The Bridge Committee of the Club has launched a programme of holding duplicate bridge almost daily since last year at the Club with a view to generate more interest in competitive bridge among the members and also to raise the standards of the game. The idea behind the move by the Bridge Committee seems to prepare a good bridge team to represent Islamabad in the national bridge tournaments.
The winner of aggregate points, according to the duplicate, is also awarded a trophy at the end of the year. Humayun Khan won the pair event trophy for the year 2003 on aggregate score. Besides Islamabad Club did not lag behind other leading clubs in the country by holding national bridge contest at least once a year.
This year in January the Club held an all Pakistan Coca Cola Bridge Tournament in which sixteen teams from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi participated. Candyland one of teams from Karachi won the tournament with to deserve handsome cash award.
The daily duplicate bridge sessions at the Club have, no doubt, effected improvement in bidding and playing methods, but at times deviations in standard practices cause argument and counter argument in certain situations. There were quite a few occasions when serious debates take place on bidding methods. One such instance occurred during the course of pair event on Monday this week between experienced players that became the subject of controversy. When the West made a strong preemptive game bid, the North paused a little before passing in vulnerable position to make a risky bid in spades at high level. The deal in question is given below with bidding and its outcome.
North led ace of spades. (From AK)
When the dummy came down the West took time in analyzing the situation with four imminent losers without finding any help from the dummy for his strong preemptive opening bid of 5 diamonds. But the declarer was content with going down two tricks in favorable vulnerability position. The East also had to pass having no adequate values to introduce a bid in hearts on a preemptive bid by his partner, for the fear of going over board in case there was support no in heart with partner.
But the South elected to double the contract that intrigued the declarer. On the lead the South discarded spade 5. Then the North shifted with king of club the South overtook the king with the ace and after cashing the queen of clubs, returned a his 8 of spades that won by the North with the king. The declarer losing four tricks in a row.
Later the West claimed the rest of the tricks. The declarer examined the hand of the South at the end for doubling the contract of 5 diamond and raised objection, as there was no justification for his double. He argued that his double was neither a take out nor a penalty nor any other category of double on his holding, but, perhaps for inference from slight pause by his partner before passing that gave the clue to double. The rest of players on the table witnessing the deal upheld the objection. So the matter came to an end without referring it to the Tournament Director as the West was satisfied and accepted the result of a controversial double as it was less damaging in the overall score position.
THE BIDDING:
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West North East South
Asif Ali Humayun Uzair Sharar
5 D Pass Pass Dbl
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Dealer West:
North-South vulnerable:
NORTH
S AK97643
H Q7
D 84
C K2
WEST
S J10
H ---
D AKQJ106532
C 108
EAST
S Q2
H AKJ65432
D 7
C 53
SOUTH
S 85
H1098
D 9
C AQJ9764
GOLDEN TIPS: Out of text and context bidding can adversely affect the opponents.