After 12 boards, an interesting match seemed in prospect, I wrote at the end of my previous story. Partly I was right, for it certainly was an interesting and even entertaining session. In stating that it would be a match I was completely wrong, for, like we have seen so often before, all of a sudden the one-way traffic started again. And as we all know: if Italian bridge is involved in one-way traffic all imps go to Rome. Only 5 of them were at stake on the first board, when the Danes overbid to 4♥ that was just one level too high, but next came a series of bigger swings:

Board 2. Dlr: East/NS
	♠ K 7 4 ♥ A ♦ A J 6 4 3 2 ♣ K Q 10
♠ A Q J 6 5 ♥ J 8 7 4 2 ♦ K 8 7 ♣		♠ 10 9 3 ♥ 10 9 6 3 ♦ Q 9 ♣ 9 6 5 4
	♠ 8 2 ♥ K Q 5 ♦ 10 5 ♣ A J 8 7 3 2

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Bruun	Lauria	Fredin
		Pass	1♣
2♦	Dbl	4♥	Pass
Pass	4NT	Pass	5♣
Pass	6♣	All pass

Bruun could not foresee the unpleasant duplication in hearts so he bid one more for the road, only to find out that once again they were one level too high. Parioli +100. Of course, 2♦ showed majors. Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Christiansen	Angelini	Schaltz M	Sementa
		Pass	Pass
2♣	Dbl	2♥	3NT
All pass

2♣ also showed majors, but Sementa got the chance to stress his heart values by bidding 3NT, after which Angelini was no longer interested. Parioli +660 and 13 imps to lead by 26 now. And:

Board 3. Dlr: South/EW
	♠ A 10 9 5 4 ♥ K 2 ♦ Q 7 5 3 ♣ A 5
♠ Q ♥ A J 10 8 ♦ A 6 4 2 ♣ J 10 9 6		♠ 6 2 ♥ 9 7 5 4 3 ♦ K J 9 ♣ Q 8 7
	♠ K J 8 7 3 ♥ Q 6 ♦ 10 8 ♣ K 4 3 2

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Bruun	Lauria	Fredin
			Pass
1♣	1♠	Pass	2♣
Pass	2♠	All pass

This time, 2♠ very much looked like an underbid so with game finally on it was missed by the Scandinavian pair. Schaltz +170. Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Christiansen	Angelini	Schaltz M	Sementa
			Pass
1♥	1♠	3♥	4♠
All pass

1♥ was Canapé again, but Sementa apparently knows his partner’s overcalls. Ten easy tricks, Parioli +420 and another 6 imps.

And, to complete the hattrick:

Board 4. Dlr: West/All
	♠ 9 8 7 2 ♥ K ♦ Q 6 ♣ A J 9 7 4 2
♠ K J 4 3 ♥ A Q 5 3 2 ♦ 10 4 2 ♣ 6		♠ 10 5 ♥ J 10 8 4 ♦ K J 9 7 3 ♣ 5 3
	♠ A Q 6 ♥ 9 7 6 ♦ A 8 5 ♣ K Q 10 8

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Bruun	Lauria	Fredin
1♥	Pass	3♥	Dbl
Pass	4♠	All pass

This time too, NS were not quite on the same wavelength. On repeated heart leads the contract went no less than five down, 500 to Parioli. Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Christiansen	Angelini	Schaltz M	Sementa
2♣	Pass	2♥	Dbl
Pass	3♣	All pass

2♣ showed majors but 2♥ did not really make life difficult for Sementa. He doubled and Angelini bid what he had and that was it. Parioli +110 and an unexpected 12 more imps to lead by 44 now after just four boards. On board 5, the Danes might have recouped a game swing had they defeated 5♥ in one room, but on the boards 6 and 7 a few more imps went Parioli’s way. With the score at 64-10 this was board 8:

Board 8. Dlr: West/None
	♠ A K Q 10 9 6 ♥ A K 7 ♦ Q 8 ♣ A Q
♠ J 5 ♥ Q J 9 8 6 5 2 ♦ 10 9 ♣ 6 5		♠ 8 ♥ 10 ♦ 7 5 4 3 2 ♣ K J 10 8 7 4
	♠ 7 4 3 2 ♥ 4 3 ♦ A K J 6 ♣ 9 3 2

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Bruun	Lauria	Fredin
3♥	Dbl	Pass	3♠
Pass	4♥	Pass	4NT
Pass	5♣	Pass	5♦
Pass	5♥	Pass	6♠
Pass	7♠	All pass

