The Semifinals: Hecht v. Miroglio by Jos Jacobs After the excitement all over the quarterfinals, the boards had quietened down a little at the start of the semis. In the other match, Orange was playing Özdil, below are some boards from the Hecht v. Miroglio match, which was in fact a contest between a Danish and a Polish team. The Danes recorded their first substantial swing of the match when Kowalski chose the wrong moment for one more aggressive action: Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.   ♠ A J 4 ♥ A 10 4 2 ♦ A 5 ♣ 10 8 7 3 ♠ K Q 9 5 2 ♥ J ♦ K Q 3 ♣ K Q 6 2 ♠ 6 ♥ 8 6 5 ♦ 10 9 6 4 2 ♣ A J 5 4   ♠ 10 8 7 3 ♥ K Q 9 7 3 ♦ J 8 7 ♣ 9 Open Room West North East South Kowalski L. Blakset Tuszynski Marquardsen   1NT Pass 2♦ 2♠ 3♥ Pass Pass Dble All Pass     As it happened, the Danes were rewarded a game bonus and something extra for a deal on which they already had missed their game. Hecht +930. Closed Room West North East South Hecht Romanski K. Blakset Stepinski   1♣ Pass 1♦ 1♠ Pass Pass 2♥ Dble 3♥ All Pass   Reaching the game proved not easy at all; it was also missed in the other semifinal. En tricks were easily made here as well, so Hecht scored 13 IMPs. A brave action by Romanski brought Miroglio a lot of IMPs: Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul.   ♠ - ♥ A K Q 8 7 6 5 3 ♦ 9 5 3 ♣ J 8 ♠ A K 10 7 5 ♥ 10 9 ♦ K 7 ♣ Q 9 4 2 ♠ Q 8 6 2 ♥ J 4 2 ♦ 10 2 ♣ A K 10 5   ♠ J 9 4 3 ♥ - ♦ A Q J 8 6 4 ♣ 7 6 3 Open Room: West North East South Kowalski L. Blakset Tuszynski Marquardsen     Pass Pass 1♠ 4♥ 4♠ Dble All Pass       Maybe, seeing his partner’s spade shortness, Marquardsen might have ventured 5♦, but the idea becomes less attractive in view of his own heart void. A double, asking for a heart lead no doubt, may be a little speculative too, and so it turned out. Miroglio +790. Closed Room West North East South Hecht Romanski K. Blakset Stepinski     Pass Pass 1♠ 4♥ 4♠ Dble Pass 5♥ All Pass   With the nice diamond fit, Romanski’s courage was well rewarded when he went down only one for an 12-IMP gain. On the next board, the Polish NS were the only pair in either semifinal to reach the proper contract: Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.   ♠ K 4 ♥ K Q 10 2 ♦ A K 9 7 ♣ 10 8 2 ♠ 9 3 ♥ A J 8 7 5 ♦ 8 6 ♣ K 9 7 6 ♠ 10 7 6 2 ♥ 9 3 ♦ 5 4 2 ♣ A Q 5 3   ♠ A Q J 8 5 ♥ 6 4 ♦ Q J 10 3 ♣ J 4 Open Room West North East South Kowalski L. Blakset Tuszynski Marquardsen       1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2NT Pass 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♦ Pass 4♠ Pass 5♣ Dble Pass Pass 5♦ All Pass   Declsrer lost his three top tricks for one down. Miroglio +50. Closed Room West North East South Hecht Romanski K. Blakset Stepinski       1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass   This wonderful auction led to a great result for Miroglio: ten tricks, +420 and 10 more IMPs to them to go back into the lead. The Strong Club gave the Danish a small chance to reach a thin vulnerable game on board 13, and they took it too: Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.   ♠ 9 3 ♥ 6 3 ♦ A 10 8 2 ♣ Q J 6 5 2 ♠ A 10 7 5 4 ♥ 9 8 ♦ K 7 6 3 ♣ A 8 ♠ 8 6 ♥ K 7 5 4 2 ♦ Q 5 4 ♣ 9 7 4   ♠ K Q J 2 ♥ A Q J 10 ♦ J 9 ♣ K 10 3 Open Room: West North East South Kowalski L. Blakset Tuszynski Marquardsen   Pass Pass 1♣ 1♠ 2♣ Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass   Nine tricks due to the good diamond intermediates too, Hecht a fine +600. Closed Room West North East South Hecht Romanski K. Blakset Stepinski   Pass Pass 1NT All Pass       When South had to open 1NT, as in fact they did in the other semifinal too, the auction was quickly over. Hecht +10 IMPs to catch up almost the whole deficit: the first half of this 28-board match ended with the scores almost level at 37-36 to Miroglio. In the second half, not very much happened. For a long time the scores were almost level. The Danes scored 8 on board 16, shown below, and the Polish crept back IMP by IMP over the next ten boards. Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.   ♠ A K 7 5 4 2 ♥ 10 ♦ Q 6 5 ♣ K 7 4 ♠ J 8 ♥ K J 8 ♦ A K J 8 7 4 2 ♣ J ♠ 10 ♥ A 9 4 3 2 ♦ 9 ♣ Q 9 6 5 3 2   ♠ Q 9 6 3 ♥ Q 7 6 5 ♦ 10 3 ♣ A 10 8 Open Room West North East South Stepinski L. Blakset Romanski Marquardsen 1♦ 1♠ 2♥ 3♥ 4♥ 4♠ Pass Pass 5♦ 5♥     When the EW hands did not fit as well as Romanski though, and the trumps proved 4-1 too, he had to go down five, vulnerable, for a highly unusual score of 500 to Hecht. Closed Room West North East South Hecht Tuszynski K. Blakset Kowalski 1♦ 1♠ Dble 2♠ 3♦ 3♠ All Pass   On the layout, ten tricks are always there, but the +170 the Poles scored here were not enough to wipe out the 500 lost in the Open Room. Hecht +8 IMPs. The match was effectively decided on the penultimate board, which had been played on Vugraph as the first board of the set. This meant that the Danish were not feeling happy as the match progressed, as they knew this board might well ruin their chances. Board 27. Dealer South. None Vul.   ♠ A Q 9 8 7 2 ♥ 10 ♦ J 9 ♣ K J 6 3 ♠ K 10 6 ♥ A ♦ K 10 8 7 5 ♣ 10 9 7 2 ♠ 5 4 ♥ 7 6 4 3 2 ♦ 6 4 3 2 ♣ Q 8   ♠ J 3 ♥ K Q J 9 8 5 ♦ A Q ♣ A 5 4 Open Room West North East South Stepinski L. Blakset Romanski Marquardsen       1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass 2NT Pass 3♠ Pass 4♥ Pass 4♠ Pass 5♣ Pass 6♠ All Pass   Talking about slams, 6♥ by South would have been very playable even against the 5-1 trump break, as the double spade finesse works. The spade slam had to play at all once East led a diamond, both establishing a trick in that suit as well as removing the entry to dummy’s hearts. Down three. Closed Room West North East South Hecht Tuszynski K. Blakset Kowalski       1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass 2NT Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT Pass 4♠ All Pass   When East led a more speculative: ♣Q, the play was suddenly easy. Miroglio +420 and an 11-IMP swing, enough to eventually win the match 64-45. They would face the Oranges the next day.

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