Tournament Focus: Summer 2011

Tournament Play

by Julian Pottage

Please look at the play question below and give your answer. Assume teams (IMPs) or rubber scoring.

There are three categories in our competition: up to and including Master; for those up to and including Regional Master; and for those with higher ranking.

Dealer Vuln	Q 5 K 8 3 K J 7 3 A J 10 4
	9 7 6 A Q 6 5 4 2 A Q 7 5

West	North	East	South
21	Pass	Pass	3
Pass	4	All Pass

1. Weak

West leads the ace, king and a third spade (East playing high-low).

How do you plan to avoid losing four tricks? (You will find that East has three trumps and West one)

Entries to this email please. Entries need to arrive by 15 June 2011. In the email header, please state the category you wish to enter and your postal address. Julian Pottage will judge the entries and the first drawn answer in each category that he judges as correct will win a prize.

Prizes will be yet more exciting bridge books from our stocks.

Answer to Tournament Focus VI Play Quiz

Question master Julian Pottage gives his view of the best line of play from our last Tournament Focus competition.

Dealer Vuln	K K 8 5 4 5 A J 9 6 5 4 3
Q 10 6 3 2 Q 10 6 2 9 3 Q 7		8 7 5 4 9 7 A 10 7 6 K 10 2
	A J 9 A J 3 K Q J 8 4 2 8

You play in 3NT and West leads the three of spades.

Your best bet is to set up the diamonds. With five tricks on top in the other suits, four diamond tricks will suffice. You can therefore afford to lose two diamonds so long as East, who might lead through your tenace in spades, does not get in first. Correct play at trick two is a diamond to the eight.

The winners are:
Master: Henry Lockwood
Regional Master: Ufuk Cotuk
Higher Ranking: Andy Macnair