Bridge: Spingold 2011

An Instructive Bidding Board

by Fernando Lema and Ana Roth

The Spingold Master Knockout Teams was born in 1934 as the Masters Teams‑of‑Four, a separate event held in conjunction with the Masters Individual...in 2011, 80 years after, is one of the most prized trophies. After the first two days, only 64 teams still remained playing the round of 32. All the world had the privilege to kibitz in BBO one of the matchs: Gordon (Seed # 12) vs. Iceland (Seed # 21). At the end of the first set: Iceland 44- Gordon 12.

At the open room Iceland: Jon Baldursson (West) - Thorlakur Jonsson (East)

Gordon: Mark Gordon North) - Pratap Rajadhyaksha (South)

The first, almost double, digit was board 4, where Iceland added 9 IMPs. We were one of the Open Room Vugraph kibitzers, where David Bird (Brolucius) was one of the commentators, and conclude after the hand was finished: An instructive bidding board.

Dealer: West Vul: All

7 6 5

10
Q 9 5 3
Q J 9 4 3

K
A Q J 9 8 7
J 6
10 7 6 2

J 4 3
K 6 4 3 2
K 7 2
A K

A Q 10 9 8 2
5
A 10 8 4
8 5

In the closed room, the bidding was...

West	North	East	South
Sontag	Jorgensen	Berkowitz	Einarsson
1	Pass	2NT	3
Double	4	5	The end

The lead was: Q, the declarer couldn't avoid loosing: 2 clubs and a diamond.

In the Open Room, the bidding was...

West	North	East	South
Baldursson	Pratap	Jonsson	Gordon
2	Pass	4	4
Pass	Pass	5	Pass
Pass	5	The end

West opened with 2 weak and East closed the game. While the BBO's commentators were asking about Gordon's bid... all of us saw him choose 4...East believing they had a cold game (their 11 cards heart fit...heart 2-0 very probable) said 5. South without defense passed...North we don't know why decided that was better to play 5 instead to defend...and he was really lucky when nobody doubled him. David Bird, wrote: Partner has pushed them to the five-level. That is not the time to hand the advantage back. They are all playing the system: The five-level belongs to us!!!

The lead from West was A, his partner played the 2. After a club switch, East won the trick with his K, and changed to the 3. South tanked...and decided to play the Q, (at this moment David Bird wrote... Declarer has no reason to place the K with West. East will soon wish that he had doubled. Indeed he probably did when the dummy went down!!). West won with his K Singleton. Another club to the A and ruffed the spade switch. Declarer also loose a diamond for 3 down...David closed the board with... It will still be a sizeable swing, which (some uncharitable people would say - not me) was just what North deserves...An instructive bidding board..