Argentina's 13-year-old star
Bridge Column for October 15, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
Neither side vulnerable.  West deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: 3                
                              H: Q 10 7 5    
                              D: A Q 7 2     
                              C: K Q 10 2
            WEST                             EAST
            S: Q J 9 8 5                     S: A 7 2          
            H: 2                             H: A J 9 8    
            D: K J 9 8                       D: 6 5 4             
            C: A 7 5                         C: 8 6 4       
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: K 10 6 4 
                              H: K 6 4 3    
                              D: 10 3      
                              C: J 9 3    
          The Bidding://
                   WEST   NORTH     EAST   SOUTH                  
                    1S   Double      2S     3H  
                   Pass    Pass    Double   Pass
                   Pass    Pass     
     Agustin Madala is Argentina's great bridge hope. Although he
is only thirteen years old, he already has credentials unmatched
by most veteran players. He is a member of the Argentine team
that has reached the quarterfinals of the second annual Internet
Bridge World Championship. 
     He also placed second in the South American Open Pairs, a 
nine-session event that brought together all the best players on
the continent, including players like Gabriel Chagas of Brazil.
In Junior competition, he has won the South American championship
pairs three straight years - he won for the first time when he
was only eleven.  He also has several Argentine national
championships to his credit.
     "I have never yet met a player of his skill at his age,"
said Pablo Lambardi, the team captain. "He played in last year's
Argentina Open Pairs with a partner seventy years his senior! 
Carlos Cabanne, Argentina's best-known player, was eighty-two at
the time. They came in second.
     "Agustin is in high school," continues Lambardi, "and his
biggest bridge problem is that his mother won't let him play late
on weekdays. He has to wait till she goes to sleep to sneak into
OKbridge."
     Today's hand is an example of Madala in action.  It was
reported in a recent issue of Bridge Today Digest Online.  Madala
is South.  West led the queen of spades against three hearts,
doubled.  East won the ace and continued spades.  Madala pitched
a club from dummy as he won with the king.  He led a heart to the
queen and ace, and East, believing he had two more trump tricks
coming, led a club to partner's ace, on which Agustin played the
queen.
     Madala trumped the spade return (it was necessary to trump
rather than pitch a diamond, as you shall see) and crossed to his
hand with the jack of clubs. He took a finesse to the queen of
diamonds, cashed the ace and trumped a diamond.  He returned to
dummy with the king of clubs, leaving this position:
                           NORTH
                           S: Void
                           H: 10 7
                           D: 7
                           C: Void 
                 S: J 9              S: Void 
                 H: Void             H: J 9 8
                 D: K                D: Void 
                 C: Void             C: Void 
                           S: 10
                           H: K 6
                           D: Void
                           C: Void
     
     Madala led the diamond off dummy and East trumped with the
eight of hearts, but Madala pitched his last spade.  East was
fixed.  Since he had to lead away from his jack-nine of hearts,
his third trump trick disappeared and Madala had his doubled
contract.  This is a wonderful play for anyone, let alone a
thirteen year old!  
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