First World Mixed Team C'ship

First World Mixed Team C'ship

JAKARTA (JP): Players who fail to qualify in the World Mixed
Team Olympiad in Rhodes, Greece in 1996 won't have to pack their
bags and go home.

The World Bridge Federation has added a new event, the World
Transnational Mixed Team Championship. It will get underway at
the same time as the start of the Open Team Olympiad
quarterfinals.

It will be a multinational event and team members do not have
to come from the same country. All players who fail to qualify
for the quarterfinals will be eligible.

The Swiss scoring system will be played over 10 board matches,
15 matches to qualify for the semifinal and three matches to
determine the other overall positions.

In the field of 86 teams, including many of the world's best
players, this makeshift team has not lost a match.

In the final against the United States team captained by Mark
Feldman, Elizabeth McGowan teams from Great Britain and Iceland
achieved this brilliancy, which swung the title.

Dealer : West
Vulnerable: Both

NORTH

4

A K 6 5 2

K 3

9 7 6 4 3

WEST EAST

9 7 6 10 8 5

Q 9 7 J 10 8 4 3

Q 10 9 8 4 2 J

J Q 10 5 2

SOUTH

A K Q J 3 2

----

A 7 6 5

A K 8

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH

Jorgensen McGowan
Pass 1H Pass 1S
Pass 2C Pass 2D
Pass 3C Pass 4NT
Pass 5C Pass 7NT
All pass

Against the rules of the grand slam, West led with the 10 of
Diamonds, but McGowan could count only 12 tricks and the squeeze
chances looked non-existent because of the lack of Heart cards.

McGowan then saw the best prospect was a swindle. She won in
hand and leaving the A K uncashed Heart in dummy, she ran her six
Spades, throwing three Clubs and two Hearts from dummy.

East had to make three discards, a Club and two Hearts. But
when McGowan crossed to dummy with the King of Diamond, she took
a guess. Placing partner with only two Hearts, she chose to keep
the Hearts and therefore threw another Club. That was it. The
grand slam was home.

At the other table the contract was six Spades making the
game.

The final score was 65-55 IMP for the Elizabeth McGowan team
(Great Britain and Iceland), comprising Elizabeth McGowan,
Heather Dhondy and Alli Jorgensen (Great Britain) and Jon
Baldursson, Bjorn Eysteinsson and Raggi Hermansson (Iceland).