Despite general lamentations towards dwindling interest in bridge among the young generation, Karnataka state in south of India accounts for a number of duplicate bridge tournaments, each calendar year in majority of its numerous districts.
Bangalore, being the capital of the state and the largest city and cultural centre, offers regular weekly bridge events to the interested people at its various social and sporting clubs.
The credit for sustained bridge activity in the state, in the face of discouraging bridge environment, should go to the untiring and organised efforts of K. Vasant, honorary secretary of Karnataka Bridge Association, who kept bridge movement alive against "some transient period" according to him.. So the weekly and periodical bridge tournaments are held regularly with less number of tables than before.
Vasant, is hopeful that the bridge movement in the State would, sooner or later, " Because you see bridge is an international game and its tournaments at regional and world level offer fabulous cash prizes with acknowledgement of talent" he says.
Kurumangla Club of the city one, where weekly bridge event are held regularly under the auspices KBA on Sundays. Generally senior and experienced bridge players participated in the bridge events there and provide food for thought to the commentators as well as to the kibitzers.
On of the hands which was played in the first week of January this year is reproduced below which is an example of the challenging spirit of the players and their vigorous bidding during the contest. It also reflects good judgement on the part of the player sitting in North seat. He seemed to have taken the risk factor into account with optimistic disposition without blinking, who effectively countered a pre-emptive bid of four spades by the West and bid a slam in diamonds, after his partner in South position opened the bidding with one heart.
The complete hand and the bidding is given below:-
West led the queen of clubs:
After receiving the lead the South, a senior bureaucrat in the finance department of the state government and chartered accountant by profession, took a critical look at the dummy and felt happy to have arrived at 6 diamonds from his hand.
He thought on merit of hand the North should have bid diamonds and played at slam contract in the suit.In that case the slam was bound to fail because of East would lead spade and West would win first to spade tricks to defeat the contract.
However the play was not too difficult. The South won the queen of clubs in the dummy with the ace of clubs and he played a small trump from the dummy that was won with the ten of diamonds in hand and king of clubs was played and a small club followed which was ruffed in the dummy.
At this stage he played the ace and king of diamonds and later moved king of hearts and another heart from the dummy.
On winning the ace of hearts in hand, he played the queen of hearts to a small spade from dummy and finally ruffed his last club in dummy, conceding the only spade trick to the opponents and made the contract.
Golden tips:
The declarer's play, in most of the cases, by the right side of the deal ensures the contract.
DEALERS SOUTH
NORTH - SOUTH VULNERABLE:
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North West East South
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S 92 S AQJ 8754 S 63 S K 9
H K 6 H J H 97432 H AQ 1085
D AKQJ 863 D 7 D 954 D 102
C A 3 C QJ 94 C 1052 C K 876
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THE BIDDING:
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South West North East
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1 H 4 S 4 NT Pass
5 D Pass 6 D -
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