At the start of Wednesday's afternoon session, our reporting team went back to table 1, hoping to see a good match between the leaders at the time, GRENTHE from France, and Italy's FORNACIARI, a six-player squad that did not play their captain in this match.

Those who would expect good bridge at this table 1 match may consider thinking twice now before reading on, but a good match it certainly was. Below, we compiled most of the highlights - in every respect, that is to say.

After an easy slam bid at both tables this was board 2:

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

At both tables, 4ª was the final contract. As we can see from the diagram, there is no real way to land ten tricks, but with a little help from our friends…Say East leads a top diamond and switches to her singleton club, one of the suits bid by her partner. Declarer wins the king in dummy, plays a trump to his ace (felling the queen) and leads a cunning §9 from hand. If you ruff and next cash the ©A the contract will be made, so you better discard…

Anyway, a substantial swing to FORNACIARI, as the proper defence was found only once.

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

In the table 1 match, 3NT was made at both tables when the best defence was missed. North leads the ªQ, West wins, unblocks the §A and leads a diamond off dummy. South should hop up with her ace now and continue spades. If she does not, declarer wins his ¨K, cashes just one more top club and establishes his diamonds.

If South grabs her ¨A, declarer unblocks the king and now has to read the position well to succeed. He should win the next spade and cash the diamonds, throwing a spade, a heart and two clubs. He then exits with a losing spade to North, throwing another club. What can North do? On the last diamond he has a choice of evils. He can either keep two spades and ©Q10, thus parting with his last club and allowing himself to be thrown in with a spade, or he can blank his ©Q in which case declarer can win by laying down the ©K from dummy. Several declarers found either winning play against this optimum defence.

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Vivaldi	Vanhoutte	Rossano	Vanhoutte
		Pass	Pass
1©	1ª	2§	4ª
5¨	Dble	5©	Pass
Pass	Dble	All Pass

When East did not judge her hand worth a vulnerable opening pre-empt, EW had given themselves a free run to what might be the wrong contract. After a spade lead into the tenace, North grabbed his §A at trick two and continued the ¨A! Dummy was an entry short now, so when South ruffed the third club from her doubleton, there was no way to make the contract. Down two, GRENTHE +500.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Grenthe	Caiti	Grenthe	Peirce
		3§	Pass
3NT	All Pass

The club suit may well be too good for a three-level pre-empt and 3NT might make when partner has some support in diamonds. When North led a low diamond, the contract was doomed with four diamond tricks and the §A. Still 9 imps for GRENTHE, but it might have been a 15-imp swing had they bid and made 5§.

On the next board, we again saw the squeeze mechanism in operation.

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

After a 1ª-opening by South, both Wests reached 4© and both Norths led the ªQ and switched to a trump. Both declarers next led a low diamond from dummy. In the Closed Room, Peirce grabbed the ¨K, cashed the ªA and returned a trump. Now declarer had time to ruff out the diamonds (the suit breaking a lucky 3-3) with the §A still there as an entry to dummy. Ten tricks.

In the Open Room, South ducked the low diamond and North won the jack. He returned a club to remove the entry, an essential play. Vivaldi won the ace and led the ªJ from dummy. South won this and now tried to cash the §K first instead of simply playing a second trump. Dummy was dead already, so a possible club winner cannot run away. Vivaldi was quick to seize his chance: he ruffed, ruffed a spade and played off all the trumps, squeezing North in diamonds and clubs and South in diamonds and spades. Well done for a flat board.

The next board is included as a warning to all of us.

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

Levy Anne, France

On this one, West, playing at notrumps, managed to make two spade tricks when North led a spade at trick one. We cannot tell you more…

The final score was 19-17 to FORNACIARI, a 16-14 win in V.P.

In the second match of the afternoon, once again the table 4 match is focused. It would be WILLARD from France v. MALI, a Polish combination with some Norwegian flavour in it.

On board 1, which in the Closed Room actually was the 6th board to be played, Hervé Mouïel was not happy.

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Winciorek	Mouïel	Sarniak	Willard
	Pass	Pass	1§
Pass	1ª	2¨	Dble
Pass	2©	Pass	3©
All Pass

Mouïel felt that his partner might have bid 4© immediately over 2©. In a sense, he was right as he emerged with ten tricks on a diamond lead and continuation, but…

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Levy	Malinovski	Levy	Thoresen
	Pass	Pass	1§
Pass	1ª	Pass	2©
Pass	4©	All Pass

When Alain Levy found the spade lead from the West seat, he had secured the spade ruff for his partner. Well done for another +50 or 6 imps to the French.

On the following board, the Polish equalised:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Levy	Malinovski	Levy	Thoresen
		1§	1¨
1©	1ª	2§	2¨
All Pass

The French sold out rather cheaply here, each of them holding something in reserve. The contract duly went one down, but…

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Winciorek	Mouïel	Sarniak	Willard
		1NT	3¨
Dble	Pass	3NT	All Pass

Here, EW made it easy going for themselves by starting off with a strong notrump. On the lead of the ¨A nine tricks were quickly made. MALI +400 and 7 imps back.

Then, a slam decision:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Levy	Malinovski	Levy	Thoresen
Pass	Pass	Pass	2§
Pass	2¨	Pass	2ª
Pass	2NT	Pass	4ª
Pass	6ª	All Pass

Holding quite a lot of useful values in reserve, Malinovski had an automatic raise over 4ª. When West did not lead his ©A but a spade instead, declarer had to perform a standard show-up squeeze on him to make sure of his contract. MALI +1430.

In the other room, East made some noise:

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Winciorek	Mouïel	Sarniak	Willard
Pass	Pass	2¨	Dble
Pass	Pass	2©	4ª
All Pass

Maybe South should have taken stronger action. Maybe, North should have taken stronger action. When West led the ©A, declarer could quickly claim 12 tricks for a loss of 13 imps.

Once again, the equaliser came on the next board.

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Winciorek	Mouïel	Sarniak	Willard
	1¨	2§	2ª
Pass	3ª	Pass	4©
Pass	4ª	All Pass

When East did not compete any further at her second opportunity, NS had a free run to 620.

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Levy	Malinovski	Levy	Thoresen
	1¨	2§	2ª
3§	4ª	5§	5ª
All Pass

Hervé Mouiel, France

Please note that 5§ will be beaten only on a spade lead and diamond continuation. East does not hold the §9 and thus will pick up the trumps for no loser. This would have been a great save, but beating 5ª turned an 11-imp swing into a 12-imp one.

The score stood at 20-18 to the Polish (Norwegian) and remained unchanged for four rather dull boards. On the last board, we once again saw far too little action at either table, this time resulting in a partscore swing to the French:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Levy	Malinovski	Levy	Thoresen
		Pass	Pass
1©	???

What would you bid with the North hand? Malinovski did not know the reply and passed. So did everybody else. The contract was made on the lead of the §10. WILLARD +80.

At the other table, Mouïel was faced with the same problem.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Winciorek	Mouïel	Sarniak	Willard
		Pass	Pass
1©	???

He improvised with 1ª and there it rested. With his usual careful play, he managed no less than ten tricks and thought he had missed a game and lost the board. Not quite. WILLARD scored an unexpected 6 imps on this one to win 24-20 or 16-14 V.P.