Chennai 2015: A Vital Opening Lead

42nd World Bridge Teams Championships

Chennai, India • 26 September – 10 October 2015

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The 42nd World Bridge Teams Championships and the 10th World Transnational Open Teams Championship will be held at the ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Chennai (former Madras), India.

September 27, 2015

Florence Osborn, wrote the daily bridge column for The New York Herald Tribune from 1936 until its closing in 1966. Mrs. Osborn, who did not compete regularly in tournaments, was the only woman to have written a major bridge column in USA at that time. Her column concentrated on the human side of the game rather than technique.

In one of 1960’s articles she wrote: One of the country’s greatest bridge players once made the assertion that 50 percent of all game and slam contracts could be defeated if the player making the opening lead had the privilege of first inspecting all four hands and then choosing his lead on the basis of this double dummy information. The percentage seems much too high, but there is not the slightest doubt that the opening lead presents thousands of tricks to declarers every day and that the right choice of an opening is often the only key to successful defence.

Board 5 Round 3 Match Sweden -USA1

 South opened 1, Levin showed his heart suit, North passed, Weinstein supported his partner’s suit and after two pass, North reopened with a double. South showed a strong two colored hand and North chose to play the 3NT game. Weinstein led his partner’s suit and the declarer couldnt win any more, he lost 4 hearts and the diamond ace.

 At the other table Rodwell was North and Meckstroth was South. They play in third position 2NT =) strong balanced hand 20-21 points. So South opened 2NT.

This opening bid had a preventive value, West passed. Rodwell used a certain type of Puppett and finally they decided to play 3NT.

Nystrom chose to lead his Q and were his last words…

Meckstroth won in his hand, continued with the A, and a diamond to the king, when he won this trick he played a second diamond. Declarer covered East’s J with his Q. Now  Nystrom won his ace and plyed a small heart. Meckstroth’s  Q won the trick, and declarer run his tricks: 3 diamonds, K, and K and claimed his contract.

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