HE ULLETIN TPublished by the QueenslandQBA Bridge Association B March-April 2009 Volume 35 No www.qldbridge.com Email: [email protected] 2 Yeh Bros Cup 4 additional teams were invited to play in this event, to make up 12 initial starters, M 3 ♠ 32 building to 20 teams for the final 2 rounds. Bd 25 ♥ KJ95 Magnus Moren/Neville Francis, Meta Dlr N ♦ K9 Goodman/Tony Jackman, and Richard Vul EW ♣ J7652 Richard Wallis/John Brockwell, were included as ♠ Q8 ♠ KJ75 Wallis one of the 4 invited teams. ♥ A43 N ♥ Q1072 It was very exciting to play against W E ♦ J843 S ♦ AQ1075 HIS year, thanks to the enterprise of present and past world champions, and ♣ A1093 ♣ — TDavid Stern and Therese Tully, the Yeh in our last match we played against last Bros Cup came to Jupiters Casino on the year’s Bermuda Bowl Champions, Nor- ♠ A10964 Gold Coast. Six years after its inception, way, where, in spite of me going off in a ♥ 87 this is the first time out of Asia for this invi- makeable vulnerable slam at our table ♦ 62 tation-only event, and represents a major (not bid by Norway) and not cashing the ♣ KQ84 coup for Australian bridge in general, and first 2 tricks in a vulnerable slam that Queensland bridge in particular. was bid by Norway at the other table, The event is sponsored heavily by the we ran out winners by 1 IMp! We won W N E S Yeh Chen, and is normally held in China, 6 matches, and lost 2 (Lithuania who P 1D 1S and only 24 teams are invited to take part. finished 2nd and China Taipei), and 2C P 2NT P Winners of major championships around finished in 10th place, making us the 3NT All pass the world receive invitations, as well as highest placed Australian team, so a very teams specially invited by Mr Yeh Chen, satisfying weekend. playing ACOL, my 2C was forcing for and very generous prize money is avail- As a team of 6, John and I played in 5 of one round, showing at least 8 HCps, and able. The winners took home a cheque for the 8 matches, so I will restrict my report John’s 2NT rebid was not forcing in my US$70,000, while the runners-up took a to just the matches we played in. view, although a 2NT rebid without opposi- mere US$30,000. Board 25 in the 3rd match against China tion bidding shows 15-19. However, with As teams are knocked out of the main Taipei looked pretty routine at the time, my help in spades I pushed on to game. event they join a consolation Swiss and Deep Finesse confirms that 3NT is South led the ♠6, which was won cheaply Teams event, comprising eight 10-board cold, but to our surprise we picked up a on the table by John to take a success- matches, played over Saturday and Sun- game swing when EW at the other table ful diamond finesse, and then he set up day before the Gold Coast Congress, and stopped short of game. his 9th trick by leading towards the ♠Q in dummy. When South took the ♠A at once, he had 10 tricks for +630 and a QBA TEAM SELECTION TRIALS 10 IMp gain against –150 for a diamond Australian Team Championships in Canberra part-score at the other table. 12-18 July 2009 While we had minimal values, the inter- Seniors April 25-26 & May 2-4 mediate cards are what made 3NT a good bet. Take away the ♣9 and things may not Enquiries to Kim Ellaway at the QBA have looked so rosy on a club lead. Contents QBA Yeh Bros Cup by Richard Wallis ......................................................... 1 Email: manager@ GCC by Kamal Sangumarasa & Pat Back ......................................... 2 qldbridge.com Cuppaidge’s Column by George Cuppaidge ....................................4 Phone: 07 3351 8602 Appeals by Geoff Slack-Smith ............................................................. 6 Mobile: 0412 064 903 25 Years Ago ........................................................................................... 6 Fax: 07 3351 8603 Results ..................................................................................................... 7 Web site: www.qldbridge. Director’s Corner by Jan Peach .......................................................... 