Simple But Thoughtful

Last Sunday, Bombay Gymkhana’s majestic dining hall was buzzing with Mohan Advani memorial Bridge tournament players. This is the fourth year since he is no longer with us. His charming  wife, ‘Guddi’ and his dapper son, Amit, have been generously sponsoring this memorial event. Mohan was a soft-spoken, gentle and ardent Bridge player. Dr Dhananjay Subbarao always does a great job of organising this tournament. 

South’s 2NT was 21-22 balanced. In reply to 3♣ Stayman, 3♠ showed four spades and denied four Hearts. West led ♥J. The lead surely was from Jack-doubleton. South played ♥2. East won the ♥K. He saw clearly there was no future in hearts. even if they set up, he had no entry later to cash them. 

East thought very carefully and made a killing shift of  ♣10. South ducked and East continued club. Had South played the ♣K, West would have taken the Ace and the ♣J, then, would set up two more club winners with ♦A as entry. That was a simple but thoughtful move.

We miss you Mohan!

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Logical Play

Just a few days ago my friend from the 21st floor in my building invited me for a rubber bridge game. He asked me not to get the oxygen mask along, as “the air is very pure on my 21st floor terrace”. He had two friends from Delhi visiting him, who had just entered the room with their oxygen masks. Probably, that’s the reason he got confused and instructed me not to do so.

Sitting South was a young one, as cool as an oyster on the half-shell and as chirpy as a spring breeze. Her partner was a bald-domed, bushy browed, podgy guy. She took the first heart and returned a heart. East liked this plan and continued a third heart. South ruffed and West overruffed, West led a club to East’s ♣A and returned another heart. South threw away a club and West ruffed this one too. So 4♠ was doomed.

The podgy guy almost knocked her down with his toothpick in his hand! 

The logical play was South should have ducked the first heart. East would have won and continued heart. South should take the ♥A and play two rounds of spades, and should go to dummy with a diamond. The last heart she ruffs without any fuss and now South just has to concede a Spade and a club, making the contract of 4♠. 

Blog          : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

The Right Guess

Last three days saw bridge players from across India struggling to get the rank and the attractive prizes that came along with it. This was the yearly Ashok Kapur Memorial Bridge Tournament held at Catholic Gymkhana. His beloved and loving wife, Madhu, has been generously sponsoring this event every year. Under Rajeev Khandelwal’s great organising skills, of course. 

And finally in Mumbai there’s a ‘nip in the air’! But, this ‘senorita’ did care to play her hand well. 

After swift and simple auction, senorita sitting south had to make the right guess when the east led the ♦3. The problem was really not diamonds. It was spades! 

She wanted to decrease the chance of east winning the lead and shifting to a spade through her king. Obviously, if east has the ♦A, South cannot keep him off the lead, but if he has the ♦Q, South can. For that reason senorita went up the ♦K. If ♦K had lost to the Ace, the senorita would have had to sweat out the spade position. 

I think this senorita deserved a margarita!

Blog          : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Lucky South

The festival of Guru Nanak Jayanti was celebrated all over the world yesterday. It marks the birth of the first Sikh Guru and its founder Guru Nanak. It is one of the most important festivals in the Sikh community. 

Dummy’s ♠Q lost to East’s ♠A and a spade return was taken by South with the ♠K. The ♥A was cashed and a second heart played to dummy’s ♥10 that revealed a decent heart division and in time. South won eleven tricks, losing only one Spade and one Heart. 

By bidding 3NT, South denied three card Heart supports. South was really lucky. Had he shown heart support, North might have developed slam aspirations and a Heart slam would have failed. Again, South was lucky. The clubs divided 4-1 with East holding a secure club trick. 

Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.

Blog          : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora