Hungary v France – Round 11 Juniors
Round 11 of the Junior series saw a match between Hungary and France, two of the teams who are going to be representing Europe at the World Youth Championships in Sydney next month. The match proved to be tight throughout on a relatively quiet set of boards.
| Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul. |
| |
♠ K 5 3 2
♥ J 9 3
♦ J 10 9 2
♣ Q 6 |
♠ 6
♥ K 8 6 2
♦ A K 7 6 5
♣ K 9 5 |
 |
♠ A J 10 9
♥ Q 7 5
♦ Q 3
♣ 10 8 7 2 |
| |
♠ Q 8 7 4
♥ A 10 4
♦ 8 4
♣ A J 4 3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessiere |
Minarik |
O.Bessis |
Marjai |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1♦ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 2♦ |
All Pass |
|
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Szabo |
T. Bessis |
Honyek |
Gaviard |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1♦ |
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
| 2♦ |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
| Pass |
2♠ |
Pass |
Pass |
| 3♦ |
All Pass |
|
|
The French E/W pair had a normal auction to 2♦, against which Gabor Minarik led the jack of trumps. Godefroy De Tessieres won in dummy and cashed two more top diamonds before playing a heart for the queen and ace. Back came a heart which he ducked so Minarik won the ♥9 and cashed his diamond winner before switching to a low spade. De Tessieres rose with dummy’s ace and led a club a club to the king, claiming nine tricks a moment later; +90.
I don’t know why Andres Honyek responded 1NT rather than 1♠ at the other table. It encouraged Julian Gaviard to think that it might be worth balancing when 2♦ came around to him and Thomas Bessis responded 2♠, naturally enough. Had Honyek been able to make a penalty double at this point his initial response would have worked out very nicely indeed as 2♠ doubled looks to be two down for –500. However, whether for reasons of judgement or of system, Honyek passed and now Csaba Szabo fell from grace when he bid his five-card diamond suit for a third time – should it not be East’s job to compete in diamonds if anyone when West has already shown genuine length in the suit?
The play did not go well for Szabo. Bessis led a low spade and declarer rose with dummy’s ace to play a heart to the king then duck a heart. Gaviard won the ♥10 and played the ♠Q, ruffed. Szabo cleared the hearts and ruffed the spade return then ruffed the thirteenth heart with dummy’s queen, led the last spade off the dummy and was forced to over-ruff the eight with the king as Gaviard had pitched his last spade on the fourth heart. Now Szabo played ace and his last diamond and Bessis, who had thrown a club on the fourth heart, had three diamonds followed by a club to the ace at trick thirteen; down two for –200 and 7 IMPs to France.
| Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul. |
| |
♠ 10 8 5
♥ Q 10 8 2
♦ 6 5 3
♣ 10 6 4 |
♠ 9 7 4
♥ 7
♦ Q J 9 8 4 2
♣ Q 8 3 |
|
♠ A K Q J 6 3
♥ J
♦ K 7
♣ A J 9 7 |
| |
♠ 2
♥ A K 9 6 5 4 3
♦ A 10
♣ K 5 2 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessiere |
Minarik |
O.Bessis |
Marjai |
| |
|
1♠ |
Dble |
| 2♦ |
Pass |
3♣ |
3♥ |
| 3♠ |
Pass |
4♦ |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
| 5♣ |
Pass |
5♠ |
All Pass |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Szabo |
T. Bessis |
Honyek |
Gaviard |
| |
|
1♠ |
2♥ |
| 2♠ |
Pass |
4♥ |
Pass |
| 4♠ |
All Pass |
|
|
I much prefer a simple raise to 2♠ to De Tessiere’s 2♦ over the take-out double and I suspect that Olivier Bessis agrees with me, as his subsequent bidding clearly suggests that he was expecting his partner to deliver more strength than was actually the case. Peter Marjai led ace of hearts followed by ace and ten of diamonds and there was nothing Bessis could do once the ten of spades failed to appear on the first two rounds of the suit; down one for –100.
