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 LEDERER 2001 MATCH REPORT
Report by courtesy of the hard workers at the Young Chelsea Bridge Club

All Stars back from the brink! Tollemache victims of Irish renais...reaissan...renaissan...rebirth!

So, the 2001 Lederer Memorial Trophy is over, with a fine win by the All Stars. The Irish had a spectacular two matches and rose to second place, just pipping the President's Team, who returned to form after a couple of quiet years, being overnight leaders.

As usual, many thanks to all those who have helped over the weekend, too numerous, alas, to mention by name. Particular thanks to Nigel Freake, who managed the competition, and Martin Lee, the Tournament Director. Michael said it was the first major event he'd directed. Well, you wouldn't know that if he hadn't told you.

Peter Burrows put in sterling work recording hands for posterity. He was in attendance for the whole competition, and owing to an administrative error was alone the whole time. When reports of hands appear in the world press it will be as a result of Peter's efforts alone, and for that, much thanks.

Phil King (Saturday) and Richard Fleet (Sunday) kept the vu-graph audience amused and instructed, and if the chap who worked the computer displaying the in the vu-graph room throughout is reading this, well, thanks to you, too, and well done.

The prize for best bid hand went to Martin Garvey and Jon Cooke (Tollemache) for intelligently sailing into a grand slam missed at every other table.

The best played hand went to Ben Handley-Pritchard (Juniors) for an elegantly executed squeeze.

The best defence prize was shared between two pairs who defended the same contract the same way: Colin Simpson and Robert Sheehan, and Joe Fawcett and Ian Payn.

 Here's a little tale from the third match, which could only be called

THE LORD GIVETH...

Two consecutive hands showed the vagaries of fate. North/South were Andrew McIntosh and Brian McGuire (YC). East /West were Malcolm Pryor and David Muller (Tollemache).

Dealer E, N/S vul.

ª J 10 5 4 © A 5 4 ¨ 10 6 4 2 § J 4   ª K 8 7 © 9 6 ¨ A J 9 7 5 3 § 6 3   ª 9 6 2 © K Q J 8 7 ¨ K 8 § 9 5 2   ª A Q 3 © 10 3 2 ¨ Q § A K Q 10 8 7

Bidding W N E S     Pass 1C 2D Pass Pass Dbl. Pass 2S Pass 3D Pass 3S Pass 4S All Pass

Over McGuire's re-opening double, North quite reasonably showed his Spade suit. On the next round of the auction, he showed it again. One can hardly hold South's final raise against him. East led off the King of Diamonds, and so never got access to a second Heart trick. Contract made, not necessarily everyone's choice, but since Three No Trumps had not always made (by any means), Four Spades making was a palpable hit.

Sadly, North's flair let him down on the very next hand.

Dealer S, E/W vul.

ª Q 10 9 8 © Q 5 3 ¨ Q 4 § A Q 9 4   ª K 4 © J 10 8 7 6 ¨ A 10 3 § K 10 2   ª J 3 2 © 9 2 ¨ K J 9 7 6 5 2 § 8   ª A 7 6 5 © A K 4 ¨ 8 § J 7 6 5 3

Bidding W N E S       1C 1H Dbl. Pass 1S Pass 3NT All Pass

Now, the defence didn't get off to the best start by leading a Heart (and that's twice in a row that this particular East should have led his own suit rather than his partner's, but this time it didn't matter). Declarer won in dummy with the Ace, and played a Club to the Queen. He then bounced the Ace of Clubs onto the table, and when East showed out there was what might be described as a bit of a hiatus. Plan B was invoked. The Queen of Spades was run. The defence took the next nine tricks: Goodnight, Vienna.

So, on the first hand, North eschewed the obvious Three No Trumps, and played in Four Spades, making. On the second hand, he eschewed the obvious Four Spades and played in Three No Trumps going five off.

Oh, well. Can't win 'em all... 

Drama - In Spades!

The Match between the Juniors team and the All Stars contained one board which will be remembered by the participants for some while...

