Home | Sjoert Brink | Adventures of a bridge professional 11: The Dutch internet championship
Adventures of a bridge professional 11: The Dutch internet championship
Sunday, 20 December 2009 07:00

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 3windroos-
K Q 8 7 3 210 6 4
J 4A K Q 10 7
-
J 10 9 5 3
 K Q J 8 6 2 
-
9 6
K 8 6 4 2

WestNorthEastSouth
MullerBrinkDe WijsDrijver
--
2NT13
pass4pass4
passpass
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
10windroos-
Q 8 7
10
-Q
-J 10
 J
 
-
-
K 8 6

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.

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

WestNorthEastSouth
Paulissen Jansma 
-
-
1pass
1NTpass2pass
3pass5pass
passpass  

WestNorthEastSouth
Drijver Brink 
-
-
1pass
1NTpass2pass
3pass4pass
4pass5pass
6passpasspass

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!

 

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• organises clinics for bridge clubs
• your bridge partner on the internet, club competitions and tournaments
• organises system training sessions (for beginners and the advanced)
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• gives you the opportunity to challenge the Dutch national team (on StepBridge, Dutch internet bridge club)

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