Sometimes the stars align in such a wondrous way that the team they are favouring cannot go wrong.
Such a line-up fell upon my team in last week’s World Bridge Tour in lovely Copenhagen. First star that kerchunked into our constellation was that I couldn’t play, which left six professionals with no weak link who couldn’t spot a Vienna Coup if it was staring her in the face. The second was having Denmark’s best pair playing with us: Dennis Bilde and Martin Schaltz. And all the other stars needed to win a top-level tournament, fell neatly into place. The play started with four days of qualification: the top four teams (after 21 ten-board matches), qualifying for the finals and the rest playing a two-day Swiss. After a weak start we ended up winning it, getting to play the semi-finals and winning that too. Martin was Declarer on this hand in the final, which scored on both the bidding and the play:
At the first table, South opened 1NT and played there on a Heart lead. He won the third round and cashed the ♣A. Had the Queen dropped he could have run the Clubs, but now they’re blocked even with a 2-2 break so he simply ducked a Club, whereupon the defence took four tricks in each major for three down.
At our table the stakes were higher after the above auction: West tried leading the ♠K and was delighted when he found partner with Ace fourth. So was declarer, who on the fourth Spade threw away his blocking ♣Jack. With clubs 2-2 and the Diamond finesse working, he had soon scooped up nine tricks and scored five more than the other room. Wish all tourneys went so well!
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