This is our final visit to the New South Wales Bridge Association Spring Nationals in Canterbury, a southwestern suburb of Sydney, Australia. We have reached the final of the main event, between ASHTON (Sophie Ashton, David Wiltshire, Sartaj Hans, Andy Hung) and GUE (David Gue, Joshua Tomlin, Philip Markey, Joachim Haffer). The format is a 56-board match divided into four 14-board stanzas. On our previous visit, we left the final at the midway point with GUE leading by 9 IMPs, 79-70.

As usual, we start with some problems. Firstly, with both sides vulnerable, you are West holding:

What do you bid?

Next, with only your opponents vulnerable, you hold as North:

West’s 1♣ is Precision-style, showing any 16+. What action, if any, do you take?

Finally, with only your side vulnerable, you are sitting in the West seat with:

What action, if any, do you take?

While you mull those over, we start in the second half of the third stanza.

The auction was brief and straightforward at this table. David Gue passed as Dealer and then raised his partner’s spade overcall to game via a diamond splinter. Sophie Ashton led the ♣10, which would seem to give the defenders three winners, but one somehow got away and declarer emerged with eleven tricks. E/W +650 and nothing much to see here, you might think. However…

Andy Hung’s 1♥ opening completely changed the situation, and Phil Markey’s 2♣ overcall left Sartaj Hans (left) with the first of the problems posed above. For many, the obvious bid might be 2♠. Maybe you would then manage to stop safely when partner raised spades via a diamond splinter. But perhaps not, as that is still a good hand facing an opening bid. As Hans discovered to his cost at the table, Blackwood does not really tell West what he needs to know.

There are two objectives to bidding – first to decide which strain to play, and then how high to go. The quicker you achieve the first objective, the more space you have to judge the second. Certainly, on this deal, it would have worked much better for West to simply agree hearts via a 3♣ cue-bid at his first turn. If you then subsequently roll out Blackwood, you will find that there are two key cards missing and stop in the relative safety of the five-level. Protected from the club lead in 5♥, declarer will eventually be able to discard three clubs from his hand on a spade and two diamond winners in dummy.

Even with East declaring, with the heart finesse failing there was no chance in 6♠. I confess that it irks me to see another of those horrible two-level overcalls that this N/S pair seem to like so much gaining IMPs. E/W -100 and 13 IMPs to GUE.

ASHTON still managed to win the third stanza 44-28, so they took a 7-IMP (114-107) lead into the final 14 boards. And, what an explosive set The Great Dealer produced to entertain those watching live on BBO VuGraph.

On the second board of the segment, both sides could make game, which is often a recipe for a big swing, and so it proved here.

Sartaj Hans opened with a Strong Club, which posed the second of this week’s problems for David Gue. For a start, he does not have the sort of shape on which you want to bid in this situation. Indeed, as a weird example of this topsy-turvy game we play, this hand he is probably also too good to come in over a Strong Club. Usually, bids over an artificial club opening, particularly at favorable vulnerability, are purely destructive. With a good hand, it is normal to wait and take action on the second round, once the opener has revealed the nature of his hand. Of course, when Hans jumped to 4♥ after his partner’s negative 1♦, it was far too high to contemplate bidding on this North hand.

The defence started with two high spades, declarer ruffing, cashing one high trump, and then leading his diamond. When Gue played low, Hans put up the king and claimed eleven tricks. E/W +650.

Sophie Ashton (right) dredged up a takeout double of Phil Markey’s natural 1♥ opening. David Wiltshire started with a cue-bid and then bid 4♠ after Markey had jumped to game in his long suit. This left Markey with no winning option, and although he correctly judged to take the save, that didn't save him many IMPs.

Declarer can make 4♠ even after the defence starts with two rounds of hearts, although the 4-1 trump break does mean he has to play carefully. After ruffing at trick two and cashing one or two rounds of trumps, declarer must then abandon trumps and knock out the ♣A. He is then protected against a third round of hearts as he can ruff in what has become the short trump hand.

Ashton also led two top spades against West’s heart contract. However, when declarer ruffed and led his diamond at trick three, she correctly rose with the ♦A and switched to clubs. There was nowhere for Markey’s club loser to go: E/W -100 and 13 IMPs to ASHTON to open the stanza.

Ashton’s moderate attempt to interfere with the Strong Club auction was easily brushed aside and, when Andy Hung (left) agreed clubs at the three-level, they were on their way to slam.

Hans won the opening heart lead and played three rounds of spades, ruffing with the ♣8. He then played the ♣J and a second round of clubs. There was a spade to lose at the end: E/W +1370.

Phil Markey started with a strong/artificial 2♣ and bought a 2NT response, showing four controls (A=2, K-1), so Markey knew his partner held both missing aces. After a couple of natural bids, Joachim Haffer agreed clubs at the four-level. I don’t know what the later bids meant (perhaps 4♦ was RKCB), but Markey thought he had learned enough to take a shot at the grand slam.

The grand is not a bad contract, particularly if you think you are 20-30 IMPs behind. However, the bad trump break was to eventually prove declarer’s undoing. Declarer needs to ruff both spade losers in dummy and, when North follows to the fourth round of spades, he knows he has to ruff with the ♣J. Of course, declarer could make the contract by then playing a club to the nine to pick up South’s trump holding, but that’s a strictly double dummy line that no one would ever find in reality. E/W -100 and 16 IMPs to ASHTON.

Over the first half of the stanza, ASHTON blanked their opponents 50-0. Board 22 was the final nail in the coffin.

As the responder to a takeout double, if you bid a major and then later bid a minor, you should always have only four cards in your major and a longer minor. (If you have five cards in a major, you would just rebid that suit, assuming a fit, rather than bothering to introduce a minor.) As he knew Hung would have only four spades, Hans was never tempted to give preference to his partner’s ‘first bid suit’. 2♦ was a comfortable spot: E/W +130.

Haffer’s natural, weak 2♦ opening bid completely changed the complexion of the auction. David Wiltshire (right) came in with a 3♣ overcall on the South hand, leaving Markey with the last of this week’s problems. Perhaps there was an element of “We’re behind in the match,” about Markey’s penalty double, but it’s certainly a legitimate option. Indeed, if you were told that your side had no making game available, wouldn’t you choose to double rather than pass on that monster?

3♣ can always be made by guessing the spades, but Wiltshire found a more assured route to nine tricks with just a little help from his friends. Markey started with the ♥K, Haffer following with the ♥10 (udca). Cashing the ♦A or switching to a trump now would leave declarer needing to guess the spades, but Markey first cashed the ♥A before exiting with a club. That sealed the deal for declarer.

Wiltshire won in hand and led a second round of trumps, winning in dummy with the ♣10. He then played the♥J, on which he discarded his diamond loser. West won with the ♥Q, but the ♥9 in dummy was now a winner. Wiltshire won the club continuation and drew West’s last trump before playing the ♠K. The defence could score no more than the ♠A now, as declarer’s potential losing spade went on dummy’s heart winner, the ♠J providing an entry. N/S +470 and another 12 IMPs to ASHTON.

ASHTON had gained 62 unanswered IMPs over the first eight deals of the set to end the match as a contest. Indeed, GUE won the last six deals 32-0 to add some respectability to the scoreboard. ASHTON won the match by 37 IMPs, 176-139. Congratulations to the ASHTON team, Sophie Ashton, David Wiltshire, Sartaj Hans and Andy Hung.

We are returning to England for the last weekend of the English Premier League, with a stopover in Delhi, India to see the best of the action from the Gold Teams Final at the 20^th HCL International Bridge Championships. See you soon.