Dubious Logic

World Champions

Last week I finished with the World Championships having just entered the semi-finals with England's representation now only the women's team in the Venice Cup. They did get on terms with Turkey but never gained the lead and ran out of boards. Sweden (Kathrine Bertheau/Jessica Larsson, Sanna Clementsson/Emma Övelius, Louise Hallqvist/Ylva Johansson) defeated Turkey to retain the title.

In the Bermuda Bowl (Open), Switzerland narrowly beat Netherlands, in the D'Orsi Trophy (Senior) Poland (Apolinary Kowalski/Jacek Romanski, Michal Kwiecien/Wlodzimierz Starkowski, Victor Markowicz/Krzysztof Moszczynski) beat India and in the Wuhan Cup (Mixed), France (Bénédicte Cronier/Philippe Cronier, Vanessa Reess/Lionel Sebbane, Pierre Schmidt/Joanna Zochowska) beat USA1.

The 2021 Championships echoed those of 2019 with USA teams not showing their dominance of past years. There were no third-place matches and of the eight bronze medallists, seven were European with just USA1 in the Open.

I would say this is European bridge strengthening, rather than a waning of the US. Moreover, a substantial number of those Poles, Italians, Dutch, etc. are active in the top US team events as part of the professional bridge world – especially Open and Senior. It is an open question whether US authorities will continue to support this model.

Any match against a US qualifier remains a tough draw. This deal comes from the Senior all-play-all phase, between England and USA2. North-South vulnerable:

1. Strong, artificial, forcing, 16+ HCP
2. 8+ HCP, 5+ spades
3. Club shortage
4. Asking for count of aces and K
5. None of the above

South doubled Six Spades for an unusual lead, usually indicative of a void. Accordingly, North led 3, ten, ruff 4, 2. North's lead-card was suit-preference for a club but dummy had those covered. South continued 4, ace, 3, 2. How do you continue?

Drawing trumps – in order to enjoy three diamond tricks – is essential. But with just those and the heart ace, tricks are in short supply. You can establish another heart if South has, as is likely, both king and queen, by leading the knave, then ten, forcing a cover each time, establishing the nine. That means you can afford at most two rounds of spades as that will limit you to seven tricks (five plus two ruffs / four plus three).

How then, do you draw trumps?

It seems not to matter, depending on whether South began with two or three, but there is a wrinkle. South had just one! That is manageable but only if you lead spade two to dummy (all right, you can ruff a club first). When South shows out it is safe to cash diamonds and then play a cross-ruff – but you must have high spades in West to safely ruff hearts.

That's exactly what Bart Bramley did, 12 tricks and EW +1210. That was worth 12 IMPs when his teammate opened Four Hearts as South (!) and somehow escaped, down only two, EW +500.

Published Saturday 16.Apr.2022