Tim Bourke
Next week's bridge column will, like the chess column on its right, perhaps forever, be this newspaper's last. My first one, in 1968, sensibly displaced a by-then less suitable non-Canberra-oriented syndicated predecessor. Its ostensible composer was Charles Goren, North America's Mr Bridge in his time, but It was perhaps even by then ghost-written by someone on his payroll.
Tim Bourke, who constructed today's deal, came to Canberra after I did but was a young Australian bridge player when I was a middle-aged immigrant Pom. An especially significant element of his many-faceted bridge reputation is world-wide recognition as an originator of non-trivial card-play problems, Four such appear in each monthly Bulletin of the International Bridge Press Association under the heading "IBPA Column Service" followed by "members may use these deals as they wish without attributing the author or IBPA". Diagrammed is his deal number 1141.
The 3♦ reply to South's Ogust-style 2NT enquiry showed North's diamond feature as well as a stronger than average weak-two opener. Against 6NT West led ♠10 and, when dummy appeared, declarer was a little disappointed not to be in 7NT. Pause here, if you like, to plan South's play.
After winning the first trick with ♠Q, South cashed his singleton ♥A, crossed to dummy’s ♦K and threw ♣Q2 on ♥KQ. Next came dummy’s ♦3 and, when East discarded a spade, disaster! From that point, declarer had to lose two tricks to West's red-suit jacks and went one down.
"How unlucky was it that West had jack to four in both red suits?" complained South. "When West turned up with four hearts to the jack the odds must be overwhelming that I would make at least five tricks in diamonds." North was having none of that and said, "Had your contract had been 7NT, your chosen line would be the best hope of making 13 tricks; but in a small slam, you should have played more carefully. Instead of rising with dummy’s ♦K at trick three you should have found the safety play of ducking a diamond. As the cards lay, you would then make three spades, three hearts, five diamonds and a club for your contract."
Full members of IBPA are (or have been) “journalists, authors and editors of news, books and articles about contract bridge” and the like; but associate members are also emailed a link to each Bulletin. The latest, which contains today's deal, was 36 pages long and is alone well worth the membership fee. To learn more, send an email, with my regards, to membership secretary Katie Thorpe in Canada. Her address is thorpe.katie@gmail.com