Page 12 - ABF Newsletter June 2025

2025 Autumn Nationals
Brad Coles
The ANOT is changing next year (29 April to 3 May 2026) to include a top-level Matchpoint Pairs event, along the lines of the Bobby Richman Pairs at the Gold Coast. The event will include prizemoney and other prizes, across several categories: Open, Under Grand Master, Under Life Master, and Novice.
The Teams final will be held alongside the qualifying round of the Pairs, after which the Teams finalists will join the Pairs at the semi-final stage.
This year’s Teams event was won by Dalley (Mike Doecke, Andrew Spooner, Ashley Bach, Arlene Dalley, Paul Dalley, pictured right), beating Jacob (Justin Wil- liams, Ella Jacob, Hugh Grosvenor, George Smolan- ko pictured below) 123-36 in the final. Here are two slam swings from that match:
Board 27. Dealer South. Neither side vulnerable.
]—
[97 }KJ76432 {QJ65
]AQJ5 ]K9872 [AKJ [ Q 10 8 6 5 } 10 9 }A5 {A932 {8
] 10 6 4 3 [432 }Q8
{ K 10 7 4
WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Doecke Williams P Dalley Jacob
pass 1{ 3} 4}* pass 5NT pass 6} pass
6] all pass
Dalley had the right tool for a dealing with a 3} overcall: bidding 4} to show a 5-5 hand. This call made a stronger impression on West than the take- out double which was made at the other table, and Doecke was able to drive to slam. The sequence was actually undiscussed, so Doecke was not certain that it showed both majors (as opposed to any 5-5 hand). Luckily, he had room for a jump to 5NT (pick a slam) so that Dalley would be able to clarify the position.
At the other table Smolanko made a takeout double of 3}, buying just a 4] bid from West for 480 and 11 imps to Dalley.
Smolanko and Grosvenor found a 500-point sacrifice against a vulnerable slam here, but the board did not have a happy ending for them:
Board 33. Dealer North. North-South vulnerable.
]—
[74
} A Q 10 9 6 4 {AQJ42
]K973 ]Q86542 [93 [ Q 10 8 6 5 }KJ732 }—
{98 { K 10
WEST NORTH Grosvenor Bach
EAST
SOUTH P Dalley
dbl pass dbl
3] 4NT pass 6{ all pass
5] 6]
] A J 10 [AKJ2 }85 {7653
Smolanko 1} 2} majors
Page: 12
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: June 2025