Mark Horton
The first match of the United Kingdom’s 2018 Camrose Series was one of the most exciting on record, involving a series of deals where slams were paramount. These were the most discussed:
| Dlr: North | ♠ 7 6 2 | |
| Vul: All | ♥ 9 8 4 | |
| ♦ K Q 9 8 3 | ||
| ♣ Q 6 | ||
| ♠ A J 4 | ♠ K 3 | |
| ♥ 10 | ♥ A K Q J 5 3 2 | |
| ♦ A J 10 7 | ♦ 6 | |
| ♣ A K 9 7 4 | ♣ 10 3 2 | |
| ♠ Q 10 9 8 5 | ||
| ♥ 7 6 | ||
| ♦ 5 4 2 | ||
| ♣ J 8 5 |
The common auction saw East open 1♥ and rebid 3♥, West driving to 6♥ or 6NT. That is what Ireland did in their match against the CBAI. This was what happened at the other table.
| West Coyne |
North Garvey |
East Goodman |
South Carroll |
| Pass | 4♥ | Pass | |
| 4NT* | Pass | 5♠** | Pass |
| 5NT*** | Pass | 6♠ | Pass |
| 7NT | All Pass |
*4NT – RKCB
**5♠ – Two key cards + ♥Q
*** – Kings?
Expecting his partner to hold an eight-card suit West thought it was safe to ask for kings.
South led the ♥7 and declarer could see that at the very worst the contract would depend on the spade finesse. However, he had a number of additional chances. He won with dummy’s 10, cashed the ace of diamonds, ruffed a diamond high, drew trumps, cashed dummy’s top clubs, ruffed a diamond and played trumps, pitching three clubs and a diamond from dummy. The ♣QJ had not fallen, nor had the ♦KQ appeared, but the last trump caught South in a show up squeeze for a 13 IMP pick-up.
Everyone was talking about my second offering:
With neither side vulnerable your partner deals and passes and West opens 4♥. Your modest collection is ♠AKQJ942 ♥— ♦AKQJ10 ♣A – what do you bid?
At five of the six tables North overcalled 7♠. That went back to West who doubled. Time to check out the full deal:
| Dlr: South | ♠ A K Q J 9 4 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vul: None | ♥— | |||||||||||||||||
| ♦ A K Q J 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♣ A | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♠ 10 8 7 3 | ♠ 6 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♥ A Q J 9 8 7 5 | ♥ 6 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♦ 3 2 | ♦ 9 8 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♣ — | ♣ J 10 8 7 6 3 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♠ — | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♥ K 10 4 3 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♦ 6 5 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♣ K Q 9 5 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
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East was not hard pressed to lead the jack of clubs and every declarer suffered a ruff.
It might be that Michael Byrne’s redouble was an attempt to get his partner to convert to 7NT if he happened to hold the ♥A.
At the sixth table Scotland’s Mike Ash started with 5♥ and when his partner bid 6♣ he went on to the doomed 7♠.
The advantage of starting with 5♥ is that every once in a while South will respond 6♦ when North can happily raise to 7♦. After the response of 6♣ suppose North bids 6♥? If South takes that as asking for a choice between spades and diamonds will he not bid 7♦?