Regular partners will hold the advantage in upcoming Mixed Pairs Championship
THE Spring tournament season starts winding down at this time and tonight, Friday, sees the first session of the Mixed Pairs Championship, with the second session being scheduled for Monday. This event is always fairly hard to call but the pairs who play regularly together as a Mixed Pair will undoubtedly go in with an advantage.Also coming up is the ACBL Annual General Meeting which is set for Thursday, May 3rd at 5.30 p.m. — turn up and make yourself heard if you have any opinions on how to make things better on the local scene. Refreshments will be served after the meeting.
Good declarer play often involves a voyage of discovery, using side suits to help pinpoint the correct play in a crucial suit. Some voyages are simpler and shorter than others and today’s hand is a pretty straightforward demonstration of this technique.
N/S Vulnerable.
West dealer.
North
West East
[spade]KQJ965 [spade]1084
[heart]3 [heart]QJ9742
[diamond]J974 [diamond]106
[club]Q5 [club]62
South
The bidding was good:
West North East South
2[spade] (1) Dbl (2) Pass (3) 3[club] (4)
Pass 3[spade] (5) Pass 3NT
Pass Pass Pass
(1) Weak — 6-10 HCP and a six card spade suit.
(2) No other choice — the 19 HCP compensates for the lack of a four card heart suit.
(3) I don’t like this pass at the vulnerability — a three-spade bid would put South under huge pressure — if he had 10,8,6,3 of hearts he might even bid 4 hearts!!
(4) Playing Lebensohl, East’s pass allows South to show values by bidding a suit. If South had a weak hand, seven HCP or less, he would bid 2NT after partner’s double. Partner now bids his own suit or bids 3 clubs and South places the final contract.
(5) Asking partner to bid 3NT with a spade stopper.
West led the king of spades and South held up the first round and won the second. Knowing that the club play was crucial, declarer went voyaging and played three rounds of diamonds, noting with surprise that West held four. So now he knew 10 of West’s cards — six spades and four diamonds. The top hearts showed that West only had one, leaving him (and East) with two clubs!! So the ace-king brought down the queen — 11 tricks!! If West had shown two hears (and therefore one club) declarer would cash the club ace and then finesse East’s queen. Remarkably simple isn’t it??
Happy voyaging!!!
