New Zealand Listener 03.14.2020

MARCH 14 2020 LISTENER 59

BRIDGE by David Bird

TAKE 5

by Simon Shuker

BARDEN’S

CHESS PROBLEMS

Wordsworth

Readers were asked to create a new

definition for a popular acronym or

initialism.

David Calder, New Plymouth: POTUS:

Politician Offering Totally Unhinged

Solutions.

Michael Smythe, Auckland: POTUS:

Preposterous Oaf Targeting Unquestioned

Sainthood.

Antoinette Baker, Christchurch:

POTUS: Principal Oligarch Tries

Undermining Statesmanship.

Carol Crutchley, Hamilton: PAYE: Pray

As Your Err.

Brian Coutts, Dunedin: NATO: Non-

news After Trump Obfuscates.

Sue Dalgety, Mangaweka: NATO: Not

Another Trump Obstruction.

Andrea Levarre-Waters, Auckland:

NASA: Nascent American Super Army.

Ian Penrose, Coromandel Town: SFO:

Sometimes Fool-proof Offending.

Kate Gore, Rotorua: GST: Government

Saving Technique.

Poppy Sinclair, Karori: RSVP: Russians

Swaying Voter Preferences.

David Wort, Bay of Plenty: SFO:

Slippery Funders Outed.

John Edgar, Christchurch: NASA: No

Aliens Seen Anywhere.

Keith Davidson, Blenheim: MAGA:

Maniacal Autocrat Generating Apocalypse.

Ellie Henderson, Motueka: ASAP:

Always Said As Procrastination.

Rex McGregor, Auckland: NZF: No

Zany Financing.

Kaye Bennetts, Whangaparāoa: DIY:

Ditched Instructions Yesterday.

This week’s winner is Tākaka’s Alan

Swafford with BREXIT: Boris Realises

Excess Xenophobia Is Terminal.

For the next contest, blend two well-

known sayings to create a malaphor.

For example, “a bird in the hand makes

the heart grow fonder”. Entries, for the

prize below, close at noon on Thursday,

March 19.

by Lauren Buckeridge

Mikhail Antipov v Jorden van Foreest,

world junior championship, Khanty-

Mansiysk, Russia, 2015

Russia’s best junior held off challenges from

Poland and Holland to capture a crown that

Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov and Garry

Kasparov all won on their way to the top.

Antipov’s most effective finish came in this

week’s puzzle diagram

where it seemed he had

just blundered since his f5

pawn is pinned and cannot

capture fxe6. But White

(to play) had a brilliant

idea. Can you find it?

(Answer on page 60.)

North-South game, dealer South

West North East South
— — — 1NT
2H Dble Pass 2S
Pass 3H Pass 4D
Pass 4S All Pass

The auction develops awkwardly and you
end in a 4-3 spade fit. It is not such a bad
contract, though. How will you play it
when West leads the king and ace of hearts,
followed by the queen of hearts? Easily the
best move at Trick 3 is to discard a club from

the South hand. You preserve your four-card

trump length and prevent West from doing

any further damage with heart leads. (If he

were to lead a fourth round of hearts, you

would ruff in dummy and discard a diamond

from the South hand.) Let’s suppose that

West makes the sensible switch to a trump

at Trick 4. What then? You should win and

draw two more rounds of trumps. If trumps

break 3-3, you will have the chance to play

ace, king and another club, ruffing in the

South hand. You will then make the contract

if either minor suit breaks 3-3.

When the cards lie as in the diagram, West

will turn up with four trumps. No matter.

When you draw West’s last trump, East

must either throw a diamond or reduce to

a doubleton club. Your 10th trick will come

from whichever suit he decides to abandon.

BIDDING QUIZ

WEST West North East South

♠ 8 7 5 — — — 1C

♥ A K Q J 9 6 1H Pass 2D Pass

♦ 9 6?

♣ K Q

What will you say on the West cards?

(Answer on page 60.)

EAST

♠

♥

♦

♣

WEST
♠
♥
♦
♣

9 7 3 2

A K Q J 5

7 5

Q 6

SOUTH

♠

♥

♦

♣

NORTH

♠

♥

♦

♣

8 5

8 7 2

J 10 9 6

J 9 8 4

Q J 10

9 4 3

A 3 2

A 10 7 5

A K 6 4

10 6

K Q 8 4

K 3 2

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

abcdefgh

CN0997

WIN THIS

The accessible guide to learning

te reo Maori, regardless of your

knowledge level.

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.