Perth Championships
Canberrans brought back no gold medals from the recent (obsoletely named) annual national championships in Perth; but there were a few podium results. The first and perhaps most impressive was finishing second to South Australia in the qualifying stage of the annual interstate open teams championship and then staying in realistic contention almost throughout the ensuing 60-board grand final which gave South Australia its sixth open title win in the 11 most recent stagings. Playing for the ACT were David Appleton and Brad Coles, Christy Geromboux and Sebastian Yuen, Malcolm Carter and Bernard Waters.
Another was Dev and Diya Shah's second place in the interstate youth pairs; and in the mixed Butler pairs Marianne Bookallil and Stephen Fischer finished second ahead of Elizabeth Havas and George Kozakos third.
The trick-one signalling agreements that appear on an ethical partnership's convention card necessarily depend on which card the opening leader's partner chooses to contribute to that trick. They cannot accordingly apply when no such choice exists.
Today's deal provided a relevant example whenever the contract was 4♥by South which was the case at both tables in two of the grand finals and at one table in each of the other two. Against Coles's 4♠ contract, reached as diagrammed, ♥3 was led to-K-10-4 and the error-free play continued ♠2-8-10-K, ♦Q-3-A-4, ♥5-6-♠4-♥2, ♦9-8-5-K, ♠3-A-6-♦6, at which point one down was agreed as the result.
At the other table, however, the double-dummy-obvious defence against 4♥ by South (reached via 1♥-2♣-3♣-Pass, in which 3♣ showed a constructive rather than merely competitive heart raise, proved harder to find. Trick one went ♠K-2-8-9. Whether or not it occurred to Geromboux that Yuen's ♠8 might be a singleton South Australian Nick Croft's ♠9 was the perfect false-card to keep open the alternative possibility that it was the systemically-discouraging highest of ♠853.The play continued ♣8-9-7-A, ♥4-3-K-5, ♥Q-9-6-♣4, ♥J-10-7-♣3, ♣K-6-♦2-♣5, ♣J-2-♥8-♣10, ♠3-A-6-♦5, ♦Q-3-A-4 after which the 10 tricks declarer needed were claimed.
Only one of the other five Souths in 4♥ found the same false-card and was similarly rewarded. Only one West continued spades after trick one and duly took 4♥ one down.
The one other auction that ended in a non-4♥ contract went 1♥-2♣-2NT-3♣, 4♥-Pass-Pass-5♣, Double-Pass-Pass-Pass. 2NT was not natural but an artificial four-card heart raise. Ironically so because 3NT, nowhere naturally mentioned let alone settled in, is the only unbeatable game contract and exactly where NS would want to be if they could see the full deal. The ensuing play went ♥K-5-4-3, ♥J-9-A-♣3, ♠4-6-♣2, ♥10-6-♣4-♥2, ♠7-J-♣6-♠9, ♣7-A-5-9 after which declarer, who had already lost both of the tricks he could afford, inescapably (against the less than friendly NS lie) conceded another two in trumps plus one to the ♦K. The resultant double-dummy compatible table-score of 800 to NS could well have cost 14 IMPs but escaped for only five because declarer's teammate at the other was one of the South's let home in 4♥.
There are links at abf.com.au to much more about what transpired during the 12-day congress in which the intestate championships were embedded. Especially welcomed was the more than usually comprehensive bridge.base.com coverage of all eight tables throughout the teams grand finals which can be accessed cost free from that website's archive.
Leading ACT bridge teacher Will Jenner O'Shea will present his next workshop on Sunday July 30. Its title is "Making the Most of Weak Hands". Up to 144 participants can be accommodated. There is a link in the current newsletter of the Canberra Bridge Club.
The workshop will cover:
Weak Two Openings and Responding
Weak Jump Overcalls and Pre-empts
Responding With Minimum Hands
Staying Low and Finding The Best Contract When There Is No Game