Indonesia - USA1 (Venice Cup Round 7)

Dressed to Kill - by Mark Horton

Secrets of Bridge: Dress like a grandmaster and you start to play like one.

Dressed to Kill is a popular title, having been used for a number of films, the two best known being one that forms part of the Sherlock Holmes series starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce as Holmes and Dr.Watson and the Brian de Palma thriller starring Michael Caine and Angie Dickinson.

In her book I Love this Game, Sabine Auken theorises that dressing well can improve the way you play. Support for this idea comes from our sister mind sport chess. Nigel Short is often regarded as the strongest British chess player of the 20th century. After an extraordinary comeback in the 2008 Commonwealth Chess Championship Short said: ‘I was struggling at this point. I obviously couldn’t play like a grandmaster, so I decided that I should at least dress like one. I started putting a suit and tie on, although everyone told me it was too hot. But it apparently put me in the right frame of mind. I think I am a bit of a sluggish starter, and in this way I managed to dig myself out of the hole.’

I wonder if the players who are appearing in team uniforms feel in a better frame of mind than those who are not? That certainly appeared to be the case when Indonesia met the Venice Cup leaders in Round 7.

Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ K Q 6 2 ♥ 5 2 ♦ Q 9 8 ♣ A 9 4 3
♠ 10 9 8 ♥ A 9 7 ♦ K J 10 3 ♣ 10 7 5		♠ A 7 3 ♥ K Q J 10 4 ♦ A 5 2 ♣ J 6
	♠ J 5 4 ♥ 8 6 3 ♦ 7 6 4 ♣ K Q 8 2

Open Room

In 3NT it is clear that everything depends on how declarer tackles the diamond suit. South led the four of spades and declarer had to take the queen with the ace for fear of a club switch. She rattled off five rounds of hearts, and on the last of these South discarded the four of diamonds. That was enough to persuade declarer to play North for the vital queen and she crossed to the king of diamonds and ran the jack, +600.

Closed Room

2♠ Invitational, usually balanced
2NT Minimum

South led the king of clubs and when that held she continued the suit, North winning with the ace and switching to the king of spades. Another spade would have forced declarer to locate the diamond queen, but North, unable to read South’s spade five, went back to clubs and declarer ruffed and played a diamond to the jack, claiming nine tricks when the finesse lost. Even so, USA I banked 10 IMPs.

Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	♠ 2 ♥ Q J 6 4 2 ♦ 10 2 ♣ A Q J 10 4
♠ A 7 ♥ A 10 8 ♦ K 9 5 ♣ 9 8 6 3 2		♠ K Q 10 9 6 4 ♥ 3 ♦ A 8 7 3 ♣ K 5
	♠ J 8 5 3 ♥ K 9 7 5 ♦ Q J 6 4 ♣ 7

Open Room

South resisted the temptation to lead her singleton club and put the seven hearts on the table. Declarer won with dummy’s ace and made the natural play of a club. North went in with the ace and returned the four of clubs for South to ruff. Reading North’s choice of club as suit preference South switched to the queen of diamonds and declarer won in hand with the ace and drew trumps in three rounds. She now played a diamond and when South followed with the four declarer elected to put in the nine, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. She had to go one down, -100.

Closed Room

2♠ Hearts and a minor

Four Hearts had no chance, the defenders taking the four obvious tricks, +100 giving Indonesia 5 IMPs.

Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul.
	♠ K J 7 6 4 ♥ 5 ♦ K Q 8 3 ♣ Q J 3
♠ Q 5 ♥ A K 10 7 4 3 ♦ A 10 9 5 2 ♣		♠ 3 2 ♥ Q J 8 6 2 ♦ 7 ♣ 9 8 7 6 5
	♠ A 10 9 8 ♥ 9 ♦ J 6 4 ♣ A K 10 4 2

Open Room

2NT Red suits

If West was set on bidding a slam then it may have been better to simply bid Six Hearts, leaving South to find the winning lead. (My guess is that West did not read Five Hearts as an out and out preempt.) Having been warned off a club lead South started with the ace of spades and continued the suit, +200.

Closed Room

North’s dubious double was followed by the lead of the queen of clubs. Declarer could not cross ruff for a while, setting up a long diamond for an overtrick, +1050 and a whopping 15 IMPs.

Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.
	♠ K 9 7 6 5 ♥ A 7 ♦ 4 ♣ J 10 9 7 5
♠ 2 ♥ 8 4 3 ♦ A K 8 7 5 ♣ K Q 6 2		♠ A Q 10 8 ♥ J 10 9 5 2 ♦ J 9 ♣ A 4
	♠ J 4 3 ♥ K Q 6 ♦ Q 10 6 3 2 ♣ 8 3

Open Room

2♠ Spades and a minor

For my money (and that of the players I had time to consult) West should risk a double.

Three spades drifted two down, -200.

Closed Room

South led the three of spades and declarer took North’s king with the ace, ruffed a spade and played a heart. South won with the king and switched to a club, declarer winning in hand to play another heart. When South went up with the queen the fall of North’s ace simplified matters. Declarer emerged with ten tricks (she allowed South to ruff a club) +620 delivering 9 IMPs.

Board 15. Dealer South. None Vul.
	♠ A 10 7 2 ♥ 6 5 4 ♦ J 8 6 5 ♣ 10 4
♠ Q J ♥ 9 ♦ K 9 4 3 ♣ A K J 9 8 7		♠ 9 6 4 3 ♥ A K Q J 10 ♦ 10 ♣ Q 6 3
	♠ K 8 5 ♥ 8 7 3 2 ♦ A Q 7 2 ♣ 5 2

Open Room

South led the five of spades and the defenders were able to cash three tricks in the suit. When North switched to the six of hearts declarer claimed the rest, +430.

Closed Room

With East/West making no attempt to play in no trumps North found the lead of the two of spades and the defenders quickly took the first three tricks for +50 and 10 badly need IMPs for USA I.