Bridge in the Tri-Cities: The American Empress
Dealer: | North |
Vul: | E/W |
| |
♠: KT2 | |
♥: 76 | |
♦: 8752 | |
♣: Q754 |
♠: 97 | ♠: AQ843 |
♥: 84 | ♥: KJT952 |
♦: AJT9 | ♦: 4 |
♣: J9832 | ♣: K |
♠: J65 |
♥: AQ3 |
♦: KQ63 |
♣: AT6 |
Bidding: | |||
S | W | N | E |
- | - | P | 1H |
1NT | P | P | 2S |
D | P | 3D | 3H |
P | P | 4C | 4H |
5D | D | all pass | |
Opening Lead: Nine of spades.
Today’s hand was board 13, and it was not so lucky for the visitors.
The American Empress hosted a bridge cruise on northwestern rivers and stopped to take on the locals at the Richland Community Center. There were 76 players in the game with 30 residents. The winners were Mary and Martin Allen from the American Empress. Second overall went to local players Lynne Paasch and Andy Hesser with a nice 61% game.
The Bidding: East opened his longest major and south overcalled 1NT. The final contract was 5D doubled by South.
The Play: The defense was accurate and declarer went down 4 for a minus 1100! Passing 4H would not have been much better as long as E/W make their contract. Many E/W pairs managed only nine tricks. Note that declarer in 4H has to attack the spade suit and not the trumps as he only has one entry. Players that made ten tricks were not in game.
Bridge Futures: There are many bridge games in the Tri-Cities and I am sure there is one for you. Contact the Richland Community Center (RCC) to find a match for your abilities or your preference. The Richland Duplicate Bridge Club has a game every Monday night at the RCC starting at 5:30. Call Tom Edwards at 946-1824 for more information.
This story was originally published October 21, 2017 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Bridge in the Tri-Cities: The American Empress."