43

December 2016 English Bridge

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´ 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).