TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

BRIDGE

ADVERTISEMENT

By FRANK STEWART Tribune Media Services

Published: October 21, 2007

As usual, many foreign experts competed in the 2007 Spingold Teams. In the second quarter of the final, Nick Nickell's powerful team, eight-time winners of the event, trailed Gromov (Dubinin, Zmudzinski-Balicki).

Today's deal turned the tide. At one table Zmudzinski-Balicki bid the North-South cards to four spades. Declarer started the trumps by leading to the ace, an error in theory and practice, and went down.

At the other table, Nickell played six clubs. He won West's heart opening lead, took the ace of spades and led a low spade. West correctly ruffed with the seven of trumps, and dummy overruffed. Nickell next cashed the ace of diamonds, ruffed a diamond and led a third spade: ruff with the eight by West, overruff.

Nickell ruffed another diamond and led a fourth spade. West would have prevailed by ruffing up with his 10 and leading his last trump, but he discarded. Dummy ruffed, and Nickell threw a spade on the king of hearts, ruffed a heart and drew trumps. He lost a spade at the end.

A trump lead (suggested by the auction) would always beat six clubs. After the heart lead, it could always be made with inspired play. What mattered was that Nickell gained 14 international matchpoints, and the halftime score was even. After the break, Nickell's top lineup -Hamman-Soloway, Meckstroth-Rodwell - drew away from their opponents, who continued to struggle with fatigue. The final score: 120-55.

South dealer

Neither side vulnerable

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT