November 2022 - 16

Open Room
West North
Pass Dbl
East
2
Pass
South
Levin Ventin Weinstein Palma
Pass
Pass
4k
All Pass
Levin led the J to declarer's ace.
After a trump to his ace, Weinstein returned
the '3 to the king and ace. Levin
switched to the l3, won with dummy's
queen. After a second trump to West's
king, +620 was scored.
" A diamond lead would beat it, "
claimed some of the kibitzers. " They
can get a diamond ruff. " If declarer wins
West's diamond lead with the lQ and
plays a trump, this is true. East can rise
with the ace of trumps and switch to
a club to receive his diamond ruff. The
trump king will then be the setting trick.
However, declarer has a counter. He can
play the A, K and 9, aiming to
throw two clubs from dummy. This will
act as a scissors coup. It will do West
no good to ruff the third spade with the
kK, because dummy's last club will
vanish on this trick. The defenders will
score three trump tricks, but that is all.
(My co-commentator, Paul Barden, was
characteristically sharp with his analysis
here.)
Closed Room
West North
East
Pass
South
Sprink. Hampson M. de Leon Greco
2k
4k
All Pass
The singleton diamond lead went
to the king and ace. When Hampson
played a trump (rather than attempting
the perhaps double-dummy scissors
coup), the defenders claimed the kA,
the 'A, a diamond ruff and the kK.
That was one down and 10 IMPs to
VENTIN.
Early in the third set, Daily Bulletin
columnist Jos Jacobs spotted this
rather lucky pickup for NICKELL:
Dlr: West  J 9 2
Vul: Both k 9 7 4
l J 6 4 3
' Q 9 2
West North
 Q 10 3
k A Q 8 6
l 10 9
' A 10 8 7
 A 7 6 4
k K 10
l 5 2
' K J 6 5 3
 K 8 5
k J 5 3 2
l A K Q 8 7
' 4
Open Room
West North
Redbl 2l
Pass Pass
4 Pass
East
1
Dbl
4'
5'
South
Levin M. de Leon Weinstein Sprink.
1' Pass
Dbl
3l
Pass
All Pass
What an auction! North-South were
way overboard, but rather than take their
+500 against 3l doubled, East-West
went on and on and on. Had North-
South doubled them, they might even
have paid the price for it in the end, but
when North decided to lead a heart rather
than the partnership's bid suit, Levin
suddenly was in with a chance. Not that
it was plain sailing yet because there
also was a communication problem.
Dummy's k10 was covered by the
jack and won by the ace and declarer
crossed to the kK. Next, he went back
to the 'A and discarded a diamond
on the kQ. When the 9 appeared, he
continued with the k8, ruffed by North
and overruffed in dummy. With the
trump problem now solved, declarer's
only remaining problem was the spade
suit. When he played a spade to the ace
and a spade back, he guessed right
by putting up the queen and had thus
brought home an unlikely contract. Well
done, NICKELL +600.
In the other room, the Iberians produced
a more decent auction and ended
up in the par contract with no opposing
actions:
1 Pass
2l Pass
East
South
Palma Hampson Ventin Greco
1' Pass
1k(1) Dbl
2' Pass
3' All Pass
(1) Spades
When North at this table also led a
heart from his 9-7-4, declarer soon
came to 11 tricks at this table, too. VENTIN
+150, but 10 IMPs to NICKELL.
The fourth stanza of the match
ended in a 16 to 16 tie, so NICKELL
retained the lead 116-100. But VENTIN
controlled the fifth set, winning
it 45-19, to take a 10-IMP lead in the
match. From Marc Smith:
Dlr: East  5
Vul: E-W k A 9 8 6 2
l A 10 9 8 2
' 4 3
 K 9 8 2
k Q J 10 5 3
l K Q
' 7 2
 A Q 7 6 4 3
k 7 4
l 5 3
' K 6 5
 J 10
k K
l J 7 6 4
' A Q J 10 9 8
West North East
South
Hampson Palma Greco Wrang
Sprink. Katz
4 Dbl
Pass
de Leon Nickell
2 3'
?
After identical auctions, Wrang passed
and Nickell retreated to 5', which was
doubled by East on the way out. Against
4 doubled, Wrang opened the kK
and switched to a diamond at trick two.
Palma won and switched to clubs, the
defenders taking their two tricks in that
suit. Declarer still had to lose the kA
later: North-South +500.
Sprinkhuizen led a diamond against
5' doubled. Nickell won with the
lA and played a spade. Mendes de
Leon won with the ace and cashed his
partner's high diamond. Nickell won the
heart switch in dummy with the ace and
took a winning trump finesse, then ruffed
16 | Bridge Bulletin | November 2022
November 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2022
