dgreen

DESERT ISLAND HANDS: DAVID GREEN

Although originally from Oxfordshire, David spent most of his working life, as a school teacher, in New Zealand. Now retired, David is working on a fascinating book about the local history of the area in Oxfordshire whence his family originated.

David started playing Bridge in 1948, in Oxford, to make up a four with his parents and sister. As David recalls: "We must have played cards from an early age. A story is told of me (when I was eight) being taken to Windsor Castle, being told that was where the King and Queen lived, and so asking where the Jack lived!".

For the first hand, I take the liberty of reproducing an article from a New Zealand newspaper, the Otago Daily Times (March 19^th 1988). I risk retribution under copyright law (!), but that's worthwhile since this article brings out a key characteristic of David's game: his ability to read the cards very accurately as declarer:

BRILLIANT PLAY

By J. R. Wignall

One of the best card players in the country, though not well known outside his home town of Dunedin, is David Green. On the rare occasions he does play in a national event, he usually performs with credit.

He was the declarer in this hand from a holiday game in Nelson. North was the dealer with neither side vulnerable:

	ª A Q 6 © 10 8 4 ¨ A Q 6 3 2 § Q 8
ª J 5 © Q 6 3 2 ¨ K 10 9 4 § 10 9 2		ª K 9 8 4 3 2 © 7 5 ¨ J 7 5 § 6 4
	ª 10 7 © A K J 9 ¨ 8 § A K J 7 5 3

W	N	E	S
Pass	1NT	Pass	2§ (Stayman)
Pass	2¨	Pass	6§
All Pass

Though his partner's one no-trump opening bid was of the weak variety, Green as South had enough to try for a slam. Having failed to find a heart fit via Stayman, he settled for six clubs. West found the tricky opening lead of the ten of diamonds. Unaware that the king of diamonds was on-side, declarer declined the finesse for he saw he had other strings to his bow.

He won the opening lead with dummy's ace of diamonds, ruffed a diamond, crossed to the queen of clubs and ruffed another diamond. It was a disappointment when the diamond king did not fall, for then the queen would have been established allowing South to discard a losing spade. Green continued by drawing the adverse trumps with the ace and king, and then found the great play of the jack of hearts. Had West taken this with the queen, then declarer can win the spade switch with the ace, ruff another diamond dropping the king, and re-enter dummy by overtaking the nine of hearts with the ten. Now the diamond queen allows him to discard his second spade.

But West found the brilliant play of ducking the jack of hearts, and suddenly Green was faced with a real problem.

Reading the cards perfectly, South cashed the jack of clubs and West's only good discard was the five of spades, as dummy threw the ten of hearts. It was time for the coup de grace. Declarer crossed to the ace of spades, and led the diamond queen off the table discarding the ten of spades from his hand. When West won with the king, he had to lead away from his queen of hearts, allowing Green to make the last three tricks in the suit.

For the second hand, I present an article written by David himself. He is writing about an anonymous Bridge player (referred to as Anon) - but don't be fooled.

I'll give you a clue....... Anon's initials are D.G.

LIGHT RELIEF

By David Green

Don't read this next section if you are a little sensitive, as it contains material that could offend!

Alan Sanis, a member of the Menagerie BC and possibly England's record holder for long distance Bridge commuting, was playing in a Swiss teams contest with a foreign chap, Anon, from 'a long way off', with team mates Paul Belton and Geoff Nicholas from Aylesbury.

On the last board of a set against young inexperienced opponents, Anon was very unlucky, yea, luckless beyond the depths of one's worst dreams. He was in a perfectly respectable Moysian spade fit as a non-vulnerable sacrifice against opponents' vulnerable four hearts (which would have scored 650), spurning the five level sacrifice in diamonds:

Anon Ymous

Alan Sanis

Our hero (West) overcalled South's 1© opener with a perfectly sensible lead-directing 1ª. North bid 4© and East 4ª, which South doubled.

North led AK and another club, bringing down her partner's QJx. Anon knew how to keep control of himself and his trumps, and pitched a heart. South continued with ©Q, and then switched to a small spade. Declarer, anxious not to suffer an uppercut if he ducked and North won and carried on with a club, finessed the ªQ, disappointingly losing to the king. North, however, switched to a diamond which declarer gratefully won and played ªA, both opponents following.

Now he was at the crossroads. He could play safe for -800 by playing on diamonds, or hope that the spades would break for -500 and a possible pickup, or something else if they didn't! Being gallant, but perhaps a trifle naive, he took the bold line. South now robotically collected the next six tricks one by one, in case he had missed something, and poor Anon was eight down for -2000.

The young lady sitting North, perhaps keen to make Anon feel better or, more likely, trying to find out where would be a good place to get masterpoints, announced that she was from Kent and asked, "Have you travelled far?". Unlucky again: Anon tried "The Orkney Isles". "Oh!", she said, "my Aunt plays at the Kirkwall club!".

After a hasty retreat to his home table, there remained the problem of how to break the news to team mates. After the first six boards had showed a profit of 14 imps, "+500" they said in expectant tones of the fateful board 7, though why they thought that was good it's hard to see. "-2000" came the quiet reply. A brief gnashing of dentures ensued, then a quiet period of reflection followed, as Geoff and Paul took some pills, before the inevitable tribunal. Eventually everyone, well almost everyone, decided that it could have happened to anyone, well almost anyone, and Geoff promised to have a game with Anon at Wallingford next year, or the following year anyway!