When Polish Seniors Meet

In the first round of the senior event final, the clash between Jezioro Klukowski and Pochron Omernik was eventful

After the excursion to Pompeii , I was very tired and I did not see my ace of heart on board 13.
So I passed initially playing East.

Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.   ª A 10 3 © K J 8 4 ¨ 7 6 5 4 § 7 3 ª K Q J © 10 9 7 2 ¨ 8 3 § A Q 8 6 ª 8 5 4 2 © A Q 5 3 ¨ A 9 2 § K 10   ª 9 7 6 © 6 ¨ K Q J 10 § J 9 5 4 2

My partner opened one Club, I answered one Heart and then jumped to four Hearts after my partner raised me.

The lead was the king of diamonds, ducked, and the queen of diamonds followed to the ace and a diamond was ruffed before playing the ten of hearts, king from North and the ace took the trick. Having seen the 6 played by South I hoped that he had begun with doubleton 86. So a spade went to the ace and a spade went back to the dummy. I tried the nine of hearts covered by jack and queen, South discarding a spade. Then the trouble began! A third round of spades, a club to the king and then ace and queen of clubs. North with ©84 had no good answer. Ten tricks were duly scored .

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.   ª A J 10 © K 10 5 4 3 ¨ A Q 8 5 § 3 ª 5 2 © Q J 6 ¨ K J 3 § A K J 10 4 ª 8 7 3 © 9 8 7 2 ¨ 6 § Q 9 6 5 2   ª K Q 9 6 4 © A ¨ 10 9 7 4 2 § 8 7

West	North	East	South
Pochron	Klukowski	Omernik	Jezioro
		Pass	Pass
1 NT	Dble*	2 §**	Pass
2 ¨	Pass	2 ©	All Pass

* Multi-meaning
** Stayman !

The lead was the king of spades followed by the ¨10 to the jack and queen. Next came the ¨A ruffed by East, a club was played to the dummy and a spade was discarded on the ¨K. A Spade was played from dummy won by North who then played the king of hearts crashing his partner's ace. Eventually I finished two down undoubled, not a good result for N/S as game or slam can be made in either clubs or spades. A multiple meaning double of 1 NT is not always efficient!

How good are you to lead?

You're hand is:
ª 10 4 3 © 9 8 6 ¨ K 10 5 2 § 9 3 2

What do you lead after listening to the following bidding?

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	1ª
Pass	1NT	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	All pass

The killing one was to lead a heart to your partner's ace, then he lead back a diamond through the dummy and the contract was doomed to go down. Declarer could only get eight tricks. Birman - Zeligman who we reported about earlier on having a nice ride through to the finals now has a harder time in the finals, since this happened against them!

Board 9. Dealer North. All Vuln.   ª J 6 © Q J 7 2 ¨ Q 8 § K 8 7 6 5 ª Q 5 2 © A K 10 ¨ J 7 6 4 3 § 10 4 ª 10 4 3 © 9 8 6 ¨ K 10 5 2 § 9 3 2   ª A K 9 8 7 © 5 4 3 ¨ A 9 § A Q J

Presidential Lead

As a start, try this problem. You hold:

ª Q J 10 6 5 © A J 9 7 ¨ A § A 4 2 The bidding, at love all, goes One Spade on your left, Two Diamonds on your right, Two Spades on your left, Two Notrumps on your right, All Pass. What do you lead? Henri Szwarc and José Damiani of France are having an excellent run in the Seniors, lying 17th after the first session of the final. Szwarc is celebrating 47 years of representing France. Damiani, a quarterfinalist in the Albuquerque Rosenblum and bronze medallist in the Aachen European Mixed Pairs, is, in his spare moments, President of the World Bridge Federation.

José Damiani

Damiani had the problem above and found the well thought out and spectacularly successful shot of a low spade! This was the layout:

Board 1. Dealer/North. None Vul.   ª A K 9 4 2 © 4 3 ¨ 9 2 § K 10 9 6 ª Q J 10 6 5 © A J 9 7 ¨ A § A 4 2 ª 8 7 © 8 6 2 ¨ Q 5 4 3 § 8 7 5 3   ª 3 © K Q 10 5 ¨ K J 10 8 7 6 § Q J

Declarer could not risk losing his best chance of setting up the diamonds, so he put on the ace of spades, and took the diamond finesse. Damiani won and followed up his original success by leading another low spade! Declarer duly fell into the trap for a second time, rising to take another diamond finesse. When West showed out declarer abandoned diamonds, but West had five winners to cash to defeat the contract.

Swzarc's skills have not diminished, as is shown by this deal from the first session of the championships:

Board 21. Dealer North. North/South Vul.   ª K 10 © K Q J 6 4 ¨ Q 7 6 5 § A 3 ª 6 5 4 © A 2 ¨ A J 10 4 3 § Q 9 6 ª Q 8 3 2 © 9 7 5 3 ¨ K 2 § 10 4 2   ª A J 9 7 © 10 8 ¨ 9 8 § K J 8 7 5

West	North	East	South
	Szwarc		Damiani
	1©	Pass	1ª
2¨	Pass	Pass	3§
Pass	3¨	Pass	3©
Pass	4©	All Pass

Three Clubs showed longer clubs than spades.

The defence have three top winners in the red suits, and declarer has to worry about the diamonds, and the danger of a second trump loser.

