Page 21 - ABF Newsletter August 2025

[ 10 8 3 } J 10 9 7 {QJ9
] K Q 10 6 [A954 }K43 {63
[J2 }A82 { 10 2
WEST NORTH de Livera Harley
pass 1[ pass 6{
EAST SOUTH Croft Henbest
1{ 2] 3[
all pass
ANC Interstate Teams
Brad Coles
In a 60-board match that was strangely low on make- able slams, the Open final eventually came down to one slam in the closing stages of the match:
Board 15. Dealer South. North-South vulnerable.
]— [KQ76 }Q65 {AK8754
]A85 ]J97432
]— [Q }Q6 {875
]85 ]J973 [ 10 [—
} J 10 9 7 }A8 {— {—
] Q 10 6 [9 }43 {—
If either defender produces the }A at trick two, the rest of the play can still proceed in a similar way.
The only person to actually declare 6[ in the event was Therese Demarco in the Women’s final. She re- ceived the }A lead, which greatly simplified the play – with the }Q now set up as an entry, she was able to simply draw trumps and set up the clubs for 1430. This was a huge 17-imp swing, as the WA NS pair at the other table played in a failing 3NT contract. However, this fine score was not quite enough to save SA Women from a 3.97-imp loss to Western Australia in their final (two imps in the match, plus a 1.97-imp carry-forward).
I was pleased to learn that next year’s ANC will be held in my hometown of Belconnen, in Canberra, from 4-16 July. The event will include the usual na- tional Gold Point events: the Interstate Teams and Pairs, and the Open and Mixed Butler events.
However, to make the ANC an event that welcomes all players, especially those from the smaller and re- gional bridge clubs, the 2026 ANC will include sev- eral Pairs and Teams events open to all categories of players. One feature will be the Australian Country Championships, where teams representing the re- gional and/or smaller clubs compete in a three-day event. There will also be a two-day pairs event for regional and country players.
The ANC will be convened by Lyn Carter and Cathy Nichols, and Laurie Kelso will once again be the Chief Tournament Director.
Information about the ANC, the venue and local ac- commodation is already available in My ABF and in social media posts. Entries open on 1 January 2026.
Results and front cover photo captions on page 35
After a similar auction at the other table, North jumped to just 5{, and South corrected to 5[ for 650. Dee Harley took a more aggressive approach at this table, jumping all the way to 6{, and South chose to stop there. With the }A and a natural trump trick to lose, Victoria lost 13 imps on the board, with South Australia ultimately winning the final by 15.78 imps (13 imps plus the 2.78-imp carry-forward).
If Henbest had chosen to correct the contract back to hearts, as South had done at the other table, his partner would have had the opportunity to gain 13 imps instead of losing 13 imps.
6[ is a terrible contract, but it is much better than 6{, and it can be made when East has a 6-2-3-2 shape, which is not unlikely after the 2] overcall. East will typically lead a spade, covered by the king and ace and ruffed in hand. Declarer plays a diamond at trick two – dummy’s king will probably win the trick, after which declarer draws two rounds of trumps with the king and ace, and cashes the top clubs. Ruffing the third club leads to the position in the diagram at the top of the next column.
Declarer now cashes the ]Q to throw a diamond, draws the outstanding trump with North’s queen, and cashes three club winners, eventually conceding the last trick to the }A.
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: August 2025
Page: 21