How not to play pairs
There is a lively debate about the relative merits of teams and pairs bridge and it was interesting to see it developed in the pages of the much improved English Bridge, the bimonthly magazine free to members of the English Bridge Union.
I've often said that I don't understand pairs - to be entirely accurate, my partners have often said I don't understand pairs. Scoring by how many results you better, without regard to how much, twists the game out of my grasp. Efforts I make to adjust my thinking have a habit of turning around to bite:
| NS Game | ♠ 72 | ♠ AQ85 | |
| Dealer West | ♥ A7653 | ♥ K | |
| ♦ AJ5 | ♦ Q843 | ||
| ♣ 854 | ♣ AQ96 |
| West | North | East | South | |
| Pass | Pass | 1♦ | 1♥ | |
| 1NT | Pass | 3NT | End |
North led the heart eight, won by dummy's king. It was clear to take the diamond finesse but worrying when it lost, north producing a second low heart. There seemed to be no point in holding up so I won and recounted my tricks. Two in each red suit and the black aces made a disappointing six - poor return on the combined 26 HCP.
In a teams game I would have to somehow get that up to nine. The best try would be to finesse in clubs, return to the diamond ace and cash diamonds. It looks as if that is still only eight tricks (we've counted an extra diamond and the club queen) but as long as clubs are 3-3, another will appear. South cannot keep the knave of clubs guarded - enabling north to create an entry by throwing the king under the ace - as well as her heart winners and the protected spade king. West establishes a long club without letting south gain the lead.
Very pretty but this was pairs. Making 3NT would be doubtless be good but very unlikely. South figured to hold both black kings with her hearts. Taking a club finesse would not only let her in to cash winners, she could establish more of them by returning a club later on. To beat the other pairs in 3NT I had to take more tricks than them - not necessarily make my contract. Giving up the chance of a successful club finesse, I planned to take my diamonds ending in west and throw south in with a heart; after cashing the suit, we would see:
| ♠ 72 | ♠ AQ | ||
| ♥ --- | ♥ --- | ||
| ♦ --- | ♦ 8 | ||
| ♣ 854 | ♣ AQ |
If the eight of diamonds was a winner, with south on lead I was certain to make four more tricks for eight in total. I had adjusted my trick target in line with the scoring. If the eight of diamonds was not a winner, then I would keep another black card, based on north's discards. So it transpired, north had diamonds so I kept a spade. I was sure to make seven tricks now - a rather painful adjustment but worse was to come.
| ♠ 72 | ♠ AQ8 | ||
| ♥ --- | ♥ --- | ||
| ♦ --- | ♦ --- | ||
| ♣ 854 | ♣ AQ |
South got off lead with the spade nine which went to the queen. I cashed the spade ace, south dropping the knave and took stock. Perhaps there was a chance of eight tricks after all: south appeared to have king-knave-nine of spades (the nine could have been ruinous if west held the ten, a club was always safe) and could be end-played again. I therefore tried ace and a spade. Unfortunately it was north who won this trick, together with a diamond and another spade - adjusting my tricks back to six and my matchpoints to zero.
Published Saturday 3.May.2008