District 25 News for April 2006

Buzz from Falmouth

District 25 held its five-day Senior Regional at the beautiful Seacrest Resort in North Falmouth MA April 26-30, 2006. The high finshers, recaps, and tournament masterpoint races can be found under results. I counted 1053 table-sessions, with 701 different players winning about 3693 master points. Since senior events award only 80% of the masterpoints of open events, nobody managed to win 50, although best-in-show Geoff Brod came close, winning both knockouts (with Rich DeMartino, John Stiefel, and Dan Colatosti) and doing well in a pair game and a Swiss. This regional attracted few Flight A out-of-district players, but Vera Petty and Roman Smolski from Bermuda won the Thursday pair game and came second to Terry Byrne and Phyllis Chase on Friday, and Walter Fontaine and Steve Rzewski imported Bill and Judy Dubay from New York to win the Swiss. Jim Greer must be a better player than I thought, since he carried District 25 President Allan Clamage to victory in the big Maury Braunstein pairs on Saturday.

District 25 Grand National Teams Flight B Finals

This month I'll correct the Flight A bias in my prior reporting caused by my ineligibility for other flights. On April Fool's Day evening, Allan Wolf's Connecticut team (Allan Wolf, Russell Friedman, Frances Schneider, Bernard Schneider) played Anand Lele's squad (Anand Lele, Anita Taylor, Collis Jackson, Alan Frantz) at the Springfield Bridge Club. The match was 28 boards, no carryover, played by halfs, with the winners earning a trip to Chicago in late July to represent the district in Flight B. Jackson-Frantz played Precision and the other three pairs bid naturally.

On board one, with nobody vul, suppose you pass in first chair with AK94 7 Q96 107542. Your LHO bids a strong notrump, passed to you. Would you balance? Frances Schneider didn't. Anita Taylor did, using a DONT 2C to get to 2S, a 4-4 fit. Both contracts were cold, +90 and +110 meant 5 Imps to Lele.

Board 2 was a push. Board 3:

....................S-AKJ7
....................H-763
.S-Q1092....D-AK1065.......S-83
.H-Q984......C-7...................H-K10
.D-Q42.................................D-98
.C-K8..........S-654................C-AQJ9652
....................H-AJ52
....................D-J73
....................C-1043

Both norths opened 1D in third chair, and both easts preempted 3C, passed to North. Anita passed for +100, but Frances doubled and Bernard bid 3H. West led the CK to the CA. Bernard ducked the HK return, but won the H10 continuation. Lacking hand entries to take finesses and ruff clubs, Schneider tried the DJ. Frantz had to cover lest declarer trump a club. When the wonderful 98 of diamonds fell, Bernard had only to reenter his hand with the seven to trump a club, but he didn't see it and led diamonds from the top. When Frantz trumped the fourth diamond, he could cash the HQ and a club. But he didn't see it, and played a spade. +140, an imp to Wolf.

Board 4:

....................S-K764
....................H-AQ92
.S-AJ52.......D-J104......S-10983
.H-K1087....C-87..........H-J
.D-A6............................D-Q9875
.C-1052.......S-Q............C-A93
....................H-6543
....................D-K32
....................C-KQJ64

Both Easts played 2S on the CK lead. For Lele, Jackson won and led HJ to HK and HA. A club to South netted two tricks there, and South returned the SQ to SA. A spade was ducked to declarer's S8. DA, D to DQ and DK, heart return, and declarer couldn't prevent north from either scoring the S7 or a heart, to go with the SK. Down 1 for 100.

Al Wolf ducked the first club and won the second, then passed the HJ to HQ. A subsequent ruffing hook in hearts let him get rid of his third club, and two spades was made for 110. Five imps and the lead to Wolf, 6 to 5.

Board 5:

....................S-Q96
....................H-Q105
.S-KJ43.......D-A7..............S-872
.H-AK874...C-QJ1093......H-J62
.D-1084..............................D-K9
.C-8.............S-A105..........C-AK752
....................H-93
....................D-QJ6532
....................C-64

Russell Friedman, West, bid 2H over Anand Lele's third seat weak 2D, and passed Al Wolf's raise to 3. He lost a diamond, a heart, and two spades, +140.

Bernard Schneider, South, stole the pot for 2D. The defense has at least 6 tricks, but look what happened. Frantz led his singleton club, but Jackson didn't read it and returned a heart. Frantz cashed his heart tricks, allowing declarer to pitch his club on the queen for eight tricks and six imps to Wolf, who now led by 7, 12-5.

