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Adventures of a bridge professional

Adventures of a bridge professional.
Columns by Dutch National Team player Sjoert Brink. Check out the section Columns
Take over from the stars!
You are sitting behind a topplayer. At the 'moment suprème' he hands over his cards to you. It´s your turn now. Can you make the best decision in a difficult situation?
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The obvious thing? *

Rhodes, the 1996 Bridge Olympiad. During the round robin Denmark plays Chinese Taipei (the political correct name of Taiwan). Liao ignores the adage the five level belongs to the opponents by 'bidding one more' to 5♥. The task for the Danes is to defeat this contract.

S/EW♠A Q 8 6 5 2 
 ♥J 8 7
♦8 7 3
♣K
  windroos♠9 4 3
  ♥9
  ♦A Q 10 5 4
  ♣9 5 3 2

WestNorthEastSouth
ChristiansenLiaoBlaksetHengk
———1♥
2♣3♣13♦24♥
passpass5♣pass
pass5♥passpass
pass   

1 Heart fit, 10+ points
2 'This is where my strength is' (East plans to support clubs later, and so he does)

Suddenly Blakset remembers an urgent appointment in another part of the island. Even before his partner's lead, he presses his cards in your hand and hurriedly leaves the premises.
You take his East seat and see partner West lead the ♦K. How do you imagine the defence should go?
Solution
 
Belladonna finds it hard to evaluate his hand **

Monte Carlo 1976: the final of the World Teams Championship (contesting the Bermuda Bowl). Slowly the era of the famous Italian Blue Team was coming to an end. During twenty years the Italians had been totally superior to their opponents but their lead was getting smaller and in the end disappeared completely.
Still, in this final against the USA the Italians (not the complete line-up of those twenty successful years, by the way) got off to a good start and when the following deal hit the table, they were leading by 60 - 15 IMPs.
Belladonna, North, has:

E/NS 
♠10 6 5 4 
♥9 7 6 2 
♦A 9 6 
♣K 3 

WestNorthEastSouth
SolowayBelladonnaRubinForquet
——3♣3♥
4♣??  

Belladonna peers in his hand. He doesn't know and in the end hands you his cards. What would you bid?
Solution
 
Should South accept partner's invite for game?

Round Robin of the 1995 Woman's World Championship Teams (contesting the Venice Cup). Australia plays Venezuela. Both teams are still in the race to qualify for the quarter finals.
Bourke (Australia) picks up as South:

W/All 
♠10 9 7 6 4 3 
♥A 6 4 
♦A K 7 
♣J 

WestNorthEastSouth
HirschautBeechSmithBourke
1♦passpass1♠
2♣3♣1pass??

1 Spade fit, inviting to game

Bourke reviews her hand. True, she has honour cards in the side suits, but the quality of her spade suit is miserable. She can't come to a decision and hands you her cards. What would you bid?

Solution
 
Just another penalty double or...? *

Beijing, the 1995 semi-final of the World Teams Championships (contesting the Bermuda Bowl) between Sweden and Canada.
Bjerregård, South, picks up:

W/NS 
♠K Q J 8 5 4 3 
♥K J 9 
♦7 4 
♣10 

WestNorthEastSouth
MolsonMorathBaranBjerregård
1NT1passpass2♠
3♣doublepass??

1 15-17

After having seen his partner pass, the 1NT opener will usually not bid voluntarily again. But here, over South's natural 2♠ overcall fourth in hand, West, Molson, battles on with 3♣. North comes to life with a double. What should South do?
Bjerregård ponders but cannot come to a conclusion, so he hands you his cards. What would you do?

Solution
 
Bidding on nothing? *

The Final of the 1991 World Teams Championship (contesting the Bermuda Bowl) in Yokohama, Japan. Iceland plays Poland and you are seated behind Icelander Arnarson, South. He has:

Z/— 
♠9 5 3 
♥Q 10 9 4 2 
♦7 4 
♣9 6 4 

WestNorthEastSouth
MartensJonssonSzymanowskiArnarson
———pass
1♣1double1♦pass
1♠2passpass??

1 Polish Club, three possible types of hands:
  a. either 12-14 balanced
  b. or 15-17 unbalanced, 5+ clubs
  c. or 18+ any distribution (but not 18-20 balanced: with that hand he would rebid 1NT)
2 Ruling out possibility b, leaving a or c (but if c, then limited, 18-20, and, since West doesn't bid 1NT, unbalanced)

South was too weak to bid 1♥ voluntarily over 1♦. The subsequent bidding stays at a low level, however, and over 1♠ South has to decide once more: bid or pass?
He doesn't know and hands you his cards. What is your decision?
Solution
 
Defending is counting...***

We are seated behind Raymond Brock, playing for Great Britain against Sweden, during the Round Robin of the 1987 World Teams Championships (contesting the Bermuda Bowl) in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Brock is West:

 ♠J 4 
 ♥K J 4 2
♦10 7 6 2
♣K 10 5
♠10 8 3 2windroos  
♥A  
♦A K 5 4 3  
♣A 6 3  

WestNorthEastSouth
BrockFalleniusForresterLindkvist
1♦pass2♦2♠
doublepass4♦pass
pass4♠passpass
doublepasspasspass

Brock leads the ♦A, declarer ruffing. Brock now hands you his cards, requesting you to defend as he did.
Declarer advances the ♣J from hand. Win or duck? If you duck, you must do it smoothly, so there isn't much time...
How do you defend?
Solution