By Prof Tony Campbell

EVERY Spring, the Welsh Bridge Union run a simultaneous pairs (SIMS) competition to celebrate St David’s Day.

The same hands are played in clubs throughout Wales. Of the seventy-five pairs that played in the Tuesday event, three pairs from Penarth Bridge Club did very well: Tony Ratcliff & Trish Tracey coming overall 2nd, Tony Campbell & Brian Hardy 3rd, and Joy Seculer & John Salisbury 22nd. Well played!

Penarth Bridge club also runs an improvers session every Thursday morning. This is well supported. A particularly interesting hand turned up last week. The optimum contract for East/West is four hearts. But how to get there is difficult after an opening 1NT by South. In fact, 5 clubs is a good sacrifice by North over 4 hearts, and even makes if played by South.

Five diamonds by East/West goes one off. There is a useful system bid over 1NT that I play, which solves the problem for East/West. This is called Cappelletti, after its inventor, or Pottage, a Welsh player, who also invented it independently.

A bid of 2 hearts over the 1NT opener tells East that West has at least 5 hearts and 4 diamonds. So, the bidding goes as shown, with North sacrificing in 5 clubs. Without this, East/West get a top, losing just the king of hearts, the ace of diamonds, and the ace of clubs. 5 clubs played by South amazingly makes.

After drawing trumps, South loses just 1 spade, leading through East’s king and queen twice, thus making the ace and the jack, and one heart, being able to ruff his last heart in dummy. So, in this case, 5 diamonds by West is a good sacrifice. South would play the hand if he decided to open 1 club instead of 1NT.

In the latter event, North plays in 5 clubs, which goes one off after the King of spades lead, when East ruffs South’s ace. North therefore loses three tricks – the spade ruff, the queen of spades, and the ace of hearts. There is even a system bid for West over a 1 club opener by South. This is 2NT, which shows the lower two suits, in this case hearts and diamonds, and is called the unusual NT or Ghestem, invented by a French bridge and checkers player – Pierre Ghestem.

An intriguing hand, with multiple results at different tables. But all these complicated conventions can be too much for some players! In fact, only one pair managed to bid 4 hearts, and no North/South’s found the 5 club sacrifice.

Weekly results at Penarth Bridge Club

Tuesday Feb 25th 2020 – WBU Spring SIMS

1st Tony Ratcliff & Trish Tracey (64.6%), 2nd Tony Campbell & Brian Hardy (61.9%), 3rd Joy Seculer & John Salisbury (55.5%). 1st on handicap: Philip Bottrill & Carol Cochlin.

Thursday Feb 27th 2020

1st N/S Barbara Davies & Jean Akers (65.0%); 1st equal E/W Yvonee & Alan Simons with Carol Fitzgerald & Dianne Jenkins (52.5%)

Friday Feb 28th 2020

1st equal Tony Campbell & Simon Brindle with Mike Downey & Roy Holloway (65.4%); 3rd Rod & Angela Hudson (62.9%). 1st on handicap Rod & Angela Hudson.

Penarth Bridge Club meets every Tuesday and Friday at Trinity Church Hall, Woodland Place, CF64 3EN. There is plenty of parking. We ask players to be in their seats by 6.45 pm, so that we can set the movement. You can have a printout of the hands at the end of the play. You can compare your results on the web site. There is an improvers session every Thursday morning at 10 am run by Peter Craig with helpers. We have social events during the year.

Contact Professor Tony Campbell or see the web site https://www.bridgewebs.com/penarth/ for further information. Table up. campbellak@cf.ac.uk.