Wolf led 12-6 going into Board 9 (north deals, only east-west vul):

....................S-K9632
....................H-105
.S-A74........D-J...............S-void
.H-KQ.........C-QJ543......H-A987432
.D-Q98732.......................D-105
.C-K9..........S-QJ1085.....C-10862
....................H-J6
....................D-AK64
....................C-A7

Both Souths opened a spade in third chair, both Wests overcalled 2D, and both Norths took a shot at 4S. Al Wolf passed as East, and all Russell Friedman had to do was lead the HK to beat it. However, he led a diamond and dummy's jack won. Declarer crossed to the CA, pitched dummy's hearts on his diamonds, and led trumps for +450.

Collis Jackson, East, took a vul-against-not phantom dive in 5H over 4S, duly whacked by Bernard Schneider. Schneider cashed his three winners for down 1 and +200, 6 Imps to Lele, tying the match 12-12.

The standoff didn't last long. Board 10:

....................S-83
....................H-Q109
.S-Q1095....D-976............S-A7642
.H-K7643....C-AKJ63.....H-void
.D-Q82.............................D-KJ105
.C-4.............S-KJ.............C-10985
....................H-AJ852
....................D-A43
....................C-Q72

Russell Friedman got off to a spiffy diamond lead against South's 4H. Declarer crossed in clubs to try the trump finesse, and Russell cashed diamonds and got a club ruff for +200.

Alan Frantz led a spade against 4H, to Collis Jackson's ace, and Jackson shifted to the DJ to declarer's ace. However, when Frantz got in with the HK, he didn't continue diamonds, and Bernard drew trumps and scored +650 for 13 Imps, giving the Wolf team a 25-12 lead.

It was 27-13 going into Board 14:

....................S-AQJ10
....................H-J10975
.S-732.........D-73............S-864
.H-8.............C-107..........H-AK643
.D-Q10542......................D-KJ8
.C-K432......S-K95..........C-AJ
....................H-Q2
....................D-A96
....................C-Q9865

Both Easts opened 1NT, passed to north. Anita Taylor tried a DONT 2H, and Anand Lele corrected to 2S. Friedman led his singleton heart and Wolf played three rounds, but declarer ruffed high and drew trumps for 8 tricks. I'm not sure whether declarer could counter a low heart at trick two, ruffed by west. The play would then be complex.

At the other table, Frances balanced with 2C, either both majors or one minor, but when Jackson (East) bid 2H over 2C, Bernard tried 3C. South could never make this after H8 to HK and a diamond switch, and in fact he made heavy weather of the play, going down 3 for -150, six Imps to Lele, who trailed 27-19 at the half.

Nobody switched seats for the second half. Board 15 (NS vul, South deals):

....................S-KJ1063
....................H-K87
.S-Q942.......D-76............S-7
.H-Q1042....C-K62..........H-AJ965
.D-K53.............................D-QJ102
.C-54...........S-A85..........C-Q73
....................H-3
....................D-A984
....................C-AJ1098

Evaluations differed after South opened in a minor and raised North's spade response to two. Frances passed for +140. Anita tried for game and played 4S. Winning the the DQ with dummy's ace, she played SA, spade to SJ, and then misguessed the clubs for down 2. We can all see that finessing East's CQ nets +650 and +11 Imps, while -200 was -8, but there was no safety in such a finesse with the 4-1 trump break. Enough said. Wolf now led 35-19, and the Lele team needed a swingy board. They got one.

Board 16 (EW vul, West deals):

........................S-KJ
........................H-QJ95
.S-AQ10763...D-AQ62......S-8542
.H-A10432.....C-Q62..........H-void
.D-4.....................................D-109873
.C-A................S-9...............C-KJ104
........................H-K876
........................D-KJ5
........................C-98753

Russell Friedman opened the west cards 1S. Anita Taylor, perhaps still shaking her head over the last board, made an aggressive 1NT overcall, where a takeout double would have worked better. Al Wolf bid 2S and Russell bid 4S, as who would not? This was passed back to Anand Lele (South), who committed a horrid point-count penalty double, -1190 on the same heart lead. Here the East-West pair were much surer they were making, but were more afriad of a runout to an unknown suit if they redoubled. In practice a runout to 6H would go for 1100 on decent defense. By the way, 4S redoubled is 1480 or 1880, depending on the lead. 5S redoubled is 1200 or 1600. Merely doubled, 1190 was 4 Imps better than 1050, so Wolf led 39-19.

