China plays hand of year

Press, 4 February 1986, Page 16

China plays hand of year

Though there is only one entry under the letter X in the biographical section of the Official Encyclopedia of Bridge, it is a very significant one. It belongs to Xiaoping Deng, Vice-Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, who was named Bridge Personality of 1980 by the International Bridge Press Association. The citation stated: “He set an example to the Chinese people who are finding that playing bridge can lead to international friendship through membership of the World Bridge Federation.”

For many years bridge had been officially frowned upon in China as a bourgeois pastime, but Deng revived interest in it, and made it a respectable sport. Following a visit from Jaime OrtizPatino, the President of the W.8.F., China became a member. The People’s Republic now competes in world competitions, particularly in the Far East Bridge Federation Championship, where it plays against Chinese Taipei without political problems.

Considering the lack of international competition, the Chinese players have attained a very high standard. The 1.8.P.A. recently announced that the Solomon award for the best-played hand of 1985 had gone to Mr Wan Li, Deputy Prime Minister of the People’s Republic. He was South when this hand was dealt by East with bnly North-South vulnerable: N. ❖ Q 75 V 9 764 ❖ 94 $ K J 10 4 W. E. 4>A8642 SKJIO 9 3 V AQJIOS 3 ❖62 ❖ QJB7S ♦.5 <§> 87 S. ❖ . KB2 ❖ AKIO 3 4 AQ9632 The auction was: W. N. E. S. No I<®> c.s24> 34» 44 54 No No Dble No No Rdble All Pass

After East’s pass, South’s one club was precision, a system favoured by most Chinese players,

CONTRACT BRIDGE

J.R. Wignail

showing 16 points or more. West’s double promised length in the major suits, and North’s one diamond was also artificial, showing six or seven high-card points.

From then on the bidding followed natural lines, with Wan Li’s redouble of the final five clubs contract indicating his aggressive optimism. West was Ding Guangen, Vice Secretary-Gen-eral of the People’s Congress, and neither he nor his partner chose to retreat to five spades, which would in all probability have failed by only one trick. Instead they decided to take their chances of defeating five clubs. 1

West found the imaginative lead of the eight of spades, hoping to put his partner on lead for a heart return. After ruffing to win the first trick, Wan Li studied his prospects, which were not bright, for with the hearts on his left he was in real danger of losing three tricks in the suit. Even with all four hands on view the task seems impossible, but just look at the little bit of Chinese magic that brought the five clubs contract home. At the second trick, South crossed to dummy’s jack of clubs, and, remembering that West’s bidding showed length in the major suits and probably therefore not too much in diamonds, he continued with the nine of diamonds from the table. Correctly, East played low without a flicker, so, holding his breath, the declarer followed with the diamond three. When the nine held the trick, Wan Li saw a gleam of light

He continued with a second diamond to the jack and king, crossed to the king of clubs, ruffed a spade, cashed the ace of diamonds, on which the queen of spades was discarded, and trumped the 10 of diamonds in dummy. The position now was with the lead in the North hand:

V 9764 0 - 4 10 W. E. 4 A 8 4KJIO VAQJ 3 ❖ - ♦ Q 4 - 4 - S. KB2 ❖ - 4 AQ The declarer, who had taken the first eight tricks, needed three more. He led the four of hearts, from dummy and when East followed with the

three, he played the eight from his hand. When West won with the jack he was endplayed. If he cashed, the ace of hearts, South’s king would be established. If he led a spade, dummy would ruff while the declarer discarded a low heart.

Either way, Wan Li had confined his losses to only two in the heart suit. Of course he was fortunate to find the cards lying well but he still had to play very well to make his redoubled five clubs contract. Few would doubt he had earned the prize for the Hand of the Year.