Women’s Slams – Austria vs Italy (Round 12)

The Round 12 match between Austria and Italy in the Women’s series featured six deals on which one or more of the teams bid a slam. No, there were no good slams missed on the other 14 deals.

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

West	North	East	South
Kriftner	Saccavini	Smederevac	Paoluzi
		1§	Pass
2§	Pass	2ª	Pass
2NT	Pass	3ª	Pass
4§	Pass	4¨	Pass
4©	Pass	6ª	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Forti	Grumm	Buratti	Weigkricht
		1§	Pass
2§	Pass	2ª	Pass
2NT	Pass	3¨	Pass
3ª	Pass	4§	Pass
4©	Pass	4ª	Pass
5§	Pass	5¨	Pass
5©	Pass	5ª	Pass
6¨	Pass	6ª	All Pass

Both East/West pairs were playing Blue Club based methods where 1§ was strong and the 2§ response showed five controls. Both pairs now bid naturally up to 3ª, after which cuebidding began and both sailed into the small slam. Jovanka Smederevac made twelve tricks after a heart lead; +980. Monica Buratti slipped a diamond passed the king after drawing trumps, also after a heart lead; +1010 and 1 IMP to Italy.

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

West	North	East	South
Kriftner	Saccavini	Smederevac	Paoluzi
			Pass
1ª	Dble	Pass	Pass
2¨	3§	Pass	3ª
Pass	3NT	Pass	4§
Pass	4¨	Pass	4ª
Pass	4NT	Pass	5§
Pass	6§	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Forti	Grumm	Buratti	Weigkricht
			Pass
1ª	Dble	All Pass

Darinka Forti, Italy

Both Souths judged to pass their partner’s take-out double of 1ª. For Italy, Darinka Forti stood the double and played 1ª doubled, where she managed four tricks after a club lead for –800.

For Austria, Susanna Kriftner removed herself to 2¨, a much better spot. Ilaria Saccavina showed her strong hand with clubs and Simonetta Paoluzi bid spades naturally – remember that the 1ª opening could have been a weak four-card suit in the Austrians’ canapé style – then showed the club support. After a couple of cuebids, Saccavina took control then bid the slam. There was only a diamond to be lost, the heart finesse being marked after the opening bid, and that was +920 and 3 IMPs to Italy.

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

West	North	East	South
Kriftner	Saccavini	Smederevac	Paoluzi
1§	Pass	1NT	Pass
3§	Pass	3©	Pass
3ª	Pass	3NT	Pass
4§	Pass	4¨	Pass
6§	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Forti	Grumm	Buratti	Weigkricht
1§	Pass	1NT	Pass
2§	Pass	2©	Pass
3§	Pass	3ª	Pass
4§	Pass	4¨	Pass
4ª	Pass	5§	Pass
6§	All Pass

Both Wests opened a strong club and got a four-control response. After a couple of natural bids, West set trumps and the slam was soon reached; flat at +940 after red-suit leads.

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

West	North	East	South
Kriftner	Saccavini	Smederevac	Paoluzi
Pass	Pass	1ª	2§
2ª	2NT	3§	3NT
Pass	Pass	4©	Dble
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Forti	Grumm	Buratti	Weigkricht
Pass	1ª	Pass	2©
Pass	2NT	Pass	3§
Pass	3¨	Pass	4§
Pass	4©	Pass	4NT
Pass	5§	Pass	6§
All Pass

	Terry Weigkricht, Austria

Iris Grumm and Terry Weigkricht had a free run to the small slam which needed little more than a favourable diamond position. The opening lead of the queen of diamonds settled that one rather quickly – one down for –50.
In the other room it was East rather than North who opened the bidding with 1ª. Having found her partner with spade support, Smederevac really did too much from there. She also appears to have confused her young partner as Kriftner passed out 4© rather than going back to the known spade fit – not that 4ª would have been any bargain either.

Smederevac ruffed the club lead and played a spade to the jack and ace. A forcing game looks best now but Saccavini gave her partner a spade ruff instead. Paoluzi returned a club for declarer to ruff and now the ©8 went to the queen and king. Saccavini gave her partner a second spade ruff and Paoluzi, rather than cash the ©A the play on clubs, which would have enabled declarer to take the rest by crossing to dummy’s ª9 and picking up the diamonds, instead played a club and, when declarer threw a diamond away, played another club. That was ruffed in dummy as declarer ditched a diamond. Now the ¨Q was covered and the ace won. The ©10 went to the ace and declarer had the rest for down three; –800 and 13 IMPs to Italy.

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

West	North	East	South
Kriftner	Saccavini	Smederevac	Paoluzi
	1¨	Dble	Pass
1©	3¨	4¨	Pass
5§	Pass	6©	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Forti	Grumm	Buratti	Weigkricht
	1¨	4©	Pass
Pass	5¨	Dble	Pass
5©	All Pass

	Monica Buratti, Italy

Smederevac started the East hand with a double then cuebid 4¨ at her next turn, having found a monster heart fit. Kriftner was willing to show her club control and now Smederevac jumped to the small slam. This is perfectly playable, requiring merely an even heart split. However, it was not to be and Kriftner was down one for –50.
Buratti simply overcalled 4©, a long way from being my style but it worked out nicely this time. Grumm went on to 5¨ and Buratti doubled to show her extra strength. Forti had sufficient heart support to convert to 5© and that was that; an easy +450 and 11 more IMPs to Italy.

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

West	North	East	South
Kriftner	Saccavini	Smederevac	Paoluzi
		2¨	Dble
Pass	4©	Pass	4NT
5ª	Pass	Pass	6©
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Forti	Grumm	Buratti	Weigkricht
		2ª	Dble
4ª	5©	5ª	6©
6ª	Dble	All Pass

Smederevac opened with a heavy multi and Paoluzi started with a double them when Saccavini took the aggressive route of jumping to 4©, used key card. Kriftner’s 5ª intervention seems to have caused some confusion as Paoluzi went on to slam in response to Saccavini’s pass and there were two aces to lose; down one for –100.

In the other room, Buratti opened with a solid weak two bid and Weigkricht doubled. Grumm bid 5© over Forti’s raise to 4ª and Buratti went on to 5ª. When Weigkricht guessed to bid 6© over that, and who can blame her, Forti in turn guessed to take one more spade bid. Grumm doubled that rather quickly. Weigkricht cashed two top clubs then the ace of hearts before trying a third club, ruffed. Buratti drew trumps, ruffing her heart loser along the way, and had to decide how to play the diamonds. The winning play would have been ace and another, right when there is a doubleton honour in the North hand, as here, but Buratti thought that Weigkricht might have both king and queen of diamonds for her bidding and so led low to the jack. When that lost to the queen and the ten came back, there was one more loser; down four for –800 and 14 IMPs to Austria.

On the so-called slam deals, Italy had outscored Austria by 28-14 IMPs. However, Austria had the edge on the remaining deals and ran out winners by 54-45 IMPs, just enough for a 17-13 VP win.