Henri Szwarc

East led ¨K, and continued the suit to Wests ace. West now led the jack of diamonds. Szwarc played low from hand, East discarded a club, and dummy had to ruff with the eight of trumps. If declarer plays a trump now he suffers a diamond ruff. Even if he discards his diamond on a spade, West can win the first trump and another diamond will promote Easts heart nine. So Szwarc, without relying on a black suit finesse, set about a crossruff that neutralised the danger in the trump suit. It went king of spades, ace of spades, spade ruff, ace of clubs, king of clubs, and a fourth spade. What can West do?

West's options are to ruff low, high, or not all. If he ruffs high there are only four cards left, and North and East are all trumps, so the trump promotion is no longer possible. If West ruffed low (or, as at the table, discarded) declarer overruffs with his last small trump, and then ruffs the master diamond with the ten of trumps.

The same boards were played in the Open giving Christian Mari and Albert Faigenbaum a chance to show the correct defence against the same contract and lead. At trick two Mari switched to a low trump, and Faigenbaum ducked! Even if declarer guesses spades to dispose of one diamond, when he leads the diamonds from dummy, West can win, draw dummys last trump, and give East a diamond ruff.

Fall of Eagles

When the last session of the A semi-final started, Paul Chemla and Alain Levy were in need of a reasonable score in order to be able to continue the defence of their title.
They were faced by a series of testing deals right from the start.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul   ª K 7 2 © 9 6 4 3 2 ¨ 10 5 § A J 6 ª 8 3 © A ¨ Q J 9 2 § Q 10 7 5 4 3 ª A 10 9 5 4 © Q J 10 ¨ A K 4 3 § 2   ª Q J 6 © K 8 7 5 ¨ 8 7 6 § K 9 8

West	North	East	South
Witek	Levy	Kowaczyk	Chemla
	Pass	1ª	Pass
1NT	Pass	2¨	Pass
3¨	Pass	3©	Pass
3ª	Pass	4¨	Pass
5¨	All Pass

South led the eight of clubs and North took the ace and switched to a spade. Declarer put up the ace, crossed to the ace of hearts, ruffed a club and took the ruffing heart finesse, discarding dummy's losing spade. He then cross ruffed his way to eleven tricks and a very good score, as the game was missed as several tables.

Thirteen is a cardinal number in bridge and those of you who are of a superstitious disposition will have your belief reinforced by this deal:

Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul   ª K Q 6 3 © Q 7 5 4 2 ¨ J 8 7 3 § - ª A 2 © A J 10 3 ¨ 10 6 5 4 § J 3 2 ª 8 5 © K 9 6 ¨ A K Q 9 2 § 10 8 4   ª J 10 9 7 4 © 8 ¨ - § A K Q 9 7 6 5

Alain Levy

The French pair actually faced this deal in the last round and we know that East opened a 10-12 notrump. We are uncertain as to how the auction developed from that point - perhaps South bid 3§ and when North tried 3© he introduced his spades - but what we do know is that South was the declarer in Four Spades. West led a diamond and declarer ruffed, ruffed a club and played a top spade. West won and played a second diamond.

Declarer was now in a position to take all the remaining tricks and ensure a place in the final, but after ruffing he ruffed another club high and could only make eleven tricks. Of course he would have been right if clubs had been 5-1, but the bidding and the lead appear to rule out that possibility.

Board 16. Dealer West. East/West Vul   ª Q 7 6 2 © 8 5 3 ¨ 10 6 3 § 9 8 6 ª A K 5 4 © A Q J 10 ¨ 8 7 § A K 5 ª 8 3 © 6 ¨ Q 9 2 § Q J 10 7 4 3 2   ª J 10 9 © K 9 7 4 2 ¨ A K J 5 4 § -

West	North	East	South
Lara	Levy	Capucho	Chemla
2NT	Pass	3NT	All Pass

This deal was also reported in yesterday's bulletin. North led a regulation spade and declarer won and rattled off the clubs. South, convinced that West would not risk the heart finesse came down to two hearts and two diamonds. That proved to be a false hope, and when declarer played a heart to the queen all thirteen tricks were in the bag.

At another table the bidding did not end with East's 3NT.

West	North	East	South
Auken		Schäffer
2NT	Pass	3NT	4¨
Pass	Pass	Dbl	All Pass

There is no way to wring more than +500 from Four Diamonds - not exactly what you need if you are desperately trying to qualify.

This was one of the best defences of the Championship.

Board 18. Dealer East. North/South Vul   ª J 9 5 3 2 © J 9 7 ¨ 3 2 § K Q 9 ª K 8 7 4 © Q 10 8 5 3 ¨ A 8 § 7 4 ª Q 10 6 © 4 2 ¨ Q 10 9 7 6 5 § 8 2   ª A © A K 6 ¨ K J 4 § A J 10 6 5 3

West	North	East	South
Mari	Levy	Faigenbaum	Chemla
		Pass	1§
1©	1ª	Pass	2¨
Pass	3§	Pass	3NT
All Pass

West found the excellent lead of the four of spades and East played his part by contributing the two. After taking the ace of spades declarer played six rounds of clubs. West was under pressure, but solved his problem by discarding two hearts and the seven and king of spades. That meant that declarer could manage no more than nine tricks.

A slightly better result on any one of these four deals would have been enough for us to see a continuation of the French Defence, as they missed qualifying by only 0.05%.
Tout est perdue fors l'honneur.