Untitled Document
Bucuresti, 26-1-2005
Story of 2 boards in the pairs contest Atomic 24-01-2005.
1 time a month there are pre-shuffled boards. And on the sheets is the comment how the board was supposed to be bid and played.
If you want to learn something about bridge wilt leren, and you have no books, this is an excellent way. First you play the boards, and then you study the sheets afterwards.
Theme: Defending, you do it together.
First the problem:
   
    | 30 O/-
     | North Louis
     |  | North
     | East
     | South
     | West
     | 
   
    |  |  Q 7
 |  | -
     | P
     | 1  | 1  | 
   
    |  |  K 10 7 5 3
 |  | 3  | P
     | 4  | ap
     | 
   
    |  |  8 7 4
 |  | Lead 
     |  A
 |  |  | 
   
    | West
     |  K J 2
 | East
     |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  A K J 10 8 2
 |  |  5
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  -
 |  |  ?
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  J 8 6
 |  |  ? +  5
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  10 9 8 3
 | South Truus
     |  ? +  4
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  9 6 4 3
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  ?
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  ?
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  ?
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
Trick1:  A -
A -  7 -
7 -  5 -
5 -  3
3
Trick2:  K -
K -  Q -
Q -  5 of
5 of  4 -
4 -  4
4
Partner signals diamonds in Trick 2.
I don’t know your system. Italian is odd, so  5, or Lavinthal, a low
5, or Lavinthal, a low  for
 for  . What now? Do we obey partner and do we switch
. What now? Do we obey partner and do we switch  or give him a
 or give him a  -ruff? Solution at the end.
-ruff? Solution at the end.
Another beautiful defence.
   
    | 4 W/All
     | North
     |  | North
     | East
     | South
     | West
     | 
   
    |  |  K
 |  | -
     | -
     | -
     | p
     | 
   
    |  |  K Q J 10
 |  | 1  | p
     | 1  | P
     | 
   
    |  |  A J 9 8 7 3
 |  | 2  | p
     | 3  | ap
     | 
   
    | West
     |  Q J
 | East
     | Lead
     |  A
 |  |  | 
   
    |  A J 4 3 2
 |  |  9 8 5
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  8 6 5 3
 |  |  9 7 4
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  K 4
 |  |  Q 10
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  8 2
 | South
     |  A K 10 6 5
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  Q 10 7 6
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  A 2
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  6 5 2
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  9 7 4 3
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
Trick1:  K -
K -  3 -
3 -  8 (even number of
8 (even number of  ) -
) -  J
J
The most wonderful thing that can happen is to let partner ruff a  high, then there can be a trump promotion in East. But first
 high, then there can be a trump promotion in East. But first  A has to be cashed. So it goes:
A has to be cashed. So it goes:
Trick2:  9 -
9 -  6 -
6 -  A -
A -  K
K
Trick3:  2 -
2 -  Q -
Q -  A -
A -  4
4
Now play a low  , to make certain that partner ruffs high.
, to make certain that partner ruffs high.
Trick4:  5 -
5 -  7 -
7 -  K -
K -  A
A
East gets  Q 10 and the contract is 1 down.
Q 10 and the contract is 1 down.
Did we get this brillancy-price?
No, but at our table the rebid from North after 1 was 2
 was 2 and that was the final contract.
 and that was the final contract.
I, East, thought that West was much stronger and wanted to prevent dummy to ruff a lot of hearts. I played: Trick2:  A, Trick 3:
A, Trick 3:   Q.
Q.
North maybe has a 5-crd  and a 4-crd
 and a 4-crd  and not strong enough to bid 2
 and not strong enough to bid 2 .
.
This defence was right, but this wasn’t the right board.
Solution of the problem:
   
    | 30 O/-
     | North Louis
     |  | North
     | East
     | South
     | West
     | 
   
    |  |  Q 7
 |  | -
     | P
     | 1  | 1  | 
   
    |  |  K 10 7 5 3
 |  | 3  | P
     | 4  | ap
     | 
   
    |  |  8 7 4
 |  | Lead 
     |  A
 |  |  | 
   
    | West
     |  K J 2
 | East
     |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  A K J 10 8 2
 |  |  5
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  -
 |  |  8 4 2
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  J 8 6
 |  |  A K 5 3 2
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  10 9 8 3
 | South Truus
     |  7 6 5 4
 |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  9 6 4 3
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  A Q J 9 6
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  Q 10
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
   
    |  |  A Q
 |  |  |  |  |  | 
Trick1:  A -
A -  7 -
7 -  5 -
5 -  3
3
Trick2:  K -
K -  Q -
Q -  5 of
5 of  4 -
4 -  4
4
I don’t know your system. Italian is odd, so  5, or Lavinthal, a low
5, or Lavinthal, a low  for
 for  . What now? Do we obey partner and do we switch
. What now? Do we obey partner and do we switch  or give him a
 or give him a  -ruff?
-ruff?
As we can see now a diamond continuation is winning.
You make the first 4 tricks with  A K and
A K and  A K.
A K.
If you continued  then it goes:
 then it goes:
Ruffed high in dummy, with  to South, again
 to South, again  ruffed high, draw trumps,
 ruffed high, draw trumps, A and
A and  Q overtaken with the
Q overtaken with the  K, on
K, on  J a
J a  discarded.
 discarded.
East is clever enough to play in Trick 2 a high  or an even
 or an even  to ask for the ruff.
 to ask for the ruff.
East could have done even better!
Ruff the high  K and play
K and play  A and K.
A and K.
This is the sure defence, because in bridge also rules the law of Murphy:
If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong.
The Dutch defender, Louis Stift.