Board 1-12
Board 13-24

2020-04-30
What would you think the most exciting part of a team-game at BBO, for me? Some of you would perhaps guess it is to see how a dubious bid turns out. Or if my partner, after thinking for a long time in the defensive play, make the play you hope for. But no, the real drama appear long before that. Our team has much experience as bridge-players, but we are not cunning in the field of technique. Fredin asked me: ’Can you set up matches at BBO?’ I though: ’How difficult can it be?’

In yesterdays match we played ’Svenska Mixedlandslaget’, but don’t let that confuse you. They were a mixe-team when we started up. Now they are only a mixed team without the ’-’. As I now am, after our first match, where I succeeded with setting up 24 boards in three halfs of 12, 8, and 4 boards, a full-blooded BBO technician guru, I volunteered to set up the match again. All the BBO nicks, 12 boards, everything else. And invitations where sent out. One player said no, What? Tried again, ’Sorry BBO cannot create more tournaments’. Well, at the fifth or sixth try, it finally worked

This was one of the boards from the first half. NS vulnerable.

Our opponents was Emma Sjöberg and Tommy Bergdahl

Emma’s 2S showed 10-13 with six spades. After 4S from Tommy I had to find a bid. In my book about competitive bidding, I had in fact discussed similar auctions, and even insinuated that Björn and I have some agreements on this type of situations. If Björn had made a jump to 4H, my 4NT would have been Blackwood, but now it would primarily show a two-suiter. If I over his 5C bid 5H I have made a slam try in hearts. You cannot expect to have a perfect auction when the opponents are pre-empting. For a second a though about slam when partner bid 5C, but then I remembered, as always, Al Roth’s good rule: ’When fixed, stay fixed.’ There was, of course, 12 tricks, but I guess Al did never see this board! As it happens, we were lucky, or should I say, Fredin saved us. This was the bidding at the other table where Fredin and our New Yorker, Gary, played against Johnny Östberg and Olle Wademark:

Peter Fredin has an unsurpassed ability to make good decisions based on opponents’ bidding. Here he decided to bid once more, and 5S doubled only went down one. That meant we won 11 IMPs instead of perhaps, in worst case, losing a slam swing.

My partner, Björn Fallenius, has another strength. When he can see 26 cards, his brain automatically start to work out the possible distribution of the other two hands. If you have watched him play, and when you perhaps wonder whether he has lost the connection or felled to sleep, he is just calculating. When we started to play, some 30 years ago, I had to make a complaint about that. He always led from AK to see the dummy and put his cells to work. I argued that he has to begin his analyze already before the lead
Playing at BBO is for some not the same as when you can see the cards. It is easy to lose focus, and for me to forget what small cards were played. On the following hand, Björn was in charge of the defence:

Emma as West was declarer in 4S, after a club opening and a transfer response. Björn as North started with a small diamond to my King and declarers Ace. A club to the Jack and another club to the nine and ten followed. Declarer should have11-13 HCP and has already shown KQ of clubs and the Ace of diamonds. Björn could place me with either the King of hearts or the King of spades. His nine of spades was an important card. He returned the Queen of hearts. Declarer won the King and played a trump. Björn went up with the Ace and played another heart, and could then get a ruff for the nine of trumps. As it was, he could have ducked the spade to, and we could have played three rounds of trumps, but that would not work if declarer had K10 of hearts. Details, details.

Speaking of details, at the other table Fredin played 3NT as West. The lead was a small club to the four, eight, and nine. Fredin played another club, and the contract went down. I just wonder what would have happened if declarer had won the first trick with the Queen or the King, and played a spade? Would the defenders see though that? Probably, but it just crossed my mind.

We won a match! The next one is already today, so I will perhaps write more tomorrow.