3rd European Open Bridge Championships Page 3 Bulletin 11 - Tuesday 26 June 2007


Reculer pour mieux sauter or bye, bye Raki

by Jan van Cleeff

When Polish star Cezary Balicki gives you a hand, you can be pretty sure it will be a good one.

Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
 ♠ K Q 9 8 7 5 2
6 5
5
♣ 8 5 2
♠ A 3
A K Q 10 8
8 3 2
♣ A 6 4
Bridge♠ J 10 4
J
K Q J 10 7 4
♣ Q J 3
 ♠ 6
9 7 4 3 2
A 9 6
♣ K 10 9 7

East-West arrived in Six Diamonds after North had pre-empted to Three Spades. South led his stiff spade and declarer, Andrzej Jeleniewsky from the Malpol team, won the ace. Declarer started to cash the ace, king and queen of hearts, (reculer, because playing diamonds first is much better). North ruffed the third round and East over-ruffed with the seven of diamonds: bye, bye Raki. No Turkish Ouzo on the last trick. Declarer tabled the king of diamonds, won by South, who returned a diamond. Jeleniewsky ran his remaining diamonds:

 ♠ K Q


♣ 8 5 2
♠ –
10 8

♣ A 6 4
Bridge♠ J

4
♣ Q J 3
 ♠ –
9 7

♣ K 10 9

On the last diamond South is obliged to pitch a club; dummy discards the eight of hearts and North a spade. Now East advanced the queen of clubs. South is forced to cover (otherwise declarer simply continues with a low club). Dummy’s ace wins, the ten of hearts is played and North is squeezed in the black suits in rather unusual way, namely a perfect non-simultaneous double squeeze. Tarek Sadek also brought us this deal, played by his team-mate Mohammed Heshmet in the Swiss. The play was duplicated, card for card!



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