Ladies Pairs

For the start of the Ladies Pairs qualifying competition, I sat behind Croatia's Nikica Sver, who has been a member of the Croatian Open team in recent years. She and Marina Pilipovic had a mixed start on a generally dull series of hands.

Board 29. Dealer North. All Vul.
	ª 10 3 © 10 8 7 6 ¨ Q 8 7 5 4 § K Q
ª A 8 2 © A J ¨ 10 § 10 8 7 6 4 3 2		ª K 9 7 4 © K Q 4 2 ¨ A J 6 § 9 5
	ª Q J 6 5 © 9 5 3 ¨ K 9 3 2 § A J

West	North	East	South
Kojtiya	Sver	Tomaszewska	Pilipovic
	Pass	1§	Pass
2§	Pass	2NT	Pass
3§	Pass	3NT	All Pass

Poland's Anna Kojtiya and Wieslawa Tomaszewska bid up to 3NT - a slightly aggressive decision by Tomaszewska facing a non-forcing 3§ rebid. Pilipovic led a low spade to the ten and king and Tomaszewska led the nine of clubs to the jack and queen. The spade continuation established one winner for Pilipovic when she won the next club but that was all; +630.

The defence can prevail even after starting with a spade, but you would be pretty pleased with yourself if you found the winning play. Diamonds need to be attacked and the second round must come from North. South has to play her partner for king doubleton club and go up with the ace on the first round to switch to a low diamond. North now wins the second club and leads diamonds through declarer's jack. If anyone found that play, let us know.

Board 30. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª Q 8 6 5 © A J ¨ A 8 5 § K 10 6 2
ª 4 © 10 5 ¨ Q J § A Q J 8 7 5 4 3		ª A K J 10 9 3 2 © Q 7 5 ¨ 9 7 2 § -
	ª 7 © K 9 8 6 4 2 ¨ K 10 6 4 3 § 9

West	North	East	South
Kojtiya	Sver	Tomaszewska	Pilipovic
		3ª	All Pass

Tomaszewska's heavy pre-empt bought the contract. Perfect defence can get 3ª three down, but that requires the defence never to touch clubs. Naturally enough, Pilipovic led her singleton club at trick one and declarer won dummy´s ace, pitching a heart from hand. She led a heart off dummy and Sver rose with the ace and switched to a low diamond. When Pilipovic won the king and returned a diamond, it needed a trump switch. However, Sver preferred to lead the king of clubs, hoping to promote a trump trick. Tomaszewska could ruff with the jack and take a diamond ruff in dummy. She had eight tricks now for a reasonable looking score of -50.

Board 31. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª 9 8 7 2 © 10 9 2 ¨ A Q 2 § K J 8
ª A 10 3 © K Q J 3 ¨ J 10 7 4 § 9 3		ª K Q 5 4 © 7 4 ¨ 9 6 3 § 10 7 6 5
	ª J 6 © A 8 6 5 ¨ K 8 5 § A Q 4 2

West	North	East	South
Honcheva	Sver	Gromova	Pilipovic
			1NT
Pass	2ª	Pass	2NT
All Pass

Facing a 14-16 no trump, Sver used her side's invitational raise then passed the minimum showing response. Elena Honcheva of Russia led the king of hearts. Pilipovic won the ace and cashed four rounds of clubs, on which Honcheva threw a spade and then a reluctant diamond. Pilipovic cashed the diamonds now before exiting with a heart. Honcheva cashed her third heart winner then played ace and another spade; +120.

Board 32. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª J © K 10 4 ¨ K 10 9 4 § K 10 7 4 3
ª 10 6 © Q 7 6 3 ¨ A 5 2 § A Q 6 5		ª K Q 9 8 4 3 © A J 9 5 ¨ Q J 7 § -
	ª A 7 5 2 © 8 2 ¨ 8 6 3 § J 9 8 2

West	North	East	South
Honcheva	Sver	Gromova	Pilipovic
1§	Pass	1ª	Pass
1NT	Pass	2§	Pass
2¨	Pass	4ª	All Pass

Victoria Gromova checked for a three-card spade holding in her partner's hand, then jumped to 4ª anyway, giving up on any slam hopes. The lead was a diamond to the king and Sver returned a diamond. Gromova won in hand and laid down the king of spades, catching the bare jack. Pilipovic took her ace, an error, as that gives declarer a second entry to dummy to pick up the hearts. Actually, that didn't matter because Pilipovic now switched to a heart so that declarer could win, draw trumps and cross to the ace of diamonds to pick up the heart.

