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High scores at Christchurch events.

The Christchurch Bridge Club held two 10A events and Intermediate/Junior events this past weekend. They attracted players from KeriKeri to Invercargill (and in-between!) with quality and quantity to the fore.

Firstly, a lead problem for you. It was the first board the winners of the 10A Open Pairs played in the day. So, like West, are you ready and awake?

 

(positions rotated)

Partner’s 2 showed three hearts and a good passed hand. You doubled 3 because you were playing Pairs and in case you were making 3, you hoped to score +300 for down 2. You knew your partner held four spades and were fairly sure you are not making 4. Also, your diamond cards are sitting over declarer’s. So, you double… and you lead?

Saturday saw Teams: 6 x 10 board matches in the Open.

Open Teams											vps
Ian	Berrington		Graeme	Tuffnell		Matthew	McManus		Michael	Ware	84.61
Andi	Boughey		Carol	Richardson		Blair	Fisher		Russell	Wilson	81.21
Pam	Livingston		Leon	Meier		David	Skipper		Tim	Schumacher	77.81
Intermediate Teams
Catherine	Fitchett		Jane	Walders		Philippa	Gibson		Judy	Parkinson	113.37
Lizzie	Thompson		Rhondda	Bergman		Jeff	Bergman		Fiona	Findlater	77.36
Margaret	Fraser		Richard	Williams		Norma	Loomes		Tina	Sims	74.06

The Intermediates played 7 rounds, round-robin style. The winners won all 7 matches averaging just over 16vps per match, a huge performance.

Sunday saw Match-Point Pairs:

	Open Pairs						%
1	Brad	Johnston		Sam	Coutts		133.68
2	Blair	Fisher		Russell	Wilson		125.56
3	Matthew	McManus		Michael	Ware		124.18
4	Andi	Boughey		Carol	Richardson		121.48
5	Jan	Cormack		Pamela	Nisbet		115.86
	Intermediate Pairs
1	Shawn	Adriel-Ai		Jane	Walders		118.58
2=	Terri	McFedries		Frank	Stewart		111.54
2=	Ian	Beattie		Rex	Green		111.54
4	Jeff	Bergman		Rhondda	Bergman		108.98
5	David	Sewell		Debbie	Seddon-Sewell		106.74
	Junior Pairs
1=	Mary	McSherry		Carol	Brand		111.26
1=	Kate	Harris		Liz	Douglas		111.26
3	Robert	Bijl		Bronwyn	Bijl		110.42
4=	Gill	Dallison		Sandy	Close		107.92
4=	Dean	Garrett		Phil	Sanson		107.92

 

That was a mighty large average by Sam Coutts and Brad Johnston in the Open Pairs. They started with all the match-points on Board 27:

 

Looking at the West hand, Brad knew his partner’s values were in spades or clubs. He thought if they were in spades, he would get them anyway. He did not want to risk a spade in case declarer had a two-way finesse. So, he led a passive club.

 
Sam and Brad along with Ian Southen representing the Christchurch Club
with the Sir Joseph Ward Trophy presented to the winners of the Canterbury 
Open Pairs. 

In theory, this does give South a chance of coming to 9 tricks as long as South plays a heart at trick 2 but South played a second club, diamond to the ace, A discarding a diamond and tried to cash K. Sam was the “party-pooper”, ruffing to play K.

Only now did South played a heart. However, Sam rose with the king to play two more high spades. Declarer had three losing red cards but only one trump in each hand. The defence took 4 more tricks leaving South two down: - 300.

In fact, after a club lead, the contract will not make even if South play a heart at trick 2 since a second club removes a valuable entry to the North hand. Also, a trump swich does South no good.

South can make if West leads initially two rounds of hearts as South can use both clubs to get to dummy to ruff hearts. Declarer can then score three club tricks, three heart ruffs (or waste one of East’s high trumps in ruffing the fourth heart in which case K can become a trick), two spades in dummy and a high diamond to come to 9 tricks.

This time, the singleton trump was the best start for the defence, though the club was good enough. Also, not even 3 was making but Brad and Sam got off to a great start by doubling 3…and as one can see from their score, the tops kept coming. Strangely, though, for such a big score (66.84% average), they only declared 22 out of the 60 boards played. “Sharp defence and strong competitive bidding” was how Brad described their day.

Richard Solomon

If you have a few spare minutes on Tuesday afternoon, watch part one of the on-line Seniors Zone 7 match between Australia and New Zealand. Pat Carter-Julie Atkinson and Jane and John Skipper will be representing New Zealand. There is the standard 30 minute Real Bridge kibitzer lag with the match starting at 1.00pm. Tomorrow’s match is 2 sets of 14 boards.

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