NEWSLETTER AUSTRALIAN BRIDGE FEDERATION INC. Editor: Stephen Lester [email protected] NO. 171 JANUARY 2015 Approved for Print Post S65001/00163 ABN 70 053 651 666 The Big Game over) in the Commonwealth Transnational event in Glasgow. Revenge was ours this time, however, as we Australia at the World Bridge Series in Sanya put them away easily 160 - 66. by Liam Milne We would play Ventin in the round of 16, a tough t the end of European team consisting of Sabine Auken - Roy AAugust, as I Welland playing with Upmark - Wrang from Sweden was about to jump and Ventin from Spain. on a plane to the Here is one big decision from the second segment, with Commonwealth a few IMPs on the line: Nations Bridge You hold K53, AQ3, AKQJ952, --- and hear Championships, an partner open a vulnerable weak 2 in fi rst seat. Bash email came through or science? from Sartaj Hans: “Let’s do it, guys!” Nye chose the practical 6 bid at the table, a bid I Nye Griffi ths and I agree with. This got passed around to Sabine Auken, had agreed to play who doubled. Man or mouse? with Sartaj and Nye, based on several factors, sent it back. The full Michael Whibley hand: in the World Bridge Liam and Nye Board 13, North deals, all vulnerable Series in Sanya less 4 than two months out from the event. Our team name K J 9 8 6 2 was ‘Little Meck’, a reference to the Meckwell-based 4 3 strong club system both partnerships were using. J 10 8 2 For me, this would be my fi rst World Series; Nye, Sartaj A Q 8 7 6 J 10 9 2 and Mike had all played in the ‘Big Game’ before. By 10 7 5 4 --- the end of the event, we had come away with a top 16 --- 10 8 7 6 fi nish in the Rosenblum Teams, Nye and I had come A Q 9 7 K 6 5 4 3 ninth in the World Open Pairs Final, and we had all K 5 3 had a ton of great memories and experiences playing A Q 3 against the best players in the world. A K Q J 9 5 2 Arriving in Guangzhou to meet my teammates after --- 20 hours fl ying from Morocco, I was delighted to fi nd out we had added an old friend, Alex Smirnov, and his Welland, on lead with two aces, found the killer heart partner Josef Piekarek, to our team. One of the best lead for Auken to ruff. Now Auken had to guess which partnerships in the world, their plans had fallen through black suit to return, with +1600 or -1830 on the line. at the last moment and they had decided to come to She guessed … a trump, for 11 IMPs to Little Meck us – a welcome addition! against 6 by North, making in the other room. Team Little Meck managed to qualify well to make it If only the whole match could’ve been like this. Ventin through the cuts of Day 1 and Day 2, which narrowed won the match easily, 120 - 55 IMPs. Despite the huge a fi eld of 123 down to 32 teams to compete in knockout disappointment of losing a match so close to glory, we matches over the next four days. Smirnov - Piekarek had had a good run. Importantly, we had also earned proved very useful, playing particularly well during the next day off (rather than playing the Pairs qualify- the second day of qualifying. ing), and would be back to play with a vengeance for In the round of 32, we drew McMullin, a strong the World Pairs Semi-fi nal. Canadian team who had beaten us by 0.5 IMP (carry- The event was very tough. We had played most of the Nye looked at dummy for several minutes while I sat there wondering why I had tortured him in the auction (I thought I had my reasons at the time!) After a long pause, he played quickly and accurately: win the lead, ruff a diamond (crucial), cash A, club to hand, ruff a diamond, heart to the king, top club discarding a heart, ruff a club. Only now did he exit a trump to North’s king, who had to lead away from his A for a stun- ning 11 tricks. If Nye hadn’t started with a diamond ruff at trick two he would have been an entry short for the elimination. One lasting impression from the World Pairs is how every pair is out to punish you if you slip up. One mo- “Little Meck”: Liam, Nye, Michael and Sartaj ment of indecision, one misunderstanding, one slight pairs we sat down against in previous tournaments or overbid, and the axe comes out – the top players have read about them in the news, and everyone was clawing very little hesitation in doubling the stakes, and they for tops to make the cut into the fi nal. Out of the various very rarely drop tricks in the play. My personal favou- Australian and New Zealand pairs, only two managed rite hand of the fi nal was managing to sneak an extra to sneak through to the top 54: Nye and me, and Gabi trick against a big-name player: Lorentz - Stephen Burgess, who we had played in the Board 25, North deals, EW vulnerable fi nal of the NOT this year. K J 5 3 4 Once we made the fi nal, there was everything to play A 9 8 6 4 for, with no carry-forward from previous rounds. Who- 10 6 5 ever managed to vacuum up the most matchpoints over the next gruelling two days would be crowned world A 6 10 7 4 champions. No pressure! Well, not quite. Nye felt the A J 2 K 8 5 3 pressure on this next hand: K Q 5 10 7 3 Board 6, East deals, EW vulnerable Q 9 8 4 3 A K 2 K J Q 9 8 2 A 10 7 Q 10 9 7 6 K Q J 10 5 J 2 Q 7 5 J 7 West North East South A 9 8 7 6 4 2 Q 10 3 Milne Griffi ths Q 9 5 3 K 8 4 Pass Pass Pass 3 A 7 4 1NT Dbl1 3NT All Pass 8 A K 9 4 1. Spades and diamonds or clubs and hearts 5 J 6 2 North led a diamond. After the auction, the fi rst key 9 8 6 2 inference is that North likely has four spades and 5+ J 10 6 3 2 diamonds on this lead. I started by playing a club to West North East South dummy and taking the heart fi nesse into the safe hand, Milne Griffi ths which won. Now, the plan is to organise an endplay 1NT Pass against North in the spade suit in order to give us a 2 Pass 2 Pass second diamond trick at the end. 3 Pass 3 Pass At fi rst, this looked like one of those hands where you 4 Pass 5 Pass could cash A early and hope they don’t unblock, but 5 All Pass I’m confi dent that if I had tried that, North would have You and partner have made a mess of an easy hand, thrown away the king either immediately, or later on and now you’re playing a level too high. At least if you the several discards he has to make – our line is too make it, +650 is going to bring in a few matchpoints. transparent. I decided to introduce a distraction by How do you play on a diamond lead? cashing all of my clubs but one (North discarding a Disclaimer: It is ABF policy not to accept advertising from persons or organizations believed to be unreliable or financially irresponsible. 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