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 In May the Dutch national team played Poland in a three day training match, some fifty deals every day. Bas (Drijver) and I were lined up the first day and half of the second day only.
From the beginning all my decisions turned into gold. A wonderful feeling: whatever you do, it works out well. Whether that is skill? I don't think so...
For instance take this deal, as North I held:
| N/EW | | | ♠ | 4 | | | ♥ | Q J 10 8 5 | | | ♦ | A K 4 | | | ♣ | K Q 7 4 | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| | Brink | | Drijver | -
| 1♥ | pass | 2♣ | | 3♠ | double1 | pass | 4♣ | | pass | 4♠2 | pass | 4SA3 | | pass | 5♠ | pass | 5SA4 | | pass | ?? | | |
1 take-out
2 control bid
3 Blackwood
4 grand slam try
It looked like my partner had something like (he certainly had the three aces; missing an ace he would not have tried for a grand slam): | N/EW | ♠ | 4
| | | | ♥ | Q J 10 8 5
| | ♦ | A K 4 | | ♣ | K Q 7 4
| | | |  | | | | | | | | | | ♠ | A x x
| | | ♥ | A x
| | ♦ | Q x x
| | ♣ | A J x x x
|
Holding the ♥K as well, he would have bid 7♥ himself.
In short: a grand slam on a finesse (♥K). Since West had bid 3♠, the chance East had the ♥K seemed far better than that West had it, so I bid 7♣.
Indeed the ♥K was out, indeed Bas had the hand I had predicted, indeed the ♥K was with East and indeed Bas landed the grand by way of a successful finesse of the ♥K.
In the next deal I was West: | N/EW | | | ♠ | A 5 4 | | | ♥ | 6 | | | ♦ | J 9 4 | | | ♣ | A 10 9 7 6 5 | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
Brink
| | Drijver
| | | - | pass | 3♥ | 3NT | | ?? | | | |
I decided to double; after all this contract was bound to go down once in a while.
I led the ♣10 and dummy was like my dream:
| N/EW | ♠ | J 10 7 2
| | | | ♥ | 7 3
| | ♦ | Q 8 3 2
| | ♣ | 8 3 2
| | ♠ | A 5 4
| | | | | ♥ | 6
| | | | ♦ | J 9 4
| | | | ♣ | A 10 9 7 6 5
| | |
Short in points and three clubs!
Bas played the ♣Q and the declarer won with the ♣K. Then he played the ♠K (I ducked, Bas signalled an even number) and the ♠Q, which I won. Now I had to be consequent: after having led clubs I now had to continue the suit. So I played the ♣A, hoping both Bas and the declarer had started with two clubs. And sure enough: | N/EW | ♠ | J 10 7 2
| | | | ♥ | 7 3
| | ♦ | Q 8 3 2
| | ♣ | 8 3 2
| | ♠ | A 5 4
| | ♠ | 8 6
| | ♥ | 6
| ♥ | A J 10 9 5 4 2
| | ♦ | J 9 4
| ♦ | K 7
| | ♣ | A 10 9 7 6 5
| ♣ | Q 4
| | | ♠ | K Q 9 3
| | | ♥ | K Q 8
| | ♦ | A 10 6 5
| | ♣ | K J
|
I cashed my remaining clubs after which the position was:
| N/EW | ♠ | J 10 | | | | ♥ | 7
| | ♦ | Q 8 | | ♣ | -
| | ♠ | 4
| | ♠ | -
| | ♥ | 6
| ♥ | A 10 9 | | ♦ | J 9 4
| ♦ | K 7
| | ♣ | -
| ♣ | -
| | | ♠ | 3
| | | ♥ | K Q | | ♦ | A 10 | | ♣ | -
|
I played a diamond. Since I had doubled, the declarer not unreasonably inserted the ♦Q.
So we made the ♠A, the ♥A, a diamond trick and five club tricks: four down, +800! Having mentioned luck, I cannot leave out this deal. As South I held: | E/NS | | | ♠ | K Q J 8 7
| | | ♥ | 4 3
| | | ♦ | A K J 8 7 3
| | | ♣ | - | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| | Drijver | | Brink
| | - | - | 2♦1 | pass2 | | 3♥3 | 4♥4 | pass
| ??
|
1 Multicoloured: weak two in hearts or weak, 5-4+ in spades and a minor
2 Bas and I have agreed to bid known twosuiters only; holding spades we need to pass one round
3 asks East to pass holding the weak two and to correct holding the twosuiter
4 natural
Irritating was that East now certainly had five spades, Bas probably having a void in that suit (since West usually will have three spades in view of his 'pass or correct'; only holding at least four card suits in both minors, he could be short in spades, do you see why?).
Nevertheless I decided to bid 6♦, to indicate my strength. That became the contract.
West led the ♠A. Lucky me:
| E/NS | ♠ | -
| | | | ♥ | A K 8 7 6 2
| | ♦ | 9 2
| | ♣ | A J 4 3 2
| | ♠ | A 6 4
| | ♠ | 10 9 5 3 2
| | ♥ | Q 10 9
| ♥ | J 5
| | ♦ | 10 6 5 4
| ♦ | Q
| | ♣ | K 9 8
| ♣ | Q 10 7 6 5
| | | ♠ | K Q J 8 7
| | | ♥ | 4 3 | | ♦ | A K J 8 7 3
| | ♣ | -
|
Now I could draw trumps - I turned out to have a certain loser in that suit - and claim since I could park my second spade loser on the ♣A.
The ♠A-lead was normal but on a trump lead 6♦ looks unmakable.
Looks unmakable... That should pose a challenge to puzzlers: how can South yet win 6♦ after a trump lead?
In my next column I will report about the Open European Championships in San Remo, which turned out so successfully for us. |