By Joerg Fritsche

It was shortly before midnight in the pairs` qualification, things were going `solala`, when I took my seat at one of the youngest tables ever at such a championship. On my left, 16 year old Agustin Madala from Argentina, on my side of the screen Shivam Shah from England, only 10 years old! On Board 5 I pick up a meager 7-count, and it goes pass on my left, pass from pard. I pray for Shivam to open 1NT, as I expect him to be the least experienced player at our table and it might be an advantage having him as declarer. And here we go: 1NT – 3NT. After the smoke has vanished he is down 500. The contract was never makeable at all, but at some point he should have stopped concentrating on making it, but simply taken his tricks and run for down 200 only. Not a word was said and keeping his poker-face he puts board 6 on the table.

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

My collection is even poorer than the last one, so after partner`s pass the only thing I can do is hope for 1NT again. And, yes, he does it. The bidding continues:

West	North	East	South
Fritsche	Madala	Marsal	Shah
		Pass	1NT
Pass	2©*	Pass	2ª
Pass	3¨	Pass	4¨
Pass	4NT*	Pass	5ª*
Pass	7¨	All Pass

Partner leads a diamond and fast as lightning Madala takes his 13 tricks. `Maybe, I shouldn’t have opened 1NT with the small singleton spade?`, Shivam asks his pard, but on this hand, he doesn’t have any objections. And I never have regretted it less when my opponents bid and made a grand slam against me.

Shivam started with chess at the age of 3 and was playing bridge two years later. Shivam Shah, I will be back to celebrate you as a champion in the near future!

Vanishing Tricks

By Mark Horton

How many tricks do you think your trump suit will be worth if it is ª63 opposite ªK10872?

Take a look at this deal from the Open Teams round of 32 match between Reps and Karavainov.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	ª Q 9 4 © 9 6 2 ¨ Q 10 6 5 2 § K 10
ª 6 3 © 7 5 3 ¨ 8 7 4 3 § Q 6 5 2		ª K 10 8 7 2 © A K Q 8 ¨ A K § J 8
	ª A J 5 © J 10 4 ¨ J 9 § A 9 7 4 3

West	North	East	South
	Gotard		Piekerek
			Pass
Pass	Pass	1§*	Pass
1¨*	Pass	1ª	All Pass

South led the jack of hearts and declarer took the ace and king of both red suits and then exited with the jack of clubs. North won with the king, and returned a club to South’s ace. When declarer won the heart exit this was the position:

	ª Q 9 4 © - ¨ Q 10 6 § -
ª 6 3 © - ¨ 8 7 § Q 6		ª K 10 8 7 2 © 8 ¨ - § -
	ª A J 5 © - ¨ - § 9 7 3

Remember, the defenders need five of the last six tricks to defeat the contract.

Declarer ruffed a heart but allowed North to overruff with the four. On the ten of diamonds declarer ruffed with the ten of spade and South scored the jack. He exited with a club and North discarded a diamond. Declarer had to ruff and exited with the seven of spades. North won with nine and played a diamond. You will probably be ahead of me by now – declarer put up the king and had achieved one down.

Dangerous Double

By Patrick Jourdain (Wales)

Israel Yadlin was the star of Board 15 in the battle for gold in the Teams. Michel Abecassis must have regretted his double that gave the clue to the winning line.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª 10 5 4 © Q 2 ¨ 6 4 2 § 8 7 6 4 2
ª A Q J 9 © 10 9 ¨ A Q 8 § Q J 10 5		ª 8 6 3 2 © 6 4 ¨ 10 9 7 5 3 § 9 3
	ª K 7 © A K J 8 7 5 3 ¨ K J § A K

West	North	East	South
Abecassis	Doron	Soulet	Israel
			2§*
Pass	2¨*	Pass	2©
Pass	3§*	Pass	3©
Pass	4©	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Three Clubs was a second negative.

Abecassis, West led a trump. The normal line for declarer would be to use dummy’s trump entry to lead towards one of the kings, but the double suggested that this was doomed to failure. So Israel won the lead in hand, unblocked the top clubs, crossed to the queen of trumps, ruffed a club in hand, and rattled off all his trumps. With one trump to go five cards remained. West was down to a winning club and two ace-queens. When the last trump was cashed he was in trouble. If he bared either ace he woould be put on lead with it to give declarer a trick in the other suit. He actually chose to discard the winning club, but that made no difference. Yadlin exited with a diamond and came to the king of spades at the end.

Double Chicane

By Mark Horton

If you have been driving around the hills surrounding Menton you may have noticed there are some very severe bends – what might be called chicanes. They can be difficult to negotiate for all but the most skilful drivers. On this deal the defenders had to negotiate not one chicane but two.

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

The popular contract on this deal from the first session of the pair’s semi-final was Four Spades. The contract was made several times, but not at the table occupied by Maria Erhart & Jovanka Smederevac, who are leading the women’s event. What is more, Jovi, who was South, had doubled the final contract.

She led the ace of hearts and continued the suit, declarer winning with the queen. When declarer played the king of spades Jovi ducked. When she also ducked the queen of spades declarer saw the 4-1 break and realised it would be fatal to play a third spade as South could win and simply play a fourth spade. So declarer played a diamond. Jovi won and promptly played a heart into the double chicane. Declarer had no answer and had to concede one down.