...And the answers
Last week I left you with two problems, one from the most recent Eastern Counties League match against Cambs & Hunts, one from the European Women's Championship. Both were hands where your side had hustled the opponents into bidding a slam and you had to find a lead, more exactly, whether to start with the ace of spades as East. Here are the full hands:
| ♠ K5 | ||||
| ♥ A108 | ||||
| ♦ AK9872 | ||||
| ♣ 74 | ||||
| ♠ QJ872 | ♠ A10964 | |||
| ♥ Q95 | ♥ K7642 | |||
| ♦ 6 | ♦ 4 | |||
| ♣ J862 | ♣ K9 | |||
| ♠ 3 | ||||
| ♥ J3 | ||||
| ♦ QJ1053 | ||||
| ♣ AQ1053 | ||||
| Both Vul | West | North | East | South |
| Suffolk | Cambs | Suffolk | Cambs | |
| 1♠ | 2NT | |||
| 4♠ | 5♦ | 5♠ | Pass | |
| Pass | 6♦ | X | All Pass |
As you can see anything but a spade defeats the contract. North has an inescapable heart loser and with the clubs not dividing 3-3 (king on-side as well) only the spade suit can provide a repository for it. Sadly for Suffolk, Peter Sutcliffe led the ace of spades and who can blame him?
| ♠ K6 | ||||
| ♥ AQJ2 | ||||
| ♦ J109532 | ||||
| ♣ 5 | ||||
| ♠ 95 | ♠ AQ1087432 | |||
| ♥ 98763 | ♥ 54 | |||
| ♦ A | ♦ 7 | |||
| ♣ QJ963 | ♣ 107 | |||
| ♠ J | ||||
| ♥ K10 | ||||
| ♦ KQ864 | ||||
| ♣ AK842 | ||||
| EW Game | West | North | East | South |
| Austria | Netherlands | Austria | Netherlands | |
| 1♦ | 3♠ | 4♠ | ||
| Pass | 5♦ | Pass | 6♦ | |
| All Pass | ||||
'The best lead against a slam is your ace, the second best is the suit of your partner's ace'. So goes the saying. Here either would have worked but notice what would have happened on a passive club or heart. Declarer would have cashed hearts and although the third round would be ruffed she would have come back to hand for another. Maria Erhart for Austria reached unerringly for the ace of spades.
Suffolk v Cambs & Hunts
A Team lost 2-18 VP (-57 IMPs)
Claude Stokes / Peter Markwell
Peter Sutcliffe / Peter Gemmell
Chris Chambers / Ed Colley
Michael Sherer / Eric Newman
B Team won 20-0 (+80 IMPs)
Maria Allnutt / Debby Marriott
Colin Bamberger / George Moody
Marek Olsiewicz / Jeff Orton
John Wilmott / Din Gudka
C Team won 14-6 (+26 IMPs)
Rosemarie Mascall / Norman Denny
Joan Mayhew / Anne Wilmer
John Standley / Peter Spellar
Bill Tweddell / Rick Hanley
Published Saturday 14.Jul.2001