March 2020 - 23

on this deal against Mike Rippey's team:
Dlr: West ♠ K Q J 9 8 3
Vul: E-W ♥ 2
Bd: 16
♦AKJ87
♣ 10
♠ A 10 6 2
♠4
♥5
♥KJ98743
♦ 10 9 6 4 3
♦Q2
♣873
♣AJ2
♠75
♥ A Q 10 6
♦5
♣KQ9654
West
Sementa
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

North
Nowak
1♠
4♦
4NT
5♠

East
Bocchi
3♥
Pass
Pass
All Pass

South
Rippey
3NT
4♠
5♣

When Roman key card Blackwood
revealed two missing key cards, Kamil
Nowak subsided in 5♠.
Bocchi led the ♥3. Declarer inserted
dummy's queen, and when that held
the trick, he crossed to the ♦A, cashed
the ♦K, noting the fall of the queen,
and played a low diamond. When East
discarded a heart, the diamond was
ruffed, and the ♥A called for. West
ruffed with the 6, so declarer overruffed with the 8 and ruffed another
diamond. On a low heart from dummy,
West discarded a club. Declarer ruffed
low and played the trump jack. West
won the ace and played a diamond, but
East was out of trumps, so declarer had
11 tricks. Plus 450.
At the other table, the contract was
the same, but not the auction:
West
Donati
Pass
Pass
Pass

North
Bilde
1♠
4♠
5♠

East
Cima
2♥
Pass
All Pass

South
Madala
Pass
4NT

Leonardo Cima found the fiendish
lead of the ♦2 which ran to Giovanni
Donati's 9 and declarer's jack. Bilde
then played a heart to the queen, followed by the ♥A, ruffed by West's 6
and overruffed with the 8, as at the
other table.

Double-dummy, declarer must now
cash a high diamond and ruff a diamond in dummy, creating a similar
position as Nowak had achieved. But
Bilde played a low diamond, ruffing
in dummy when Cima produced the
queen. The difference in this layout
and the one at the other table is that
declarer has an eventual diamond
loser. Bilde finished down one.
LAVAZZA returned to form in the
second final, however, and romped to
the victory. This deal against Howard
Weinstein's team brought the winners
a full point:
Dlr: East
Vul: Both
Bd: 10

♠A974
♥7
♦AJ873
♣K76
♠KQ63
♠ J 10 8
♥J2
♥K863
♦64
♦KQ952
♣QJ952
♣ 10
♠52
♥ A Q 10 9 5 4
♦ 10
♣A843
West
North
East
Madala Weichsel Bilde
Pass
Pass
2♦
Pass
Pass
2♠
Pass
Pass
3NT
All Pass

South
Hamman
1♥
2♥
3♣

Against 3NT (Bob Hamman and
Peter Weichsel), Bilde led the ♠J,
ducked, and continued with the ♠10,
also ducked. Declarer won the third
round of the suit and played a heart
to the queen. When the ♥J dropped
on the ♥A, Weichsel persisted with
dummy's ♥10 to East's king.
The ♣10 was taken on the board
with the ace, and declarer cashed out,
taking nine tricks. Plus 600.
At the other table:
West North
East
Milne Cronier Hung
Pass
Pass
2♦
Pass
Pass
2NT
Pass
Pass
4♥
All Pass

South
Duboin
1♥
2♥
3♥

Duboin declared 4♥ against Liam
Milne and Andy Hung. Milne led the
♠K, ducked, and switched to the ♣Q,
won in dummy with the king. A heart
to the queen was next, followed by the
♥A and ♥10 to East's king. The ♦K
switch was captured in dummy, and
the ♦J was covered and ruffed. Duboin
drew the last trump and played the ♠5
in this ending:
♠A97
♥-
♦8
♣7

♠Q6
♥-
♦-
♣J92

♠5
♥5
♦-
♣A84

♠ 10 8
♥-
♦952
♣-

Declarer won the ♠A and played
another spade, ruffing, before exiting
with a low club from hand, endplaying
West. Making four, plus 620.
Dlr: West
Vul: None
Bd: 24
♠ A K Q 10
♥KQ9532
♦K
♣J9

West
Madala
1♥
2♠

♠964
♥A4
♦AQ42
♣Q872

♠753
♥ 10 8
♦ J 10 8 7
♣ A K 10 3

North
Helness
Dbl
Pass

East
Bilde
Pass
3♥

♠J82
♥J76
♦9653
♣654

South
Erichsen
2♣
All Pass

Against Fredrik Helness and Espen
Erichsen, Madala played 3♥, and there
was nothing to the play. Declarer must
lose just the trump ace, one diamond
and two clubs. Making three, plus 140.
The auction at the other table was a
bit different:

March 2020 Bridge Bulletin

23
March 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2020
