This deal was the
first board in the final of the Goldstone Trophy, it demonstrates the
power of the weak jump overcall.
In the first room Michael Byrne made a weak jump overcall of three hearts after South had responded one spade to his partner's opening bid of one club. This meant that South became declarer in three notrump. Michael Newman doubled expecting the clubs to be badly placed for declarer and holding a useful heart honour. On a heart lead declarer could have played on diamonds and made the contract if he diagnoses East's exact distribution, but he chose to try a club, East won and cleared hearts and the contract went three down to lose 500 points. In the second room there was no jump overcall resulting in North (John Holland) becoming declarer. As the opening one club bid could be a short suit East lead the seven of clubs. Declarer won with dummy's eight and played a diamond to the king, followed by the jack of clubs to the queen. East now played a heart, declarer won and lead another diamond which West won and cleared the hearts. Declarer cashed the diamond queen and three rounds of spades and then threw East in with the fourth spade. East cashed a spade and the top club, but had to give declarer a club trick at the end for another 400 points and 14 IMPs to the Byrne team. Thanks to Michael Newman for reporting this deal |