MindZine - Bridge

The British women's team that went to Yokohama contained two firsts:- Jill Casey was the first Welsh player to represent Britain in a world final and she was playing with Kay Preddy whose mother, Jane Preddy, was also part of the team: first time for a mother and daughter. Jill and Kay played a practice Vu-graph match at the Brighton Summer Meeting against the Bulgarian Ladies' team. Kay demonstated on this hand the art of getting the defence to do the work for you.

Love all. Dealer North

7 6 5 4

J 3

Q 9 8 5 4

7 2

J 10 3 2

	N
W		E
	S

K 8 7 6 2

Q 10 5

J 6

A 10 7 3 2

9 6

A 10 8 5 4

A K Q 9 8

A 9 4

K Q J 3

In the closed room McGowan opened the East hand 1 and South doubled. Penfold bid 1, raised by McGowan to two. South bid 2 which was the final contract. A heart was led and nine tricks were made. The Bulgarian women don't open 1st or 2nd without a "sound" opening bid so it was Preddy who opened the South hand with an Acol 2, raised by partner to four.

With no bidding to guide her, Steliana Ivanova led her top club. East ducked and the queen scored. The Vu-graph team though declarer should play on clubs immediately to ditch dummy's heart though they could see that East could give her partner two ruffs with the J & 10 using the A as entry. Preddy thought differently. At trick two she led K, a scissors coup which gave East the chance to find the heart switch. East grabbed the ace but still thought she had to give her partner a trump promotion and continued another with ace and another club. Preddy played low, West ruffed with her natural trump trick and the losing heart was discarded from table!

Now there was one trump and the Q to look after the losing hearts. Single dummy, Preddy had beaten the Vu-graph team for a game swing.