The Fourth Round March … USA 1 versus Indonesia.

The fourth round match started at eleven o’clock and concluded at 1:30 AM or so my time. In my youth and even a couple of years ago this would not have been a problem for me. But running and spending the winters in Sarasota (and maybe being a bit older?) have changed my perspective. There is an early morning and there isn’t much doing after eleven P.M.

So as I write this I am a bit sleepy and please forgive the occasional typo.

In the Open Room Wolpert and Kranyak were East West for the USA. Dwyer and Bathurst were North South at my table in the Closed Room. North South for Indonesia was Tobing and Asbi. East West at my table was Karwur and George.

I was expecting the pair at my table to be somewhat conservative and the Americans at both tables to create action.

I actually was in the Open Room at the beginning of the match and saw this interesting bid and exceptional play by Gavin Wolpert.   On Board 2 you have

 

 

Think about your possible choices… first, second and third choice. a weak 2♥  either one suited or two suited depending on your system might be first, 3♥  is certainly in the running at this vulnerability. Pass seems a bit feeble to me but maybe you have some plan for later in the auction. And then there is 4♥ . I wouldn’t have bid it as Wolpert did but I like it. It sets up the tone for the match. There are many ways this bid could go wrong but many ways that it could work well. 

This was passed out and the ♣ A led.

Asbi now switches to the ♠ 2 you play the ♠K and Tobing wins the ♠ A and returns a club which you trump. You play two rounds of trump ending in your hand as both follow and when you play the third round North shows out throwing a club

If diamonds can be guessed and you guess them you can make this contract. 

So you led the ♦ 5 South plays the ♦ 4 and it’s up to you. There are now three diamonds missing the A, Q and 8. It is up to you to decide how to play the suit.

Normally the percentage play in a vacuum is to play for the AQx(x) onside since that way you can pick up the suit. If you guess diamonds and they are two-two then both guesses (playing for South to have the Ax or Qx are equal) but South could have the AQx or even the AQxx in which case you need to play the J. So that gives the play of the ♦ J a higher percentage. But North is not all that likely to have a singleton small diamond since they might have returned that card at trick three. So basically the plays are even or near even. ♦ K or ♦ J.

What do you know? It appears the South has the ♣ AK and North is likely to have the ♠ AQ and probably to the ♠ AQJ as South would probably not have switched to spades otherwise.

At this point I usually try to visualize each possible hand and see which one is most consistent with the bidding and play to that point.

South has a hand something like this

 

and North has

 

It’s a slightly possible that Tobing might have doubled 4♥ with the ♦ A. But that seems a bit stretching to me. I can see no particular reason to play one card or the other.

If North did have a singleton ♦ Q he might have returned it I suppose but again that seems a bit likely.

When you are on, when you are at the table you get these things right. Wolpert played a diamond to the ♦ K and made 4♥ .

Wow! That is hot bridge. Indonesia had a winning tin – 34 imps to 32 at the end.