Daily Bridge Club

Spingold victory

TEAM BLASS (five Europeans) won the Spingold Teams at the Summer NABC, overwhelming ZIMMERMANN (six more Europeans) 152-95 in the final. As usual, many teams had paid players. Big-time bridge has become a business, like health care.

With the match still close, both Souths beheld today’s nine-card suit and bid to six hearts. West led the king of spades, then a trump.

When Michal Nowosadski of Poland declared for BLASS, he took dummy’s ace and ruffed a spade. He then cashed all his trumps.

DISCARDS

With three tricks left — with three diamonds left in his hand and dummy — he knew from the discards that East had three diamonds and West two. So South played East for the queen and made his slam.

In the replay, the play began the same way, but at one point East pitched the ace of clubs. If South had placed him with the king also, a double squeeze would have landed the contract no matter who had the queen of diamonds. But South inexplicably went down, giving BLASS 17 IMPs.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: ♠ Q J 10 5 3 ♥ A ♦ A J 10 9 4 ♣ Q 8. You open one spade, and your partner responds two hearts. North in today’s deal bid three diamonds next. Do you agree?

ANSWER: In “Standard” methods, a bid of three diamonds would be a “high reverse,” suggesting more points. Some players might make that call anyway. I would rebid two spades. Maybe in North’s system, three diamonds did not promise extra high-card strength. North dealer N-S vulnerable