Squads sponsored and captained by Marty Fleisher have been winning everything in sight. At the ACBL Spring NABC in Memphis, Fleisher combined with regular partner Chip Martel and a quartet of professional players from overseas to win the prestigious Vanderbilt Knockout Teams. In the final FLEISHER defeated another sponsored team, Jeffrey WOLFSON, 138 to 99. As usual, most of the top seeds comprised an affluent amateur (but many of whom are capable players) and a cast of pros.

FLEISHER showed good judgment throughout the match. In today’s deal, North for WOLFSON opened his borderline hand. South’s second bid of two diamonds conventionally created a game force. When North showed spade support, South bid three spades next to leave room to look for slam.

I will say that if I had opened that North hand, to encourage slam would not occur to me. (I do not favor the approach that cue bids in a slam auction are mandatory; a cue bid should show slam interest.) But North felt he was obliged to cue-bid four diamonds. Thus encouraged, South took over with a Blackwood inquiry but subsided at five spades.

West figured that, on the bidding, his partner had an entry, and West had a sure re-entry in trumps, so his lead of his singleton diamond was marked. South won and started the trumps, but West won the second trump, led a club to East and ruffed the diamond return for down one.

At the other table, North also opened, but North-South managed to stop at four spades, making four for 11 IMPs to FLEISHER.

North dealer

Neither side vulnerable

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