45th GENERALI European Bridge Championships, Arona, Tenerife, Canary Islands Thursday, 21 June 2001

Norway v. Poland

Open Series Round 6

On Tuesday afternoon, the first match on Rama was the big clash between two of the strongest teams present here, so a good and aggressive match was odds-on. Would it live up to the expectations of the Rama audience? Well, it certainly did at the start, as on the first four boards 16 undoubled undertricks were registered against only one contract made, a humble 2§. At that stage, Norway were 10-6 up when board 5 hit the screen:

Session 6. Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.

  ª K 4 2
© K 8 4
¨ Q 10 8
§ K Q J 5
ª 10 9 6 3
© 9 5 3 2
¨ K 9 4
§ 9 6
Bridge deal ª Q 8 5
© A Q 7
¨ A 7 5 3
§ 10 8 3
  ª A J 7
© J 10 6
¨ J 6 2
§ A 7 4 2

Open Room
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
  1§ Pass 1NT
All Pass      

This was a very safe contract, certainly when the spade lead brought the seventh trick immediately. Declarer went after the diamonds, but correct defence restricted him to one overtrick only. Norway +120.

Closed Room
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
  1§ Dble Redble
Pass Pass 1¨ Pass
Pass 3NT All Pass  


Adan Zmudzinski, Poland
 

Much more action in the Closed Room. Terje Aa found a take-out double, but the hand belonged to the opposition. One Diamond might have gone three off, but the Poles would have nothing of it. As Marcin Lesniewski did not hold a minimum hand, he boldly jumped to 3NT when 1¨ came round to him. All would have been well for Norway had the right defence been found but this was not easy at all. Aa did well to lead a low diamond to partner´s king, and Groetheim did well to find the heart switch. Now all Aa has to do is to play ¨A and another, but how can he possibly guess that declarer has jumped to 3NT holding only three diamonds? So Lesniewski´s aggression paid off. Poland +600 and 10 IMP´s back for them to go into the lead: 16-10.

It stood at 22-17 to Poland five boards later, when it was Norway´s turn to steal a game.

Session 6. Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.

  ª A 7
© 8 7 6 2
¨ K J 9 7 6 2
§ 5
ª K 8 6
© Q 10 3
¨ A Q 4
§ K 10 9 2
Bridge deal ª J 10 9
© J 9
¨ 10 8 5
§ A Q J 6 4
  ª Q 5 4 3 2
© A K 5 4
¨ 3
§ 8 7 3

Open Room
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
      Pass
1§ 1¨ Pass 1ª
Pass Pass 2§ All Pass

With all those jacks, there is little perspective in the East hand. So Pszczola quietly bided his time when Helness overcalled 1¨ after the Polish Club. When 1ª came round to him, he settled for 2§ as the final contract. Well judged, as game is really far away. Nine tricks, Poland +110.

Closed Room:
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
      Pass
1NT Pass 3NT All Pass

The Norwegians had other ideas. Their 14-16 NT in combination with the good five-card suit in responder´s hand made their auction understandably automatic. So was North´s lead: a simple fourth-best from his best suit. When dummy´s ¨8 won the first trick and the spade finesse of the queen came off, Groetheim had nine tricks in the bag with time to come to an overtrick when the defence tried to defeat the contract by switching to hearts. Norway +430 or 8 IMP´s and in the lead again, 25-22.

Session 6. Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.

  ª Q 10 8 3
© 9 8 3
¨ A Q 6 5
§ 8 4
ª A K J 6 5
© K
¨ K 8 7 3
§ K 9 5
Bridge deal ª 7 2
© 10 7 6 5 2
¨ 10 2
§ A J 10 6
  ª 9 4
© A Q J 4
¨ J 9 4
§ Q 7 3 2

Open Room:
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
  Pass Pass Pass
1ª Pass 1NT Pass
2¨ Pass 2ª Pass
3§ All Pass    

Natural bidding by the Poles on this misfit hand; Kwiecien gave it one more try with his maximum, but the message was not lost on Helness when Pszczola passed 3§. A merciless trump came out in a split second and a second trump followed when he got the lead in diamonds. The eventual penalty was a mere 400 on this indifferent partscore hand.

Closed Room
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
  Pass 2¨ Pass
2ª All Pass    

The Norwegians avoided any problems when Aa elected to open a Multi (?) in second seat. The standards required for this opening bid are subject to inflation very much, and here we see the effect of it. Groetheim could bid 2ª to show a strong hand, but as 2ª was not forcing Aa was happy to pass it. Eight tricks were duly made when the defence led trumps into declarer´s tenace in an attempt to stop the diamond ruffs. Norway another +110 or 11 IMP´s out of the blue.

The board below is included as a pretty example of the advantage of the tempo, the right to strike the first blow at notrumps. Whoever is entitled to play the first card can make seven tricks.

Session 6. Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.

