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Hand played on |
10th December 2006 |
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Board number |
27, GOLD CUP MATCH |
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Dealer |
South |
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Vulnerability |
Love All |
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Submitted by |
Alaric Cundy |
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North ª K4 © AQ75 ¨ 7 § AKQ975 |
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West ª 93 © T8632 ¨ QT6 § JT2 |
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East ª QJ752 © K ¨ K982 § 643 |
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North |
Bidding:
East |
South |
West |
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South ª AT86 © J94 ¨ AJ543 § 8 |
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1§ x |
2ª End |
No |
No |
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This hand comes from a Gold Cup match between a team comprising four members of the Mountnessing Club, against a particularly illustrious team that comprised Jeremy & Heather Dhondy and Richard Fleet & Keith Bennett. Dhondy's team was miles ahead by the time board 27 came along, and that probably explains Jeremy's cavalier weak 2ª bid as East. The Mountnessing pair sitting NS desperately needed to 'generate a result' - and passing out North's re-opening double virtually guaranteed a result - but who would gain?
South led the singleton club, and North cashed three top club winners - on which South threw two small hearts - then North switched to the diamond. South won with the Ace, and returned his (by now) singleton heart, which North won. North returned his smallest heart, on which Declarer discarded a diamond and South ruffed low. South was able to read North's small heart lead as a plea for a diamond switch, which North ruffed with the low spade. North returned his lowest heart, on which Declarer discarded another diamond, and South ruffed with the eight. South returned the (now winning) Jack of diamonds and was delighted that North could ruff with the King. By now the Defenders had taken the first nine tricks. North tried the Queen of hearts, ruffed high by Declarer, but South was able to discard - that was Declarer's first trick!. South inevitably still had two more trump winners, having come down to the Ace and the ten over Declarer's Queen and two small. So 2ª doubled failed by no less than six tricks - or 1400 to NS, which translated as +14 imps to the good guys.
Apart from one one board where Mountnessing's other pair found a top drawer defence to defeat a 6© contract (+17 imps), the remaining 38 boards are best forgotten. But taking Jeremy Dhondy six off in 2ª doubled will be a lasting memory! Who says you shouldn't ever 'double into game'?
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