Page 12 - ABF Newsletter April 2025

WBF WORLD TOUR
Brad Coles
The WBF World Tour Final is an invitational event, contested by the best-performing pairs from a col- lection of premier events around the world in 2024.
After the first day of the two-day event, Sartaj Hans and Andy Hung were running 12th, and Michael Whibley and Nabil Edgtton were running 15th. On the second day, a strong morning session for both pairs saw them rise to 4th and 7th, but there was still a lot of work to do in the final session.
Both pairs gained 9 imps on this board:
Board 10. Dealer East. Both sides vulnerable.
]J [AQ53 } A 10 7 {A9543
]965
[962
}6543 }KQ2 { 10 6 2 {QJ7
] K 10 8 7 3 [K74 }J98 {K8
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
2] was a worse spot than 1NT, with 1400 on offer, but our boys weren’t unhappy collecting 1100.
The benefit of running in these auctions, is that you might not get doubled in your new contract, but this benefit is more likely to arise if you start running before you are doubled. Roy Welland won the board for his side by getting out early, taking advantage of his non-standard methods over 1NT:
Percario Hung
pass dbl
Donati Hans 1NT pass all pass
]A4 [5
Declarer won the spade lead with the queen, and had time to set up just one minor-suit trick for three tricks in total, and 1100 to the Aussies.
Only three of the eight NS pairs managed to take a large penalty on this deal, with some pairs failing to find the double of 1NT on the North cards, and one pair inexplicably pulling the double with the South cards.
With neither partner having a five-card suit, and no guarantee of an eight-card fit, it’s theoretically a losing proposition to run from 1NT doubled, but with nothing to lose, the American pair gave it an optimistic shot:
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Bathurst Whibley Hurd Edgtton
1NT pass pass dbl pass pass
rdbl pass 2{ dbl rdbl pass 2} pass pass dbl 2] dbl all pass
]AQ42 [ J 10 8
2} is also a worse contract than 1NT, but we live in a world of takeout doubles; the worse a contract is, the harder it is to double it. North’s balancing 2[ made 11 tricks for 200, a far cry from the 1400 that had been available in 2}.
Sartaj and Andy brought home a couple of hopeless 3NT contracts in the next match, on the way to a massive 39-imp win over Jacek Pszczola and Krzysz- tof Buras:
Board 13. Dealer North. Both sides vulnerable.
] 10 7
[ A Q 10 7 6 }62
{ A 10 5 2
]KJ95
[J942
}87 }AKQ543 {K96 {Q843
]Q8632 [K83
} J 10 9 {J7
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Hans Pszczola Hung Buras
1[2}2[ dbl pass 3[ pass
3NT all pass
North led a club, and Sartaj took his nine top tricks without risking the spade finesse, gaining 12 imps.
Who do you blame for North’s club lead? Buras certainly could have doubled 2[ for the lead, but the other South player facing this auction did not double either. That player was Nabil Edgtton, and his partner still found the [A lead, gaining 4 imps for his side instead of losing 12.
Having missed their six top tricks on that one, NS had to find their seven top tricks on this one:
WEST NORTH Welland Duboin
2{ 1 pass pass 2[
1. Puppet to 2}. 2. Forced.
EAST SOUTH Auken Cima
1NT pass 2} 2 pass all pass
Page: 12
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: April 2025