When spades show up as four-one, declarer has good reason to take the winning view in the heart suit, so that the heart switch probably did not cost. But ducking the first spade would have left declarer without the entries for the winning play, so long as South returned either a spade or a diamond on winning the next spade.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª A K 8 2 © 9 4 2 ¨ 10 § J 8 5 4 3
ª Q J 9 5 © J 8 5 ¨ Q 8 2 § 7 6 2		ª 3 © A 10 7 6 ¨ J 9 7 5 4 § A Q 9
	ª 10 7 6 4 © K Q 3 ¨ A K 6 3 § K 10

West	North	East	South
Kitabgi	Sver	Serf	Pilipovic
	Pass	1¨	1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2¨
Dble	2©	Pass	2ª
Pass	3ª	All Pass

When Pilipovic overcalled 1NT, Sver asked first for a five-card major then for four spades. On finding a fit she made an invitational raise, which Pilipovic of course declined. Anne-Marie Kitabgi of France led a low diamond to the jack and ace and Pilipovic played a spade to dummy then a heart up. When her king won she continued with a second spade to dummy and a second heart up, with Mariane Serf taking her ace and exiting with a third heart. Pilipovic won the heart, ruffed a diamond and played a club up. Serf won the ace and tried the effect of leading the thirteenth heart, but Kitabgi could only ruff and cash the queen of spades; +140.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª K Q 10 3 © A J 6 ¨ Q 9 § 9 7 6 2
ª 2 © K 10 7 4 3 ¨ K J 8 5 § J 8 5		ª J 8 7 5 4 © Q 2 ¨ A 10 7 3 2 § 4
	ª A 9 6 © 9 8 5 ¨ 6 4 § A K Q 10 3

The diamonds are wide open but of course Kitabgi led her five-card heart suit. Pilipovic grabbed the ace of hearts and ran her clubs then the spades for +600.

Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	ª K Q J 10 4 2 © J 10 7 6 ¨ 6 5 2 § -
ª 7 5 3 © A K 9 4 ¨ Q 7 § K 9 6 3		ª A 8 © 8 5 3 ¨ A K 9 8 3 § J 7 2
	ª 9 6 © Q 2 ¨ J 10 4 § A Q 10 8 5 4

West	North	East	South
Ford	Sver	Kirk	Pilipovic
			Pass
1§	3ª	3NT	All Pass

Things had been improving for the Croatians after a slow start and this round against England's Janine Ford and Fay Kirk added impetus to their session. Pilipovic led a spade in response to her partner's pre-empt and Kirk won the second round. She ran the diamonds and then had to decide whether to lead a club up, risking going a few down if the ace was offside, or cash the hearts and perhaps still survive with the ace onside if South had to win the third heart. Kirk chose to play three rounds of hearts and Sver had the remainder; down one for -100.

Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª A J 6 4 © Q ¨ A K Q J 10 5 § 9 3
ª Q 7 © A J 4 3 ¨ 9 3 § A K Q 10 2		ª 10 9 2 © K 10 8 5 ¨ 4 2 § 8 7 6 4
	ª K 8 5 3 © 9 7 6 2 ¨ 8 7 6 § J 5

West	North	East	South
Ford	Sver	Kirk	Pilipovic
1§	1¨	Pass	Pass
2§	2ª	All Pass

East/West might have competed a little further, but with the Croatians holding the spade suit they were always likely to come out on top. Kirk led a club so Ford won, cashed the second club then switched to ace and another heart. Sver ruffed and crossed to the king of spades. When she now played a second spade and the queen appeared she had the rest; +170 looked very good on the scoresheet with the previous tables having played in diamonds.
I left Marina and Nikica looking in pretty good shape at this early stage of the tournament.

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