹ A J 10 8 Œ J 9 8 4 West North East South You Opener Partner Responder 2‹ (a) 4Œ (b) Pass ?? (a) Weak two-bid in either major (b) : at least 5-5 in clubs and either major

You might not have met the Multi (as North's opening bid is commonly called) and Leaping Michaels, but see if you can deduce the best bid.

We are looking at the McConnell Cup world women's team championship, played in Orlando, Florida, two months ago. The second 84- semifinal was a multinational battle between:

Nicola Smith-Yvonne Wiseman (England), Paula Leslie (Scotland)-Solvi Remen (Norway) and Kathrine Bertheau-Jessica Larsson (Sweden)

Aperol: Tatiana Dikhnova-Anna Gulevich, Victoria Gromova-Tatiana Ponomareva (Russia) and Catherine d'Ovidio- (France)

The match oscillated. After each session, Aperol was up seventeen, down eleven, up 28, up 21 and up two: 185 international match points to 183. Let's look at the final set. This was the first board:

1 North Dlr: South ‰ A Q J 8 Vul: N-S Š Q 7 6 ‹ A Q 3 Œ J 6 5 West East ‰ 10 9 7 6 5 ‰ 4 3 Š J 5 Š A K 10 8 4 ‹ 7 5 4 ‹ – Œ A Q 7 Œ K 9 8 4 3 2 South ‰ K 2 Š 9 3 2 ‹ K J 10 9 8 6 2 Œ 10 Open Room: West North East South Ponomareva Leslie Gromova Remen 3‹ Pass 3NT 4Š Pass Pass 5‹ All Pass

Closed Room: West North East South Wiseman d'Ovidio Smith Willard 3‹ Pass 3NT 4Œ Pass 5Œ Pass Pass Pass

What do you bid with that East hand over three notrump? Here, pass works well if the defense is per- fect, because North could go down seven for minus 700. However, East would never know that. Ideal would be a four-diamond cue-bid as long as it showed 5+-5+ in any two of the other three suits, but for most (all?) pairs, it promises both majors. Gromova went with her major. Then, Leslie judged well in bidding five diamonds because four hearts would have made. Against five diamonds, West led the heart jack, and the defenders had no trouble taking the first four tricks. Smith preferred to bid her longest suit, hoping to get in hearts later. Then Wiseman liked her trumps enough to raise. South led the diamond jack. Declarer ruffed, drew two rounds of trumps with dummy's honors, then ran the heart jack. When that held, East played a low heart to her ten, drew the missing and claimed. Minus 200 and plus 400 gave Smith 5 imps and the lead by 3. Note that South had to lead a spade to defeat five clubs. Three rounds of that suit would have promoted a trump trick for North-South. The next five boards were flat; then came:

2 North Dlr: North ‰ K Q 9 5 4 2 Vul: N-S Š 8 ‹ 9 7 6 2 Œ A 2 West East ‰ 6 ‰ A J 3 Š J 9 4 2 Š A 10 7 6 3 ‹ A J 10 8 ‹ – Œ J 9 8 4 Œ K Q 6 5 3 South ‰ 10 8 7 Š K Q 5 ‹ K Q 5 4 3 Œ 10 7 Open Room: West North East South Ponomareva Leslie Gromova Remen 2‹ (a) 4Œ (b) Pass 5Œ Pass Pass Pass (a) Weak two-bid in either major (b) At least 5-5 in clubs and either major

Closed Room: West North East South Wiseman d'Ovidio Smith Willard 2‰ 4Œ (a) Pass 4Š Pass Pass Pass (a) At least 5-5 in clubs and hearts

Did Ponomareva forget the system, or did she just assume that her partner had to have spades and clubs? Regardless, it was an expensive decision to raise to five clubs in preference to a pass-or-correct four hearts. (East would have passed with hearts or rebid four spades with a black two-suiter.) With both heart honors offside, five clubs had to fail, declarer losing two hearts and one club. But four hearts was unbeatable. Plus 50 and plus 420 gave Smith 10 imps, now up by 198 imps to 185.

To be continued

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