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The Big Game
by
Robert Sheehan
Five Aces Books, Paperback, £13.99 plus £1.95 p&p, Orders Hotline
01483 487805
Subtitled 'Rubber Bridge in a
London Club', this book has 108 jumbo-sized pages and is based
mainly on Sheehan's articles in The Times between
'94 and '99, but you cannot tell that from the free-flowing way
it is structured.
Sheehan starts by "Setting the
Scene", covering the type of bridge played, the tactics and
the bidding, before going on to "The People" and "The
Game".
A nice touch is the sayings which
appear under most of the chapter headings, such as Rixi Markus's
encouragement to a new partner in an Individual tournament: "No
signals. I will know your distribution better than you do."
Personalities are featured throughout,
which is always a good sign, including the charismatic Zia
Mahmood. Zia shows his mettle on this deal in the £100 game
at TGR's:
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| - |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2NT |
Dbl |
| 3 |
Pass |
Pass |
3NT |
| Pass |
Pass |
Dbl |
End |
Dealer South.
Love All
E/W 60 up
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8 6 |
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 |
Q J 9 3 |
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K 9 7 5 4 |
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J 4 |
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K Q J 9 7 4 |
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10 5 |
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8 7 6 |
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A 10 4 |
|
J |
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Q 10 6 2 |
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9
7 6 |
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K
10 8 3 |
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A 3 2 |
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K
5 2 |
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A 8 3 |
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A Q 5 2 |
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North's unsound 2
response had persuaded Zia to bid 3NT, which East had doubled and
against which West had led two of his top spades, with South taking
the second after East had petered. Now a diamond to the Jack and
King was followed by 9,
ducked by East and leaving the play at the critical point.
Reading East's bidding correctly, Zia allowed the nine to run, then
led a heart to the King, before cashing A
and playing a heart to dummy's Queen. East ducked again, but was
then put in with a diamond to lead away from his K
for an overtrick.
Peter Littlewood
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