Sometimes it just doesn’t pay to get out of bed. The Gabriel Chagas team might have been having thoughts along those lines after the first half of their match in the Mixed Teams Round of 16 against the French team led by Herve Mouiel. Chagas and team did not score an IMP in the first 14 boards, losing the set 52-0.

The avalanche of IMPs started on the third board of the set.

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

West	North	East	South
Mouiel	Chagas	Willard	Pain
			Pass
1¨	Pass	1©	Dble
Redbl	1ª	3¨	Pass
3ª	Pass	4§	Pass
4NT	Pass	5ª	Pass
6¨	All Pass

The French did well to avoid the heart slam, which goes down on a normal diamond lead, whereas the diamond slam is unbreakable. At the other table, Zia Mahmood and Jill Meyers suffered from their lack of familiarity as partners.

West	North	East	South
Zia	Levy	Meyers	Levy
			Pass
1¨	Pass	1©	Pass
2NT	Pass	3§ (1)	Pass
4©	Pass	5¨	All Pass

(1) Transfer to diamonds.

North-South were silent in the open room, so Zia was without the clues that Mouiel had in the closed room, with South showing the black suits. Even so, the Zia-Meyers auction did not produce a good result. That was 13 IMPs to Mouiel.

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

More good bidding in the open room produced another swing for the French.

West	North	East	South
Zia	Levy	Meyers	Levy
1¨	1©	Pass	1ª
2¨	4ª	All Pass

Anne Fred Levy’s advance of 1ª paid huge dividends as Alain raised her to a game that could not be defeated. Zia got off to a low trump lead, but it was to no avail as Anne Fred won and played another trump to her king. Zia won the cashed the ¨K, then switched to a club to dummy’s singleton ace. Declarer picked up trumps with a third round to her hand, pitched dummy’s last diamond on the §K, then played the ©A, ©K and ruffed a heart, making dummy good. That was plus 650.

At the other table, Chagas had a tougher time of it.

West	North	East	South
Mouiel	Chagas	Willard	Pain
1NT	2©	Pass	Pass
Pass

There wasn’t much to the play. Chagas lost two diamonds, one heart and one spade for plus 140 – an 11-IMP loss.

Board 8 is yet another reminder that if both sides play the same strain, one of them is probably wrong.

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

West	North	East	South
Zia	Levy	Meyers	Levy
Pass	Pass	1ª	Dble
2¨	Pass	3§	Pass
3ª	All Pass

Zia’s 2¨ bid was the las thing Meyers wanted to hear, and it served to propel the partnership to the three level. South started with the ©A to the 3, 10 and 4, and she continued with a heart to the queen and king. Meyers continued with the ª8 from hand, and after winning the king Anne Fred played a third round of hearts, ruffed by North. A diamond was returned, ruffed by Meyers, who then played a low club from hand. Anne Fred won the §K and played the ©9, on which North played his §J. Now when Meyers played a club to dummy’s queen, Alain ruffed. When the dust settled, Meyers was down two for minus 100.

The auction went poorly for the Chagas team in the closed room as well.

West	North	East	South
Mouiel	Chagas	Willard	Pain
Pass	Pass	1§	1NT
Pass	2©	Pass	2ª
All Pass

Counting the singleton ªK, Leda Pain had the values for a 1NT overcall but not the shape, and her decision on this deal was costly.

Mouiel started with a deceptive §2, taken by Sylvie Willard with the ace. Next on the table was the ªA, and when the king dropped she cashed four more rounds of trumps as Pain discarded diamonds and hearts. Willard played a low club at trick seven, and Pain ducked to Mouiel’s queen. A heart through the Q-10 produced another trick for the defense, which still had a diamond coming. South took four tricks: two clubs and two red aces. That was down four, minus 200 and an 8-IMP loss.

Board 9 was a push because both North players failed in a game that probably should have been made.

