Medellin 2016: From Mount Olympus by Ana Roth

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Medellin, Mayo 30 2016

The world of Olympus, seat of the gods, who observed, meddled and played in the world of human-beings, also had mythical utopian characteristics and was located in Greece, thus, in the center of the Greek world (Homer, Iliad 18.184-186, Odyssey 6.43-45).

Homer described it as a place totally apart from the human world and as one which stood forever (Odyssey 6.41-47). It was never shaken by the winds, nor was wet with rain, nor did the snow fall upon it, but the air was always fresh and pure, clear and cloudless and a radiant whiteness hovered over it. In short, it was an otherworldly paradise, isolated from the world of humans and their strife.

When I am kibitzing in BBO I feel a bit on Mount Olympus … down there I observe each of the players seeing only their 13 cards, while I have the privilege of seeing all 52. While they try to discover the position of a certain key card, I laugh at their efforts … knowing where they are all of them… Ohh … down one, on a squezze in a hand that my granny would have won with a finesse …

And the most striking thing is that in my case, the gods are down there playing bridge, and I, a mere mortal is watching from above… These were my thoughts this morning when the South American Bridge Teams  Championship begun in Medellin, Colombia and the first match that aired BBO was one where Auken-Welland was in one of the tables and Lall-Milner in the other.

Here are some of the boards that helped team Milner beat Costantina team by 16.72 to 3.28:

Click the images to access to the pairs convention cards

The first major difference was generated in board 2: When Alonso finished as the declarer of a 2 contract.

 Lead: K

The declarer won the lead with the A, crossed to the dummy with the Q and run the 8, Milner won the trick with his 10 and switched to the 3. Ana Alonso covered Lall’s J with her A and played the 5. Lall won with the ace to play a heart.

Alonso ruffed with the 9 but Milner overruffed with the J to return another spade. Lall won the trick with his Q and more heart….Ana ruffed and Milner covered with his king…At the end she had to lose a diamond for one down = -200.

At the other table the auction started in a similar way … but didn’t end the same way:

When Hammer, reopened with double and Auken listened West’s pass … she redoubled, asking her partner to find another place to play. Welland chose his other long suit …: lol: and said 2. Piza doubled.

Lead: K

Welland won with his A, cashed the A and played a second spade. When Hammer returned her 10, he won with the A and switched to a small club. Piza won the trick with the 10, and returned the 9. Welland won with his K, ruffed a club in dummy, watching East play the ace. Ruffed a spade in his hand, played a heart to dummy’s queen and continued with a diamond. Piza was now in his hand, and at the end had to give a club and the contract.

2 done: +180…+200 = 9 IMPs for Milner team. 

 Board 8 

Lall opened with 2, and Alonso forced her partner to chose a minor. After hearing her partner favor clubs and hoping for some help in that suit, she declared the slam … Bad luck, the only honor in his partner hand was in her void … One down.  

At the other table, the E/W couple played weak NT, so Piza opened his hand with 1NT. Auken took the opportunity to show the majors, Hammer showed his weak hand with long spades, and Welland showed his strong hand with a cuebid. Piza doubled, and Auken passed waiting for his partner reaction, Welland redoubled and when Auken said 4, he defined the final contract in 5…all passed.

Lead: K

Welland ducked, and Piza switched to a small spade. Declarer won with dummy’s ace, pitching his heart loser. He came to his hand with a club, ruffed a club in dummy and returned to his hand ruffing a spade. He played his diamonds and claimed 12 tricks. 10 IMPs for Milner.

Perhaps if Pizza had observed a little more the table, with a singleton club and only one trump … He would have returned the 10 to leave declarer with no possibilities.

In the next board, Pizza quickly recover the previous 10 IMPs when he bid and make 3NT, while at the other room E/W played a partscore in diamonds. 

 Board 9

Auken opened with 1 (1=2+ may be any BAL hand incl. any other 5-cd suit included the 5422).

Hammer competed with spades, Welland pass and Piza defined with 3NT.

With all the points in Auken’s hand the contract is cold and Piza scored +600 for a well deserved 10 IMPs.