The Senior Trial – Part 6

by Phillip Alder

We have reached the last 15 boards in the match to decide the USA-2 team for this year's world senior championship. Paul Street, Marc Jacobus, Bart Bramley, Lew Stansby, Mike Passell and Eddie Wold started 8 international match points ahead of Doug Simson, Jeff Aker, Dennis and Jerry Clerkin, Mark Tolliver and Marc Zwerling, who had already lost the match to select the USA-1 team. Street doubled its lead over Boards 76-78. Then came the first of five big swings.

North Dlr: South ‰ A K Q 7 Vul: E-W Š A K 9 6 3 ‹ K Q J 7 Œ – West East ‰ 10 8 3 2 ‰ J 6 Š Q J 10 8 4 Š 7 ‹ 10 9 ‹ A 8 6 3 2 Œ K J Œ A 7 4 3 2 South ‰ 9 5 4 Š 5 2 ‹ 5 4 Œ Q 10 9 8 6 5 Table 1: West North East South Passell Jerry Wold Dennis Pass Pass 1Œ (a) 1‹ (b) Pass 1Š (c) Pass 2Œ Pass Pass Dble All Pass (a) 16-plus points (b) Majors or minors (c) Pass or correct

Table 2: West North East South Zwerling Bramley Tolliver Stansby 3ΠPass 3NT All Pass

At Table 2, Stansby opened with a modern favorable-vulnerability , which basically endplayed Bramley into trying three notrump. However, with the bad breaks, he could take only three spades, two hearts and two diamonds for down two. In the other room, the auction worked perfectly for Dennis Clerkin. When his brother made a of clubs, he had an easy pass. Double-dummy, the contract can be taken down three – the curious may work it out. The play actually began with a heart to North's king and three rounds of spades. East ruffed and ducked a diamond. North persevered with his fourth spade, East discarding a diamond and South ruffing.

1 East trumped the heart continuation and cashed his diamond ace, leaving South with only trumps. East had to take three more tricks for down two. However, plus 100 and plus 500 gave Simson 12 imps. After a flat came:

North Dlr: North ‰ A 6 4 Vul: N-S Š K J 8 5 ‹ A 7 3 Œ 10 7 4 West East ‰ 10 8 ‰ J 5 3 2 Š A 3 Š Q 10 6 ‹ K 4 ‹ J 10 9 8 5 Œ A K J 8 6 5 2 Œ Q South ‰ K Q 9 7 Š 9 7 4 2 ‹ Q 6 2 Œ 9 3 Table 1: West North East South Passell Jerry Wold Dennis 1‹ (a) Pass 1Š 1NT 2Š Dble (b) Pass 3Œ Pass 3‹ Pass 4Œ Pass Pass Pass (a) 10-15 points, 2-plus diamonds (b) Takeout

Table 2: West North East South Zwerling Bramley Tolliver Stansby 1‹ (c) Pass 1Š 3NT Pass Pass Pass (c) 10-15 points, 2-plus diamonds

Against four clubs, North led a trump. Declarer won with dummy's queen and ran the diamond jack, which held. Then West led a spade. South went in with his queen and shifted to a heart to establish four tricks for the defense: two spades, one heart and one diamond. Zwerling just shut his eyes and hoped for the best. And the best happened when North under- standably led a low heart. Declarer put up dummy's queen, cashed the club queen, and claimed nine tricks: two hearts and seven clubs. Plus 50 and plus 400 gave Simson 10 imps and the lead by 6. After a flat board and 5 imps to Simson came this deal:

2 North Dlr: West ‰ 4 2 Vul: None Š Q 9 7 ‹ J 8 2 Œ K Q 10 5 2 West East ‰ J 7 ‰ 10 Š K J 10 8 2 Š A 6 4 3 ‹ K 7 6 4 ‹ Q 10 9 5 3 Œ 9 4 Œ A 8 6 South ‰ A K Q 9 8 6 5 3 Š 5 ‹ A Œ J 7 3 Table 1: West North East South Passell Jerry Wold Dennis Pass Pass 1‹ (a) Dble Redble (b) 2Œ 2Š (c) 4‰ Pass Pass Pass (a) 10-15 points, 2-plus diamonds (b) Hearts (c) Four-card support (East would have made a Support Double with only three hearts)

Table 2: West North East South Zwerling Bramley Tolliver Stansby Pass Pass 1Š (d) 4‰ 5Š Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass Pass (d) Canapé style, showing the second-longest suit first

At Table 2, the canapé approach by Tolliver and Zwerling combined with Stansby's immediate four- spade basically pushed West into bidding five hearts. Then South doubled to say that he had a serious four-spade bid, not a gambling one. It was then very hard – impossible – for North to bid five spades. South led the spade king. To defeat the contract, he had to find a club shift, but (not knowing who had started with the singleton spade) he cashed the diamond ace before playing another spade. Now, though, declarer ruffed, played a heart to dummy's king, ran the heart jack successfully, drew the last trump, and claimed. Tolliver took five hearts, four diamonds, one club and the spade in his hand. In the other room, Dennis wondered about a slam, so started with a takeout double, then bid four spades on the second round. But for Passell, although he knew of the nine-card heart fit and potential double fit in the red suits, it was hard to bid five hearts. And if he had, Dennis would surely have bid five spades, given his partner's two-club advance. Not preempting had helped big time. Dennis made an easy overtrick, giving Simson a massive 15 imps.

3 The lead was up to 26 imps with only six boards to go. Street needed a swing sooner rather than later. However, it didn't happen. After five more imps to Simson , the same team gained 11 imps when Passell and Wold missed a slam bid by Zwerling and Tolliver. Also, on Board 89, Jerry Clerkin made four spades exactly. Bramley, though, was in five spades after dabbling for a slam. There were two aces missing and a trump suit of K-J-10-8-5 in hand opposite A-6-4-3 in the dummy. Understandably, declarer played off his top honors and went down one when queen-third was sitting under the declarer. Doug Simson, Jeff Aker, Dennis and Jerry Clerkin, Mark Tolliver and Marc Zwerling had taken the last set by 72 imps to 10 and the match by 228 imps to 174. They should be serious medal con- tenders in India later this year.

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