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Board 13: You never know what will happen at the other table(s)!
| Hand played on | 07/12/2006 |
|---|---|
| Board number | 13 [Red Section] |
| Dealer | North |
| Vulnerability | Both |
| Submitted by | Alaric Cundy |
The Hands
|
North ♠J84 ♥KJT ♦653 ♣KJ92 |
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|
West ♠AQ72 ♥A97542 ♦87 ♣Q |
East ♠KT3 ♥83 ♦AQJT4 ♣875 |
The Bidding |
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|
South ♠965 ♥Q6 ♦K92 ♣AT642 |
North No No End |
East No |
South No No |
West 1♥ 2♥ |
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The heading of this report is more often heard in the context of teams of four bridge rather than match-pointed pairs, but it would have been apt here! On the surface, everything looks perfectly straightforward, though admittedly
East might stop and think a bit before passing out 2♥. Declarer will lose two trump tricks and one in each minor for +140 to EW. Flat board? Not completely!
At one table South looked long and hard at Dummy's threatening looking diamond holding, and so when a diamond was played to the ten he decided to hold off. If that situation had arisen early in the play there would have
been more justification - but in practice by this stage the defenders were already into their natural trump tricks, had exposed the club position, and had conceded a cheap trick in spades. South should be able to work out that Declarer doesn't have anything to discard on the diamonds...
That resulted in +170 to EW.
At another table East evidently succumbed to the temptation to bid on past 2♥, and tried 2NT, which is where the hand played. I presume that NS took their 5 club tricks, and then their diamond. Declarer was left with 9 winners at that
point - but with only 7 tricks to take them in, so NS profited to the tune of +100.
At two tables, NS managed to buy the contract. One North declared in 1NT - perhaps after South opened a very sub-standard 1♣
and EW bid timidly. Potentially Declarer can make 5 clubs, two hearts, and a diamond, but if the defenders play on diamonds and spades they should get to 7 tricks first. Anyway, the actual +90 for NS was only beaten once.
And then there is the real mystery result. 1NT by NS is almost understandable, albeit unlikely. One North / South went a step further and tried 2NT. Unfortunately for them, it appears, the defenders found their diamonds and spades and Declarer was held to 6 tricks, for -200.
As the title of this example goes, you never know what's going to happen at other tables...