BRIDGE
Age concern
Andrew Robson
AT what age do bridge players reach their peak? It is a question of the balance between experience and clarity of mind. Boris Schapiro is still winning tournaments at 88. Some start declining at 30. The 1997 Lederer Memorial Trophy was won this year by the oldest team by far, the Presi- dent's Team, with an average age of over 60. In third place were London, helped by outstanding card reading by David Burn on this week's deal, earning him the Best Played Hand Award.
Dealer South Both vulnerable 4 — V K 8 4 ♦ A Q 109 8 6 4J 8
• J 3 ♦ J 5 # K J 2 3 9 2 6
48
7 3 2
4K 9 7
♦ Q 7 5 • 4 4A 10 6 2 4 3
N
W E
4A Q 105
• A 109 6
• K 7 4Q5 4.
South 111 2NT 34 pass West pass pass pass pass North 24 3, 3NT East pass pass pass West led the six clubs to East's 4A and his 410 return enabled West to win three more 4s, East and declarer both discard- ing 4s. West had no attractive lead to make now, and switched to 4J, ducked by East and won by declarer's 40. The con- tract depends on picking up the 4s without loss, and the a priori correct percentage play by far is to bang down the three top honours, hoping for a 3-2 split. But Burn looked deeper. He cashed VK and VA, noting the fall of West's ♦J and paused to reconstruct West's pattern: he had shortish 4s (East's discards and West's switch to 4J without 410 were strong indicators of this); probably only two Vs (an initial holding of VQJ3 was possible, but that would leave East with V752 — might he not have dis- carded V2 on a 4 winner?); and he defi- nitely held four 4s. Backing his inferential count, declarer played West to be 3-2-4-4 with 'four •s. He cashed •K and played a ♦ to 410 in dummy. East discarded so Burn cashed dummy's remaining four Vs and became the only declarer in the event to make game.
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