We were ‘Down Under’ last week for the final stage of the trials to select Australia’s representatives for the Mixed Teams at the World Championships in Morocco next summer. Six teams began the journey and the final two standing were DOECKE (Philip Markey, Lauren Travis, Ben Thompson, Renee Cooper, David Wiltshire and Sophie Ashton) and HOFFMAN (Stephen Fischer, Pele Rankin, David Beauchamp, Jodi Tutty, Trevor Fuller and Leone Fuller). 

We saw DOECKE take an early lead and then blow their opponents away with a huge second set to lead by 89 IMPs (130-41) after just a quarter of the match. With 90 boards still to be played, the obvious question is “will this become a runaway victory or can the trailing team mount a comeback?”  

A usual, we start with some problems. Firstly, with only your opponents vulnerable, you are West holding:

What action, if any, do you take? 

Next, again with only your opponents vulnerable, you are sitting East with:

Third in hand at favourable vulnerability, what do you open after two passes?

While you mull those over, we start with the second board of the third set, on which both West players had to answer a variation on the first of the problems above.

Stephen Fischer got the ball rolling with a 2♦ opening that showed a weak hand with both majors. Thereafter, it became a battle of the minors, with North and East both supporting their partner’s suit. When North’s 5♣ was passed around to Pele Rankin, she had to make the key decision. She opted to bid on, and Ben Thompson doubled on the way out.

Thompson led the ♣K, and declarer’s first move was to ruff dummy’s club loser and then play two top trumps. North’s discard revealed that the defenders had a trump trick to go with three winners in the majors. N/S +300.

Like a number of his teammates, David Wiltshire (left) is a former junior international. He represented Australia at the World Youth Team Championships in 2003.

East passed here, so Trevor Fuller got to open 3♣ on the South hand. Wiltshire overcall in diamonds and Leone Fuller raised to 5♣. Sophie Ashton doubled and Wiltshire then had to decide whether to defend or to retreat into his suit. 

Wiltshire chose to defend, and began with the ♦K and a heart to the ace. With the ace of trumps still to come, declarer was one down: N/S -200 and 11 IMPs to DOECKE.

DOECKE continued to pick up IMPs as the set progressed, and then both East players had to decide what to bid on the second of this week’s problem hands.

Despite South’s monster hand, it was always going to be difficult for N/S to go plus on this deal. After two passes, Sophie Ashton (right) elected to open 3♦. Trevor Fuller started with a double on his shapely 22-count and then jumped to 5♣ after his partner’s 3♥ response.

Wiltshire led a heart to queen and king. Declarer cashed two high trumps and two high spades, then played the ♥K and overtook the ♥10 with dummy’s jack. He could now cash the ♠Q to dispose of one of his diamonds. Nonetheless, there were still two trumps and a diamond to be lost, so declarer was one down: N/S -100.

I think that most players would open either 1♦ or 3♦ in third seat at ‘green’. East at the other table in this final came up with a third option:

Stephen Fischer went for the ultra-pre-empt, which could have been the right thing to do, but wasn’t on this layout. Ben Thompson made the obvious double on the South hand, and Renee Cooper had nowhere to go. Pele Rankin failed to produce a suitable dummy, and declarer could only manage six tricks. N/S +1100 and another 15 IMPs to DOECKE.

DOECKE won the third stanza 59-13, extending their lead to 135 approaching the midway point of the match. With one set remaining on the first scheduled day of play, one could understand if the HOFFMAN team was feeling more than a little punch drunk after a truly bruising day. 

The only swing of a quiet fourth set came close to the end. As usual, the team that is winning also seems to get the rub of the green. Having said that, you may think there is also an element of making your own luck on this deal.

Hearts were agreed at the three-level. David Beauchamp then advanced with 3NT, which was self-alerted as showing ‘mild slam interest’. Perhaps the meaning of 3NT was unclear to West or maybe she just did not think her hand good enough for a 4♦ cue-bid. Having already shown some slam interest, it is hard to see how East can make another try after his partner’s 4♥ bid. 

South led a club, declarer winning in hand and playing a spade to the jack. North won with the ♠K and returned a diamond to hold declarer to eleven tricks. E/W +450.

Sure, 6♥ might go down on a diamond lead through the king or declarer might misguess the play on a neutral lead, but this is a slam you probably want to reach (particularly when you are looking to reduce a deficit).  

The auction began in similar fashion at this table too, but Ben Thompson advanced with a straightforward 4♣ cue-bid at his second turn. Renee Cooper duly showed her diamond control and, although Thompson limited his hand with 4♥, she then carried on with Blackwood. 

The ♦A was not the most testing lead South could have found. Indeed, with the diamond control (probably the king), marked on his left, Trevor Fuller might perhaps have found the killing low diamond opening. Had he done so, it would have been a hard-earned swing to the HOFFMAN team.

After the ♦A lead, declarer had an easy ride by simply ruffing the third round of diamonds in dummy. E/W +980 and another 11 IMPs to DOECKE.

DOECKE won their fourth consecutive stanza, albeit only by 25-12. Even so, they went into the overnight break ahead by a massive 148 IMPs (214-66). Play resumed the following day with four 15-board sets still to play. However, when DOECKE gained IMPs on both the fifth and sixth stanzas, the HOFFMAN team decided it was time to call it a day.

DOECKE earn their places on the flight to Morocco with an impressive demolition of their opponents by a score of 312-143. Congratulations to the DOECKE team, Philip Markey, Lauren Travis, Ben Thompson, Renee Cooper, David Wiltshire and Sophie Ashton.

Next week, we travel northwest from Australia across the Indian Ocean. We will be in India for the Gold Final of the Open Teams at the 64^th Winter National Bridge Championships.