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

West	North	East	South
Zia	Levy	Meyers	Levy
	1©	1ª	2¨
Pass	2©	Pass	4©
All Pass

Meyers started with the ªQ, and Alain ducked when Zia played the king. Alain won the spade return with the ace and played a heart to dummy’s ace. Next came a club to Alain’s king, which held, and a second trump to dummy. Alain discarded his spade loser on the ¨A and played another club from dummy. Apparently crediting Meyers with the §A for her overcall, Alain inserted the 10, losing to Meyers’ jack and conceding down one.

The bidding was different at the other table, giving Chagas a bit more of an advantage in the play. He did not profit it from it, however.

West	North	East	South
Mouiel	Chagas	Willard	Pain
	1©	2ª	3ª
Dble	Redbl	Pass	4¨
Pass	4©	All Pass

Willard started with the ªQ, and Chagas ducked, winning the spade continuation with the ace. He played a heart to dummy, noting East’s 10, and ruffed a diamond low, following with his last spade, ruffed in dummy with the 8 and overruffed by Mouiel with the queen. Mouiel returned a heart, and Chagas had no choice but to play West for the §J. Chagas cashed the ¨A, pitching a club, then played a club to his 10.

It seems much better to lead a trump to dummy at trick three, followed by a low club. When the §K holds, another trump to dummy seems better, since if hearts are 2-2 the contract cannot be defeated. When the trump loser is revealed, the losing spade could go on the ¨A and another club played. Willard’s weak jump overcall argues for the ªA to be in her partner’s hand. If West started with four clubs to the A-J, it will not help to play the 10, so the queen is the logical play. On this deal, it would work.

Board 12 was another loss for Chagas, but it might have been a push except for a neat maneuver by Alain.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	ª 4 © K J 10 3 ¨ A J 8 6 5 § A 9 4
ª A K 5 3 © A Q 8 4 ¨ 3 § J 10 6 2		ª J 10 9 7 6 © 6 ¨ K Q 10 9 7 2 § Q
	ª Q 8 2 © 9 7 5 2 ¨ 4 § K 8 7 5 3

West	North	East	South
Mouiel	Chagas	Willard	Pain
1§	1¨	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Chagas made four trump tricks with three spade ruffs and the trump ace, plus the §A, but that was down two for minus 500. At the other table, Alain managed to escape the guillotine.

West	North	East	South
Zia	Levy	Meyers	Levy
1§	1¨	Pass	Pass
Dble	1©	2¨	2©
Pass	Pass	2ª	All Pass

Alain’s bid of 1© worked out spectacularly, particularly since Meyers was lurking over him with all those diamonds. 2© could have been defeated, but only by one trick unless declarer did very poorly, and most players are not anxious to make such close doubles in a team game.

Meyers had no difficulty making overtricks in her spade contract, but it was still an 8-IMP loss.

The final setback for the Chagas team came on the last board, when Anne Fred made an excellent decision in a competitive auction.

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

West	North	East	South
Mouiel	Chagas	Willard	Pain
		2©	Pass
3©	4ª	All Pass

Mouiel’s subtle 3© bid seemed to do the trick, although Chagas might have started with a double and Pain might have looked at her hand more optimistically after Chagas blasted into game. Chagas took all the tricks, winning the opening lead of the ©K in hand, followed by the ¨K, a diamond to the ace and a diamond ruff with the ªJ. When everyone followed to the ªK, he claimed for plus 510.

At the other table, Zia tried to throw a monkey wrench into the North-South auction, but it did not slow down the Levys.

West	North	East	South
Zia	Levy	Meyers	Levy
		2©	Pass
2NT	Dble	3©	4©
Pass	6ª	All Pass

Zia’s 2NT was an asking bid, and it was North-South who responded. Meyers’ 3© showed a minimum with good trumps and Anne Fred, apparently working out Zia’s shenanigans, showed her values with a cuebid. Alain played cautiously to take 12 tricks, good for a 10-IMP gain to complete the rout of the first half.

Chagas and company made up some of the lost IMPs in the second half, but not nearly enough as the French moved on to the round of eight.