Belgium v France – Round 15 Juniors
Beware of Derby-matches
By Jean-Francois Jourdain ( Belgium)
For the first time since I became the captain of the Belgian Junior team (this means 1998), my boys managed to beat France, forcing me to go for the third time of the tournament to the grocer’s, buying a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge (some in my team prefer Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, but this is my business after all). Belgium had an excellent day on Wednesday, winning their three matches against Portugal (18-12), Romania (23-7) and finally France. The Frenchies, however, were the first to fire :
| Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| |
♠ -
♥ K 7
♦ A 9 8 7 6 4 3 2
♣ A J 7 |
♠ A 10 9 8 5 3 2
♥ J 2
♦ 5
♣ 10 5 2 |
 |
♠ 6
♥ 9 4 3
♦ K Q 10
♣ K Q 9 6 4 3 |
| |
♠ K Q J 7 4
♥ A Q 10 8 6 5
♦ J
♣ 8 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Hubert |
T Bessis |
Guiot |
Gaviard |
| |
1♦ |
Pass |
1♥ |
| 3♠ |
4♦ |
Pass |
4♥ |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessieres |
De Donder |
O Bessis |
De Roos |
| |
1♦ |
2♣ |
2♥ |
| 2♠ |
3♦ |
Pass |
3♠ |
| Pass |
6♦ |
Dble |
All Pass |
In the Closed Room, France had a fairly easy auction to reach 4♥ when Gaviard seemed not to be too interesteinby his partner’s long diamonds. This contract was made with an overtrick when West immediately covered the K♠, allowing declarer to take the ruffing finesse; France +450.
In the Open Room, Olivier Bessis overcalled 2♣ and Godefroy de Tessieres prudently bid 2♠. Sitting behind the cards of Steve De Roos, if I had not known Godefroy for so many years, I should have thought he had simply psyched, but it appeared not to be the case at all. Intending to show his spade stopper (and what a stopper!), De Roos bid 3♠, which encouraged De Donder to leap to the thin diamond slam. This simply requires an even break in both red suits, and that was not the case. Olivier Bessis doubled happily but could not bring it more than one down. Anyway, 11 IMPS went to France.
France did not stay in the lead for very long. This is what happened on Board 6:
| Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul. |
| |
♠ J 10 5 2
♥ 3
♦ 10 9 8 6
♣ J 5 4 2 |
♠ K 9 6
♥ 10 4 2
♦ K 4 2
♣ A 10 8 7 |
|
♠ A 7 4
♥ K Q 9 8 7
♦ A J 7
♣ Q 9 |
| |
♠ Q 8 3
♥ A J 6 5
♦ Q 5 3
♣ K 6 3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Hubert |
T Bessis |
Guiot |
Gaviard |
| |
|
1♥ |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
| 3NT |
All Pass |
|
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessieres |
De Donder |
O Bessis |
De Roos |
| |
|
1NT |
Pass |
| 3NT |
All Pass |
|
|
When I started to play bridge, it was stated in all French bridge books that the 1NT opening bid with a five-card major was a kind of heretic disorder, but nowadays they know better. Both tables avoided the inferior contract of 4♥, which can still be made if you guess right in clubs, providing two discards for declarer’s two losers, one in diamonds and one in spades. In the Closed Room, Gaviard was told a heart lead was insane, and led the ♣6. This soon gave two early club tricks to declarer. After that he played on hearts and made his contract easily with three hearts and two tricks in each side-suit; Belgium + 600.
In the Open Room, De Roos knew nothing about declarer’s heart holding, so he simply started his long suit. This ran to dummy’s ten. Back came another heart to the king which was ducked by South (the key play), De Donder discarding the ♦10. A third heart was taken by the jack, De Donder pitching this time the ♠5. De Roos switched to the ♠Q and Bessis ducked. He had to win the spade continuation in hand in order to clear the hearts. Back came a spade for dummy and now declarer had to guess the clubs right to make his contract. With only one entry left in his hand he could no longer take the double finesse in clubs, so he tried a club to the queen and he was doomed to go down; 12 IMPS to Belgium.
A few seconds later, the Frenchies had a disaster:
| Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul. |
| |
♠ Q 10
♥ 6
♦ A 6 4 2
♣ Q J 9 8 6 4 |
♠ A K J 9 3
♥ A 7
♦ 10 3
♣ A K 7 3 |
|
♠ 8 7 6 2
♥ K 10 9
♦ K Q 9 8 7 5
♣ - |
| |
♠ 5 4
♥ Q J 8 5 4 3 2
♦ J
♣ 10 5 2 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Hubert |
T Bessis |
Guiot |
Gaviard |
| 1♠ |
2♣ |
4♠ |
5♣ |
| Dble |
Pass |
Pass |
5♥ |
| Dble |
All Pass |
|
|
Julien Gaviard took a very optimistic save in 5♣, hoping to find some heart values with partner. Alas, this was not the case. Alexandre Hubert had no difficulty in finding a double which could reward him. This would have been +1400 after the lead of two top spades and three rounds of trumps. Gaviard changed his mind and ran to hearts, so he escaped for ‘only’ five down. Belgium +1100 and that meant a first drink to pay for me.
