After an enjoyable week playing in the European Transnational Championships in Poznan recently (the Mixed Teams), I had time to spare before catching my flight home. The Open Teams had just begun, so I decided to kibitz for a while. I chose to sit behind the iconic Swedish player Peter Fredin, who I’ve been following keenly ever since he opened a strong No Trump against me with nul points many years ago. My partner and I never guessed we were cold for a grand slam. I soon found out that he was famous for his uncanny ability to read both cards and players. Opponents aren’t even safe saying ‘Thank you’ when dummy goes down: he’ll glean some information from the way they say it.
He was partnering Artur Malinowski, another player with fantastic imagination and flair. It was a promising combination, and I wasn’t disappointed. On this deal, Malinowski was South. Put yourself in his shoes:
Being green vs red, you’d like to make a Michaels cue-bid showing both majors – but not at the seven-level. Most other Wests also opened 5♣️, quite a few Easts raised to 6♣️, and in both cases, the majority of Souths passed. Some Souths doubled, but were left regretting it when their partners passed (6♣️ was cold). One South bid a fearless 6♥️.
Malinowski’s choice? A brilliant 6♦️! He knew he’d be doubled. His plan was to redouble. He was confident that Fredin would be on the same wavelength, and realise it was an SOS, showing the other two suits. He was right: West doubled, Malinowski redoubled, and Fredin pulled to 6♥️, which East doubled. Three down was -500, a great score compared to -1370. Only one other brave South (a top Swedish player) bid 6♦️, but when he then redoubled, his partner passed. Minus 4000 is a score neither will forget in a hurry.
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