Apparently, 4NT, 5♣, 5♦ and 5♥ were all cuebids, so Bruun judged very well to bid the grand in spite of the pre-empt in front of him. Schaltz +1510. Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Christiansen	Angelini	Schaltz M	Sementa
2♥	Dbl	3♣	3♠
Pass	4♣	Pass	4♦
Pass	4♥	Pass	4♠
Pass	6♠	All pass

When Christiansen opened only 2♥ Angelini had much more room, but after partner’s 4♠ he gave up by jumping straight to 6♠ where a more forward-going action seemed appropriate. Parioli +1010 and Schaltz finally had scored 11 imps in this segment. Not that it mattered very much:

Board 9. Dlr: North/EW
	♠ 10 9 ♥ K 5 4 ♦ Q J 3 2 ♣ 8 6 4 2
♠ 5 ♥ A Q 10 8 3 2 ♦ A K 4 ♣ K J 7		♠ A 7 6 3 ♥ 9 ♦ 10 9 8 7 6 ♣ A 10 5
	♠ K Q J 8 4 2 ♥ J 7 6 ♦ 5 ♣ Q 9 3

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Bruun	Lauria	Fredin
	Pass	Pass	3♠
Dbl	Pass	3NT	Pass
4♥	All pass

Versace won the ♠K lead and had little choice but to run the ♥9. When the king won and trumps turned out to be 3-3 he had 11 tricks. The play was funny (or elegant, if you want): ♠K to the ace, ♥9 to the king, ♠ 9 ruffed, two top hearts, ♣A and a low (!) diamond. Of course, had Versace played ♣AK and another, North would have been endplayed, but this way North could exit in diamonds. Not that it helped him very much: on the run of the trumps the double squeeze was automatic as North guards diamonds in front of dummy. Neither defender could possibly hold three clubs without establishing dummy’s last diamond or spade. It looked a board without history but at the other table, they made heavy weather of the play: Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Christiansen	Angelini	Schaltz M	Sementa
	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♠	Pass
3♥	Pass	3NT	All pass

Schaltz ducked the lead of the ♠Q and the ♠J continuation as well, but won the third spade. He had thrown two hearts from dummy and so ran into trouble when diamonds proved 4-1. He had ducked the first diamond to North who had returned a club, so he got the bad news on cashing the ♦A. He might have recovered now by crossing in clubs and playing a heart to the ten, but when he next cashed the ♦K first, this chance had gone too. He did his best by cashing out his clubs and conceding a diamond to North, but when Angelini produced the 13th club Schaltz had to concede one down. Parioli another unexpected 13 imps. The next board:

Board 10. Dlr: East/All
	♠ J 5 ♥ J 5 3 ♦ A 9 8 4 3 ♣ 7 6 5
♠ Q 10 3 ♥ A K 10 9 8 6 ♦ Q ♣ A K J		♠ K 8 6 4 2 ♥ 4 2 ♦ J 10 5 ♣ Q 10 4
	♠ A 9 7 ♥ Q 7 ♦ K 7 6 2 ♣ 9 8 3 2

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Bruun	Lauria	Fredin
		Pass	Pass
1♥	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♥	Pass
4♥	All pass

Probably, the best game contract is 4♠, as you can afford to lose two spades and one diamond trick, but not a heart trick as well. When Lauria showed “false preference” the spade fit did not matter any more for Versace. Bruun led a trump to the queen and ace and Versace crossed to dummy’s ♣Q to finesse in trumps. Bruun won his jack and exited in clubs. On the run of the trumps, dummy discarded two small spades and Fredin the ♦7 and the ♠7. The latter happened to be the card he should have contributed had declarer led a spade to the king. If he does not duck this, Versace would have had no option but to play the ♠Q from hand next, making his contract after all. After this discard, Versace could afford to lead the ♠Q from hand to land his contract. Parioli +620.

Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Christiansen	Angelini	Schaltz M	Sementa
		Pass	Pass
1♣	Pass	1♦	Pass
1♠	Pass	1NT	Pass
2♥	Pass	2NT	Pass
3♥	Pass	4♥	All pass

1♣ was the heart variation once again, but at this table too, no signs of a spade fit. Angelini led a club and declarer drew trumps, Angelini winning the jack and exiting in clubs. With the ♣Q still in dummy as an entry to lead spades, Christiansen could start spades by leading up to the king. It did not matter so much if Sementa ducked this or not, so Sementa won and returned the suit. When declarer put in the ♠10 he was one down for another +100 and 12 imps to Parioli. There was nothing to the two last boards, so the Italians had won the second quarter 71-11 to take an unassailable 68-imp lead. It looked all over at the halfway mark.