However, this could have been a pretty good result for France if Olivier Bessis and Godefroy de Tessieres had bid 6♦ or even 6 NT in the other room, but they found absolutely no reason to escape from the nine-card spade fit, and so went one down in 6♠ when De Donder, who had pre-empted 3♣, found the lead of the ♦A and gave his partner a ruff at the next trick. Anyway, after North’s pre-empt it would have been quite difficult for declarer to find the ♠Q. Belgium scored a further +50 and 14 IMPS.
On Board 13 Belgium stopped in the Closed Room in 2NT for a simple make but, at the table, the French players suggested that the vulnerable 4♥ should be cold. Deep Finesse thinks, meanwhile, that it should go one down. he Frenchies were consistent in the other room when they indeed settled for 4♥, doubled and two down; -500 and a further 12 IMPS to Belgium.
The Belgian lead had increased to an interesting 20-10 VP potential, when France went seriously wrong again, this time in the Open Room:
| Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| |
♠ Q 9 6 2
♥ 10 9 8 5
♦ K 10 8
♣ 6 4 |
♠ K 4 3
♥ Q 6 2
♦ A Q 5
♣ K Q 3 2 |
|
♠ J 8
♥ J
♦ 9 7 6 4 3 2
♣ A 9 7 5 |
| |
♠ A 10 7 5
♥ A K 7 4 3
♦ J
♣ J 10 8 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Hubert |
T Bessis |
Guiot |
Gaviard |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
1♥ |
| 1NT |
2♦(i) |
Pass |
2♥ |
| Pass |
Pass |
3♦ |
3♥ |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessieres |
De Donder |
O Bessis |
De Roos |
| |
Pass |
Pass |
1♥ |
| 1NT |
2♥ |
3♣(i) |
3♥ |
| Pass |
Pass |
4♣ |
Pass |
| 4♠(ii) |
Dble |
4 NT |
Pass |
| 5♠ |
Dble |
Pass |
Pass |
| 6♣ |
Dble |
All Pass |
|
When Alex Hubert overcalled 1NT, Thomas Bessis transferred to 2♥. When that came back to him, Benoit Guiot tried the simple and efficient competitive bid of 3♦, which should have been lay down. Gaviard tried a third heart but it appeared to be one too many. He guessed the spades right after the bidding, but had nevertheless to go one down; Belgium +50.
In the Open Room, Olivier Bessis transferred immediately to diamonds, but then took the push to 4♣. Despite the fact that he was facing a passed hand, Godefroy de Tessieres could still imagine something like ♠Qx ♥- ♦Kxxxxx ♣Axxxx with his partner and started cuebidding. His partner desperately tried to stop him by bidding 4 NT but that only comforted de Tessieres in his opinion that 4♣ was forcing, so he answered to RKCB, showing two key cards and the Q♣. When the smoke cleared, and De Donder ran out of doubles, he was four down for –800; Belgium another 13 IMPS.
Finally, France limited the damage a little on the very last deal:
| Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul. |
| |
♠ A 10 8
♥ A 7 2
♦ 4 3 2
♣ A 7 5 3 |
♠ 9 7 6
♥ J 9
♦ A K J 5
♣ Q J 6 4 |
|
♠ K Q 4 3 2
♥ K Q 4
♦ Q 6
♣ K 9 2 |
| |
♠ J 5
♥ 10 8 6 5 3
♦ 10 9 8 7
♣ 10 8 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Hubert |
T Bessis |
Guiot |
Gaviard |
| Pass |
1♦ |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 2♦ |
|
Pass |
3♦ Pass |
| 4♠ |
Dble |
All Pass |
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| De Tessieres |
De Donder |
O Bessis |
De Roos |
| 1♦ |
Pass |
1♠ |
Pass |
| 1NT |
Pass |
2♣ |
Pass |
| 2♦ |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
In the Closed Room, Alex Hubert proved to be the most conservative junior in the field when he did not consider his cards to be worth an opening (this is not very surprising as he will be too old next year to be a junior). So Thomas Bessis could enter the bidding by opening his best minor (if you could say so). Nevertheless, the Belgians rapidly bid the game, but it proved not to be the best spot. Hubert should have settled for the obvious 3NT when his partner showed a fair hand with diamond problems. Knowing he was trailing, Bessis needed points and his three aces encouraged him to double. Julien Gaviard took the lazy ♦10 in hand, but he had a sudden inspiration and changed his mind, considering his best chance with his poor hand was to get a club ruff. So it happened soon and France scored +200.
In the Open Room Godefroy de Tessieres judged his hand very well when his partner first transferred to 2♦, then offered a choice of games. De Donder led the ♣5 for the two, eight and queen. He played a spade to the king which held, then a heart to the jack. De Donder hopped up with the ace and fired back another club. As the cards lie (i.e. the ace of spades onside) the contract could anyway not be defeated, but de Tessieres, not aware of that, did well by putting up the king, pinning the ten, so he made an overtrick and scored the last 13 IMPS of this exciting match, enough to hold the French loss to 12-18 VPs.
|
