In the Soloway teams at the fall NABC, the seeding method saw two favored teams – Nick NICKELL and Marty FLEISHER – face off in a first round matchup. In today’s deal, both Souths played 6NT. When NICKELL’s pair ended up North-South, North’s bid for a club showed a good hand; The 2SA of South showed more than 14 points. North’s next two bids were called slams. South accepted.
West led the ten of clubs. Declarer won with the queen and led a spade to dummy’s king and a club to his jack. The West won and led a heart. South ran their winners – and East smoothly launched the eight of diamonds. In the end, East had been caught between spades and diamonds, but declarer didn’t know it; he took the fineness of the diamond and went down. The result at the other table was similar.
When West takes the ace of clubs, he beats the slam for sure by leading a diamond, thus ruining the communication for the squeeze. Perhaps both declarers thought West had the king to explain his failure to move to diamonds.
FLEISHER won this match but lost in the semi-final.
While I often report the deals from the final of a major event, here I don’t have the heart. The two finalist teams had a “sponsor” and paid pros. The winning team had a player who admitted to cheating in 2020, but returned and was hired. The losers were led by a player who, at this same event last year, agreed to give an inconsequential cell phone penalty to an opponent, overturning the outcome of a match his team lost to the table.
This is what high-level bridge has become: a ceaseless quest for the illusion of success at all costs. And with the best teams money can buy.
West Dealer
BORN. vulnerable
NORTH
Sask.
HKQ4
DAQJ7
CK7 6 5 4
WEST
S 7 6 3 2
H 5 3
D 10 9 5 4
CA 10 9
EAST
SJ10 5 4
H 9 8 7 6 2
DK 8
C32
SOUTH
SAQ9 8
AJH 10
D 6 3 2
CQJ8
West North East South
Pass 1 C Pass 2 NT
Pass 3 S Pass 3 NT
Pass 5 NT Pass 6 NT
Everyone passes
Opening lead – C 10 (!)
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