A well laid trap sinks this declarer
No real news as yet from the ACBL Summer Nationals in Las Vegas where some of our local pairs are playing. I will bring it to you if there is any. At the Club we have the Intermediate Bidding Workshop on Wednesday, August 6th at 7.30pm and Play of The Hand Lesson Three on Wednesday August 20th also at 7.30pm.
This innocuous looking hand came up in a good class Swiss Team match and was played at eight tables. It was innocuous at seven of them but a little something happened at the eighth! Or more than a little something!
South Dealer, Both Vulnerable
? 842
?KQ3
•KJ86
?J96
? KQJ10 ? 973
? 654 ?1098
• 75 • AQ4
? 10843 ? K752
?A65
?AJ72
•10932
?AQ
South opened a 15-17 NT and at every table North bid 3NT — so far so good. Every West player led the Spade King and every declarer held off the first two tricks and won the third Spade — again, so far so good.
Declarer at all eight tables now ran the ten of Diamonds to the Queen. East returned a Club which declarer was forced to finesse and the Queen of Clubs held — now another Diamond and declarer made his contract with one Spade, four Hearts, two Diamonds and two Clubs — nine tricks!
Well, that is what happened at seven of the eight tables! At the eighth table West saw partners lead, saw dummy with ten points, nine points in his own hand and quickly realised that other than the spade suit declarer had every remaining point in the deck, including the Ace-Queen of Clubs!
So when, at trick four, declarer ran the Diamond ten East smoothly won — with the Ace! Now when he returned a Club declarer saw no need to risk the Club finesse, given that the Queen of Diamonds was ‘obviously’ with West and West had a winning Spade.
Declarer thus won the Club Ace and confidently ran the Diamond nine — imagine his shock and disgust when East won this with the Diamond Queen and cashed the Club King for the setting trick! Brilliant by East and it was really quite impossible for declarer to spring this well laid trap! Well done!
North -South
Monday, July 7
Afternoon
1 Greta Marshall — Elysa Burland
2 Geoff & Kath Bell
3 Diana Kempe — Aida Bostelmann
East — West
1 Russ Craft — Julia Beach
2 Caroline Svensen — Beverley Connell
3 Dot & Tony Buckley
Evening
1 John Burville — Alan Douglas
2 Elizabeth McKee — John Glynn
3 Simon Giffen — Rachael Gosling
1 Gertie Barker — Jane Smith
2 Diana Diel — Pat Siddle
3 Lyn O’Neill — Magda Farag
Tuesday, July 8
1 Trish Colmet — Richard Hall
2 Rachael Gosling — Delton Outerbridge
3 Inge Mesna — John Rayner
1 John Glynn — Shanahan
2 Richard Gray — Jane Hulse
3 Elizabeth Caulfield — John Hoskins
Wed, July 9
1 Donna Leitch — Judy Patton
2 Judy King — Aida Bostlemann
3 Magda Farag — John Glynn
1 Diana Diel — Pat Siddle
2/3 Jane Smith — Gertie Barker
2/3 Julia Beach — Mona Marie Gambrill
Thursday, July 10
(0-300)
1 Richard Hall — Joyce Pearson
2 Mary Leigh Burnett — Andy Carne
3/4 Annabelle Mann — Dianna Kempe
3/4 Jaime & Marsha Fraser
(Open)
1 Jane Smith — Gertie Barker
2 Delmont & Marilynn Simmons
3 Peter Donnellan — Paul Thompson
1 Freya Giffen — John Glynn
2 Rachael Gosling — Elizbeth McKee
3 Richard & Wendy Gray
Friday, July 11
1 Annabelle Mann — Nea Willits
2 Michael Bickley — Janice Trott
3 John Hoskins — Marilynn Simmons
1 Marg Way — Tony Saunders
2 Harry Kast — Sancia Garrison
3 Magda Farag — Gertie Barker
Compiled by Julia Lunn
