The third day of the Crete Congress, Tournament Director Chris Benneworth talks through an interesting hand from the Swiss Pairs:
Another bright sunny day, but very different from earlier in the week. The tranquil weather we had been enjoying changed to high winds and clouds scudding across the sky; even the sunshades on the beach were taken down because of the winds. Even the most intrepid bathers were daunted by the waves crashing onto the beach. But the weather didn’t stop us from enjoying the hotel and its surroundings. One group walked into the centre of the old town of Malia, while another ventured further afield to the Minoan and Mycenaean Palace of Malia (about 3km away on foot.)
The Swiss Pairs continued in the afternoon. Board 19 was interesting: after S passes, W has to decide on an opening bid. Several players chose the gambling 3NT and found an ideal hand opposite with stops in all three unguarded suits, as well as the valuable DQ.
As none of the defendants managed to cash their four top tricks, 3NT made with two overtricks for 87% of the matchpoints.
| 9 | ||
| 11 | HCP | 13 |
| 7 |
After an interesting day where the top positions were closely contested, the first day leaders Roberta Linehan and David Arundel (picture) managed to hold on to a narrow lead, with 135 VPs, closely followed by Andrew Urbanski and Colin Jones with 131, while Adrian Fontes and Mike Fithyan, with 130, came third.
Full results are on the EBU website at Ranking: Crete Congress Swiss Pairs Pianola Results File, 17 Oct 2024.
Chris Benneworth