Dealer N, both sides vulnerable:

ª 9 5 © 10 4 ¨ 8 § A K J 10 6 5 4 3   ª A 8 2 © K J 7 5 ¨ Q J 10 9 3 § 7   ª Q J 10 7 3 © 3 ¨ A K 7 5 4 2 § 9   ª K 6 4 © A Q 9 8 6 2 ¨ 6 § Q 8 2

Bidding W (Handley-Pritchard) N (Sheehan) E (Probst) S (Simpson)   1C 1D 1H 2H* 3C 3S 4H Dbl. Pass 4S Dbl. Redbl. All Pass

Sheehan's decision to open One Club set the ball rolling. Richard Probst made a good decision to pull his partner's penalty double. With the benefit of hindsight, Robert Sheehan must wish he'd done the same. Even with a Club trick standing up, there were still eleven tricks, and +1480 in the bag for declarer.

One can hardly blame Simpson for his penalty double. His partner has opened the bidding, made a 'free' rebid and he's sitting there looking at a prime eleven count. What would you have done? And what would you have done with the North hand? At least if you had ended up writing 1480 in the 'out' column, you'd have been in good company...

 Call My Bluff

Dealer E, Love All.

ª A K J 10 6 5 © A 8 6 2 ¨ K § K 7   ª 8 4 © K J 4 3 ¨ 9 4 § J 8 5 3 2   ª VOID © Q 10 5 ¨ A Q J 10 6 5 3 2 § 9 6   ª Q 9 7 3 2 © 9 7 ¨ 8 7 § A Q 10 4

Bidding W N E S     Pass Pass Pass 1S 2D 3S Pass 4D 5D Pass Pass 5H Pass 6S All Pass

In their match against the North of England, the Ireland team gained a slam swing after an artful move by Tom Hanlon (North).

East might have done better to open some (or, indeed, any) number of Diamonds. However, when he overcalled on the second round, this gave Hanlon the opportunity to cue-bid Four Diamonds. When South later bid the slam, East was deterred by this, and didn't lead a Diamond. He didn't lead a Heart, either, so Six Spades rolled home. Moral: When your opponents cue bid values in two suits, they might not have them in one of them. Or, indeed, either of them.

The Bludgeon and the Rapier

In Match Four on Saturday Night, only two pairs reached a slam on the following hand (not the finest slam you've ever been in, but never mind). The auctions showed a marked difference in approach.

Dealer S, N/S vulnerable

ª A 10 © Q 6 2 ¨ J 7 5 4 3 § 5 4 2   ª J 9 7 6 4 3 2 © J ¨ K 9 § K 7 6   ª K 5 © A K 5 ¨ A 10 6 § A J 10 9 5   ª Q 8 © 10 9 8 7 4 3 ¨ Q 8 2 § Q 8

West East 2D* 2NT 3D 3H 4H 6S

For The Juniors, Handley-Pritchard (W) and Probst (E), two Diamonds was a relay, and two No Trumps an enquiry. Three Diamonds showed a maximum with Spades. Three Hearts showed a Heart control. So did Four Hearts. Armed with all this information, East bid Six Spades, which rolled home.

The other pair who bid the slam were playing for the President's Team.. John Matheson opened the West hand Three Spades and Willie Coyle bid Six. Short and to the point.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE...

Many pairs reached Four Hearts on the following hand:

Dealer East, N/S vulnerable.

ª 10 3 © A Q J 9 ¨ Q 10 5 4 § 9 7 5   ª A K 8 © K 10 6 ¨ A 9 3 § K Q J 8   ª J 9 4 © 8 7 5 4 3 2 ¨ K § 6 3 2   ª Q 7 6 5 2 © VOID ¨ J 8 7 6 2 § A 10 4

West East   3H 4D 5D 6H

Some played Four Hearts undoubled, some were doubled. When Joe Fawcett was West, when Four Hearts doubled came around to him, he redoubled. He might have thought that minus six hundred would qualify as the worst East/West result on the hand.

Not quite.

For Ireland, Hanlon and Carroll bid the slam as above.

North doubled and that was eight hundred out for the Irish, pipping Liggins and Fawcett for most miserable result on the hand by a clear two hundred points.