Source: IBPA Bulletin June 2026

Dick Freeman Award for Junior Hand Of The Year

Candidate 1

Nominee: Nikolaj Hammelev Journalist: Charles Pedersen Article: Just like Zia Event: Danish Club Teams Championship Source: IBPA Bulletin 729, October 2025, page 12 Dealer East. Neither Vul
A K 5 3 K J 6 A 2 K 8 3 2
Q 9 6 4 2 9 4 3 J 9 3 Q 7 10 8 Q 10 7 K 10 7 6 5 10 5 4
J 7 A 8 5 2 Q 8 4 A J 9 6
West North East South
Damgaard Hagen Hammelev Houmøller
Pass 1
Pass 1 Pass 1NT
Pass 21 Pass 2
Pass 3 Pass 3NT
Pass 42 Pass 4
All Pass
1. Artificial game force. 2. Slam try. Lead: three of diamonds. Declarer ducked to king, and another diamond went to the ace. Things looked bleak for the defence. North had shown slam interest in clubs, and now South was playing 4 – clearly on a 4-3 fit. With about 30 HCP between them, how could the contract possibly be beaten? East might score a trump trick and the defence a club, but little else. At trick three, Houmøller led the six of hearts from dummy – and up flew the queen from East! Jonas Houmøller, also a former Junior World Champion, must have regretted not playing 3NT, for now it looked as though he was up against West’s 10 9 7 4 3. South won with the ace, then continued spade ace-king and a third spade ruffed. East discarded a diamond, marking him with 5-5 or 6-4 in the minors.
Nicolaj Hammelev
A club followed; West played the seven, and declarer took the king and finessed to the queen in West. Damgaard returned a spade, ruffed by East with the ten, and another club came back – ruffed by West. Down one! After the deal, young Hammelev explained that he had recently read a book by Zia Mahmood, who advises: if it seems impossible to defeat the contract, throw a strange card – and put something strange into declarer’s mind. Reading such a story, one might think the deal was composed for effect – but Zia’s maxim paid off, in real life. “Brilliantly done,” said West Anders Hagen afterwards.

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