Saturday 27 September
The English Premier League is played in two weekends, the first being the 20th of September and this weekend they are playing the second one. In the 1st Division, this Saturday Allfrey and Mossop teams faced each other.
Allfrey Team: Alexander Allfrey, David Bakhshi, Tony Forrester, David Gold, Andrew McIntosh, Andrew Robson
Mossop Team: David Mossop, Jason Hackett, Justin Hackett, David Burn, David Price, Colin Simpson
Before the second weekend of the English Premier League started, the team Dhondy stood first, second Crouch, Mossop came third and fourth Allfrey. The Mossop-Allfrey match to the surprise of everyone ended 71-0 for Allfrey.
How could it be that Mossop was not able to add a single IMP?
The 20 boards match, was almost even till Board 7.
Board 7
Jason Hackett opened 1, Forrester pass and Justin Hackett showed his spade suit. Jason continued describing his hand with a 2 call, and when his brother invited him to a NT game he passed.
Lead: 2
Declarer won the lead in his hand with the A, he continued playing the J and let run the 10, Gold won with the Q and returned another club. Jason made the next three club tricks, played a diamond to the Q, winning the trick, played the A and his last and eights trick was the A. Mission accomplished = +120.
At the other table, a bad combination for the Mossop team: N/S bid over their possibilities…but a bad defense…
After the same opening bid, Bakhshi’s 1NT showed 5 spades, Mcintosh showed his diamond suit and Bakhshi invited with 2NT and South accepted…
Lead: 2
The first two tricks were the same: A y J, but here Bakhshi decided to play the heart suit and the K won the first heart round. Simpson returned a club, declarer won in his hand and played a second heart.
Now Price won with his Q and returned a diamond. Declarer won with the Q and played a third heart. West won with his A. At this point declarer already had 4 tricks.
The position was:
As you can see a diamond or heart return, let declarer make: a diamond, two hearts, two clubs and one spade for 10 tricks.
But a spade return…cuts declarer communication with his hand, defeating the contract.
Price chose a diamond return…And McIntosh scored +630 and another 11 IMPs for his team.
In Boards 8 & 9 Allfrey added another 13 IMPs.
Board 10
The Hackett brothers chose to play 2.
At the other table N/S arrived to game:
After a 1 opening bid. Bakhshi didn’t stop till a major game.
After a club lead, declarer ruffed the A en la mesa, played two trump rounds, and begun playing his TOP diamonds he was ruffed in the second round. Declarer lost the spade return and claimed 10 tricks…+620 = 10 IMPs.
The next double digit swing was Board 12:
Price-Simpson went three down in 4 doubled…at the other table the bidding was: Pass…Pass…Pass…Pass.
Board 17:
Bakhshi opened the bidding with a 3 preemting bid, Simpson doubled and Price with limited bidding space, unable to find out the best contract, invited to game with 4, his partner closed the diamond game. The 2 lead sealed the contract fate to one down.
At the other table, North passed and E/W landed in the 3NT game, the only lead that defeats the contract is a club, but the actual lead was a heart, and another 11 IMPs for Allfrey.
In Board 18 the Mossop team risked a slam, one down, Allfrey played game, done.
Thus Allfrey added 71 IMPs…while Mossop could not add even one.