Living and Dying by the Sword

The Cummings/Lindop partnership is very aggressive subscribing fully to the theory that getting in the opponents way is the key to winning bridge. Here are 2 sample hands both featuring 3 C overalls by Mike Cummings from Day 4 that show both sides of this approach.

In Round 10 playing against the Netherlands the following hand was played:

N () -> S: KQT62 H: AJT8 D: A9 C: T8
E (Lindop) -> S: AJ984 H: 5 D: 876 C: KQ73
S () -> S: 7 H: KQ9743 D: QT43 C: 65
W (Cummings) -> S: 53 H: 62 D: KJ52 C: AJ942

With None vulnerable and South the dealer the bidding went:
2H - 3C - 4H - 5C -
P - P - X - all pass.

Note that the aggressive 3C overcall made for an easy 5C call by Lindop getting the EW pair to a cheap save against their opponents game. At the other table it simply went 2H-P-4H and Steve Brown and Pierre Daigneault chalked up the game for an 8-Imp pickup to Canada.

Later in the day however a similar auction developed in Round 12 against the Italians on Board 8:

N (Cummings) -> S: 6 H: Q5 D: AQ87 C: AKT976
E (Masucci) -> S: AJ7543 H: 73 D: T43 C: Q5
S (Lindop) -> S: QT82 H: A86 D: J96 C: J32
W (Forquet) -> S: K9 H: KJT942 D: K52 C: 84

With None vulnerable and West the dealer the bidding went:
2H - 3C - all pass.

Perhaps remembering the earlier 3C overcall Lindop passed out 3C which made for ten tricks +130 while the opponents made the same 10 tricks in no trump in the other room for a 7-imp loss by the Canadians.

These two similar hands are good examples of the pros and cons of an aggressive style, to each their own to decide which style they prefer but it certainly makes for exciting, high scoring bridge...