Bridge: USA wins Hua Yuan Cup

By MATTHEW GRANOVETTER
A dealer shuffles the cards. (photo credit: REUTERS)
A dealer shuffles the cards.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Last week, a team from the USA won the 2017 Hua Yuan Cup, a women’s tournament in Beijing. They won the $30,000 first prize. Second place went to a team from France. The most spectacular hand of the tournament was this one, in a match between England and the USA.
England’s Sally Brock (South) opened the bidding one diamond and Sylvia Shi (West) passed, since she had no good call. North responded one spade, Pamela Granovetter (my wife) passed, of course, with not a jack in her hand. South rebid two clubs and West came to life with a double. North redoubled (a mistake) to show a good hand, and then everyone passed! So poor South was left in two clubs redoubled.
West led her singleton spade. Declarer won in dummy and led the 9 of diamonds, letting it ride to the jack. West now made an excellent defense by cashing the ace of trump and leading the 6 of diamonds for her partner to ruff. East returned a spade for West to ruff. Then West cashed the king of hearts followed by a second low diamond for East to ruff. West still held the ace-queen of diamonds over the king-10 for two more tricks. So the result was down three, a score of 1,000 points to the Americans. At the other table, the Americans sitting North-South reached four spades, doubled and redoubled, down one, minus 200 points but an 800 net total for the USA.
The writer is a world champion and the author of more than 20 bridge books. He can be reached at granovetterm@ gmail.com