6th World Youth Open Championships: An End Play in Opatija by Stefan Thorpe

August 23, 2019

Today the first 26 pairs in the U 26 Open Pairs Championship are battling for only one spot: the number one position. In the race the Austrian pair: THORPE Stephan (Austria)–SCHEBERAN Philip (Austria) played a beautiful endplay in the first session 1 Board 3.

Session 1 Board 3

Dealer South/E-W Vul

	9 2 A J 9 4 J 8 4 K 10 5 2
A 8 K 10 8 7 3 7 6 2 J 9 6		J 10 7 5 4 9 3 A Q 8 7 4 3
	K Q 6 3 Q 6 5 2 A K Q 10 5

West	North	East	South
	Stephan		Philip
		Pass	1
Pass	1	2 (1)	4 (2)
Pass	4	Pass	5 (3)
Pass	5	Pass	Pass
Double	All Pass

Lead: J

Declarer played dummy’s K, and West won the trick with his ace, to return the 8. Stephan played his 9, East his 10 and the Q from dummy made the second trick.

Back came the Q, West covered with his king, and Stephan played his ace while watching East pitching a club. Declarer continued ruffing a small club in dummy, and returned to his hand with a small diamond to the J. The continuation was a diamond to the ace, and next came the K, East pitching a club.

Declarer continued with the 10, West discard a club, next trick was the Q, all discarded clubs and the last diamond, again all pitched clubs.

This was the end position:

	J 9 4 K
10 8 7 3		7 5 4 A
	6 3 6 5

Now came the 6, West ruffed with the 8, and declarer overruffed with the 9, East played a small spade. Stephan continued with his last club, ruffed in dummy with a small heart and West overruffed, who was endplayed with  10 3, while declarer had  J 4…

So a four spot was the card that gave declarer a beautiful hand and a 75%…

Click here to see what was played on the other tables on board 6