AN ACCIDENTALLY TIED BOARD
Today’s early deal could have but didn't contribute 16 or even 17 IMPs to the losing team’s total with who knows what eventual psychological effect on the eventual result of the match in which it occurred. It was the fifth of 96 boards in the JACOB vs LUSK grand-final of last week’s play-off to select Australia’s 2024 women’s international team.
After the diagrammed auction, East’s opening lead against 3NT was ♠2 to 4-J-3. The play continued ♠K-8-5-♦3, ♠7-A-10-♦6, ♥7-2-K-4, ♣J-6-2-K, ♥9, at which point declarer claimed the remaining tricks for a table-score of 630. Systemically different bidding at the other table (1NT-Pass-2♣-2♠, 3♣-Pass-4♣-Pass, 4♥-Pass-5♣-Pass, Pass-Pass) was followed by ♠K-A-5-4, ♠3-10-♣7-♠6, ♣J-6-2-K, ♣4 and a claim of 12 tricks for plus 620; so no IMPs changed hands.
Neither of the LUSK pairs had done as well as it would have wished. West, with nothing to gain after trick two by leading a third spade, didn’t find the diamond shift that would take 3NT one down. And though North-South did well to avoid the iffy no-trump game they stopped short of the virtually lay-down club small slam. Even after the only at-all threatening opening lead of a diamond, declarer can first cross to ♣A, claiming an overtrick if ♣K drops. When (as here) it doesn’t, forthwith cashing three hearts on the last of which dummy’s remaining diamond spot-card is discarded remains a distinctly odds-on prospect.
In the concurrent LORENTZ vs FREE seniors selection final, 3NT was similarly let home by the latter’s EW but defeated at the other table where the above-described killing defence was indeed found by Burgess-Lorentz for a 12-IMP pick-up.
Subject to ratification by the Australian Bridge Federation its women’s team will be Renee Cooper partnering Jane Reynolds (both WA), Ella Jacob (NSW) partnering Jenny Thompson (Vic), plus a third pair yet to be named and approved and its seniors team Andrew Braithwaite (Qld) partnering Arjuna De Livera (SA), Stephen Burgess partnering Gabi Lorentz, and Robert Krochmalik partnering Paul Lavings (all NSW).
All of the above transpired during the first week of the 2024 Summer Festival of Bridge in Canberra at the Rex Hotel. ACT players who performed significantly there include: Jodi Tutty who, with interstate teammates, won the national women’s teams title; Robyn Carroll, Jenny Walpole, Elizabeth Yoo and Steve Geddes who finished first in a combined Life Masters and Under teams field; Steve Kyburz and Nick Vonthethoff first followed by Bricet Kloren and Ian Vickers second in the Bridge Shop Novice Matchpoint Pairs; Sue La Peyre and Bob Cox second in the Chris Diment Swiss Pairs.
A weekend of pairs tournaments was followed by Monday’s opening rounds of the four-day South-West Pacific Swiss Teams, a nationally-rated Swiss tournament in its own right from which the eight top-placed teams proceed to the quarter-finals of the ensuing National Open Teams Championship. Cost-free bid-by-bid card-by-card bridgebase.com coverage of a selected match from the knock-out will be available to all. Two-hour sessions on each of Friday, Saturday and Sunday begin at 9.30am, noon, 3pm and 5.30pm. There may well be readable and/or audible expert commentary. There are links on the abf.com-au home page to much more about the Summer Festival including detailed, though less than formerly immediate, results as well as to Stephen Lester’s instructively informative daily bulletins.
The above-mentioned Ella Jacob (visit bridgewinners.com/profile/ella-jacob) to learn more about her) was also the star of this year’s Youth Week which returned from other recent venues to its renamed and repurposed former location just across Ipima Street from the Canberra Rex. That was despite the fact that Its dates, January 6-12, overlapped by two-days those of the of the national women's teams championship in which she had to play. Read about that and other aspects of Youth Week in Peter Gill's report on the opening pages of Festival bulletin8 which also reveals that the three top-placed pairs in the selection tournament for the 2024 Australian youth team were George Bartley (SA) and Jack Luke-Paredi (Qld), Bertie Morgan (SA) and Alec Goss (Vic), and Lara Topper and Tomer Libman (both NSW).
A forthcoming major event is the next annual Gold Coast Congress at Broadbeach in Queensland from February 7 to 15. It is nowadays Australia’s by-far best-attended bridge occasion. Visit myabf.com.au/events/congress/view/780 for more. There is an early-bird discount of $20 per person per event (except, of course, walk-in in pairs sessions) from entry fees received by February 12.
A less geographically distant enterprise that should and perhaps will interest some readers is a planned series of non-interdependent 10am to 3pm Skills Development Workshops in the Deakin clubrooms on Saturdays February 3, March 23 and April 20. The full price of each is $55 but members of the Canberra Bridge Club enjoy a $5 discount and attendees who are not yet 30 years old pay only $30. Included are a delicious morning tea, a light lunch, and a booklet of notes. The workshops will be led by highly-regarded Canberra teacher William Jenner-O'Shea. Their respective titles are "Improve Your Judgement and Tweak Your System", "Defence Techniques, Card Placing and Counting Tricks" and "Solid Suits, Strong Suits, Decisive Bidding." Visit canberrabridgeclub.com.au/13-entry-lists/619-will-jenner-oshea-lessons to enrol and/or learn more.