The beautiful city of Wroclaw in Poland is currently teeming with bridge players, all of them there for the 16th World Bridge Series. Anyone can play, but the standard is fiercely high: most of the world’s top players are taking part. This week it’s the Mixed and Seniors; last week was the Open and Women’s. One surprising thing was how few women’s teams came: just 10. At the last Series there were 17. It seems that women’s bridge is dwindling, due in part to the surging popularity of the Mixed (57 teams).
That said, even with so few competitors there was some thrilling bridge on display from the very best women players. Marion Michielsen and Cecilia Rimstedt were part of the multinational team who won Gold, while Nevena Senior and Nicola Smith were on the team who won Silver. On this deal, they were the only pair to bid grand slam:
Nevena’s 5♠ asked for a diamond control. When Nicola confirmed it with 6 ♦, Nevena made a grand-slam try and Nicola accepted: superb judgment from both. The ♣2 was led, and Nicola saw at once that a double squeeze was on the cards. She drew trumps, cashed the ♣AKQ and ♦A, and ran her trumps. In the four card ending, she held ♠4 ♥7 ♦104 opposite ♥AK6 ♣6. West held a club and three hearts. On the play of the ♠4, West threw a heart to guard her club. Nicola discarded dummy’s club, and now it was East’s turn to be squeezed: to keep her last diamond, she also pitched a heart – and dummy’s ♥6 became the 13th trick.
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