Finally, a good hand for the system

At the European Open in Sanremo, there was a wide variety of systems in use. This wasn't because the European Bridge League is especially lenient – it's not – but simply due to the diversity of the players. What is common in one country is rare elsewhere and nothing characterises that phenomenon more clearly than the British use of four-card majors.

Though opponents used a range of strong and two-way one club openers, strong diamond or 'clubs or balanced' (as we did) almost all played five-card majors. In fact except those that used canapé (where you deliberately open a shorter suit to rebid in a longer one), I can recall no non-British exponent of four card majors. The same almost goes for the weak no-trump (12-14 HCP); there were one or two of those as it seems to have a small hold in Germany and the Netherlands.

The Polish Club was commonplace; one club is any weak no-trump or strong (18+) with any shape; a medium club hand (16+) can be included as well. Our very first opponents in Italy were Poles but that was too simple for them. Pazur-Zawislak employ 'Dwururka' which, I am reliably informed, translates as 'double transfer'. They use one club for an opening in hearts, one diamond for spades, hearts for clubs and spades for diamonds. They have no strong opening as all their one-level bids are forcing. It was a fun ten boards.

Every so often a deal would fit an opponent's special treatment and you would (almost always) get a bad result. Either because it got them out of a hole or you were trying to solve a problem others did not face. Finally, however, we got our own back in the first session of the pairs qualifying:

Game All
Dealer South
  • K109532
  • Q8752
  • 8
  • 2
  • QJ
  • K
  • AKQ93
  • Q10986
N
W
E
S
  • 8764
  • 1096
  • J2
  • KJ54
  • A
  • AJ43
  • 107654
  • A73
West
North
East
South
—
—
—
1
Pass
1
Pass
2*
Pass
3
Pass
4
End

To ensure hearts are not lost, over a one spade response to one diamond, Jim Gobert and I play that two clubs just shows diamonds and two diamonds promises four hearts. Relieved to have discovered the fit others might not, I contented myself with an invitational raise and Jim bid game.

Perhaps with an eye to his spade length, East led the heart six. He didn't look like a man underleading the king so I rose with the ace to his partner's chagrin. I was able to draw trumps and run the spade suit discarding each and every one of partner's diamonds. Somewhat surprisingly, I ruffed the eight of diamonds in dummy for my thirteenth trick. For once, missing our cold slam wasn't costly; +710 scored 93% of the matchpoints.

Published Saturday 11.Jul.2009