Crocodile Dundee on Play

By Ib Lundby

If you love bridge like I do, but realise that your skills at the table are gone with the wind, you have to find another way enjoying your favourite sport. I have chosen to work as a bridge journalist and I can assure you that it is worth all the money (though the job is not very well paid).
Because of the lack of skills you have very often to rely on getting good hands from the top players. In this area I have experienced that top players can be divided in two typical groups, lucky and unlucky experts. When you ask a lucky expert for a good hand he or she will present you with something like a double entry shifting squeeze or whatever - a brilliancy of some kind. However, the so called unlucky experts always support you with hands where they failed, trying to do something clever.
Sabine Auken is a good example of a player from the second group. She gave me this hand from Germany's match versus Spain in Round 9 where she tried to make a brilliancy herself but ended up as the victim in a brilliancy made by Spains Matut.

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª A 4 2 © J 4 2 ¨ 6 5 § A Q 6 4 2
ª K 10 8 7 6 © K Q 10 7 ¨ Q 9 7 § 7		ª Q 5 3 © 8 3 ¨ K J 8 4 2 § 10 8 3
	ª J 9 © A 9 6 5 ¨ A 10 3 § K J 9 5

West	North	East	South
Santos	Auken	Matut	von Arnim
	1NT *)	Pass	Pass
Dble	2§	Pass	3NT!
All Pass
* 10-12 HCP

You and I can count eight tricks - Sabine counted nine but got only seven.
East led a diamond to ¨9, ¨Q was covered with ¨K and ducked, and ¨A won the third round of the suit - North discarding a spade. Because of West's double and East's diamond holding Sabine was sure that West had the royal families in both majors, and as such she had a nice plan ensuring the contract. She cashed four club tricks and noticed that West discarded two spades and a heart while East discarded a heart. Now, a low heart from dummy was won by West with the ©Q, and this was the picture:

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

West escaped with the ª8 won with the ace, and on the last club East discarded a diamond, the ªJ disappeared from dummy and West unblocked the ªK. Sabine got off with a low spade to fulfil her brilliancy as she "knew" that West would have to surrender. In practise she was in fact very close to the target in spite of the holding, but as you may have guessed: Mrs Matut was a fan of Mr Crocodile Dundee and very elegant she opened the crocodile's mouth and swallowed West's ª10 with the ªQ. Two off.
Very nice play ladies!

By Svend Novrup

When the results of board 16 in round 17 of the Open Series and Round 8 of the Ladies Series were displayed in the VuGraph there was an almost infinite row of 620's and 650's for N-S, depending on the lead. When East led a low diamond North had 10 tricks. If East led something else North got 11 tricks.

There were very few exceptions. In one match North fell from grace when she put up K allowing herself to be forced out of trump control. But there was also a table from the ladies' match between Spain and Italy where East had led Q offering declarer no chance at all to make her contract. Let's have a look at what happened in that room.

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

West	North	East	South
Pass	1ª	Pass	3NT
Pass	4§	Pass	4¨
Dble	Pass	Pass	4ª
All Pass

4§ and 4¨ are cue-bids, agreeing spades as trumps, and West, Mari Carmen Santos, gratefully seized the opportunity to ask for a diamond lead. With no entry Maria Luisa Matut in the East chair decided to lead her ¨Q and bingo! The contract could no longer be made, producing an 11 IMP swing for Spain as North at the other table made 11 tricks. The board contributed to the Spanish jump to 3rd on Saturday after wins of 21-9 against Italy and 19-11 against Germany.
Well done, and let us add a board featuring a really brave girl.

They say that play is more aggressive in the Open Series but even there no player dared what Jessica Larsson of Sweden did, sitting South on board 13 of the same round:

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

West	North	East	South
		3§	4§!!
Pass	4©	Pass	Pass
Dble	All pass

4§ shows a two-suiter, usually the majors(!), but luckily North, Pia Andersson, had a natural heart preference. East led a top club ruffed, and North played ace and another heart. A spade switch at this point is necessary but very difficult, and when it did not materialise North made her doubled contract for +790. Not only that. At the other table the Swedish pair had the standard result of 3NT with 10 tricks for another 630. 17 IMPs to Sweden. Caused by a brave (when it succeeds it is not foolhardy!) bid!

Greek Gift

When two of Europe's top lady players met in the Round 7 match between Germany and Israel, one accepted a gift from the other and was left with egg on her face. It was only for a second undertrick, but no less satisfying for the winner of this little duel.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª A Q 7 5 4 3 © Q J ¨ Q J 8 4 § 10
ª 10 9 2 © 9 7 ¨ A 9 6 3 § 7 6 3 2		ª K 6 © 10 8 5 4 2 ¨ K 5 § A J 8 4
	ª J 8 © A K 6 3 ¨ 10 7 2 § K Q 9 5

Sabine Auken was declarer in 4ª from the North seat and Migri Zur-Campanila led a heart, won by the queen. Auken continued with two more rounds of hearts, throwing her club loser. Ruth Levit-Porat ruffed the third heart and switched to a low diamond to her partner's king. Back cama a diamond to the ace and a third diamond gave Zur-Campanila a ruff. With no entry to dummy, declarer was destined to drop the now bare king of spades and escape for one down. Zur-Campanila had other ideas, however, and switched to a low club, dummy's king winning. Declarer fell from grace and took the opportunity to take the trump finesse; two down for -100.