Gaviard started with a simple overcall in the other room and that took the losing options away from Szabo who bid a quiet 2♠. Honyek made a slam try via a splinter but Szabo was not interested; +620 and 12 IMPs out of nowhere for Hungary
| Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul. |
| |
♠ A K 6
♥ 10 3
♦ J 8 5 4 3
♣ 10 9 4 |
♠ 3
♥ A 7
♦ K 10 9 6
♣ A Q J 5 3 2 |
|
♠ Q 10 9 5 4 2
♥ J 5 4
♦ A Q 7
♣ 7 |
| |
♠ J 8 7
♥ K Q 9 8 6 2
♦ 2
♣ K 8 6 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessiere |
Minarik |
O.Bessis |
Marjai |
| Szabo |
T. Bessis |
Honyek |
Gaviard |
| |
|
|
2♥ |
| 3♣ |
Pass |
3♠ |
Pass |
| 3NT |
All Pass |
|
|
Two identical auctions saw the respective E/W pairs reach what appears to be a doomed game. And, indeed, the French wasted no time in getting it down. Thomas Bessis led the ♥10, ducked, then his remaining heart to the ace. Szabo crossed to the queen of diamonds to play a club to the queen. When he next cashed the ace and the king failed to appear, Szabo tried to split the diamonds and was soon three down for –150.
In the other room, Minarik tried a diamond lead and when dummy’s seven held the trick he knew immediately that this was not such a good idea and could only pray that a heart would have been no better. His prayers were not answered today, of course. De Tessiere played three rounds of clubs and had ten tricks for +430 and 11 IMPs to France.
| Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| |
♠ J 6 5
♥ K 10 7 6
♦ K Q 9 4
♣ K 7 |
♠ A 9 7 2
♥ A 4
♦ A 10 8 7
♣ Q 8 3 |
|
♠ 10 8 4 3
♥ Q 9 8 3
♦ J
♣ A 6 5 2 |
| |
♠ K Q
♥ J 5 2
♦ 6 5 3 2
♣ J 10 9 4 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessiere |
Minarik |
O.Bessis |
Marjai |
| |
1NT |
Pass |
Pass |
| Dble |
All Pass |
|
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Szabo |
T. Bessis |
Honyek |
Gaviard |
| |
1♦ |
Pass |
1NT |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
Where Bessis opened the North hand with 1♦, it was Gaviard, South, who became declarer. On this auction it was natural for Szabo to lead a spade, which was won by declarer’s queen. Gaviard led a diamond to the king then a heart for the jack and ace. Szabo returned a heart and Gaviard went up with the king then played a hopeful ♦Q, attempting to pin the ten. No luck. Szabo won the diamond and led a low spade to Gaviard’s king. Gaviard tried a club to the king now, losing to the ace. The defence cashed two spades, a club and a diamond, but Szabo could not get to his partner’s heart winner so had to give the last two tricks to declaer; still one down for –50 and 6 IMPs to Hungary.
| Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
| |
♠ A K 9 8 4
♥ K 10 9 5
♦ K Q 3
♣ K |
♠ J 7
♥ A 4 3 2
♦ 7 5 4
♣ A Q J 6 |
|
♠ Q 6 5 3 2
♥ J 7
♦ 2
♣ 10 7 5 3 2 |
| |
♠ 10
♥ Q 8 6
♦ A J 10 9 8 6
♣ 9 8 4 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessiere |
Minarik |
O.Bessis |
Marjai |
| Szabo |
T. Bessis |
Honyek |
Gaviard |
| |
|
|
3♦ |
| Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
|
Five Diamonds might have been a better spot in theory but 3NT proved to be just fine in practice.
Honyek led the jack of hearts and Szabo beat the queen with his ace and promptly switched to a club – the six! Bessis claimed twelve tricks for +490.
Olivier Bessis led his fourth-best spade to the jack and ace and Minarik crossed to the ♦J to lead a low heart off the table. De Tessiere shot in with his ace and switched to a club – the six! Minarik claimed twelve tricks for +490; no swing.
If West assumes that the diamonds are running, he must cash four club tricks immediately to defeat the contract, and if East holds king-doubleton it is necessary to switch to the small club. Whenever North has the guarded king it is unlikely to matter what West does, so which is more likely, that declarer has bare king or ten-to-four?
I don’t see how West can know from the cards he has seen to date, so the only clue is that declarer did choose to play 3NT when apparently holding three-card diamond support. East is known to hold the ♠Q, either because of the low card lead in one case or simply because declarer would have nine tricks if holding all the top spades. Three No Trump looks to me to be a more attractive choice, as opposed to 5♦, if declarer has ♠AK, ♥K, ♦KQ and ♣10xxx than if he has his actual club holding, so I think both Wests did the right thing and were unlucky.
Anyway, the end result of all this was that Hungary earned a narrow win, 35-32 IMPs, 16-14 VPs, doing nobody any great harm.
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