Tournament Focus: Spring 2010

Prize Play

by Julian Pottage

Please look at the play question below and give your answer.

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

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

You, South, reach 6 after an uncontested auction. West leads the five of spades. What is the best line for the contract?

Entries to: Julian Pottage, 17 Beach Road, Porthcawl, CF36 5NH or email. Entries need to arrive by 15 April 2010. Please state on the top left hand corner of the envelope your postal addrss. Julian Pottage will judge the entries and the first correct answer that he draws in each categroy will win a prize from our EBU Shop, as below:

Master: The Bridge Adventures of Robin Hood, by David Bird.

Regional Master: Famous Bidding Decisions, by Terrence Reese and David Bird.

Higher Ranking: Celestial Cardplay, by David Bird

All above books are available at the EBU Bridge Shop -- have a look here.

Answer to Tournament Focus III Play Quiz

Question master Julian Pottage gives his view of the best line of play in our Tournament Focus November 2009 competition and awards prizes in three categories:

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

You play in 4 after East has opened 1.

West leads the jack of diamonds to the king and ace. East cashes the queen of diamonds and plays a third round, which West ruffs with the six of hearts.

Suppose dummy overruffs. You then play a low heart (in case the king is bare) to the jack and cash the ace of hearts. When West shows out, you have a trump loser. When the spades do not split 3-3 and there is no squeeze, you have a club loser as well.

The winning and correct play is to discard the two of clubs from dummy on the third diamond. You win the next trick in dummy and lead the queen or ten of hearts -- you are confident the finesse will work from East’s opening bid. After you have drawn trumps, you can ruff a club in dummy (or a spade in hand) for your tenth trick.

The winners are:

Open: Dafydd Jones, London
Regional: Philip Hunt, West Sussex
Master: Peter Smith, Surrey

Each of them have won a copy of Ron Klinger’s Master Class. Well done to them.