8 com The QBA Bulletin March - April 2009 2 Board 27 in the 3rd match against China and reached game on a combined 21 Taipei was a slam swing against us when HCps. GCC we stopped in game, but EW at the other table went to slam. M 3 ♠ J74 Bd 29 ♥ K42 M 3 ♠ 762 Dlr N ♦ 854 Bd 27 ♥ 107 Vul Both ♣ 8543 Dlr S ♦ Q54 ♠ AQ1095 ♠ 862 N Vul None ♣ QJ853 ♥ Q96 ♥ A53 Kamal ♠ AK10853 ♠ J4 W E ♦ QJ2 S ♦ 9 Sanmugarasa ♥ AKQ3 N ♥ J92 W E ♣ K7 ♣ QJ10962 ♦ 32 S ♦ AK97 ♠ K3 F there’s anything that I would remember ♣ 2 ♣ A974 ♥ J1087 Ifrom this year’s Gold Coast congress, ♠ Q9 ♦ AK10763 the thought “I wish I had a bit more courage” will top the list. I missed games, ♥ 8654 ♣ A ♦ J1086 slams and went down in contracts that could have been made. Here is one. ♣ K106 W N E S Dlr N ♠ Q10 P 3C 3D Vul EW ♥ A854 W N E S 3S P 4S All pass ♦ 732 P ♣ QJ105 1S P 2C P At the other table EW stayed safely in 2H P 3NT All pass a part-score in spades, and Magnus ♠ 87 ♠ AJ9432 switched to the ♥J after winning the open- ♥ KJ1093 N ♥ 7 W E On a bad day for EW the spades would be ing lead with the ♦K, after which declarer ♦ 1094 S ♦ QJ6 all with North, and we would have picked had 4 losers and finished up with –140. ♣ 874 ♣ 962 up a swing, but 13 tricks were made when At our table, South could not resist the lure ♠ K65 the ♠Q was in the pocket. of stopping diamond ruffs on the table, so ♥ Q62 When John responded 2C, I had two switched to a trump at trick 2, and even ♦ AK85 obvious choices, and I chose the one though I mis-guessed by ducking, North ♣ AK3 that maximized our chances of finding won the ♠J and had no safe return, so led a fit by bidding my other suit. However, another trump. when John bid 3NT (2NT would not have I next led the ♣K and was pleasantly sur- been forcing), I had nowhere to go with W N E S prised when South did not routinely duck, P 2D* X any certainty, and with no fit for his suit although the hand-record showed why, (clubs), I did not want to blast 6NT on 2H P 2S 2NT and then South had no recourse, as when P 3NT All pass spec, so I meekly passed and the chance he led the ♥J I could put up the ♥Q, win was gone. in dummy, draw trumps and enter dummy * Multi John has perfect cards for my hand, but with the ♣7 to discard all of my losers for I was declaring in 3NT as South and got no way to gauge that I have such play- 10 tricks and +620. a spade lead. East played the jack that ing strength. After the match we decided With the favourable club position, even was allowed to win. He then cashed the that it was probably best if I showed my forcing the last trump with the ♦A is no ace and played a third spade to my king strength on the 2nd round by bidding 3S, good as I can still discard 2 hearts on (a heart was discarded from dummy). and forget about the heart suit, but oppo- clubs while North follows suit and return I played three rounds of clubs ending site 4, J972, AK97, A974 6H/7H could be to hand with a heart ruff to draw the last in dummy and played a diamond. East cold, so I put it down to bad luck. trump. ■ played the jack and I won with the king. On this board in the 3rd match against The complete article is available on the It appeared that East had QJx in dia- China Taipei we got a little carried away QBA website. monds. I can use the ♥A to re-enter dum- my and play another diamond towards my ace, hoping to duck if East played low. However, since the ♥A is the last entry to Brisbane Bridge Centre dummy, I have to cash the fourth club in 104 Frederick St, Annerley. Ph: 3392 7933 dummy before playing a diamond. The problem is that I don’t have a con- Play Sessions Tuesday 9.30 am Duplicate venient discard in hand. Throwing a heart 7.30 pm Duplicate would bare my queen, and a potential Wednesday 10.00 am Duplicate diamond winner will vanish if I discarded Friday 6.00pm Individual (+pizza) a diamond. So I cashed the ♦A and played Friday 7.30pm Butler pairs a third diamond. This would have suc- Saturday 1.00 pm Duplicate ceeded if West had had the other diamond Coaching Sessions & Monday 10.00 am honour or four cards in diamonds, as West will then have to play away from his ♥K, Beginners’ Classes Tuesday 7.30 pm allowing me to make nine tricks. But East Enquiries for coaching & beginners’ classes: 3278 1480 showed the ♦Q and cashed his spades for one down. The QBA Bulletin March - April 2009 3 If I went with my initial instincts (QJx of tried a spade towards the king and ace. diamonds with East), could I have tried No further trick to the declarer and the something different? Six spades and three contract was one down.