From The Top

by Philip Adler

If you look at the Butler scores from the Venice Cup, I expect you will see Lynn Deas and Beth Palmer of USA1 at or near the top. Here are two deals that show why they have been scoring well. The first occurred during the Round 2 match against Germany, rotated to make South the declarer.

Dealer East. North-South vul.
	♠ A 8 2 ♥ A 10 2 ♦ J 6 4 ♣ 10 8 5 4
♠ K 5 4 3 ♥ Q 8 6 ♦ A K 10 5 ♣ K J		♠ Q ♥ J 9 7 5 3 ♦ Q 9 8 3 2 ♣ 9 7
	♠ J 10 9 7 6 ♥ K 4 ♦ 7 ♣ A Q 6 3 2

(a) 15-17 points
(b) Transfer

(a) Five-plus hearts, five-plus in either minor, 4-9 points
(b) Support double: three spades and some points

In the Open Room, defending against three hearts, Ingrid Gromann (North) led the spade ace, then shifted to the club four, Pony Nehmert (South) winning with her ace and returning a club.

Irina Levitina (West) took her king and ran the heart six to South's king. Back came the spade jack, declarer winning with her king and playing another trump.

Declarer lost only one spade, two hearts and one club. (I wonder if anyone defeated three hearts by West. Yes, perhaps North should have led a club, when South can win and return her singleton diamond. Declarer wins with dummy's queen and calls for a trump. South must play her king, put partner on lead with a spade, and receive a diamond ruff.)

The ambitious auction in the other room left Lynn Deas in a hopeless four spades doubled. But she played very unblockingly to escape for down one to hold the loss on the board to 2 international match points, not 8.

Sabine Auken (West) led the diamond ace and continued with the diamond king. Deas ruffed, played a heart to dummy's ace, and led the club eight (unblock one), covered by the nine, queen and king. West returned another diamond, declarer ruffing high (unblock two). South cashed her club ace, then ran the spade jack. Daniela von Arnim (East) took her queen and played a heart to declarer's king.

Reading the position correctly, Deas now led a club, West ruffing and dummy's ten being played (unblock three) to give this position:

	♠ A 8 ♥ 10 ♦ ♣ 5
♠ K 5 ♥ 6 ♦ 5 ♣		♠ ♥ J 9 ♦ 9 3 ♣
	♠ 10 7 ♥ ♦ ♣ 6 2

If West had led a trump, declarer would have drawn trumps and overtaken the club five with her six. And when West led a heart, declarer ruffed high in her hand (unblock four), played the spade seven to dummy's eight, cashed the spade ace, and claimed the last trick.

Deas and Palmer defended expertly on this deal from their Round 12 match against Jordan.

Board 30. Dealer South. None vul.
	♠ K J 5 4 ♥ A K Q ♦ 9 8 2 ♣ J 8 3
♠ Q ♥ J 10 6 4 3 ♦ Q J 7 6 ♣ K 10 4		♠ 10 6 ♥ 9 5 2 ♦ A 5 3 ♣ A Q 7 6 5
	♠ A 9 8 7 3 2 ♥ 8 7 ♦ K 10 4 ♣ 9 2

(a) Weak two in either major or a balanced 22-23
(b) Pass or correct

Kerri Sanborn (South) made four in two spades, collecting six spades, three hearts and one diamond.

There was more at stake in the Closed Room. Deas (West) led the heart three (low from odd). Randa Saket (South) drew trumps and cashed the other two hearts, discarding a club from her hand. Then she called for a club, Palmer (East) rising with her ace and shifting to a low diamond, which was ducked to West's jack.

Now Deas set out to help declarer misplace the diamond honors. Instead of leading the club king, she played a low club.

Declarer, thinking that East had falsecarded on the first round of clubs, ruffed in her hand, crossed to dummy with a trump, and played a diamond to her ten. Deas produced the queen and returned a diamond for down one and 6 IMPs to USA1, a quarter of the winning margin.