New Zealand Listener – August 03, 2019

AUGUST 3 2019 LISTENER 61

BRIDGE by David Bird

TAKE 5

by Simon Shuker

BARDEN’S

CHESS PROBLEMS

WIN THIS

Wordsworth

The new novel from the Pulitzer

Prize-winning author of The

Underground Railroad, in which

Colson Whitehead dramatises

another strand of US history.

Submissions: [email protected]

or Wordsworth, NZ Listener, Private Bag

92512, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141.

Please include your address. Entries

may be edited for sense or space

reasons.

The challenge was to select a novel, play

or film and summarise its plot with a pithy

couplet. The titles are easily discernible in

most cases, so we’ve left them out.

Vi McIntosh of Blenheim writes:

Cockney flower girl, lacking education/

Becomes a toff beyond all imagination.

David Wort, Bay of Plenty: No good

will come of crazy old boffins/Making new

people with bits nicked from coffins.

Dale Clarke, Waikanae: A stuffed toy

bear and assorted fauna/Live a full, rich life

quite near Pooh Corner.

Kaye Bennetts, Whangaparāoa: A

magical nanny who keeps things in order/

And a sweep’s cockney accent that makes

your eyes water.

Paul Kelly, Palmerston North: This a tale

of jewellery nicked/Of hobbits and Sauron,

and the elves that he tricked.

Anne Martin, Helensville: A wimple

doesn’t suit Maria/In a wedding gown at

last you see ‘er.

Rex McGregor, Auckland: A high-class

ship with rank and peerage/Falls for an

iceberg down in steerage.

Judy Macdonald, Hamilton: Four

young sisters hope to wed./Three get

married, one gets dead.

Keith Davidson, Blenheim: Madness

and murder, lovers and connivers/The

Bard’s longest play, very few survivors.

Grant Lilly, Waiheke Island: Gin joint

owner decides to let time go by/As he and

his old flame are about to fly.

But the winner is Anne Read of Huntly:

Said Lady Chatterley, “Mellors! Pray tell me

where the manor well is.”/”My lady, it’s in the

bluebell wood.” “Then take me there, if you’d

be so good.”

For the next contest, send us some

original words for groups of things. For

example, there might be a profusion

of nuclear physicists, or a redundancy

of Kodak executives. Entries, for the

prize below, close at noon on Thursday,

August 8.

by Gabe Atkinson

Charles Morris v Ilian Mladenov, UK Four

Nations Chess League, Birmingham, 2015

Material is level, but Black (to play) looks in

trouble since White’s attack has developed

quickly and he threatens to win a rook by

Qxd7. If 1 ... Rxc8 2 Qxd7 White threatens

both Qxc8+ and Nd6. But the visual

impression here is completely deceptive.

Black (to play) made an

immediately winning

move, and White

resigned. What was Black’s

knock-out punch?

(Answer on page 62.)

Love all, dealer North

West North East South
— 1 D Pass 1 H

Pass 2 NT Pass 3H
Pass 4 C Dble Pass

Pass Rdble Pass 6 H
All Pass

North’s 2NT rebid was not forcing, but any
further bid by South, including 3D or 3H,
would be game-forcing. North cue-bid 4C to
suggest a heart slam and East doubled for an
opening lead. North’s redouble confirmed

that his cuebid had been made on the ace

rather than the king and South was then

willing to attempt a small slam. How would

you play 6H when West leads the eight of

clubs? Declarer rose with the ace of clubs

and drew two rounds of trumps with the ace

and king, East showing out on the second

round. His aim now was to endplay East with

a club to lead into dummy’s diamond tenace.

He continued with three rounds of spades,

throwing one of dummy’s clubs. The next

move was to exit with the bare jack of clubs,

throwing East on lead. Since he had no trump

left (the last trump was with West), East had

to lead into dummy’s diamond tenace or to

concede a ruff-and-discard by playing another

club. When he chose the latter option,

declarer threw a diamond from his hand

and ruffed in the dummy. After cashing the

diamond ace, he ruffed a diamond and drew

West’s last trump. Small slam made!

BIDDING QUIZ

WEST West North East South

♠ K 10 6 4 — — 1 H Pass

♥ J 1 S Pass 2C Pass

♦ A K Q 5?

♣ Q J 10 7

What will you say now on the West cards?

(Answer on page 62.)

EAST

♠

♥

♦

♣

WEST
♠
♥
♦
♣

10 6 4

9 4 3

9 5 4

9 8 7 2

SOUTH

♠

♥

♦

♣

NORTH

♠

♥

♦

♣

J 8 7 5 3

10

K 7 6

K Q 10 3

K 9

Q 7 6

A Q J 8 3

A J 6

A Q 2

A K J 8 5 2

10 2

5 4