IT HAPPENED IN ATLANTA
Respectively EW in the diagrammed auction from the fourth quarter of one recent 60-board quarter-final of the 2023 Soloway Cup IMP-scored teams championship were Australians Andy Hung (Qld) and Sartaj Hans (NSW) on one of their frequent post-covid expeditions to North America.
South’s double of the (14+ to 17 HCP) third-seat 1NT was alerted as showing a five-card minor accompanied by a four-card major and West’s 2♠ as a transfer bid showing clubs. East’s 3♣ was also alerted as showing the maximum he indeed (as a non-adherent to the Banzai count) thought he possessed. NS nevertheless pressed on to 4♠ against which ♥8 was led to 5-3-4. The play continued ♥7-6-10-A, ♦6-5-A-2, ♦10-7-K-8, ♦9-4-♥J-♦3, ♥2-Q-♠2-♥K, ♠10-4-3-♣4, ♠9-6-5-♣2, ♣3-Q-7-6, ♣A-♠8-♣9-5, ♦Q-♣10-♠K-A, ♠J-Q-♣J-♠7, ♦J-♥9-♣8-K. Withholding ♥A at trick one had unexpectedly created an otherwise unavailable EW line for one down from which the defenders did not depart until trick 12 when leading ♣K was instead necessary.
A shorter and less-complicated auction at the other table (Pass-Pass-1♣-Dble, 4♣-4♠-Dble-Pass, Pass-Pass) took Hung-Hans’s New Zealand teammate Michael Whibley, facing Nabil Edgtton (NSW), to the same contract played, however, from the other side of the table and penalty-doubled. The unexciting play there went ♣A-7-9-3, ♥3-A-7-5, ♦6-8-A-2, ♦10-3-K-4, ♦Q-5-♥6-♦7, ♦J-♣6-♥J-♠4, ♣K-♠3-♣J-5, ♥2-8-♠2-♥10, ♠7-6-5-♣2 at which point EW duly conceded declarer’s claim of of the ten tricks he needed.
The match, against the eventual gold-medallists, in which the foregoing occurred had begun encouragingly for the Australasians. They were three IMPs up (40-37) at the end of the first 15-board set and improved to twelve up (86-74) at half-time; but that lead disappeared; first temporarily on the second board of the third set and then permanently after, from the sixth board to the eleventh, no fewer than 41 unanswered IMPs went in the wrong direction. The winners-to-be were 42 IMPs up (192-144) by the third break and 50 up (181-131) at the end of the match.
An imminent early feature of a welcome and wide-ranging ABF effort to bring its involvement in and support of youth bridge back to the highest possible level is a live stream “Bidding Challenge” beginning at 2pm AEST on Thursday December 21. Visit abf.com.au/bidding-challenge-to-support-youth-bridge to find out how, regardless of your age, you can and should take part. Meanwhile, any readers who are or know of one or more young persons who already are or might conceivably become bridge players should do their best to interest them in the 2024 Australian Youth Week from January 6 to 12. Details of its venue and program will doubtless soon appear. Go to myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/479 for links to what happened last January.
Entries are already open for the 2024 Summer Festival of Bridge in Canberra (myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/790) at the Canberra Rex Hotel from January 9 to21 and for the Gold Coast Congress (myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/780) at the Broadbeach Convention Centre from February 7 to 24.
After the first two-day round of a knock-out tournament at the Canberra Bridge Club select Australia’s 2024 mixed team the following self-formed squads remained in contention when this was written later than it should have been on Sunday December 10: team COLES, named for its non-playing captain Brad Coles (ACT} of which the playing partnerships are Leone and Trevor Fuller (both WA), Christy Geromboux and Sebastian Yuen (both ACT), Pele Rankin (Qld) and George Kozakos (ACT); team THOMSON, similarly named for its non-playing captain Ian Thomson (ACT) and comprising Jodi Tutty (ACT) and David Beauchamp, Dagmar Neumann and Maurits Van Der Vlugt, Pauline Gumby and Warren Lazer (all NSW); team THOMPSON, which is one of two captainless teams and consists of Renee Cooper (WA?) and Ben Thompson (Vic), Sophie Ashton and David Wiltshire (both NSW), Ella Jacob (NSW) and Jamie Thompson (WA); and team HARRISON which also lacks a third pair and will need augmenting if it wins the event. Its pairs are Jessica Brake and Shane Harrison (both NSW), Sue Lusk (SA) and Bruce Neill (NSW).
For the remaining four days one match from each round can be followed live via bridgebase.com bid-by-bid and card-by-card . Two hour sessions begin at 9.30am, 11.50am, 2.30pm and 4.50pm. Alternatively, visit bridgetv.com.au where, all going well, the same cost-free coverage will be available with additional commentary by Australian experts.