It was as if the Ormon Island came alive with ceremonial festivities because of a high calibre Duplicate bridge tournament was in progress for the second time running. A large number of kibitzers gathered on bridge table to watch their favourite players. It was summer time on the island which was marked for holding a bridge tournament for the first time, in 1950 when the game of bridge was introduced here six years before this.
On the third and the final day a spectacular deal came up that turned the tables for the third favourite team to win the bridge trophy which incidentally also became the talk of the town for days months and years. The deal in question occupied a special place in the recorded bridge hands.
The bridge experts while commenting on this deal maintained that such type of bidding was the characteristic of the game even during end of 20th century. And they say it was very unusual a feat except for the fact that the deal was played to perfection by a man who was not very well versed with the game at tournament level.
The interesting hand which made history at the island is reproduced below. The strange aspect of this deal was that a team which bid 4hearts could not succeed in making the game because of very strategic moves by the defenders whereas the other team bid and made 6 hearts by a novice because of a speculative opening lead by the defender.
West led the ace of diamonds; when the dummy came down there was a distinct possibility of making a game, but it was not so in actual fact.
The ace of diamonds was followed with a small diamond, the king of diamonds was ruffed by South. The declarer plays the King of hearts which was won by East with the Ace of Hearts and East plays back the Queen of Diamonds which forces the South to ruff again.
Thus the South loses trump control. Later the South loses the Club trick to the Queen of Clubs with the East by finessing the Jack. Then he returns a Club which was ruffed by West and ultimately the hand went down by one trick in the open room.
But the story in the closed room was entirely different as the bidding on the same hand went as indicated under;
THE BIDDING:
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South West North East
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1 Heart Pass 1No trump 2Diamonds
3 Clubs 3Diamonds 4 Hearts Pass
6 Hearts Pass Pass Pass
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The worried West on the lead applied his mind a little more than required and he led the Queen of Spades which the South won in hand with the King of Spade.
Then he moved another Spade to the dummy's 10 which stood, and on the Ace of Spade the declarer discarded the losing Diamond in hand.
At this point he led a small Heart from dummy which the East won the trick with the Ace of Hearts and that is all he could win in the bargain as the declarer successfully finessed the 10 of Clubs to trap the Queen of Clubs to claim the contract. In this way the third favourite team won the tournament by scoring a huge swing over the opponent.
North-South Vulnerable
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North West East South
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S A108 S QJ75 S 9642 S K3
H 1042 H 9653 H A H KQJ87
D J42 D A763 D KQ1095 D 8
C KJ32 C 4 C Q85 C A10976
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Unpredictability of bidding is nothing uncommon in the game of Bridge
THE BIDDING:
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South West North East
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1 Heart Pass 1No trump 2Diamonds
2 Hearts Pass 3 Hearts Pass
4 Hearts Pass Pass Pass
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