While on vacation in Aruba over the last week in January, I played bridge at the weekly duplicate game on Tuesday evening. My partner, Mary Lou Gamble of Warren, held the North cards on this deal and made a take-out double of the opening bid.
At my first turn to bid I evaluated my hand as being much better than the six high card points that I actually held. When Gamble was able to raise hearts, I saw no reason not to bid five as a sacrifice over the opponents four spade bid.
I was surprised that I was not doubled, but when the dummy came down I realized that the defense did not have many quick tricks outside of the spade suit. West led the six of clubs and it was fairly evident to all that this was a singleton. For anyone wondering why this was evident, both defenders had bid spades, and yet a club was led. There must be a reason.
I won the ace of clubs and played the ace of hearts. Both defenders played a heart. I didn't know how the diamonds were splitting, so I put off drawing a second round of trump until I could determine what was going on in the other red suit. My plan was to duck a diamond into the West hand. When I led a small diamond from the dummy, East inserted the jack. I played the ace and led a small diamond towards the eight. I thought that West might duck but she won the queen.
At this point, in order to beat this contract, West must under-lead the ace of spades. She thought for a moment and cashed the ace. After another moments thought, she led a small heart.
I let this come around to my nine. I led the ten of diamonds and when West played low I discarded a club. Another diamond was trumped in dummy. The king of hearts took the defender's last trump and I was able to claim eleven tricks for an excellent result.
What is very interesting is that both sides can make game in their trump suit. Bidding five hearts was the right thing to do - making the contract was a bonus.
District 5 of the American Contract Bridge League sponsored the Rock and Roll Regional Bridge Tournament from January 14 to 18 in Independence. The following players were successful in their respective events on January 18. Other results appeared in previous columns.
Flight A Swiss Teams (24 teams). Stratum A1. 1. Jim Bachelder, Columbus, Lloyd Loux, Westlake, Michael Cassel II, Roseville, MN, and Phil Leon, Grosse Pointe, MI. 2. Richard Early, Cuyahoga Falls, Warren Oberfield, Stan Ruskin, Herbert Sachs, Pittsburgh, PA, and Jim Zimmerman, Shaker Heights. Stratum A2. 1. Elbert Hargesheimer, Hamburg, NY, Christy Kellogg, Buffalo, NY, Mary and Patrick Spooner, Brunswick. 2. Frank Treiber III, Toledo, Diane Travis, Cincinnati, Gary Brinker, Maumee, and Joseph Ernsthausen, Sylvania.
Flight B/C/D Swiss Teams (56 Teams). Stratum B. 1. Chris Kleis, Lyndhurst, Joseph Harbert, Willoughby, Neil Di Geronimo, Broadview Heights, and Richard Van Bergen, Solon. 2. Dora Rump, Cuyahoga Falls, James Pivarski Jr, Munroe Falls, Jack and Dale Durbin, Stow. Strata C & D. 1. Rump, Pivarski, and the Durbins. 2. Ronald Lew and Steven Smith, Cleveland, Arthur Obrock, Shaker Heights, and Curt Merrill, Montclair, NJ.
Friday/Saturday Continuous Pairs Overall Award (186 players). 1. Albert Freeman, Cleveland. 2/3. William and Deborah Kirby, Bowling Green.
Friday/Saturday Bracketed Knock Outs - Bracket 1 (10 teams) 1. Don and Kathleen Sulgrove, Twinsburg, Keith Sechler, Middleburg Heights, and Martin Baff, Beachwood. 2. Jim Bachelder, Columbus, Lloyd Loux, Westlake, Michael Cassel II, Roseville, MN, and Phil Leon, Grosse Pointe, MI.
Friday/Saturday Bracketed Knock Outs - Bracket 2 (9 teams) 1. Robert Park, Gibsonia, PA, William Holt, Sewickley, PA, Robert Quinlan and Nirmala Somani, Pittsburgh, PA. 2. Richard Trogdon, Rittman, Lars Johnson, Wooster, Lynn Chinella, Holland, and George Welch Jr, Newark.
Friday/Saturday Bracketed Knock Outs - Bracket 3 (13 teams) 1. Dennis Wott, Fremont, Ron Woofter, Bowling Green, Thomas Bode, Toledo, and Thomas Adams, Mansfield. 2. Nancy Evans and Mary Gleghorn, Stow, Bruce Kriete, Sagamore Hills, and Eileen Machan, Cuyahoga Falls.
Friday/Saturday Bracketed Knock Outs - Bracket 4 (16 teams)
1. Susan Konig, Pittsburgh, PA, Jean Prior, Bethel Park, PA,
Sandra Harris, South Park, PA, and Janine Le Blond, Upper St.
Clair, PA. 2. John Freeman and Lee Caryer, Columbus, Robert and
Nancy Hiltz, Las Vegas, NV.
----
Bernstein is
a free-lance writer in Solon.