Suffolk Championship Pairs
The County Pairs Championship is a three-stage event: participants first seek to be in the top half of a club evening and those that do go forward to a semi-final. From there the highest twenty-four pairs fight it out in an all-play-all final, two boards against each of the other twenty-three.
This year, after the first session of eleven rounds, David and Jenny Price held a significant lead over the chasing pack - could they hold on? Their second session wasn't as good as their first but they had over a board and a half to spare in the end.
This hand was easily recollected in post-event discussions:
| ♠ --- | |||
| ♥ KQ9 | |||
| ♦ AKQJ75432 | |||
| ♣ A | |||
Last to speak, I was surprised to see three passes; well, what would you open?
I've waited my entire bridge career to hold a hand suitable for an opening bid of 4NT and what happens? I'm partnering someone whose bridge was learnt abroad. I hesitate to attribute the four no-trump 'name an ace' convention completely to the Acol system, but that may be the case. In my relatively small sample of American bridge primers I can find no mention of it.
At the table, more in hope than expectation, I launched 4NT and heard six clubs - supposedly the ace of clubs (five clubs would be no ace, five no-trumps two, otherwise ace of the suit bid). Partner respected my conversion to six diamonds and I awaited dummy to find out how lucky I had been:
| EW Vul. Dealer East | ♠ --- | ||
| ♥ KQ9 | |||
| ♦ AKQJ75432 | |||
| ♣ A | |||
| ♠ QJ6532 | ♠ AK987 | ||
| ♥ 7 | ♥ 6542 | ||
| ♦ 108 | ♦ 96 | ||
| ♣ KJ63 | ♣ 84 | ||
| ♠ 104 | |||
| ♥ AJ1083 | |||
| ♦ --- | |||
| ♣ Q109752 | |||
Not very… Three pairs (of twelve) managed to find seven diamonds but at many tables north-south had to contend with a weak two spade opener from west. One pair was very conservative (or speculating for a 'top') and progressed only as far as game.
| Suffolk Championship Pairs 2009 | ||
| 1. | David & Jenny Price | 62.65% |
| 2. | David Morran / Julian Lang | 58.99% |
| 3. | Graham Beeton / Sue Flin | 58.30% |
Published Saturday 25.Apr.2009