The ladies bridge trials to select a team to represent Pakistan in national and international bridge competitions were expected to be more colourful with more entries of ladies teams from all over the country. More particularly because the Pakistan ladies team played the Venice Cup of Bermuda Bowl in 2003. But it was not so as they were only six ladies teams entered the trials, which were held at the Sindh Club and Aslam Memorial Hall on 7th to 9th February 2005. Four sessions each of 16 boards were held for two days at Sindh Club and the final rounds between Bridgettes and Horizon were played at Aslam Memorial Hall.

The Bridgettes scored a victory over Horizon in the final to represent Pakistan in the BFAME Zonal championship to be held in April at Dhaka. The finalist of the ladies Asian and Middle Eastern team will represent the zone in the Venice Cup of Bermuda Bowl bridge world championship.

The Bridgettes comprised Rehana Saigol, Zeenat Azwer, Samia Rasheed and Sheerin Bokhari and Horizon was represented by Roshan Bokhari, Rubina Agha, Najam Abid, Nilofar Aslam, Qudsia Dossa and Rubina Hye. The final played between Bridgettes of Karachi and Horizon from Lahore, was a tame affair as the Bridgettes scored an easy victory over Horizon. One of the hands is reproduced below in which Bridgettes pair scored a swing over the pair of Horizon along with the result of most of other hands.

(1) Negative response.

(2) Puppet stayman.

(3) Showing shortness in spade suit.

West led diamond king:

Rehana Saigol was disappointed at the dummy's hand, which produced only three jacks against her powerful hand with which she was hoping to bid and make a slam, but stopping at the game was a wiser move, as there was no problem for making a game in heart suit.

The lead of king of diamonds was won in hand with the ace and Rehana played three rounds of trumps ending in dummy. Then she played the jack of clubs from dummy, which was not covered by East and Rehana allowed to run. Next she played the six of clubs from dummy and won with the king of clubs and played seven of diamonds towards the dummy, which was won by Najam with the diamond queen and she desperately moved the king of spades hoping miracle to happen to defeat the contract. But South won the king with the ace of spades and played the ace of clubs and the last club was ruffed in the dummy and the declarer discarded losing two cards of spades over dummy's jack and ten of diamonds and claimed twelve tricks. Had the Nilofar covered the jack with the queen of clubs the declarer could have only make eleven tricks. .

Whereas in the close room the opponents on the same hand stopped at two no-trumps on identical bidding at third step making three notrumps easily but conceding a swing to Bridgettes on this deal also.

DEALER WEST

NORTH-SOUTH VULNERABLE

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

North            West         East          South

-------------------------------------------------

S 843            S K7        S QJ652       S A109

H J982           H 1065      H Q4          H AK73

D J1094          D KQ82      D 653         D A7

C J6             C 10753     C Q82         C AK94

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

THE BIDDING:

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

West             North        East          South

Najam            Zeenat      Nilofar       Rehana

Pass             Pass         Pass             2C

Pass             2D(1)        Pass            2NT

Pass             3C(2)        Pass             3D

Pass             3S(3)        Pass             4H

Pass             Pass         Pass

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

GOLDEN TIPS: The borderline contracts should be stretched a bit for optimum result.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2005