LONDON TROPHY FINALS – 2006

by Michael Hill

 

On 21st May, Queens Club once again generously provided a venue for the finals of the London Trophy, the LMBA competition for sports and social clubs. This consists of three matches played simultaneously using the same boards - the final of the Trophy itself, the play-off for third place between the losing semi-finalists and the final of the plate competition. 

The three matches were: -

 

            London Trophy final:     

Old St Georges Old Boys & Girls vs. Lewes Constitutional Club

 

            Third place play-off:

Mushroom Chess I vs. Farnham Golf Club

 

            Della-Porta Plate final:

RAC 1 vs. Effingham Golf Club

 

Cecil Leighton, who has run this event since its inception 28 years ago, plays for the Old St Georges team, and it was particularly fitting that, in Cecil’s 50th year on the London Committee (!), his team should reach the final (for, I believe, the second time).

 

The first board of the match was a solid game bid and made at every table and the second was a fairly flat part-score. However, things were about to wake up with a vengeance.

 

Board 3 

Dealer S. EW game

                        S Q643

                        H AJ3

                        D KQ64

                        C Q8

S AJ109752                              S K8

H K2                                        H Q864

D 10                                         D 873

C 1052                                     C AK73

                        S void

                        H 10975

                        D AJ952

                        C J964

 

This innocent-looking board was indeed flat in the play-off match but led to significant gains (for Old St Georges and RAC) in the other two matches. At five tables, West opened 3S (it was 1S at the sixth – Plate – table). In the Trophy, the Lewes East raised, not unreasonably, to game after North passed, but there was no parking place for West’s third club and, with trumps not behaving, nine tricks was the limit. However, the Lewes North at the other table doubled 3S and that ended the auction. The same nine tricks were made but that meant a whopping 830 swing to Old St Georges. In the play-off, 3S was passed out at both tables for no swing but things hotted up again in the Plate. Like the Lewes North, the RAC North doubled 3S, but his partner removed to 4H where was allowed to play, drifting quietly one-off on a fairly gentle defence. At the other table (where the RAC West opened 1S), the unmakeable spade game was reached – except that North found the lead of the H3 away from the ace, after which the HQ provided a parking place for West’s losing club and 4S could no longer be beaten. Precisely how West then contrived to come to an overtrick is not recorded – suffice it to say that RAC had gained a swing of 600.

 

Board 4 provided more variations. There were five top tricks to cash against 3NT but ten tricks on top for declarer if they weren’t cashed. In the Trophy, it was flat, both defenders cashing their five top tricks, but in play-off, one West somehow failed to cash the fifth trick and declarer took the remainder for a swing of 700 to Mushroom Chess. Both teams in the Plate reached 4S on a 5-2 fit and received a heart lead but one declarer then came to eleven tricks and the other to only eight – so RAC had a swing of 850 to add to their 600 on the previous board.

 

Board 5 saw each leading team move further ahead, Old St Georges and Mushroom Chess both gaining 450, whilst RAC notched up another swing of 600. So, after only five boards, these three teams were each over 1000 points in the lead in their matches.

 

Board 6 saw Lewes Constitutional fight back.

 

Board 6 

Dealer E. EW game.

                        S AQ5

                        H 10874

                        D K82

                        C J87

S 9                                           S 107632

H QJ5                                      H K9632

D A109743                               D Q6

C 952                                       C 3

                        S KJ84

                        H A

                        D J5

                        C AKQ1064

 

Whilst Old St Georges had a conservative auction to 3NT, Lewes Constitutional bid aggressively to 6C. The lead of ace and another diamond saved declarer any guesses and that was 430 duly taken out of lead. All the other tables played in game, so their only swings were overtricks.

 

However, the fight back was short-lived. On board 7, Old St Georges gained a swing of 700 by making eleven tricks in 5C themselves and cashing their two aces against Lewes’ 6C.

 

On board 10, Farnham brought their deficit back into three figures by making a thin but unbeatable 3NT on a board that was played in a part score at every other table. But there was more scope for everyone on board 12.


 

Board 12 

Dealer W. NS game.

