43
December 2016 English Bridge
´ 10 5 4 3
™ A K J 8 5
t 5
® 7 5 2
´ A 7 ´ 6 2
™ 4 ™ 7 6 3 2
t A K J 6 3 t 10 9 4 2
® K Q J 10 9 ® A 8 6
´ K Q J 9 8
™ Q 10 9
t Q 8 7
® 4 3N
W E
S
West North East South
Zimmerman Welland Martens Auken
1t 2™ Pass 3™
Dble Pass 5t All Pass
4.Love All. Dealer West The last three deals come from the Spingold final between
Zimmermann and Fleischer. Roy Welland makes a somewhat
unorthodox 2™ weak jump overcall and Sabine Auken raises
to 3™. What action should Pierre Zimmermann take now?
Despite the doubleton spade, I like his take-out double best
on such a strong hand. If partner bids 3´ or 4´, you can
convert to clubs at the lowest level. Krzysztof Martens in fact
leapt to 5t. Welland cashed one top heart and switched to a
low spade, South playing the ´J. Zimmermann won and now
had to take a winning view of the diamond suit.
The question declarer might ask himself was pointed out
by David Burn in commentary: 'Would North have made a
weak jump overcall on ™A-K-J-x-x and tQ-x?' He would
surely then have preferred 1™ and you should therefore
play the tA and cross to a club for a diamond finesse.
Zimmermann played the top diamonds and was one down
when South ruffed the third round of clubs, before a spade
could be ditched. Chip Martel took the same failing line at
the other table but North had overcalled only 1™ there. As
you see, picking up the diamonds will give you 6t as well as
5t.
Awards: 6t (10), 5t (8), 6®/5® (6), part-scores (4).
´ 9 8 6 5 4 3
™ 8
t 9
® 10 7 6 3 2
´ A 10 2 ´ K 7
™ 10 3 ™ A K Q J 7 2
t A J 6 4 2 t 10 5 3
® K 8 4 ® Q 5
´ Q J
™ 9 6 5 4
t K Q 8 7
® A J 9
N
W E
S
West North East South
Oursel Bianchedi Soulet Madala
1®
1t 3® 3™ All Pass
3.E/W Game. Dealer South We move now to the Spingold, one of four great
championships held every year in the USA. It is the roundof-32
with Lavazza facing Payen. Agustin Madala opens 1®,
his side's first move on a weak 1NT hand. Alejandro
Bianchedi raises pre-emptively to 3® over the 1t overcall.
Phillippe Soulet is a two-times world champion and must
have been disappointed when he was passed out in 3™. If
West was uncertain whether a new suit at this level was
forcing, perhaps he might have considered that his hand
was far from hopeless in support of hearts.
The point is that when partner has a great hand with 5+
hearts, what else can he bid but 3™? It would be a poor
system design that used 3™ only for weakish hands that
wanted to contest the part-score.
At the other table South opened 1® and West did not
overcall. North made a fit-jump of 2´ and East bid 3™,
raised to 4™ for +650 and 10 IMPs.
Awards: 4NT/4™ (10), 5™ (6), slams/part-scores (1).