Blast FROM THE PAST Yesterday’s schedule meant that there was no bridge played until the evening, making it not so convenient to try to include a match report in this morning’s Daily Bulletin. However, we know that you would all like to have some bridge to read about, so are repeating an article from the 2003 World Junior Championships. We hope that you enjoy the story of the fourth and final set of the semi-final match between Italy and USA, which was without a doubt the highlight of the Championships. With 16 boards to play in their semi-final match against Italy, USA2 tralied by 60.5 IMPs. Surely their hopes of successfully defending the title won two years ago in Brazil were dead and buried. If so, nobody told the Americans that. They came back strong in those 16 boards and gave the Italians a terrible scare. Board 49. None Vul. Dealer North.   ª A 10 7 © J 6 5 2 ¨ Q 10 9 2 § 3 2 ª K Q 8 © Q 3 ¨ 7 4 § A K 9 8 7 6 ª J 6 4 3 © K 9 7 ¨ 8 6 5 3 § Q 4   ª 9 5 2 © A 10 8 4 ¨ A K J § J 10 5 West North East South Bathurst Lo Presti Mignocchi Mazzadi   Pass Pass 1¨ 2§ Dble Pass 2© 3§ All Pass     West North East South F di Bello Hurd S di Bello Wooldridge   Pass Pass 1¨ 2§ 2¨ All Pass   Mazzadi’s 1¨ opening might have been based on a doubleton diamond with long clubs while Wooldridge promis ed at least three cards and usually four. Lo Presti had to start with a negative double where Hurd could simply raise diamonds. The diamond raise ended the auction when Furio di Bello judged not to bid a second time with the West cards. At the other table Bathurst repeated the clubs and bought the contract. Against 2¨ the defence began with three rounds of clubs but crashed the queen in the process. Wooldridge was happy to let East take a club ruff and pitched a losing spade from the dummy. When he managed to play the hearts for one loser, expecting East to hold the greater length there, he had eight tricks for +90. Lo Presti led a heart against 3§ but there was nothing to the play. Bathurst took nin etricks for +110 and 5 IMPs to USA2; 119.5-175. Board 50. N/S Vul. Dealer East.   ª A 7 3 2 © Q 5 2 ¨ K J 6 3 § 6 5 ª 10 © 8 7 6 ¨ 9 8 § A K Q J 8 7 3 ª K 8 4 © A K 4 3 ¨ A Q 10 5 § 4 2   ª Q J 9 6 5 © J 10 9 ¨ 7 4 2 § 10 9 West North East South Bathurst Lo Presti Mignocchi Mazzadi     1NT Pass 2ª Pass 2NT Pass 3ª Pass 4§ Pass 4NT Pass 5© Pass 6§ All Pass     West North East South F di Bello Hurd S di Bello Wooldridge     1§ Pass 2§ Pass 2NT Pass 4§ Pass 4¨ Pass 4ª Pass 4NT Pass 6§ All Pass     Mignocchi opened 1NT and Bathurst transferred to clubs then showed spade shortage. When Mignocchi chose to support clubs rather than bid no trump, Bathurst asked for key cards then bid the small slam. Stelio di Bello’s 1§ promised only two cards and 2§ was forcing for one round. When Stelio showed his strong no trump, Furio set clubs as trumps and, after a couple of cuebids, blasted the slam. Six Clubs is not agood contract, but at least both pairs managed to get it played by East, which offered more prospects of getting a favourable lead should one be needed. As it happened, every important card was well-placed so that declarer could not go wrong; flat at +920 and still Italy 175-119.5. Board 51. E/W Vul. Dealer South.   ª A 5 3 2 © K 3 ¨ K 9 2 § J 6 4 2 ª Q © J 7 2 ¨ A J 10 7 § A Q 7 5 3 ª K 10 9 7 6 © Q 10 6 4 ¨ 4 3 § K 9   ª J 8 4 © A 9 8 5 ¨ Q 8 6 5 § 10 8 West North East South Bathurst Lo Presti Mignocchi Mazzadi       Pass 1§ Pass 1ª Pass 1NT Pass 2© All Pass West North East South F di Bello Hurd S di Bello Wooldridge       Pass 1§ Pass 2ª All Pass The Americans had a standard auction to 2©, while the di Bellos got to the inferior spot of 2ª when Stelio responded with that bid, showing 8-11 with five spades and four hearts. Mazzadi led a low trump against 2© but ducked the heart return to dummy’s jack. The ªQ held the next trick and Mignocchi crossed to the king of clubs to ruff a spade then played two more rounds of clubs. Mazzadi could ruff and cash the ©A but the defence could only come to a spade and a diamond from here; +110. Two Spades was not a pleasant spot for Stelio. The lead was the §10 and eventually both defenders came to ruffs to beat the contract by a trick; –100 and 5 IMPs to USA2, closing to 124.5-175. Board 52. All Vul. Dealer West.   