2018 Youth PABFs - Days 1 & 2 : Qualifying Part 1

=== Day One  ===

The tournament started about as well as possible, with Australia posting 3 big wins to finish the day first on 51 VPs.

The second match (played on Vugraph against the most experienced Indonesian team) was so one-sided that it didn't even get a write-up in the daily bulletin!

Below are 3 problems from that match:

 

=== Board 10 ===

With both sides Vulnerable, the auction starts:

(P) - 1NT* - (2C^) - ???

1NT* = (14)15-17,   2C^ = both Majors. 

What would you bid holding:

♠94 ♥65 ♦987 ♣AKQT97 ?

Jamie Thompson found an excellent 3NT bid. Although this gives up on clubs, it protects partner's major holdings and gets your side to the most likely game contract as quickly as possible.

The full deal rewarded Jamie's decision, with 3NT cold by South, while a heart lead defeats 5♣ by North.

But perhaps most importantly, a 3♣ bid also allows a youthful East to get into the auction with 3♥. 

It turns out that 4♥ is an excellent sacrifice, making 9 tricks on a favourable (but not unlikely) lay of the cards. And being a youth field you can be sure that some people got there!

 

=== Board 12 ===

How high would you open holding:

♠QT87654 ♥--- ♦7 ♣AQ654 

In second seat at unfavourable vulnerability?

Clearly things have changed since I was playing youth bridge, because neither table found what looks to me like an automatic 4♠ opening. The Indonesian North chose to open 3♠ and our north tried (1♠) offering various excuses like "Weak Trumps" and "I'm just a bit of a wimp" when interrogated.

 

On the full deal, 4♠ was a big winner.

After a low level opening, both E/W pairs were able to locate their heart fit and played carefully to emerge with 10 tricks in 4♥ despite the 5-0 trump break to score +420.  

Note that even with the K♣ offside, 4♠ goes down just one for -200 (assuming you get doubled). However, if the opponents decide to get involved at the 5-level, your side might just end up with a positive score!

 

=== Board 5 ===

At favourable vulnerability, you overcall the opponents strong NT to show both majors holding:

♠AQT86 ♥A984 ♦72 ♣J4

and end up on lead after the following auction?

(1NT) - 2C* - (X) - 2H

(P) - P - (3NT) - AP

What would you lead?

 

On the actual hand, either the Ace or Queen of spades dispatches the contract quickly, when dummy turns up with ♠J9 tight.

A lead in either minor is gives your side a chance, (but only if partner can work out to win the first round of diamonds and switch to a spade).

At many tables, (including against Australia) East elected to lead a small spade. This allowed declarer to get home easily by playing one round of hearts and then switching to diamonds with the ♥K held.

However, our East (Tomer) trusted his partner's Heart preference and started with the ♥4.

 

The ♥4 lead ran to declarer's king and left him with a tough problem, in hand and needing 3 more tricks.

Playing on hearts looks like the natural choice, and that was what the Indonesian declarer tried, crossing to the ♣K to play a high heart. However, Tomer found the counter, winning and playing back a heart immediately which established a potential 5th trick for the defence. Declarer won and played on Diamonds but Andrew was up to the task, winning the ♦A and pushing through a spade for a well earned +100.

At the point where declarer wins the first heart, they can prevail by playing 2 rounds of diamonds immediately. Assuming West ducks, declarer will then switch to hearts having severed communicatinos between the two hands.

These 3 boards (among many others) helped Australia to a 64-5 victory.

 

=== Day 2 ===

 

Round 4 saw Australia's first loss (46-54), on the back of some dubious partscore doubling and an unlucky slam. However, the team bounced back quickly, with a small win in round 5 and a maximum win in round 6 to finish with 40 VPs for the day. 

After 6/13 qualifying rounds, the Aussies are in second place and qualifying comfortably. However, we do still have dangerous matches to play again Hong Kong (1st) and Chinese Taipei (3rd) in the remaining 6 rounds.

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Again, you can can follow the teams progress at: 

http://www.ccba.org.cn/Tour/TourResultText.aspx?tourid=11712

Stay tuned for another update at the end of the Round Robin!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by Mike Doecke on Monday, 16 April 2018 at 08:44