                        S void

                        H QJ7542

                        D 954

                        C AJ76

S 753                                        S KJ10962

H 86                                         H K

D A1032                                   D KQJ7

C KQ94                                   C 105

                        S AQ84

                        H A1093

                        D 86

                        C 832

 

The lie of the cards is such that North-South can make 4H with less than half the high-card points but East-West cannot make 4S (although it is a good sacrifice against 4H). In the Trophy, the final contract after competitive auctions was 4S at both tables, albeit doubled at one, and duly went one down. In the play-off, one table also made nine tricks in 4S but the contract at the other table (with no opposition bidding) was 3D! This rather tricky little contract also went one-off for an unlikely flat board. It was left to the Plate match to provide the excitement. When RAC were East-West, they had an unopposed auction to 4S and made the regulation nine tricks. At the other table, however, there was a highly competitive auction ending with the RAC North-South buying the contract in 4H. This duly came home to extend their lead by 570.

 

At the mid-point, Old St Georges were 1550 points ahead in the Trophy final, Mushroom Chess led by 680 in the play-off and RAC were a massive 2660 points ahead in the Plate.

 

The three leaders soon moved further ahead in the second half. On board 13, Old St Georges bid and made a beatable 3NT while defeating the same contract at the other table. In the play-off, Mushroom Chess drifted one-off in a part-score but compensated by getting 1100 at the other table when their opponents over-reached on a 6-0 fit. Meanwhile, in the Plate, RAC brought home the same 3NT together with a part score at the other table.

 

Board 15 provided the next excitement.

 

Board 15 

Dealer S. NS game.

                        S A8

                        H AQ97

                        D K75

                        C 10873

S Q652                         S KJ9

H J103                         H K542

D Q102                                    D AJ98

C KJ5                          C A9

                        S 10743

                        H 86

                        D 643

                        C Q642

 

The excitement was not universal. In the Plate, both North-South pairs were playing a strong no trump, so North opened 1C. Although this can be held to four tricks on best defence, there was no way in practice to get to defend this doubled and both East-West pairs duly arrived in the making 3NT. However, at the other four tables, North opened a weak no trump and East doubled. In the Trophy, this ended the auction at both tables but, whilst declarer can be held to three tricks double dummy, the Lewes North emerged with five tricks on a diamond lead and the Old St Georges North managed no fewer than six on a heart lead – to add 300 to his team’s lead. In the play-off, Farnham also managed five tricks on a diamond lead – after declarer exited with a diamond to West at trick two and the defence switched to two rounds of hearts, setting up two more tricks for declarer. Mushroom Chess were, however, in a very different position, their South having rescued to 2C, which West did well to double. West led the HJ, covered by queen and king and East returned the C9 (cashing the CA first would have been better but hard to find at the table). West won the CJ and switched to a spade, ducked to the king. East now cashed the CA before exiting with the S9 to dummy’s bare ace. Declarer now cashed the HA, ruffed a heart, ruffed a spade and led the master heart. He should probably discard a diamond on this, to give West a chance to err by ruffing, thereby enabling him to make both his remaining trumps and a total of six tricks. In practice, he ruffed his own winner and West could now safely over-ruff and switch to a top diamond to hold declarer to five tricks and cut the deficit by 300. A top diamond lead at trick one might have held declarer to just four tricks – but the defence would still have needed very careful timing. After three rounds of diamond and three of clubs (on the last of which East must discard a heart), West has to switch to a small spade. Declarer does best to win and exit with a spade, then discard from dummy on the third round of spades, hoping to end-play East – but East can exit safely with that carefully preserved thirteenth diamond. The ruff and discard is of no use to declarer, who merely has the unenviable choice of whether he concedes that trick or a subsequent one to either a heart or a spade.

 

Farnham cut their deficit further on the next board when their opponents went off in a makeable 3NT, then came board 17.

 

Board 17 

Dealer N. Love all.

