Dubious Logic

Garden Cities Regional Final

The Garden Cities Trophy is national competition for the champion club of each association. There are regional events to qualify for a final and, I think I'm right in noting, no club representing Suffolk has managed to progress from there to the national final. Unfortunately I'm not about to report that sequence has been broken, but Colchester, representing the county this year, finished just half a match out of qualifying.

Mike Sherer sends me this deal blaming himself for a slip that cost valuable points against Louth (Lincs); consider it as a defensive problem from the South hand, both side vulnerable:

You naturally lead a top diamond and see that West has pushed somewhat with his raise to game opposite a 12-14 no-trump. This is symptomatic of teams competition; if you bid eight vulnerable games you need only make three to breakeven. In a relatively short match, the pressure and the volatility this produces seems to excuse practically all flights of optimism. West has his bid here; there no point in inviting – how will East know if his cards fit?

From what you can see, declarer might well have an easy time, say if he holds ♠K763 ♥A102 ♦J9 ♣AQ93 then you will struggle. Perhaps he has those honour cards but a diamond more and a club fewer. In that case you might play four rounds of diamonds and have partner ruff with the ♠9. Or maybe partner has the heart ace; in which case your switch of the ♥10 ducked will make life difficult for declarer. In fact the layout was:

Either a heart or a club works – but not another diamond. A heart because it jams declarer's transportation, a club because dummy is forced, promoting the spade knave. Another top diamond fails because it gives East the timing to take ruffs before drawing trumps.

Garden Cities Regional Finals
Colchester were represented
Barry Davies / Din Gudka
Rick Hanley / Jeff Orton
Eric Newman / Mike Sherer
Duncan Stott / Graham Beeton

Published Saturday 10.Jun.2006