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During the preparation for the San Remo Open European Championship three top ranking Dutch clubs (De Lombard, Het Witte Huis and 't Onstein) participated in an internet championship specially organised for them by Dutch bridgeplay-site Stepbridge in cooperation with the Dutch Bridge Federation.
Bas Drijver and I play for 't Onstein, our team mates are Ton Bakkeren and Huub Bertens. Earlier this year, in the final of the Dutch Meesterklasse (top league) De Lombard had handsomely beaten us, so this was a good opportunity for revenge. And revenge we got, we outclassed them: 25-2. I have to admit the result paints too rosy a picture, since luck was rather often on our side. But not always, as this example shows.
| | ♠ | A 9 | | | | ♥ | A J 9 5 | | ♦ | 8 5 3 2 | | ♣ | A Q 7 | | ♠ | 10 7 5 4 3 |  | ♠ | -
| | ♥ | K Q 8 7 3 2 | ♥ | 10 6 4 | | ♦ | J 4 | ♦ | A K Q 10 7 | | ♣ | -
| ♣ | J 10 9 5 3 | | | ♠ | K Q J 8 6 2 | | | ♥ | - | | ♦ | 9 6 | | ♣ | K 8 6 4 2 |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| Muller | Brink | De Wijs | Drijver | | - | -
| 2NT1 | 3♠ | | pass | 4♣ | pass | 4♠ | | pass | pass
| pass
| |
1 at least 5-5 in the minors Muller led the ♥K.
Thereafter my partner, Bas Drijver, brilliantly landed the contract. He won with the ♥A (discarding the ♦6 from his hand) and played a diamond. East, De Wijs, won with the ♦A and tried the ♦K, but Drijver ruffed. He played a club to the ace (west of course refused to ruff, threw a heart), ruffed a heart and played another club. West now would have to ruff (if he didn't, South would have ten tricks). Bauke Muller is known for making very few mistakes and indeed: he did ruff and played a trump back. Drijver now drew the remainder of the trumps. This was the final position: | | ♠ | - | | | | ♥ | J | | ♦ | 8 5
| | ♣ | Q | | ♠ | 10 | | ♠ | - | | ♥ | Q 8 7
| ♥ | 10 | | ♦ | - | ♦ | Q | | ♣ | - | ♣ | J 10
| | | ♠ | J
| | | ♥ | -
| | ♦ | - | | ♣ | K 8 6
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On his last trump, the ♠J, Drijver discarded North's ♥J. East was in big trouble. In the end he discarded the ♥10 but Drijver now played the ♣6 to the ♣Q and then a diamond. East, on winning with the ♦Q, was thus used as a stepping stone: he had to play a club allowing South to make the ♣K, his tenth trick.
At the other table 4♠ was defeated after a diamond lead. In the second match, against Het Witte Huis, Drijver and I began to demonstrate we were getting in shape and ready for the European Championship. | ♠ | 3 | | ♠ | A K 7 | | ♥ | J 4 | ♥ | K Q 9 8 4 | | ♦ | A K 9 8 | ♦ | Q 7 6 5 3 | | ♣ | J 10 5 4 3 2 | ♣ | - |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| Paulissen | | Jansma | | -
| -
| 1♥ | pass | | 1NT | pass | 2♦ | pass | | 3♦ | pass | 5♦ | pass | | pass | pass | | |
| West | North | East | South |
|---|
| Drijver | | Brink | | -
| -
| 1♥ | pass | | 1NT | pass | 2♦ | pass | | 3♠ | pass | 4♣ | pass | | 4♦ | pass | 5♣ | pass | | 6♦ | pass | pass | pass |
Thanks to my partner's fantastic 3♠ bid (Splinter) we bid this very good slam.
Unfortunately South, Louk Verhees, doubled and led the ♥A and another heart, which was ruffed by North...
Nevertheless our 't Onstein team won this match as well. And what's more, with a fair margin (22-8), so we were Dutch internet champions!
Huub (Bertens), Ton (Bakkeren) and Bas (Drijver): thank you for this title! |