July 2011 - 16

USBF Trials

West
North East South
Wooldridge Platnick Hurd Diamond
1 Pass
1
Pass
1 Pass
1
Pass
2 Pass
3
Pass
3 Pass
4
Pass
4 Pass
4
Pass
5NT Pass
6
All Pass
1 is an artificial force, over which
Hurd was able to show the three-suited nature of his hand. Wooldridge set
trumps with 3, some control bids
followed, and slam was reached after
Hurd issued a pick-a-slam 5NT.
Because the auction suggested a
crossruff in the play, Diamond led a
trump. Hurd won it in dummy and
ruffed a diamond, crossed to the J
to ruff another diamond. He cashed
the Q - happy to see both opponents follow - and crossed to the
K to draw the last trump. With the
A falling third, he was able to claim.
West
North
East
Hampson Bathurst Greco
2
2NT
Pass
3NT
4
Pass
4
4
All Pass

South
Zagorin
Pass
Pass
Pass

2 shows a limited three-suiter,
short in diamonds. 2NT asks for clarification and 3NT shows a maximum
4=4=0=5 hand. 4 is a relay to 4,
after which four of a major shows
mild slam interest. Greco felt that he
had already said everything he had
to say, however, and passed. Twelve
IMPs to Bathurst.
On the next board:
Dlr: South  7 6 5
Vul: Both  A J 10 9 5
K6
983
 K 10 9 3
AQ
N
KQ72
8
W E
Q53
 A 10 9 7 4 2
S
A4
 K 10 6 5
J842
643
J8
QJ72
16 Bridge Bulletin July 2011

West
North East South
Wooldridge Platnick Hurd Diamond
Pass
1NT
Pass
2NT Pass
3
Pass
3 Pass
3NT
Pass
4 Pass
4NT
All Pass
Wooldridge opened a 14-16 1NT.
Hurd transferred to 3, then bid 3
to show shortness and game-going
strength. Wooldridge had an easy 3NT,
but Hurd made one more stab at a
minor-suit slam with 4. Wooldridge
had no slam interest, however, and
ended the auction with a natural 4NT.
North led the 10 (zero or two
higher), but the combined East-West
heart spots were sufficiently robust
to prevent the defense from running the suit should South turn up
with the K. Wooldridge scored 12
tricks when Platnick didn't cash out
upon winning the K, and Diamond
became squeezed in the blacks. Plus
690.
Greco and Hampson, however,
wandered all the way to 6 on the
East-West cards, and finished down
one after North led the A. That was
another 13 IMPs to Bathurst.
Bathurst picked up another 17 IMPs
in the third segment and kept up the
pressure in the fourth set. This deal
(rotated) cost Diamond 10 IMPs:
Dlr: South  Q 9 4 3
Vul: None  A
AJ73
 K 10 5 4
AKJ85
762
N
Q9754
KJ
W E
4
 Q 10 9 8 6 2
S
J6
98
 10
 10 8 6 3 2
K5
AQ732
The South players at both tables
(Grue and Moss) declared 5 after
auctions in which East bid spades and
West raised. Both declarers received
the lead of a top spade followed by a

diamond switch.
Grue called for dummy's jack,
covered by the queen and king. Grue
immediately returned a low diamond
toward dummy's ace. West ruffed
and returned a trump, but Grue won
in hand, crossed to the A, ruffed
a spade, ruffed a heart and ruffed
another spade in the closed hand.
When Grue ruffed another heart in
dummy, East showed out, allowing
declarer to count the West hand as
exactly 5=5=1=2. Grue could safely
cash the A knowing that East had
the remaining trump. He finished with
a high crossruff for 11 tricks.
Moss won the A at trick two,
crossed to the A and tried to come
back to his hand with the K in preparation for the crossruff. West ruffed,
however, and returned a trump, leaving Moss a trick short in the end.
With another 25 IMPs tacked on in
the fourth set, Bathurst led 137-89 at
halftime.

Final: Day Two
The volatile fifth segment saw
almost 100 IMPs change hands, although Bathurst managed to pick up a
few more IMPs (52-46) to add to their
total. Diamond scored the first swing
of the set, however, when Hampson
found a killing switch on defense that
was not matched at the other table:
Dlr: North  A 7
Vul: Both  10 5 3
KQJ6
8432
63
QJ942
N
AKQ98
J6
W E
 10 5 4
A732
S
 Q J 10
A7
 K 10 8 5
742
98
K965
The East-West pairs at both tables
arrived in 3NT (East) after the auction
1-2; 2NT-3NT. Both declarers
(Hurd and Platnick) received a low
club lead from South, won in dummy,
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2011