  ª 10 9 5 3
© A K 5
¨ A 9 8 4 2
§ 7
ª A 6 4
© Q J 10 4
¨ J 6 3
§ Q 9 6
Bridge deal ª K Q 2
© 9 8 2
¨ K 7 5
§ A 10 4 3
  ª J 8 7
© 7 6 3
¨ Q 10
§ K J 8 5 2

Open Room
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
      Pass
Pass 1¨ Dble 1NT
Dble All Pass    

This old adage did certainly apply when South had to try for his seven tricks, but that was virtually impossible to see. The defence led hearts, won in dummy. South then did well (not too problematic after East´s double) to play a diamond to the queen, a diamond to the ace and another diamond, clearing the suit. The heart return then established seven tricks for the defence before declarer could come to his possible club trick. Poland +200.

Closed Room
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
      Pass
1NT All Pass    

Here, Lesniewski led a diamond to Martens´ queen, after which the suit was cleared. A heart went to the king and the diamonds were cashed. North exited with a club. It is normal to run this to the queen, and that´s of course what West did. When South produced the king, the contract was one down. Please note that the double-dummy play of rising with the ace works: North has to win the next top heart and is out of clubs. Poland +50 and 6 IMP´s back.

Session 6. Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.

  ª A 9 3
© A K 10 5 4
¨ 6
§ A J 10 8
ª K Q 10 7 4
© J 8 3
¨ K Q 7 4
§ 2
Bridge deal ª J 5 2
© 6
¨ A J 10 9 5 2
§ 7 6 4
  ª 8 6
© Q 9 7 2
¨ 8 3
§ K Q 9 5 3

Open Room
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
1ª 2© 2ª 4©
Pass 4ª Pass 5§
Pass 6© All Pass  

As 4ª was a cuebid, 5§ was the cuebid Helness was waiting for, and not a suggestion to play in the suit. The fate of the heart slam thus hinged on the lead. As you can see, only a diamond lead beats it. On any other lead, declarer draws trumps, pitches his diamond on the clubs and ruffs a spade in the end. When Pszczola led his trump, the play thus was quickly over: Norway +980.

Closed Room
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
1ª Dble 2ª Dble
Pass 4© All Pass  

When Lesniewski doubled at his first turn, the Poles simply were not given enough room to explore any further, so the slam was missed and Norway had gained 11 IMP´s more.

Critical readers may think at this moment: "What´s the problem with this hand? You can always make 12 tricks with clubs as trumps." True it is, but very few pairs managed to do so. Elsewhere in this issue we will come back to this aspect of the hand.

West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
1ª Dble 2ª Dble
Pass 4© All Pass  

Back to our featured match. On board 18, the inflatory Norwegian Multi scored again heavily when it suggested a lead to partner:

Session 6. Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.

  ª Q 4
© K 10 9
¨ J 9 4 3
§ K J 7 6
ª 9 6 2
© Q 8 2
¨ A Q 10 7
§ 10 8 4
Bridge deal ª 7 3
© A J 7 6 5
¨ 6 5 2
§ 9 5 3
  ª A K J 10 8 5
© 4 3
¨ K 8
§ A Q 2

Open Room:
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
    Pass 1ª
Pass 1NT Pass 2NT
Pass 3ª Pass 4ª
All Pass      

With nothing to guide him, Kwiecien elected to put a club on the table, so Helgemo could claim ten black tricks very shortly afterwards. Norway +620.

Closed Room:
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
    2¨ 3ª
Pass 4ª All Pass  

In the Closed Room, Aa struck again with his Multi. This time the suit was of good quality, so when Groetheim led a heart he hit the jackpot straight away. One down, Norway +100 and 12 IMP´s.

Session 6. Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.

  ª 10 6
© 10 4 3 2
¨ A 10 7 4
§ 9 6 5
ª Q 9 7 2
© 9 6 5
¨ K Q J 5 3
§ Q
Bridge deal ª A J 8 5
© J 7
¨ 8 6 2
§ K 8 4 3
  ª K 4 3
© A K Q 8
¨ 9
§ A J 10 7 2

Open Room:
West North East South
Kwiecien Helness Pszczola Helgemo
      1§
1¨ Pass 1ª Dble
2ª 3© 3ª 4©
All Pass      

Helness´ 3© almost committed his side to game, so the spotlight turned on the play. On a diamond lead, Helness won the ace and immediately turned his attention to clubs, leading low to the ten and queen. Kwiecien returned a diamond for dummy to ruff. Locked there, Helness could do little better than draw two rounds of trumps, noting the fall of the jack (good news) and play §A and another. When Kwiecien was able to ruff the §A the contract thus was one down in spite of an attractive line of play. The alternative, playing for the ªA to be right, may not be the best chance, but it would probably have worked here…Poland +50.

Closed Room
West North East South
Groetheim Lesniewski Aa Martens
      1§
1¨ Pass 1ª Dble
2ª Dble Pass 3©
All Pass      

Martens followed the same line as Helness did (a strong indication that Helness´ line was the best available!) and thus came to the same nine tricks, this time scoring 140 more for Poland or 5 IMP´s.

The final result of the match was a good win for Norway: 59-34 or 20-10 V.P.


Page 5


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