Board 17(none vul):

....................S-KQ93
....................H-6
.S-AJ2.........D-KQ97............S-107
.H-Q973.......C-AKJ10..........H-AJ10854
.D-J.........................................D-A8432
.C-Q9764.....S-8654...............C-void
....................H-K2
....................D-1065
....................C-8532

Frances opened 1D as North, but Jackson-Frantz brushed this aside and bounced into 4H, a game missed by Wolf-Friedman. 7 Imps, so the Wolf lead fell to 39-26.

Board 18(NS vul, East deals):

....................S-Q84
....................H-K108
.S-A1053....D-J53..............S-K
.H-Q2..........C-Q1096........H-AJ9753
.D-Q9.................................D-A1087
.C-A8743....S-J9762..........C-52
....................H-64
....................D-K642
....................C-KJ

Jackson-Frantz bid 1H-1S-2D-3C(GF)-3H-4H. Wolf-Russell bid 1H-1NT(F)-2H-2NT-3D-3H. Game makes on this lie of cards, even against a threatening club king lead, which nobody found anyway. 7 Imps, and the Wolf lead was only 6, 39-33.

Board 19(EW vul, South deals):

....................S-AQJ8543
....................H-void
.S-107..........D-J105.........S-K62
.H-AQ43.....C-K106........H-K108
.D-K9872.........................D-4
.C-A8..........S-9................C-QJ9873
....................H-J97652
....................D-AQ63
....................C-42

When the pockets are white, there can be some wooly bidding in Flight B. Here, Bernard Schneider opened the south cards 3H, bought the hand, and went down 4. At the other table, Anand Lele passed those cards, but over West's 1D, Anita Tayler bid 4S as North. She got doubled, and Al Wolf's singleton diamond lead meant 300, 3 Imps to Wolf. Notice that a placid pass by south and a calm 1S overcall by north will result in a plus at 2S, or on defense against anything. Anyway, Wolf's lead was now 9, 42-33.

Three pushes meant Lele was running out of boards. Board 23 decided the match:

....................S-K6
....................H-A10862
.S-QJ742.....D-KJ............S-983
.H-Q9..........C-6542........H-K73
.D-108632........................D-Q5
.C-8.............S-A105.........C-AQJ97
....................H-J54
....................D-A974
....................C-K103

Both Jackson and Wolf led a spade against North's 4H. Both declarers rose with dummy's ace and led a low heart to the nine, ten and king. Collis Jackson continued spades for -620. Al Wolf played CA, CQ, for +100, and the lead was 21, 54-33, with only 5 boards to play.

On Board 24, Taylor-Lele stayed out of a hopeless game bid by the Schneiders, 5 imps to Lele. On 25, Jackson-Frantz didn't balance while Wolf-Friedman did, to push the opponents from 2D making into 3D down 1, a 4 imp swing to Wolf. Two pushes led to the last deal, Board 28 (NS vul, West deals):

....................S-J9
....................H-J8765
.S-K7543.....D-Q3............S-void
.H-943.........C-9543.........H-AK10
.D-AK2............................D-1097654
.C-J10.........S-AQ10862..C-AK72
....................H-Q2
....................D-J8
....................C-Q86

Russell Friedman (West) passed as dealer. When Al Wolf opened 1D in third chair and Anand Lele overcalled 1S, he passed again. And when Al reopened with a double, he passed a third time, and collected all the tricks he could, for +500. At the other table, Alan Frantz opened 1S as West, and raised Jackson's 2D to 3D. Jackson bounced into 6D, a contract with fair chances. Slam was cold today, +920, 9 Imps to Lele, but too little, too late. Wolf won the match by 11, 58-47, and will represent New England in Chicago. We wish them fair sailing.

My assessment of this match is that the Lele team outbid the Wolf team, but the Wolf team was the clear winner in card play, particularly defense. I would also like to say that the players were all good sports, and remain friendly. Thank you very much Alan Frantz, Allan Wolf, and Collis Jackson, for your hand records, remembrances, and opinions. Without such help, I could never have reported on this event.

Other News

Our next New England regional will be the five-day Summer Regional held in Marlborough, MA June 21-25, 2006. The Best Western Royal Plaza is a new site for our district, and is conveniently a mile off I-495.

The webmaster solicits New England bridge-related written matter of suitable quality for posting. District 25 web site material is volunteer only, but you'll see your name in lights. Short is best.

Attaboys and Attagirls

Congratulations to New England players who achieved milestones , moving up in rank during April 2006.

Previous congrats:
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005

Back Pages of News

March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005