By Neil Bonnell, Warwick Bridge Club
At the end of each session of play, the diagrams of every hand played are available to members in hard copy and online for anybody who wants to look. Part of the hand records is a computer analysis of the possible results on each hand. Studying these can be both illuminating and humbling. Generally, somebody equals the computer’s predictions. This was not so for East/West on Board 22 (above)from last Friday.
Four out of six East/West pairs did win the auction in hearts, with only two reaching 4H. No pair made more than nine tricks, compared with the computer prediction of eleven tricks, which would have score 650, as against the 140 scored by Doug Scott and Dianne Dawes. This was, nevertheless, the top score for East/West. Clearly, all declarers in hearts underestimated the potential of their combined hands. The answer lay in the best possible use of the trumps in each hand. Visitor Lynne Proud was the only South to lead a trump, which was a start in limiting declarer’s options. Declarer could still see nine top tricks: two spades, six hearts and the Ace of clubs. All that was needed was one diamond to be ruffed in dummy (West) for ten tricks to be made. A more adventurous route was to win the lead as soon as possible, play the Ace and King of spades and trump a third spade in hand. North/South’s remaining trumps could be drawn, finishing with the Queen of trumps in dummy. The two remaining spades are high and contribute tricks ten and eleven. The hard-luck story of this hand is that John Nankervis and Tom Graham stole the contract in 4D, made one more than the computer prediction, conceded only 50 points, but scored only 30% for the board. Minus 50 would have looked very good if all the East/West pairs in hearts had used their trumps wisely.
Results: Friday, 05/11/21 (6 & ½-table Mitchell): N/S N. Collins M. Simpson (58.6) 1; T. Hinde J. Mobbs (57.5) 2; S. Jackson L. Proud (53.2) 3. E/W S. Goddard N. McGinness (67.1) 1; L. Munson N. Bonnell (58.7) 2; C. Duggan D, Moran (51.7) 3. Handicap: N/S S. Jackson L. Proud 1; T. Hinde J. Mobbs 2. E/W S. Goddard N. McGinness 1; B. Reid J. McKeen 2.
