We return to England briefly, for the annual Masters Pairs events. Players at various master point levels compete against their peers. We concentrate on the action from the highest-ranked event, the Premier Grand Masters Pairs. Unlike most pairs events, this one is scored by IMPs on the Butler principle. This means that the scores at all tables are averaged to create a datum score, and each pair’s results is then IMPed against that datum as if playing teams with the datum as your teammates.

Played over two days, the format in the Premier Grand Masters Pairs is that each pair will play a complete round robin of 9-board matches against each of the other 11 pairs.

It makes a change for me to be playing in an event on which I am reporting, so I apologize in advance for including events that happened at my table.

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

What action, if any, do you take?

Next, an opening led. With only your side vulnerable, you are sitting in the South seat with:

What do you lead and how do you plan to beat the contract?

While you mull those over, we start in the opening stanza, with all North players facing the first of the problems above.

Trevor Ward (left), a member of the England team that won silver medals at the 2019 World Senior Teams in Wuhan, raised to 2♥ immediately. Harry Anoyrkatis attempted to compete with a responsive double, but Rob Cliffe jumped to game in hearts. Stefan Lindfors expressed an opinion about the viability of the contract, but erroneously as the card lie. The defenders could make a diamond and the two major-suit aces, but that was it. N/S +790 and 8.6 IMPs to N/S.

Some Norths were less enthusiastic about their 3 HCPs. At the opposite extreme, against us…

Paddy Murphy passed up all opportunities to support his partner’s suit, so I was allowed to play peacefully in 2♠. After a heart lead to the ace and a club to South’s ace, Mark Roderick played ace and another diamond. I ruffed a heart and took a losing spade finesse, so North could give his partner a ruff in one of the minors, but that was it for the defence. E/W +140 and 11 IMPs to the good guys.

At a couple of tables, the auction followed that above but North at least backed in with 3♥ to end the auction. That led to N/S +170, which was still a 5.4-IMP pickup for the E/W pairs.

In the second stanza, all of the South players were faced with this week’s opening lead problem after some variation of the auction shown. I regularly demonstrate to students the need to plan the defence by building a picture of the unseen hands. This process usually takes place after only one or two tricks have been played. On this deal, though, South needs to picture the layout and plan the defensive strategy before even seeing the dummy.

Bob Ferrari tried to muddy the water with a 3NT response to his partner’s pre-empt, but Ian Pagan (right) was not to be shut out, and he came in with a four-level cue-bid showing both majors. Catherine Seale duly chose spades and it was up to Ferrari to find the winning defence.

The ♦4 lead was somewhat unimaginative and was never going to trouble declarer. Seale won and played a trump. South took the ace and exited with a second trump, so declarer crossed to the ♣A and took the heart finesse. She was soon claiming eleven tricks. E/W +450 and a 3.6-IMP gain for the E/W pairs.

Whilst the auctions varied slightly, East made eleven tricks in spades at most tables. Indeed, Rob Cliffe jumped adventurously to 5♠ on the East hand. Only one E/W pair lost IMPs by stopping short of game, and only one South found the successful defence to the contract. Can you see how declarer can be persuaded to go down in 4♠?

Put yourself in declarer’s shoes and see how you would have fared against this onslaught…

I didn’t have the imagination to try the fake 3NT on the South hand, but I did plan the defence before summoning my inner-Klukowski and selecting the ♥7 as my opening lead. Steve Auchterlonie won with the ♥A, crossed to the ♦A, and led a trump. I won with the ♠A and continued with the ♥5. Declarer can afford to lose one spade, one club and one heart, so can anyone say that they would not have done exactly what Auchterlonie did – put up the ♥K?

Of course, Derek Maggs ruffed and returned a club. Declarer now had to lose a heart and a club in addition to the two trump tricks already lost. E/W -50 and 10 IMPs to N/S.

Early in the evening session, this deal illustrated the importance of looking at how you can avoid putting yourself in a position where you have to guess.

Having not overcalled 1♠, John Sansom (left) presumably showed spades and clubs when he then introduced his suit at the three-level. When Murphy bid 4♥, Sansom decided to take the save from the West seat.

It seems to me that West has described his hand fairly well with his 3♠ bid. East was clearly invited to save over 4♥ but declined to do so, and it is therefore questionable whether West should overrule that decision. Having said that, I cannot argue with success, as Sansom/Owen are already running away with the event, with an overnight lead of more than 100 IMPs over the second-placed pair.

Mark Roderick duly doubled 5♣, and the defenders collected their four obvious tricks. N/S +500 was still a gain of 5.4 IMPs for N/S, so not a particularly profitable sacrifice. Although, at one table, N/S were persuaded to take the push to 5♥, and the resulting E/W plus score produced a big windfall.

We had to work harder to go plus, by presenting declarer with a losing option. See if you can spot how declarer could have avoided being put to a guess.

Mike Ash’s 1♠ response was the equivalent of a forcing 1NT. After Derek Maggs (right) had jumped to 3♣, I joined in with 3♠, inviting a save. When 4♥ came back to me, I considered 5♣ for some time, but eventually concluded that it wasn’t my decision. I also hate saving when there is a chance that we may go plus defending.

I gave declarer a chance by cashing the ♣A at trick one (king from East). I then switched to a spade, declarer taking East’s queen with the ace. At first glance, you may look at declarer’s trump suit and decide that there is nothing to worry about. Look again.

Declarer led the ♥J at trick three. Maggs won with the ♥A and returned a spade to my king. When I then continued with a third round of spades, declarer was forced to play a game of “Who has the ♥10?”.

Bob Ferrari ruffed the third round of spades with dummy’s ♥K and continued with dummy’s remaining trump. Of course, Maggs followed with the last low trump. Declarer eventually took the finesse and lost to my ♥10. One down: E/W +100 for an 8.8-IMP pickup.

Did you spot how declarer could have avoided being in this position? After this auction, it is surely reasonable to conclude that the spades are split 5-2. Had he ducked the first round of spades, I would have had no entry to play the third round of spades (having wasted the ♣A at trick one.) The moral of the story is perhaps to emphasize a principle of good declarer play. When you have the ace of a suit in which you have a doubleton in either your hand or dummy, it is generally right to holdup the ace until the second round unless there is a reasonable chance that one of the defenders has a singleton. Taking the ace on the first round often affords the defenders communication in the suit, as it did here.

With six matches completed, the overnight leader-board looks like this:

Clive Owen & John Sansom                +186 IMPs

Steve Auchterlonie & Kathie Nelson  +80

Paddy Murphy & Mark Roderick       +53

Mike Ash & Bob Ferrari                     +40

Derek Maggs & Marc Smith               +34

Derek Oram & Celia Oram                  +26

We will be back soon with the best of the action from the second day’s play.