Bridge | 23 November 2017

When I first started playing tournament bridge there were relatively few European sponsors. The US was buzzing with sponsored teams — many of whom were selected to represent their country and a few of whom became world champions. There is no greater education for the ‘inexpert’ than discussing the boards with great professionals and letting the magic unfold before your eyes.
 
The young Danish superstar Dennis Bilde played for me in the first Vilnius Cup a few years ago — and in an extremely strong field we won! When you come out from a set and compare scores with your teammates, it is easy to gloss over flat boards that appear to be of no interest. If you don’t go out for the customary dinner later in the evening, you may never find out what happened on them. Here is a hand showing Dennis giving his all to defeat a simple partscore:
 
At the first table, North opened a strong 1NT and quickly found himself in 4♠ where he lost a Spade, two Diamonds and a Club for one down.