Austria v Sweden Girls Round 3 The reigning champions in the Girls Championship, Austria, faced last year’s runners-up, Sweden, in the third round. With only one player exchanged from last year, Austria is the favourite to win another title. Sweden is expected to be one of the main challengers, with three of the silver medallists from Prague present here. The Swedish pair, Cecilia Rimstedt/Sara Sivelind, was one of two pairs that as recently Monday this week won the Nordic Junior Championship played in Vingsted, Denmark. Five countries were participating with the following result:   1. Sweden 203 2. Denmark (1) 182 3. Norway 171 4. Denmark (2) 140 5. Finland 115 6. Iceland 69 Daniel Salomonsson/Per-Erik Malmstrom, one of the Swedish pairs playing in the Juniors here in Riccione, was the other pair in the winning team. Well, now over to this catfight. One could expect a lot of flat boards in this match but that was not the case – an average of more than 5 IMPs would be exchanged per board. Austria was first out of the starting blocks. Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.   ♠ 4 ♥ K Q 10 6 4 3 2 ♦ 10 ♣ K 9 7 2 ♠ Q J 10 6 ♥ A 8 7 5 ♦ K 6 ♣ 8 6 4 ♠ 8 7 5 ♥ 9 ♦ A Q J 9 7 ♣ A Q 5 3   ♠ A K 9 3 2 ♥ J ♦ 8 5 4 3 2 ♣ J 10 West North East South Sjoberg Grumm S. Rimstedt Ad. Gogoman   4♥ All Pass   West North East South Assmann Sivelind An. Gogoman C. Rimstedt   3♥ 4♦ Pass 5♦ All Pass     If North opens 4♥, as Iris Grumm did, it is likely that it will be the final contract. That was what happened in the Open Room. After a trump lead declarer collected nine tricks for –50. This time Grumm had the bad luck to find too good cards in dummy, since one trick is missing in a minor-suit game by E/W. In the Closed Room the Austrian girls had the chance to reach a successful game in no trump, but when Anna Gogoman overcalled 4♦ she was raised to a diamond game by her partner, a contract likely to go at least down one. The Swedes were on the right track by leading the king of spades but then the dummy’s spade combination frightened South and she now switched to the jack of hearts. Dummy won the ace then cashed two rounds of trumps to discover the bad break. Next came a spade to South’s ace. A spade will now break the communication for declarer, but back came a diamond, so declarer could draw all the trumps and cross to dummy in spades to reach this ending:   ♠ - ♥ K ♦ - ♣ K 9 7 ♠ Q ♥ 8 ♦ - ♣ 8 6 ♠ - ♥ - ♦ - ♣ A Q 5 3   ♠ 3 2 ♥ - ♦ - ♣ J 10 West is to play. On the queen of spades North has to throw in the towel. If she discards her heart, dummy’s well preserved heart will win the next trick and a finesse in clubs will finish the job. A club pitch is not much better since a club finesse will give declarer the last trick on the five of clubs; +400 and 8 IMPs to Austria – what a shocking start for Sweden. Austria felt even more comfortable after two boards were played. Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.   ♠ K Q J 8 2 ♥ J 10 6 2 ♦ J 8 ♣ 10 6 ♠ 5 3 ♥ K Q 8 4 ♦ K 9 7 6 3 ♣ J 9 ♠ 6 4 ♥ 5 3 ♦ A Q 5 4 2 ♣ 8 7 3 2   ♠ A 10 9 7 ♥ A 9 7 ♦ 10 ♣ A K Q 5 4 West North East South Sjoberg Grumm S. Rimstedt Ad. Gogoman       Pass 1♣* 1♥ Dble Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass   West North East South Assmann Sivelind An. Gogoman C. Rimstedt     Pass 1♣ Pass 1♠ Pass 3♦* Pass 4♠ Pass 4NT Pass 5♣ Pass 5♦ Pass 6♠ All Pass   In the Open Room the double showed 7+ HCPs but less than three controls, so Adele Gogoman stopped in game; +650. At the other table 3♦ was a splinter and Sara Sivelind accepted the invite by bidding 4♠. Cecilia Rimstedt liked her hand and asked for aces then the trump queen. The auction had not allowed any cuebids, so Rimstedt could just hope for some high heart honour(s). When they didn’t appear in dummy she had to rely on the clubs to be split 3-3. This was not the day and that was –100 and 13 IMPs to Austria, now in the lead by 21-0. Next came a push. Sweden then struck back when Sandra Rimstedt declared 1NT nicely for 9 IMPs. 7 IMPs were gained by Austria when this swing came: Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.   ♠ Q 3 ♥ Q 4 3 ♦ A Q 10 6 5 2 ♣ K 8 ♠ 8 7 5 ♥ 9 ♦ 8 4 ♣ Q J 10 7 6 4 3 ♠ K 10 9 6 4 ♥ A K J 10 ♦ K ♣ A 9 2   ♠ A J 2 ♥ 8 7 6 5 2 ♦ J 9 7 3 ♣ 5 West North East South Sjoberg Grumm S. Rimstedt Ad. Gogoman       Pass Pass 1♦ Dble 1♥ 2♣ 2♥ 2♠ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass West North East South Assmann Sivelind An. Gogoman C. Rimstedt       Pass Pass 1♦ 1♠ 2♦ Pass 3♦ 3♥ Pass 3♠ All Pass     How often do you see all four players more or less make a mistake on the very same board? Not very often, I suppose. Emma Sjoberg was not shy in this auction. To be fair, Sjoberg didn’t err in a sense, but two unforced calls from her with West’s hand might be one too many. Her partner, Sandra Rimstedt, bid game, a sensible choice from her point of view – but a losing one. The lead was a diamond to the ace. If the defence continues to play diamonds every time they have a chance, declarer will run out of trumps. However, Grumm erred by playing a spade at trick two – and now the contract is cold. On the spade declarer played the four and South won the trick with the jack. Next came the ace of spades and next in line to err was Rimstedt, by too quickly playing the six. The entry to dummy had blown away – but only if Adele Gogoman now exits with her last spade. As you can understand, she did not. When she continued with a heart she was the ultimate person at the table to err. Now declarer could win in hand, ruff a heart, play a club to the nine and draw the last trump out and claim for a remarkable +620. At the other table Austria scored +140 but 10 IMPs to Sweden. Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.   ♠ 10 9 8 7 6 ♥ Q ♦ J 8 7 ♣ K 9 8 5 ♠ A K ♥ 6 5 2 ♦ K 10 5 2 ♣ J 6 3 2 ♠ Q 2 ♥ A K 10 9 7 ♦ A Q 9 ♣ Q 7 4   ♠ J 5 4 3 ♥ J 8 4 3 ♦ 6 4 3 ♣ A 10 West North East South Sjoberg Grumm S. Rimstedt Ad. Gogoman 1NT* Pass 2♦* Pass 2NT* Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠* Pass 3NT Pass 4♥ All Pass     West North East South Assmann Sivelind An. Gogoman C. Rimstedt 1♦ Pass 1♥ Pass 1NT Pass 2♣* Pass 2♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass In both rooms E/W were one level too high. Cecilia Rimstedt led a diamond in the Closed Room and after she had won the third trump trick with the jack she could tell there was no future in diamonds, so there was no other option than to play the ace of clubs and continue the suit. Sivelind gave her partner a well-deserved ruff and that was down one; –50. In the Open Room Adele Googman started with a spade and when she had won a trick with the jack of hearts she had to choose which minor suit to continue. With no clues from the auction she played a diamond. Declarer could win, draw the last trump and count to ten tricks and another 10 IMPs to Sweden. Three flat boards followed and that gave us the score Austria 30, Sweden 29, with nine boards to go. The score had moved on to 50 to 35 in favour of Sweden when this came along: Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.   ♠ A K ♥ 10 8 6 5 2 ♦ 10 3 ♣ Q J 9 3 ♠ Q J 5 ♥ K 9 7 4 ♦ A K 5 ♣ K 10 2 ♠ 9 8 7 4 ♥ Q J ♦ Q 4 2 ♣ A 8 7 4   ♠ 10 6 3 2 ♥ A 3 ♦ J 9 8 7 6 ♣ 6 5 West North East South Sjoberg Grumm S. Rimstedt Ad. Gogoman     1NT* Pass 2♦* Pass 2♠ Pass 3NT All Pass     West North East South Assmann Sivelind An. Gogoman C. Rimstedt     Pass Pass 1NT Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 2NT All Pass     As the cards lie 3NT can always make by West while a club lead will beat the game with East as declarer. In the Open Room the Swedes reached 3NT, but due to a weak no trump opening East had to declare. The lead was a diamond won in dummy. When she now played the king of clubs there were only losing options left. The defence now had five tricks to win: two clubs, two spades and one heart. In the Closed Room North led the queen of clubs and Assman was able to win nine tricks for +150 to Austria and 6 important IMPs. Sweden missed a cold game on the penultimate board and that was another 10 IMPs to Austria. On the last board Sweden scored 1 IMP and that left us with a draw, 51-51 IMPs. The final score was changed to 15-14 to Sweden due to late arrival by one of the Austrian players.

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