For PAVLICEK, Les Amoils opened the South hand with 4, as would I. That was too much for Jacek Kalita with the diamond hand and he had to pass. However, when 4came round to Michal Nowosadzki he doubled in fourth seat and Kalita was happy to respond 5. When Peter Fredin competed to 5as North, Nowosadzki doubled, ending the auction.
Kalita led the five of clubs to the king and ace, Amoils following with the two if we are to trust the BBO operator. Nowosadzki returned the four of clubs, suit preference, for Kalita to ruff.
Brian Senior
Doing as requested, Kalita returned a diamond, so Nowosadzki was in to give him a second ruff for down two and —500. Five Diamonds would, of course, have been unbeatable — it takes a heart lead from North to beat 6.
In the other room Josef Blass preferred to open at the one level so Jim Munday could make a 3 weak jump overcall with the West cards. Jacek Pszczola, aka Pepsi, bid 3 and Rich Pavlicek jumped to 5. Blass, of course, competed with 5and when that came back to Pavlicek he doubled, as who wouldn’t, ending the auction.
Munday too led his singleton club to the king and ace, Blass dropping the six. Pavlicek switched to the king of hearts, asking for count, and discovered that information a little sooner than he wanted to when Blass ruffed. There was nothing to the play from here. Blass drew trumps and took a diamond ruff in the dummy, coming to 11 tricks and his contract for a very satisfactory +850 and 16 IMPs to PSZCZOLA, who won the match by 36-21 IMPs, 14.80- 5.20 VPs.
It looks as though Nowosadzki trusted that his partner was unlikely to lead a small doubleton on this auction so rated to have a singleton, while Pavlicek clearly thought a doubleton was a possibilty on the very different auction at his table. But Munday could not have a doubleton club and a singleton heart, as he would then have led the heart, so unless he was void in hearts himself there was a danger of the actual heart situation.
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