A taxing two weeks
The 2017 World Championships featured remarkable deals. I can’t recall a tournament with so many deals that rigorously tested the players’ mettle.
In the Bermuda Bowl final, United States vs. France, Joe Grue-Brad Moss for the U.S. overreached to six diamonds. North’s one spade artificially showed a good hand with hearts.
West led the ten of spades, and Moss won with the queen. A possible line was to cash the A-K of trumps. If the queen didn’t fall, declarer could try a finesse in hearts (or a ruffing finesse) to get a club discard.
JACK OF HEARTS
Instead, Moss took the ace of trumps, led a heart to the ace and returned the queen: king, ruff. He went to the king of spades, threw his club loser on the jack of hearts, and led a trump ... to his jack.
If West had held Q-x of trumps and had led a third spade for East to ruff, the second-guessers would have descended. As it was, Moss took 13 tricks, plus 940. France’s North-South stopped at four spades: 11 IMPs to the U.S.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: ♠ K2 ♥ AQJ92 ♦ 4 2 ♣ K J 7 4. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids one spade and you try two clubs. Partner then bids two diamonds. What do you say?
ANSWER: Partner seems to have five or six diamonds and four spades. He may have only a minimum hand but has not denied extra strength. Since partner did not support your hearts at his third turn, bid 3NT. If he has a strongish hand and wants to pursue a slam, fine. South dealer E-W vulnerable