Page 9 - ABF Newsletter February 2026

Board 21, dealer North, NS vulnerable.
]876 [ 10 8 6 }862
]92 {QJ85 ]AQJ [43 [QJ92
Instead of cashing out his four tricks, Peter led a diamond. Natalie won it in her hand then ran five rounds of clubs, forcing Peter and Matthew to dis- card three times each. Matthew pitched a spade, a heart and a diamond, and Peter threw away a low heart then the ]J and ]Q, drawing an inquisitive look from his daughter. Natalie cashed dummy’s di- amond honours coming to this position:
]AK [K7 } 10 {—
] 9
[ A J 10 3
}— }— {— {—
Immaterial
A spade exit now lets Peter cash three tricks but then he has to lead a heart, giving Natalie the last two tricks. Alas, she doesn’t have enough experience to see the position, so she played a heart to the ace. Next time!
In Round 9, Mike Doecke and Will Jenner-O’Shea set the perfect trap at the start of their match against Jessica Brake and Shane Harrison. On Boards 21 and 22 they made it clear they didn’t really know their system (“Yesterday we agreed to play Standard at unfavourable, but we don’t know what sort of Stan- dard”), bid game and went off multiple tricks. When they bid a third game on Board 23, Harrison had worked out what was up. Sadly for him, that one made.
The chaos continued on board 25:
Board 25, dealer North, East-West vulnerable.
} K J 10
{ K 10 9 7 4 2
] K 10 5 4 3 [AK75 }A95
{6
} Q 7 4 3 { A 3
WEST NORTH EAST Jacob Gue Adams
pass 1NT 3NT all pass
SOUTH Tomlin 2{ majors
] 10 8 6 5 [ Q
After Tomlin showed both majors over Liz’s 15-17 1NT opening, Nick Jacob didn’t care: he bid 3NT.
Josh led ]4 which was won with Liz’s queen. She played {A and a club to the king, getting the bad news when Josh discarded the ]5. Having to switch gears, she moved on to hearts: three-eight-queen- king. Josh switched to a passive diamond, won in dummy with the king, but Liz played the hand per- fectly: }J around to the ace, with Josh exiting a di- amond back to dummy. Now Liz called for a heart, putting in the nine, and Josh won the ace. He played a heart back to Liz’s jack, and she cashed }Q before exiting her last heart and forcing Josh to lead into her ]AJ. Well planned and well executed!
My first ever squeeze was against my mum for an overtrick in 3NT. In Round 8, Natalie Newman had the opportunity to do the same – squeeze and end- play her dad for an overtrick on Board 15 – and I think she would have had bragging rights for life:
Board 15, dealer South, North-South vulnerable.
]KJ82 [63
} K J 10
]92
[ A J 10 3 }K5 {Q9872
] 7 6 3
[ 10 8 2
} A 9 8 7 3 2
] Q 9 4 [ K Q 7 5 } —
WEST
N Newman
}J832 {63
NORTH
P Newman
EAST
B Thompson
SOUTH
M Thomson
{ 10 9
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
Brake Jenner-O’Shea Harrison Doecke 1}* 2{ dbl
pass 2] dbl rdbl 3} dbl 3[ dbl all pass
] A K Q J
[K72 {A762
} 10 9 7 6 { 5 4
1{ dbl 1] pass 1NT pass 3NT all pass
] 10 8 6 5 4
[Q {4 {KQJ853 } A Q 4 ] A 10 5
{AKJ10 [AJ94
]73
[98654 }Q654
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: February 2026
Page: 9