At sixes and sevens By Richard Cummings

Source: http://www.ecatsbridge.com/

1989 WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS NEC BERMUDA BOWL / NEC VENICE CUP

HYATT REGENCY HOTEL PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA

At sixes and sevens By Richard Cummings

Practice hands and inflight bid strips are suddenly things of the past. The Big One has arrived. At this writing, it was countdown time to the first board of these championships. Most competitors were a little tense abou the prospects, from the favorites right down to the outsiders. Not to worry it is normal to feel at sixes and sevens. Which reminds me of a couple of hands from Sydney during the year where those apparently innocuous spot cards, the 6s and the 7s, played a key role. The first, from a Seres rubber game, is an unhappy occasion for the top-of-nothing school. North-South had a 30 partial and were vulnerable. South was dealer.

* An overbid

** A trusting soul

West, knowing his opponents had practically everything, chose the 6 as a safe opening lead. Declarer, young Timothy Seres himself, proved it otherwise. After the A, five rounds of hearts and the, A, the position came down to:

Now a spade to the king squeezed East in the minor suits, giving North-South a huge rubber. Had the diamond West led been the 4 or the 2, West would have been able to guard diamonds in the endgame and beat the grand slam. To this writer, who is not a fan of top-of-nothing, it was simply a case of poetic justice. The second exhibit is from a teams congress.

After a 1 and a forcing 1NT response, South became declarer in no less a contract than 7 we are not shy here in Australia. Fancying a trump lead, West fingered the 7. However, he had heard about the first hand and the value of intermediate cards, so he decided to lead the 5. The merit of that choice would soon become apparent.

Declarer ran the lead to the queen and ace. Then it went A, A, spade ruff, club ruff, spade ruff. Next the 8 was covered by the 9 and ruffed with the 6, West’s 7 was just high enough to overruff. Down one and a bushel of IMPs to East-West. The first trick was a subtle one all around. West had to lead the 5 rather than the 7 of trumps. To make the contract, declarer had to rise with the K that would have preserved the 8 and the A to take care of the last two clubs. Going up with the K, though anti-reflex, looks like the right play.