The social bridge in Bangalore clubs falls short of the accepted standards of the game, but people playing there are certainly above average in behavioural attitude and age. They play bridge at the clubs for a pure pastime without any thought for improving the game. While the duplicate bridge contests are held on weekly basis in two clubs in the city regularly, with a promise for serious approach to the game.

K. Vasanth, Honouree Secretary of Karnataka State Bridge Association, is a moving spirit in the bridge activities in the State and he is a regular participant in bridge tournament whether being held in the State or other parts of India. Understandably he takes pains in organising bridge tournaments in the State and he was found quite eager to improve the quality of the game among the local players.

While playing in a pair event held at Kuramangla Sports Complex recently in the outskirts of the city, he spoke candidly about the state of affairs in this game in Bangalore. He lamented the lack of interest among young generation for bridge and those who are playing bridge for donkey's years they did not care to improve there playing skills to the desired degree and further he said there was no serious attempts to hold coaching classes for bridge in the State that was one of the setbacks in the State for the game.

But he was also hopeful that the things would improve in times to come and the Karnataka State would be able to form a good team to match the bridge skills of Mumbai, Delhi and KolKata.

The pair event, which was held in Kuramangla, was a normal bridge session with average bidding and playing standards. One of the hands played at the table where Mr. K. Vasanth was playing, created a stir when his partner Mr. Shankar called the Tournament Director to protest against an asking bid of four no trump by the opponent sitting in the North position for a slam try and small slam in spade was reached by the opponents. That hand happened to be quite interesting and therefore the complete bidding, play and proceeding are given below.

(1) A precision system bid showing 16+points.

(2) Forcing for one round.

(3) RKC Blackwood showing 2 aces.

West led heart 10

Mrs. Rukmani Das was the declarer and when she saw the dummy she found that she needed two finesses right to make a slam whereas she had to lose to the ace of club anyway. Besides she panicked by the call to Tournament Director by the East to find justification of North for invoking Blackwood on a measly hand such as North held.

The Tournament Director did not take any notice of his objection. However Rukmani won the lead of 10 of hearts with the ace of hearts in hand and she played the jack of spades from hand in order to finesse. But when the West played low she went up with the ace of spades to find a singleton king with the East hoping to drop under the ace, but it was not so.

Then she played back a small spade from the dummy which, was won by West with the king of trumps and he cashed the ace of clubs before switching to nine of hearts which was won with the king of hearts by the declarer. At this point, Mrs. Rukmani having gone down by one trick re-entered the dummy with the queen of spades and moved a small diamond and finesse the queen of diamonds hoping to catch the king which was most probably held by East. But, unfortunately, the West produced the king of diamonds also to defeat the slam contract by two tricks.

Now it was the lady's turn to call the Tournament Director to know any justification for the East to call for the Tournament Director, when he was holding an Yarbrough hand and she complained to the Tournament Director that she was harassed by the call to the Tournament Director by the East for no rhyme and reason when he was not in the position to win any single trick with his hand and how was the right of the East was being compromised.

The Tournament Director, saw the validity of Rukmani's plea and warned the East for calling him on frivolous grounds which tantamount to intimidate the declarer. Besides the North trying for a slam may have been an ambitious bid which, went to the advantage of the defending pair if it was unmakable slam.

At the same time the Tournament Director having seeing all the four hands told the declarer that if she had played the natural way of allowing the jack of spades to run she was making a slam by trapping the king of spades on second trick and subsequently discarding the queen of diamonds on the queen of hearts in the dummy to make a sure slam.

Mrs. Rukmani regretted her mistake but East's harassing tactics put her off for going wrong in play. Further the North attempt at slam was, no doubt, ambitious after South having signed of in four spades showing no more then the game value.

THE BIDDING:

=========================================

South       West         North       East

Mrs.       Vasanth       Ujha     Shankar

Rukmani

1 C(1)       Pass       1NT(2)       Pass

2S           Pass       3S           Pass

4S           Pass       4NT          Pass

5H(3)        Pass       6S           Pass

Pass         Pass

=========================================

DEALER SOUTH

NORTH-SOUTH VULNERABLE:

=====================================

North      West     East        South

=====================================

S AQ74     S K2     S 86     S J10953

H Q86      H 10974  H J532       H AK

D 10953    D K78    D J842       D AQ

C K10      C A832   C 765      C QJ94

=====================================

GOLDEN TIPS:

Unauthorised intervention and pssing of information by either side is considered undesirable and unjustifiable at times unpardonable also in the game of bridge.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005