The Spring Fours - Baby Psyches
The Spring Foursomes are in progress as I write this. From that very fact you may gather that my team are not involved in the later stages of the competition. It might be indiscreet of me to mention that we didn't seem to be involved for long but that is the nature of knock-out tournaments. I am glad to say that there were many more entries this year but saddened to say that our team, three quarters from Suffolk, was the only participant from the county. This is the pre-eminent team of four tournament in the calendar, true, it is a tough event, but would you want it otherwise?
Two hands that demonstrate resourcefulness in the heat of combat,
| NS Vul, Dealer East | ♠ AKQ65 | |||
| ♥ 103 | ||||
| ♦ K76 | ||||
| ♣ AQ4 | ||||
| ♠ 1043 | ♠ 7 | |||
| ♥ Q6 | ♥ AKJ94 | |||
| ♦ J954 | ♦ A1032 | |||
| ♣ 10965 | ♣ 873 | |||
| ♠ J982 | ||||
| ♥ 9852 | ||||
| ♦ Q8 | ||||
| ♣ KJ3 | ||||
| West | North | East | South | ||||
| Davies | Chambers | Davis | McPhee | ||||
| 1♥ | Pass | ||||||
| Pass | X | 1♠ | Pass | ||||
| 2♥ | X | Pass | 3♣ | ||||
| End | |||||||
This was from the first round of the competition and West was Pat Davies (confusingly partnering Mr. G. Davis). He experimented with a baby psychic of one spade and it worked perfectly. His partner could only prefer back to his original suit and I was stymied. Two spades would have worked well but with no guarantees and I was left ruing my decision not to start with one spade initially. Partner, Stuart McPhee, played the delicate 3-3 fit in clubs like a trooper. They weren't in game in the other room but found the spade suit and we lost only 2 IMPs.
Pat Davies is now retired but her erstwhile partner, Nicola Smith continues on the international scene. In a later match (and a subsidiary event) this hand occurred.
| EW Vul, Dealer North | ♠ 54 | |||
| ♥ AQ2 | ||||
| ♦ AK8765 | ||||
| ♣ Q9 | ||||
| ♠ AKQ10 | ♠ 8732 | |||
| ♥ K104 | ♥ J98653 | |||
| ♦ 9 | ♦ QJ | |||
| ♣ A6542 | ♣ 8 | |||
| ♠ J96 | ||||
| ♥ 7 | ||||
| ♦ 10432 | ||||
| ♣ KJ1073 | ||||
| West | North | East | South | ||||
| Smith | McPhee | H. Dhondy | Chambers | ||||
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♠ | |||||
| Pass | 2NT | Pass | 3♣* | ||||
| Pass | 3♦* | End | |||||
I responded one spade partly not to make the auction easy for my opponents and partly to find out more from my partner. He chose the right moment to upgrade a hand with trick taking potential. I was able to arrange a sign-off at the three level (via three clubs, asking my partner to bid three diamonds then pass my next call) and there we rested. Well almost. West was certain something was going on - testament to her experience - and gave us the third degree but, faced with a balanced 17-19 HCP over her, eventually passed. Our team-mates, Jonathan Green and Jim Gobert, didn't manage the game but the double part-score swing was very useful. You have to keep your wits about you at this game.
Published Saturday 12.May.2001