Page 4 - ABF Newsletter October 2024

21st HCL International
Bridge Championships
The luxurious surroundings of New Delhi’s Leela Am- bience Hotel provided the setting for the most pres- tigious tournament in India, the HCL International. The main Teams event was won by Wham from Aus- tralia / New Zealand (Andy Hung, Matt Brown, Sartaj Hans and Michael Whibley, pictured). The team brings home a cash prize of more than US$50,000.
This deal is from the qualifying rounds of the Teams:
Round 6: Formidables vs Shourie.
Board 25. Dealer North. East-West vulnerable.
]AKQ3 [Q874 }K52
{ 10 5
] J 10 6 2
[K532
}64 }J97 {873 {Q964
]4
[AJ9
} A Q 10 8 3 {AKJ2
WEST NORTH Bathurst Tewari
1} 1 pass 3NT pass 4]3 pass 5[5
pass 7}
1. 3+ diamonds. 2. Splinter.
3. Control.
4. RKCB.
5. Two keycards. 6. Control.
EAST SOUTH Hurd Mukherjee
pass 3] 2 pass 4{ 3 pass 4NT 4 pass 6{ 6 all pass
]9875 [ 10 6
When South made a grand slam try with 6{, North decided to accept. In the other room North-South had stopped in 6}, so there was sure to be a swing.
East led the [10 and declarer took dummy’s [A, cashed the top clubs, ruffed a club and played trumps, leaving the North hand with four spades and the [Q.
When he cashed the }8, West had to part with a spade in order to retain the [K, and East had to do the same in order to keep the {Q. This meant that the thirteenth trick was taken by the ]3.
Mark Horton
Page: 4
Australian Bridge Federation Ltd. Newsletter: October 2024