Michal Nowosadzki is one of the best bridge players in Poland, and if you are one of the best players in Poland you are one of the best players in the world. Now in his thirties, Michal played with Jacek Kalita on the Polish national team, winning two Gold Medals in 2015 and 2019.
This simple but instructive hand cropped up in the Euro-Transnational qualifiers in Poznan in June and may well have contributed to another gold medal – but this time for Pierre Zimmermann and Switzerland.
The principle of not letting the opponents alter your plan by what they do is an important one, and the stronger the opposition, the less likely that they’re just handing you tricks.
Michal’s 2♠ opening was constructive and North happily raised him to game. West started with a high Club which held and a second Club. South drew trumps and then played three rounds of Diamonds, hoping to put West on lead, but it was East who came in and played a low Heart. Now what?
If you think it’s a guess, I’m afraid you are not among the world’s best players. East doesn’t have to play Hearts – he’s got a perfectly safe exit with the fourth Diamond. Then you’d have to play Hearts yourself, and the only viable play is a Heart to the King. Don’t let East get a good story – not to mention a good score; go up with the King as you would have done had you played the suit yourself!
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