At pairs don’t take risks
PAIRS TACTICS
to turn a good result
into a great result
WHEN things are going well, you should tenth trick and 4™ would have made – I
not take risks. Try to hold on to your will score better than them. I pass.’
favourable position.
To give you a non-bridge analogy, say
you were in a running race and were Game All. Dealer: South.
Andrew Robson
leading with a lap to go. You could stay in ´ 4
front and win the race by being sensible, ™ Q654
or you could increase your pace and try to t K854 last trump. He ruffed a diamond and led
win it by a distance (risking cramp or ® K842 out good spades, restricting East to two
burn out). At pairs, all you have to do is ´ K7 ´ QJ95 trump tricks plus the ace of clubs. – 3™
win the race, even by a small amount. ™ 10 8 N ™ KJ9 plus one.
W E
Don’t needlessly accelerate, just stay ahead t Q J 10 9 2 S t 76 At teams, South would think: ‘Oh rats,
of the others. ® 10 9 6 3 ® AQ75 I should have bid 4™ and scored the
Here is a bidding problem; you hold as ´ A 10 8 6 3 2 (vulnerable) game bonus.’ At pairs, he
South: ™ A732 should not think this way, rather: ‘I bid
t A3 well and played well, and will have secured
® J 80% of the match-points. There was no
´ A 10 8 6 3 2 need to have risked that for the game
™ A732 bonus.’ The traveller (including many
t A3 West North East South scores of 2´ minus one and 3™ just made)
® J 1´ will surely give confirmation. r
Pass 1NT Pass 2™1
Pass 3™2 Pass Pass3
You open 1´ and partner responds 1NT. Pass CORN CAIRDIS –
What is to be your rebid: 2´ or 2™? CUP OF FRIENDSHIP
Whichever way you go, you must remem- 1 2´ will work better if partner has two
ber that those other players holding your spades and three hearts and passes 2™ 2010
cards – your true opponents – will be split. (whether or not he should give false Congratulations to England who have
Some will chose 2™ and some 2´. I prefer preference here is a matter for debate). won this year’s Corn Cairdis (Cup of
2™: normally (on flexibility grounds) it is 2 Not 4™, despite the 7 losers. The lack of Friendship) between Ireland and
best to bid a cheaper four-card second suit a ninth trump is normally a big impe- England by 11 VPs. The final score was
than repeat a six-card suit (suit-quality diment in situations such as these. Plus England 179 – Ireland 168.
The friendly international is played
considerations aside). However, sometimes – at pairs – one should not push for close
between the English Bridge Union
one will work better; sometimes the other. games. I’d rather pass 2™ than bid 4™. and the Contract Bridge Association
Say you choose 2™, and partner invites 3 The key bid – 2™ – has worked well. of Ireland every year, and each coun-
game with 3™. Aha – he has four hearts You’re ahead – stay ahead. Don’t try to try competes with three teams: a
(he would not raise a second suit with turn 80% into 95% by trying to make County Team, a Club team and an
fewer). At teams you’d try 4™ – for the 4™ – and get 30% if 4™ fails. Officials team.
game bonus – which you expect to make a This year was a close result for
fair amount of the time with your control- West led the queen of diamonds against England, and one possible reason was
rich, shapely hand. South’s 3™. Declarer played well, win- that the England Club team were
missing from the match for the whole
At pairs you should reason very ning dummy’s king (preserving entries
of Saturday! Their plane was ground-
differently: ‘I have chosen well to rebid to hand) and immediately starting on his ed due to technical difficulties at
2™ – hearts are likely to play better than spades. He crossed to the ace of spades Leeds Bradford Airport, which meant
spades given that my partner has four- and ruffed a spade. He crossed to the ace they were delayed for seven hours!
card support. Those Souths who chose to of diamonds and led a third spade, over- This was the 19th year of the Cup:
rebid 2´ will be playing a likely-inferior ruffing West’s eight with dummy’s England leads with 13 wins against
2´ contract. If I make one more trick than queen. He crossed to the ace of trumps Ireland’s 6.
them – it doesn’t matter whether it’s a and ruffed a fourth spade with dummy’s
www.ebu.co.uk August 2010 English Bridge 5