It is said that the competitive bridge started with pairs events some seventy years back. Later the concept of team events gradually developed to be a more popular mode of competitive bridge. Nevertheless the pairs events have come to stay and command nearly equal importance to team event.
And the World Bridge Federation and other Bridge Associations the world over invariably hold pairs events along with bridge team events. The pairs event tend to be more keenly contested affair.
A hand is reproduced here which featured in the side pairs event during the national trials held in Karachi a few years back. It was very keenly contested contract between the Karachi Blue and Karachi Red pairs. Masood Saleem who represented Karachi Red was sitting in the west position against the pair of Karachi Blue. In this particular deal, it was master stroke in defensive play by Masood saleem, who snatched a trick from the teeth of the declarer by his super tactical defence. Incidentally it reminded the famous adage of Doctor Mohammad Ilyas (Father of duplicate bridge in Pakistan) who says that:" each-over trick in pairs event is worth its weight in gold."
Fittingly following the adage Masood Saleem won an extra trick for the pair, which earned victory for his pair in the bargain and a loss of one trick for the opposing pair.
West led spade jack, The bidding between North and South was a bit out of tune and cautious and the partnership was not ambitious to make any enquiry for slam possibility from either side in spite of having 32 high card points in the combined hands which were good enough for making a slam but possibly without having any five card suit to probe further.
In the process of bidding there was flaw in the bid of five hearts by North without having a five card suit. His correct response, in principle, was to be two no trumps for a positive bid with only four card suit.
When the play began the South, however, won the lead in hand with the ace of spades and moved a small heart towards the dummy's ace of hearts and played back three of diamonds from dummy and finessed the nine of diamonds which was shrewdly won with the ace of diamonds by Masood Saleem. After winning the trick with the ace of diamonds Masood Saleem cleverly moved a small heart.
At this point the South having been convinced that the queen of diamonds is under tenace he played the queen of hearts also after winning the trick with the ace from dummy on which South discarded ten of diamonds from hand and the South played another small diamond from the dummy and finessed the jack of diamonds which Masood Saleem won the trick with the queen of diamonds and cashed the good ten of hearts to utter consternation of the declarer who was restricted to ten trick instead of eleven.
On this hand every other declarer in the North or South position played in three NT and made 11 tricks losing only two tricks in diamond suit. Whereas, the Pair of Karachi Blue could make, ten tricks only because of intelligent defense.
DEALERS SOUTH
NO-SIDE VULNERABLE:
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North West East South
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S 7 5 4 S J 1 0 9 2 S 8 6 3 S A K Q
H AKQ 2 H 1 0 8 5 2 H J 9 6 H 7 4
D 6 4 3 D A Q 2 D 8 7 5 D K J 1 0 9
C 8 7 2 C 96 C 1 0 5 4 3 C A K Q J
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THE BIDDING:
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South West North East
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2 C Pass 2 H Pass
2 NT Pass 3 NT Pass
Pass Pass -
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