Balijee International Bridge Championship was the last important bridge tournament of the year 2003 in the country. Teams from all over the country and one from UAE also participated to win a handsome prize. Lahore as usual played host to this big event in keeping with its tradition and the contesting teams have had the opportunity of playing a good tournament for the four-day engagement.
Finally the defending champions Punters of Lahore won the contest by relegating Lipton of Karachi to second position.
The best played hand award of Balijee Championship was bagged by Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan playing in partnership with Munir Attaullah, the Bermuda Bowl 81, playing with Pakistani team
fame that finished a close second and one of the best players the country has produced. The award winning hand is reproduced here:-
The defence first played two heart tricks, the declarer ruffed the third round. On the next line of play the declarer would make the contract if the club suit breaks 3-3 even if the trump finesse goes wrong. But what if the distribution happens to be different?
Sarfarz cautiously proceed to play diamond queen on trick 4 and entered the dummy with club ace and played back ace of diamonds which was ruffed by East, South had to overruf.
The hands of the opponents were not as he imagined. Probably the West held a type like 1-3-7-2.
He changes the line of play by cashing in on the ace of spades straightaway to guard against a small ruff of club suit by the opponent in the dummy, but at the same time making sure that he got the ten tricks for his contract, allowing the opponents to take the king of trump whenever they like.
Dealer South
East-West vulnerable
The bidding:

====================================
South      West      North      East
Sarfaraz            Munir
                   Attaullah       
1 S        Pass      2 D        Pass
3 C        Pass      3 S        Pass
4 S        Pass      Pass       Pass
====================================

North
S 875
H J754
D AK109
C A6
West
S K 4
H K63
D J865432
C 5
East
S 1032
H AQ108
D 7
C QJ942
South
S AQJ 96
H 92
D Q
C K10873
Golden Tips: The hands most of the times do not behave as one would like them to do.