Don’t show him your hand!

The German Open Team trials was won by Team of JAMM & Co. (Josef Piekarek, Alexander Smirnov, Jorg Fritsche, Roland Rohowsky, Michael Gromoller and Martin Rehder.) They beat Team V. Alvensleben. (Wolfram Van Alvensleben, Matthias Felmy, Dr. Claus Gunther, Vitaliy Khanukov, Christian Schlicker and Ortwin Wagner.) In the final over 80 boards 201-164 imps. 

Team JAMM.Co (JAMM are the initials of four players from The Bamberger Reiter Bridge Club. Fritsche and Rohowsky made up & Co.) won the right to represent Germany in the European Team Championship in Dublin, Ireland. 12-23 June 2012. 

Long ago when we first started to learn this game called bridge, we were told when defending to keep winners and throw losers. 

In the final. Segment 5. Board 38. Dealer East. East-West vulnerable.

On this deal both North and South would have done much better to keep a loser in order to keep communications between the two hands.   

You may have noticed in order to defeat three no-trump. At trick 5, South should have discarded one of his high spades instead of the lowly heart. Then at trick 6, North could have unblocked his king of hearts thus creating an entry into partner’s hand for the all important club shift. 

Taking nothing away from Roland Rohowsky, he read the ending perfectly at trick 10, endplaying North with a heart. North had to give declarer the king of clubs for the game going trick. Made nine tricks for +600.

At the other room, the contract of four spades by West, the four-one trump split spelled doom. Down two for -200. Lost 13 imps.