Sanya 2014: A Round 32 Complicated Board

Monday, October 13th 2014

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At the World  Mixed Teams Championship Round of 32, there were several hands that generated complications to the players, this is one of them:

Board 5

In the Willenken vs Binkie match, Binkie from Australia played a system that includes feather light opening bids.

Callaghan from Binkie team, in North opened 1,  partner answered 1NT. The sequence continued asking for the other major and after not finding fits they stopped in 2.

The lead was the 5, and declarer went one down = -100.

At the other table the Australian pair in E/W was really active and aggressive…

Willenken passed and Dawson (Binkie) opened her very light hand with a 1 bid, Dana Berkowitz showed her diamonds and Gill said 1, Willenken passed and Dawson, showed her weakness repeating her club suit.  Gill showed support and strength with a cue bid, Dawson now could mention her spades and Gill closed the 3NT game.

Willenken led his 10, and after winning the trick continued with his 5, declarer won with his A (cutting opps communications in the diamond suit).

Gill continued with the K, watching North’s Q and run all his clubs.

In the next two club rounds Willenken pitched two hearts. Dana played could follow the suit three times, but in the fourth club trick began her discard problems, and she took her time to choose her cards. This was the position:

When Gill played his fourth club, Dana did not want to pitch her diamonds and she also wanted to remain with her spade queen well guarded so she chose to pitch a heart and she made the same thing in the fifth club, she through the K … Willenken pitched two hearts too.

But Dana discards could not fail to call Gill’s attention, he almost instantly locate the missing spade honor in Dana’s hand and played a spade to the A and a diamond to endplay Dana. She was able to make her three diamonds but had to continue with a spade, giving declarer his ninth trick.

What would have happened if Dana had not clung to her diamonds?

If in the fourth and fifth club tricks she would have pitched two small diamonds, declarer could not have fulfilled his contract, he would have had to lose a spade, a diamond and two hearts.

This is the board results at all the tables: