Norway vs Italy

Open Series - Round 25

The early afternoon´s Rama match on Tuesday could only be the Norway-Italy encounter. The Norwegians had just come victorious (17-13) out of their big match with Russia, so the stage looked very much set for another good show. And a good show it was indeed, but the IMP´s at stake were not really moving North most of the time.

After a quiet start the first real test for the defenders was board 4:

Session 25. Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª 10 8 4 2 © K Q 8 4 ¨ 4 § A 10 3 2
ª 9 7 5 © 10 7 ¨ A 9 7 6 3 § K J 8		ª A 6 © A 3 ¨ K Q 10 5 2 § Q 9 7 5
	ª K Q J 3 © J 9 6 5 2 ¨ J 8 § 6 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Versace chose the right moment for a bold raise to 3NT. Now what do you lead as South? Longest or strongest suit? Strongest looks the logical choice, but was wrong this time. Longest would have worked as it establishes four heart tricks to go with the §A. When Helgemo led the ªK the hand was quickly over. Italy +600.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
Pass	2§	2¨	2©
3¨	All Pass

By contrast, Groetheim passed 1NT, so Bocchi could show his majors with 2§. With the heart lead established, it would have been dangerous for E/W now to venture 3NT, so they rightly elected to stay in 3¨. Norway +130 but 10 IMP´s to Italy.

A slight misdefence cost an undertrick and thus got Norway off the mark on this one:

Session 25. Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	ª 6 5 © 8 6 5 ¨ K 2 § A K Q J 8 7
ª Q J 9 8 3 2 © K Q J 4 ¨ 10 5 3 § -		ª K 7 © A 9 3 2 ¨ A 8 4 § 10 6 4 3
	ª A 10 4 © 10 7 ¨ Q J 9 7 6 § 9 5 2

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
Pass	1§	Pass	1NT
2ª	3NT	4§	Dble
4©	Pass	Pass	4ª
Pass	5§	Dble	All Pass

East led the ªK, declarer winning the ace in dummy. A club went to the king, West discarding a spade. The ¨K was ducked all round and a low heart now went to the ten and jack. Careful defence will put the contract down three at this point: diamond to the ace, heart back to the queen and two rounds of spades promote East´s §10. At the table, Versace just played two top spades; when Helness discarded his diamond on the ªJ, the trump promotion would still have been possible had Versace cashed one more heart before going back to spades. When he forgot this, Helness escaped for down two, +300 only to Italy.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
1ª	2§	Dble	3§
3©	Pass	4©	All Pass

Norberto Bocchi, Italy

This was an interesting contract that probably can be defeated. The §A is led and declarer ruffs. Now comes a spade to the king. At the table South won the ace and the hand was over as the spade suit itself now provides the entry back to it. But what happens if South ducks the ªA? Declarer can continue spades, but this time South wins and plays another club. On the next spade, North should not ruff, but discard a diamond. It seems as if even a heart holding of 432 with North is enough to destroy declarer´s hopes of fulfilling his contract. When this defence was not found, Norway scored +450 and got their first 4 IMP´s. Beautiful defence this time by Bocchi-Duboin brought a valuable partscore swing to Italy:

Session 25. Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	ª 10 9 4 3 © 6 4 3 2 ¨ 9 4 2 § 7 5
ª A © Q 8 5 ¨ K 8 7 6 3 § Q J 8 2		ª J 8 7 2 © A 10 9 7 ¨ J § A 10 9 6
	ª K Q 6 5 © K J ¨ A Q 10 5 § K 4 3

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
	Pass	Pass	1¨
Pass	Pass	Dble	Pass
1NT	All Pass

The lead of the ¨2 went to the jack, queen and king. Declarer took the club finesse, Helgemo winning the second round and returning the suit. Now Versace could cash his clubs and lead a low heart from dummy. South took his king, but Versace had eight tricks, Italy +120.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
	Pass	Pass	1¨
Pass	Pass	Dble	Pass
1NT	All Pass

The play started the same way as in the Open Room, but in with the §K Duboin shifted to a low spade. Later, the ¨9 in North was the entry to pick up the ªJ in dummy. This way, declarer could not come to more than six tricks, Italy another +100 and 6 useful IMP´s.

Session 25. Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.
	ª K 8 © K 8 5 4 ¨ A K 5 2 § A 8 6
ª A Q 9 4 © Q 3 2 ¨ 9 6 § J 4 3 2		ª 10 7 6 © A J 10 9 7 ¨ - § Q 10 9 7 5
	ª J 5 3 2 © 6 ¨ Q J 10 8 7 4 3 § K

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
	1NT	2©	Dble
Rdbl	Pass	Pass	3¨
3©	4¨	Pass	5¨
All Pass

North did well to avoid 3NT and opt for the diamond game instead, but as the cards lay, 3NT by North cannot be defeated. On a spade lead to the ace and the ©Q return, North simply ducks. After that, the lack of intermediates in West prevents his ©K from being picked up. Norway +600.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
	1§	1©	Dble
2©	Dble	Pass	3¨
Pass	3NT	Pass	Pass
Dble	Pass	Pass	4¨
All Pass

Bocchi surprised the world with his pass. Italy +150 and 10 IMP´s back to Norway.

Session 25. Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª © A Q 8 7 5 ¨ 8 7 5 4 § K 8 4 3
ª Q 9 8 6 © K 10 6 3 ¨ J 9 § Q 9 7		ª 10 7 5 © J 9 2 ¨ K 6 2 § A J 10 2
	ª A K J 4 3 2 © 4 ¨ A Q 10 3 § 6 5

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
	Pass	Pass	1ª
Pass	1NT	Pass	2¨
Pass	3¨	Pass	3ª
Pass	4¨	Pass	5¨
All Pass

A reasonable enough auction saw the Norwegians end up at a dangerously high level. On a club lead and continuation, there are three tricks for the defence, but on the actual lead of the ©6 Helgemo was quick to seize his chance. He decided to go for the heart finesse to be right rather than the §A. So up went the ©Q. When this held, the rest was easy going: ©A shedding a club, diamond to the queen, spade ruff, diamond to the ace, another spade ruff. With both the pointed suits behaving, 11 tricks were always there. Norway +400.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
	Pass	Pass	1ª
Pass	2¨	Pass	2ª
All Pass

Due to systemic reasons (2¨ being a transfer to hearts), a diamond contract was out of range when Duboin naturally rebid his spades. Nine tricks, +140 to Italy but 6 IMP´s back to Norway.

On the next board, the Norwegians handed back these IMP´s immediately:

Session 25. Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª A Q 10 5 2 © 9 6 ¨ J § A K 9 6 4
ª J © A K 7 5 ¨ A K 10 9 § Q 10 8 2		ª K 8 7 3 © J 10 4 3 2 ¨ Q 4 § 7 5
	ª 9 6 4 © Q 8 ¨ 8 7 6 5 3 2 § J 3

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
		Pass	Pass
1§	1ª	Pass	Pass
Dble	Pass	2©	Pass
3©	Pass	4©	All Pass

ªA and §AK followed by a low club ruffed and overruffed swiftly sealed the fate of this contract. Norway +50.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
		Pass	Pass
1§	1©	Pass	1ª
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

A serious misunderstanding between the two Norwegians led to a surprise plus score for Italy. 1© of course showed spades, and 1ª showed three-card support. On a misdefence going with the bidding misunderstanding (who is talking about Murphy there?) Duboin was allowed to make a vulnerable overtrick for +360 and 7 IMP´s back.

On the next board, the Bocchi-Duboin approach showed its superiority once again over the natural bidders:

Session 25. Board 19. Dealer South, E/W Vul.
	ª 10 © A 9 8 6 3 2 ¨ 9 8 2 § Q 8 2
ª Q J 8 7 © Q J 7 5 ¨ J 3 § A 6 5		ª A 9 4 3 © K 10 4 ¨ A 6 5 4 § J 7
	ª K 6 5 2 © - ¨ K Q 10 7 § K 10 9 4 3

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Versace	Helness	Lauria	Helgemo
			1§
Pass	1©	Pass	1ª
Pass	2©	All Pass

2© looks a natural enough choice, but the contract was not a success: down two, Italy +100.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Groetheim	Bocchi	Aa	Duboin
			1§
Pass	1¨	Pass	1ª
Pass	2§	All Pass

1¨ was transfer again, but after 1ª Bocchi knew partner would hold at most two hearts. So the chances were that clubs were a good alternative, and so it proved. Ten tricks, Italy another +130 and another 6 IMP´s.
They had won 41-20 or 19-11 V.P. and widened the gap with the fifth-ranked team, now France, as well as put Norway out of the top five for the moment.