                        S K

                        H K107542

                        D A107

                        C 982

S AJ862                                    S Q10

H J983                                     H AQ6

D 8                                           D KQJ54

C K53                                      C J104

                        S 97543

                        H void

                        D 9632

                        C AQ76

 

After North opens 1H (as happened at five tables, 3H being the opening at the sixth), what would you expect the final contract and outcome to be? It’s tricky because, whilst East-West have barely enough values, it’s hard for them to stay out of game, either 3NT or 4S. The latter has no legitimate play but 3NT cannot be beaten double dummy, although North is likely to make his bare SK in practice, and this will enable the defence to get to five tricks before declarer can get to nine.

 

In the Trophy, both Easts overcalled 1NT and arrived in 3NT. The Lewes declarer (who had gone through the Stayman sequence en route to 3NT) received a spade lead to the king and a heart switch. In theory, this gave him a tempo to set up the fifth diamond or third spade but, for some reason, he handed the tempo back by leading the CK from dummy and ended up with only seven tricks. The Old St Georges declarer (whose partner had bid 3S over 1NT) received a diamond lead but convinced himself the North’s opening bid placed him with the CA and failed to lead up to the CK until he had established outside winners for the defence, so he came to only eight tricks. This was only a small swing but Old St Georges were already 3500 point ahead and the match was effectively over.

 

It was the Mushroom Chess North who deemed the hand worthy of a slightly eccentric 3H opening – but Farnham’s East brushed that aside with a 3NT overcall. A spade went to the king and North switched to a small diamond. Declarer won and returned a diamond honour to the ace, discarding a heart from dummy. North switched to the C9, covered and won by the ace, but South then returned a (small) club, which ran to declarer’s jack. He now unblocked his top spade, crossed to the CK to cash dummy’s two top spades and finessed the HQ. When that held, he had nine tricks. It would not have helped South to exit with the CQ rather than a small one – it prevents declarer from enjoying a third spade trick but provides him instead with two black suit entries to dummy to take the marked double finesse in hearts. Bidding eccentricity wasn’t limited to this table. After an opening 1H, the Mushroom Chess East deemed her hand a 2D overcall – and there she played. After the S7 lead, she could not prevent a defence cross-ruff and emerged with only six tricks. Another 500 to Farnham and this match was suddenly getting very close.

 

After the Effingham West also responded 3S to the 1NT overcall, East raised this to 4S. Even after a friendly (if difficult to interpret!) C2 lead, there was still no way of avoiding four losers and , in trying, declarer actually created a fifth loser. It mattered little. RAC had reached 3NT and South led the D6 to the ace and a diamond was returned to the king. Declarer now took a losing spade finesse, won the diamond continuation and cashed the rest of the suit (discarding a club and three hearts from dummy). He now unblocked the spades, cashed to HA to remove a possible exit card from South and then led a club. South won the ace but had to give access to dummy’s three tricks for the contract. Another 500 to RAC left them almost 4000 points in the lead and effectively out of reach.

 

The last few boards were something of an anti-climax. The leaders all consolidated their positions slightly as the underdogs struggled to generate some points. Perhaps the one item of light relief occurred in the Trophy on board 24 where East was dealt a 7051 hand, the singleton being an ace and the long suits headed by KJ and AJ. Five tables played in 4S, usually arriving there quickly, but drifting off when the West hand (a 1525 8-count) proved to have a couple of tricks but no entries to cash them. However, at the sixth table, Lewes were still looking for opportunities to gain points and, after opening 1S, East duly managed to show his fifth diamond (although not his longer spades) in the bidding after West had dredged up a 2H response, tempting West to support on his doubleton. That support and the expectation of more values for the two-over-one response, was enough for East to essay a diamond slam. His cozy glow of confidence was matched only by the look on his face when dummy went down!

 

Results

 

Trophy:

Old St Georges Old Boy & Girls beat Lewes Constitutional Club by 4140 points

 

Third place play-off:

Mushroom Chess 1 beat Farnham Golf Club by 1340 points

 

Plate:

RAC 1 beat Effingham Golf Club by 4350 points

 

In my introduction, I mentioned how appropriate it was that Cecil Leighton’s team should reach the final in his 50th year on the LMBA Committee. It was even more fitting that he should be part of the winning team for the first time.