Page 9 - ABF Newsletter June 2025

Round 3 was lively, as on Board 4 partner overcalled West’s 1] opening with 5{:
Board 4. Dealer West. Both sides vulnerable.
]5
[9
}A765 {AKJ7632
Board 21. Dealer North. North-South vulnerable.
]QJ932 [Q42 }987
]4 {92 ]A65 [AJ9875 [—
]AKQ83 [Q852 }QJ42 {—
] 10 7 4 2 [ J 10 7 6 } 10 8 3 { 10 9
} A K Q 3 { Q J
] K 10 8 7 [ K 10 6 3 }2 {K864
} J 10 6 5 4 { A 10 7 5 3
]84
[ J 10 4 3 }9872 {KJ2
]3 [K9876 }63
{ 10 9 8 5 3
South’s fourth best spade seemed routine, but it gave declarer time to knock out the ace of diamonds for his ninth trick.
I guess the most extreme example of bidding when at all possible was on this deal:
Board 23. Dealer South. Both sides vulnerable.
]4 [A9874 }AJ7
{ 10 8 7 3
] 10 9 8 6 3 2
[KQ5 [J62 }63 }Q95 {AQ ]Q5 {952
[ 10 3
} K 10 8 4 2 {KJ64
This was bid quickly to the cold 4] at our table, but passed in at the other!
Congratulations to Nick Jacob, Jasmine Skeate, Kate Macdonald and Paul Gosney (pictured) who won the event with a storming finish.
]J96 [AK43 }K9 {Q854
In the same match North didn’t open in third seat with ] J 10 [ A 10 7 4 2 } A J 7 4 { 6 5 .
South failed to find the killing heart lead, with the full deal being:
Board 27. Dealer South. Neither side vulnerable.
] J 10
[ A 10 7 4 2 }AJ74 {65
]Q8742 {AQ432 [QJ5
}86
{ J 10 8
5{ was passed back to West, who bid again! When that came back to me I awoke from my slumbers and bid the 6{ that I should have bid on the first round. That was whacked by West, and I gave some thought to sending it back. When the ]A wasn’t cashed, partner had 13 tricks for +1740.
Board 24 in round four of the teams was a bit stiff:
Board 24. Dealer West. Neither side vulnerable.
]AK5 }95
] Q J 10 7 5 2 [5
} J 10 5 {Q64
]AK96 [AQ2 }AKQ4 {A7
} K Q 10 3 2 {K97
Partner, North, opened a weak two in spades, and the 26-count on her left found a double. I passed, trying to look like a man without a care in the world, and so did the next hand! Her pass was immediately followed by a sharp intake of breath, and the com- ment, “I didn’t see the double”. Eager as I was to give her a mulligan, the rules alas precluded it. Partner milked her four tricks from the war zone, but it was 8 imps out nonetheless.
It was noticeable that the trend to ever lighter open- ings paid off. In our match against the eventual win- ners, Paul Gosney opened 1} on
] A 8 5 [ — } J 10 6 5 4 { A 10 7 5 3 .
I agree with 1}, as he has an easy rebid, and good spade support should partner have those. The open- ing bid enabled them to reach this laydown 6}:
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: June 2025
] A K J 7
]963
[96 [K83
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