The halfway mark … US Team Trials

For one reason or another I haven’t seen much of the US Team Trials,   This year the US gets to send only one team so it would seem the competition would be more intense.  In the end though the top two seeds: Nickell and Diamond are playing the final.

At the halfway point it is close with Diamond just 9 imps ahead of Nickell 145-136.  But a lot of Nickell’s imps came in the fourth quarter where the two teams top lineups faced each other.

One deal I found was interesting was Board 54.  If you play 2/1 you will have noticed that the diamond suit is a particular problem.  You can often have short diamonds for your opening and the auction one diamond-two clubs is problematic.    

Board 54 was a diamond/club hand.  In the Open Room Hamman-Zia had one of those 1♦ -2♣  auctions and they ended in a great spot.

  

Hamman ♠ K85   ♥ 5   ♦ AK63   ♣ AK1043

 

Zia opened with one diamond and Hamman bid two clubs.  Zia bid 2NT and Hamman bid three diamonds showing his diamond-club hand.  Now Zia bid 3NT.  What do you do now?

You have a great hand, all controls.  It just feels like this hand belongs in slam somewhere.  The ruffing value in hearts might be very important.  But on this auction you might only be on a 4-3 fit.  A bit of a tough call.  Hammon put out his oar with four diamonds and they soon were in six diamonds.  

 

Dealer: Vul:	Hamman ♠ K85   ♥ 5   ♦ AK63   ♣ AK1043
Hampson ♠   ♥   ♦   ♣		Greco ♠   ♥   ♦   ♣
	Zia ♠ A732   ♥ AJ104   ♦ QJ8   ♣ Q5

 

Six diamonds requires careful play.  Hampson led the spade jack and Greco deposited the spade queen on it as Zia won the spade ace.  If clubs work you have twelve tricks assuming diamonds are no worse than 4-2.  What if clubs are 4-2 and the club jack is in the long hand.  If you have to ruff clubs high you are going to need a 3-3 diamond break.  One of the problems is you won’t necessarily know how each suit is splitting.

Does the spade queen provide any hints?  If you believe spades are 5-1 does that suggest anything? 

There was some discussion amongst the experts on the panel but it seemed to them and to me that the right line is to draw trump and then play on clubs looking for other chances along the way.  Zia agreed and drew trump in three rounds ending in dummy.  This was the position.

 

North ♠ K8  ♥ 5 ♦ A ♣ AK1043

South ♠ 732   ♥ AJ104   ♦  – ♣ Q5

Now Zia made an interesting play.  He led a heart to the heart jack.  Of course if clubs work this doesn’t cost anything.  It doesn’t work to give up a club if they don’t work.  A heart return would disconnect the North-South hands with only eleven tricks.  On the hand the heart jack held.  Now he was up to eleven top tricks.  He led a spade from hand and Hampson had to split.  The long spade provided his slam going trick.  Sweet.  This was the whole hand.

 

Dealer:  Vul:	Hamman ♠ K85   ♥ 5   ♦ AK63   ♣ AK1043
Hampson ♠ J10964    ♥ 632   ♦ 975   ♣ 97		Greco ♠ Q   ♥ KQ987  ♦ 1042   ♣ J862
	Zia ♠ A732   ♥ AJ104   ♦ QJ8   ♣ Q5

 Over in the Closed Room Moss was North and Gitelman was South.  When Gitelman opened one diamond, Moss made a forcing raise of diamonds. Gitelman rebid 2NT which  at least suggested three diamonds and Moss bid four diamonds key card for diamonds.  The five club response showed two aces and the diamond queen.  Moss now bid six clubs with the North hand.  I am not sure what this meant but it sounded to Gitelman like a grand slam try and he bid the diamond grand slam.  Gitelman gave it a try playing for clubs to come home and diamonds to break.  He reversed the dummy by ruffing two hearts.  But when the clubs did not break he was down one.

I sometimes point out challenging hands and errors but very interesting good bridge is being played.  I love watching it and I wish both teams good luck today.