ª K Q 6 © J 7 4 2 ¨ Q 4 § A J 9 5 ª A J 4 2 © 10 8 ¨ 7 2 § K Q 10 8 3 ª 10 9 7 5 © K 9 5 ¨ A K 10 9 6 § 4   ª 8 3 © A Q 6 3 ¨ J 8 5 3 § 7 6 2 West North East South Bathurst Lo Presti Mignocchi Mazzadi 1§ Dble Rdbl Pass 1ª Pass 2ª All Pass West North East South F di Bello Hurd S di Bello Wooldridge 1§ Pass 1¨ Pass 1ª Pass 4ª All Pass Given a free auction, the di Bello brothers bid up to the spade game, while Lo Presti’s take-out double helped to keep the Americans low, stopping in just 2ª. Against 2ª, Lo Presti led a heart to Mazzadi’s queen and back came a trump, ducked to the queen. A second heart to the ace permitted Mazzadi to lead a second trump, thereby restricting declarer to one club ruff in the dummy. That would have been sufficient had Bathurst got the diamond position right, but he failed to do so, expecting North to hold more than two cards in the suit for his double of 1§. Bathurst ended up a trick short for –100. Four Spades wa sway too high a sthe cards lay. The defense began in the same fashion but Furio did get the diamonds right to make one extra trick; down two for –200 and 3 IMPs to USA2. Italy 175 USA2 127.5. Board 53. N/S Vul. Dealer North.   ª K J © K J 10 8 6 3 ¨ A 9 3 § 9 4 ª 9 6 3 © 9 5 ¨ K J 8 4 § K Q 7 5 ª A Q 7 2 © A Q 7 ¨ Q 10 7 6 § J 10   ª 10 8 5 4 © 4 2 ¨ 5 2 § A 8 6 3 2 West North East South Bathurst Lo Presti Mignocchi Mazzadi   1© 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass     West North East South F di Bello Hurd S di Bello Wooldridge   1© Dble Pass 2§ All Pass     Where Mignocchi wa shappy to overcall 1NT, showing his handtype and range, Stelio preferred to double in hope of finding a spade fit. Bathurst had an easy raise to 3NT, while Furio had a tricky choice and opted for the cautious 2§ response because jumping in a four-card minor was an unattractive option. Mazzadi led a heart against 3NT but Mignocchi ducked the first trick and, with on eof the minor-suit aces in the short heart hand, could no longer go down; nine tricks for +400. Furio had sufficient high cards between the two hands to overcome his lack of trumps and came to eight tricks for +90 but that was a further 7 IMPs to USA2, who had closed to 134.5-175. Board 54. E/W Vul. Dealer East.   ª A 7 6 4 © 10 7 5 ¨ 7 6 4 3 § J 10 ª 9 8 2 © A J 6 2 ¨ K J 9 § Q 9 6 ª K Q 10 3 © Q 8 3 ¨ A Q 10 5 § A K   ª J 5 © K 9 4 ¨ 8 2 § 8 7 5 4 3 2 West North East South Bathurst Lo Presti Mignocchi Mazzadi     2NT Pass 4NT Pass 5¨ Pass 6NT All Pass     West North East South F di Bello Hurd S di Bello Wooldridge     2NT Pass 3§ Pass 3¨ Pass 3ª Pass 3NT Pass 4NT All Pass     Bathurst made an invitational raise to 4NT and Mignocchi accepted, suggesting diamonds as an alternative contract. Bathurst settled for 6NT and now Mazzadi made a very surprising choice of opening lead, a low heart. I have always understood that one should generally make attacking opening leads against small slams played with a trump suit, but to do so against 6NT when the strong hand is on the right and both opponents are balanced is not a style with which i can agree. Here it gave declarer four heart tricks if he needed them. Mignocchi won the ©Q and crossed to the ¨J to play a spade to the king. He later played a second spade to the queen, not believing that he would have the entire heart suit; +1440. On any lead, a successful spade play will give twelve tricks, of course. Furio looked for a heart fit before inviting slam. Looking at a minimum, Stelio declined the invitation and he came to only eleven tricks, not that this mattered in the slightest; +660. USA2 had picked up another 13 IMPs and at 147.5-175 it was beginning to get interesting. Board 55. All Vul. Dealer South.