CLUB PLAYER’S ONLINE BRIDGE

BIDDING QUIZ

ON each of the following problems,

YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO WIN

you are West. What should you bid

by Barrie Partridge

with each hand on the given auction?

Julian Pottage gives his answers on

page 46.

BRIDGE Club Live’s major annual Pairs nents for having a reason for playing as they

event has, for the second time, been played had. Accordingly, he crossed to the ace of

as a Double Elimination Knockout with diamonds and played a trump to the king

Hand 1 W N E S the same format as the EBU Spring Four- and the ace of hearts, taking the diamond

´ Q J 10 3 1NT Pass 2® Pass somes. Seventy-one pairs entered. return and then successfully finessing the

™ AK92 2™ Pass 3NT Pass The final attracted around fifty specta- eight of hearts! After he removed the final

tQ43 ? tors, while others were able to watch later trump, the position was:

®53 an action-replay of the match via the club’s

archives. The winners, who remained un-

defeated throughout, were the popular ´ —

established pairing of Petra Mansell, a ™ —

Hand 2 W N E S former South African International who, a t 9

´KJ843 1® Pass few days earlier, had celebrated her 90th ® K953

™85 1´ Pass 3® Pass birthday, and Ognian Smilianov, a Bul- ´ 875 ´ —

t K 10 4 3 ? garian one third of his partner’s age. The ™ — N ™ —

W E

®K2 defeated finalists were Gabriel Hearst and t — S t J 10

Tony Philpott from Surrey. ® Q7 ® 10 8 4

The winners didn’t have everything their ´ —

own way. On the following deal from their ™ 5

Hand 3 W N E S semi-final, they attempted a trump pro- t Q5

´Q4 1™ Pass 1´ Pass motion but Hertfordshire’s Andy Fenn ® AJ

™AJ852 2t Pass 3™ Pass not only thwarted this but retaliated with

tA753 ? a squeeze!

® J 10 Andy Fenn led the nine of diamonds to the

ten and queen of diamonds, West discard-

Love All. Dealer South. ing the five of spades. Although the dia-

´ 964 monds did not break favourably, he now

Hand 4 W N E S ™ Q86 had a count of the hand. He played his last

´A 1® Pass 1´ t A92 trump and East had to retain the jack of

™AK98 ? ® K953 diamonds to prevent the diamond five

tK8763 ´ AK8752 ´ 10 3 being promoted, but throwing a club was

®543 ™ A97 N ™ 10 3 no better as declarer cashed the ace of clubs

W E

t 76 S t J 10 8 3 and crossed to the club king to take the club

® Q7 ® 10 8 6 4 2 nine, to great acclaim from the spectators.

´ QJ I tend to write mostly about the special

Hand 5 W N E S ™ KJ542 events and competitions, but the vast

´ 10 1® Dble 1´ t KQ54 majority of play at www.bridgeclublive.com

™QJ974 ? ® AJ is casual match-pointed play, with players

tKQ985 dropping in and out as they please, some

®63 with pre-arranged partners but mostly not.

West North East South The main playing room has ninety-six

1™ deals every day, and you play as many four-

1´ 2™ Pass 4™ board rounds as you wish. The top quarter

Hand 6 W N E S All Pass of the field of those that play at least sixteen

´ A K J 10 6 1´ Dble Pass 2t boards receive Online Master Points.

™ K J 10 6 3 ? The defence started with ace of spades, king Bridge Club Live offers an annual dis-

t 10 of spades and another, ruffed by East with count to EBU members. Most of our

®Q8 the ten of hearts and overruffed with the members are British, but we have enough

jack. If declarer had now played to take players from all round the world to ensure

trumps out in two rounds, he would have plenty of tables in play for an enjoyable

been defeated. But Andy credited his oppo- game any time of day or night. r

44 English Bridge October 2011 www.ebu.co.uk