Toronto NABC at half-way point

Above: The CN Tower in Toronto is an icon. It's seen here from just outside the Royal York Hotel, one of the two playing sites for the Summer North American Bridge Championships.

I'm happy to congratulate my friends and partners Richard and Mary Oshlag who won the Truscott Senior Swiss Teams yesterday. You can read about it in the Daily Bulletin if you click here.

John Schwartz and I qualified for today's final in the Wernher Open Pairs. We had a below-average game in the afternoon, but came back in the evening to make the final.

John held this collection on board No. 9 in the second session:
♠10 8 4 ♥10 9 6 5 3 2 ♦Q 7 ♣9 8.

I opened 1♠ Pass Pass and John's left-hand opponent bid 2♦. Partner doubled and your RHO redoubled, and you?

John jumped to 3♥, a great bid in my opinion. His hand is worth something in hearts. In spades, not so much.

The opponents continued on to 5♦ and I bid 5♥. This was doubled, but made for plus 650 and 23.5 matchpoints out of 25.

Here are all four hands:

                  ♠ K Q 6 5 3
                  ♥ A K 8 4
                  ♦ ---
                  ♣ A J 10 6
♠ A 2                          ♠ J 9 7
♥ J                            ♥ Q 7
♦ A J 9 6 2                   ♦ K 10 8 5 4 3
♣ K 7 5 3 2                    ♣ Q 4
                  ♠ 10 8 4
                  ♥ 10 9 6 5 3 2
                  ♦ Q 7
                  ♣ 9 8

Above: More faces and places -- Paul Gipson ponders his play in the Spingold Knockout Teams.

Images by MOJO.