Spot the Mistakes

Before I leave the world championships I feel I ought to stress the wealth of bridge material available. With the world's best players competing there is ample opportunity to uncover both brilliancies and blunders perpetrated in the toughest of competitions. It will come as no surprise that the bulk of this material is on the Internet but you'll be pleased to discover it is completely free. Each day some of the best bridge journalists prepare a bulletin to disseminate the previous day's results and highlight the crucial contests. It amounts to approximately a year's magazine subscription for nothing.

So, if you're able, get on down to http://www.worldbridge1.org/tourn/Estoril.05/Estoril.htm and reap the harvest. If you don't have access, then you'll just have to wait as I feature deals. This is one described by Mark Horton, assistant editor of the bulletin. It's a case of spot the mistakes and it comes from the quarter-final match between the English and German women.

Love All
Dealer North
  • J432
  • J87
  • AK8
  • 864
  • 9
  • Q104
  • QJ10973
  • A109
N
W
E
S
  • AK1065
  • AK63
  • 2
  • Q72
  • Q87
  • 952
  • 654
  • KJ53
West
North
East
South
Brunner
Auken
Goldenfield
vol Arnim
—
Pass
1
Pass
2
Pass
2
Pass
2NT
Pass
3NT
All Pass

Sabine Auken led the club six for Germany and West took the knave with the ace. A top diamond went to the king and North continued another club, showing three initially. South won the king when dummy played small and returned a club. Where then are the mistakes?

A less than expert South would figure that with no entry, they needed to conserve the club king to score the thirteenth. A novice would of course, win any trick they were able. Did our German expert falter then? No. She had seen that declarer needed two entries to establish her diamonds. She might have one in hearts (which she could not be denied) but South could see the spade queen and could prevent a club entry by insisting that East's queen took that side's second trick. On this defence the contract failed a trick.

What of declarer? She could have ensured her second vital entry to hand by rising with the queen a trick one. That way, either the ace would remain or the 10-9 would be unimpeded to take a trick and the diamonds would suffice for game. That was the story of the match; an in form Germany (who were defeated finalists) and an out of touch England.

Published Saturday 19.Nov.2005