CONTRACT BRIDGE An Unfortunate Sacrifice

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31057, 12 May 1966, Page 16

CONTRACT BRIDGE An Unfortunate Sacrifice

[Contributed by J. R. W.] The new New Zealand Pairs Champions, B. C. Bell and R. Evans, are particularly aggressive in competitive situations, but have developed a very fine partnership understanding when it comes to close decisions. On the following hand from the championship they had the better of a Christchurch pair. M. L. Shand and R. L Steel, whose obstructive tactics were of no avail.

With neither side vulnerable, Shand opened one club, Evans made a take-out double, and Steel’s hand did not entitle him to take any part in the proceedings. Beil now called two clubs, a cue bid used in this situation by most experts as a statement that they can support any suit bid by partner. On this particular hand North can certainly not be criticised for underbidding, but the sequence is not necessarily forcing to game. Shand realised that, after his partner’s pass, his chances of defeating an opposing game contract were slight, so he called three clubs with the idea of making it hard for his opponents to reach their best contract. But South judged well when he doubled, and although North must have had some misgivings, he too decided to play for a penalty. The opening leads were the ace and king of clubs. In addition, the declarer had to lose one diamond, two spades and a heart, to be two down for a penalty of 300. Match-point Scoring In a sense this was a good sacrifice, for North-South can make four spades, losing only to the ace and king of diamonds and the king of hearts, for a score of 420. The tournament was, however, decided on match-point scoring, which means that on each hand the scores of all the East-West pairs are compared, and

points are awarded according to which pair scored most or conceded least. The Christchurch pair fared badly on this hand because most other East-West’s conceded less than 300. No NorthSouth pair bid and made game in spades, and only one pair made three no trumps when West chose to lead a heart. Most played in a part-score in hearts or snades, scoring 110, 140 or 170, for eight, nine or ten tricks. Four three no-trumps contracts were defeated after the opening lead of a club. This removed declarer’s king, and when he lost a finesse to the king of hearts, a club continuation by East was taken by the ace. When the hearts did not break evenly, South could make only four spades, two hearts and two clubs before having to lead diamonds. East’s ace won and he claimed the rest of the tricks. One North player achieved the amazing feat of going down in a two heart contract, and another had a similarly conspicuous lack of success when he played in two clubs, down two. Presumably he made the same cue bid as had Bell in response to a takeout double, but his partner, not speaking the same language. decided it was a genuine suit bid. Even at the distinguished level of a National Tournament bidding misunderstandings are not unknown.

(N) S—10 7 6 2 H—A Q 7 2 D—Q 7 5 2 C—6 (W) (E) S—8 5 4 S—K 9 H—10 9 8 5 H—K 6 D—K 9 8 D—A 6 4 C—10 8 5 C—Q J 9 7 3 2 (S) S—A Q J 3 H—J 4 3 D—J 10 3 C—A K 4 Bidding: W N E S 1C Dble. No 2C 3C Dble. All Pass.