| 48th European Bridge Team Championships | Page 4 | Bulletin 6 - Friday 18 August 2006 |
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Open Teams - Italy v Ireland (Round 10) by Mark Horton With almost a third of the event completed Italy had made it clear that they were intent on recording their seventh straight Championship victory, having reeled off nine wins in a row. Could Ireland be the first team to lower their colours? (You could get about the same odds on Andy Murray beating Roger Federer.)
Open Room
Two Spades was limited to 10-13 and 2NT was a relay, South showing his clubs despite East’s intervention. That was enough to keep West quiet, but had South passed West would surely have bid Three Hearts (cold) and East might have gone on to game (probably one down). West led the jack of clubs and declarer won in dummy, unblocked the king of spades and played a heart. East put up the king and played a club, declarer finessing, cashing the ace of spades and ruffing a spade. East could overruff, but declarer had eight tricks, -100. Closed Room
North cashed the king of spades and switched to the ace of clubs, followed by the three, South playing the nine as declarer ruffed. He played the jack of spades and North discarded a club. South won with the queen and played a club, declarer discarding a spade as North ruffed; one down, -100 and 5 IMPs for Ireland. Once North plays a second club there is a way for declarer to make the contract. After ruffing the club he unblocks the trump suit, ruffs a club and plays off all his trumps. Then he cashes two top diamonds and exits with the eight of diamonds to endplay North. Is that a plausible line of play? Perhaps, as playing to ruff a spade in dummy requires some very favourable breaks, not least in the trump suit.
Open Room
A spade lead works best for the defence, but naturally East led a low diamond. Declarer won in hand with the queen, played a spade to the king and ran the nine of hearts. When that held he ran the ten. West ducked again and declarer knocked out the ace of spades. He was up to seven tricks, but there was no way to manufacture an eighth, so he was one down, -100. Closed Room
North led the jack of spade and when that held he switched to the ten of diamonds. Declarer took the ace and played a club to the queen and ace. North played the queen of diamonds and declarer won and cashed his club winners, followed by the ace of spade and a spade ruff. He exited with a low heart, and ruffed South’s diamond return with the king of hearts. When North could overruff he was one down, -50 and Ireland had another small swing, this time of 4 IMPs, putting them ahead 11-1 IMPs. Then came a board where something unusual happened:
Open Room
When West transferred East showed his four-card support via 2NT, but West had no interest in game and made a second transfer request. Declarer had to lose a spade, a heart, two diamond and a club, one down, -100. Closed Room
It is not often you see an Italian pair out-bid, but North protected and South had more than enough to go on to game. East cashed the king of clubs and switched to the queen of hearts. Declarer won in dummy and played ace of spades and a spade, soon claiming +620 and 11IMPs. That was quickly followed by a board where Italy was caught speeding:
Open Room
Two Diamonds was a transfer to hearts – a psychic effort from East. When West subsequently supported hearts he beat a hasty retreat to spades There was nothing to the play, declarer losing the six obvious tricks for two down, -100. Closed Room
That was a straightforward three down, +500, stretching Ireland’s lead to 31-6 IMPs. Italy hit back immediately:
Open Room
Two Diamonds promised spades and another suit. It led to a perilous contract, but mercifully no-one could quite muster a double. That was just as well as the defence was 100% accurate. North led the king of diamonds and when that held he continued with the queen. Declarer won and played the queen of hearts. South won, and switched to the eight of clubs, North winning with the ace, cashing the king of hearts and giving South a heart ruff. The trump exit left declarer with no way to avoid four down, -400. Closed Room
East led the king of clubs and continued with the queen when declarer ducked, West discarding the two of spades. A spade went to the king and ace and a heart came back to dummy’s ace. With nothing useful to do declarer played a club to the nine and East’s ten. He cashed his club tricks, declarer pitching two hearts, West two diamonds and a spade. He exited with the ten of hearts for the queen and declarer’s ace. When declarer tried the ten of spades he had set up another winner for the defenders and was three down, -300, giving Italy 12 IMPs. With boards running out both side had a chance to score heavily:
Open Room
The preemption made life far too difficult for East/West, -50. Closed Room
An identical sequence – indeed it could easily have been repeated at every table – no swing.
Open Room
South led the two of spades and declarer won with dummy’s jack and played another spade to the nine and queen. Can you blame South for playing a third spade? Now declarer could win and duck a club, setting up a minor suit squeeze against North. North won that club and took the next two tricks with the queen and jack of hearts. Declarer won the club exit and played a heart to the ace, squeezing North. Suppose declarer simply ducks a club at trick two? Let’s say South wins and finds the heart switch. Declarer ducks two rounds, wins the third, takes two diamonds, one in each hand, the ace of spades and two top clubs to reach this position:
Now declarer can exit with a club to endplay North. Closed Room
After the transfer response South led the four of hearts and declarer won the third round of the suit and ran the jack of spades. South won with the king, cashed the long heart and the defenders had to score another trick, one down, -50 and the 10 IMPs that ensured Italy’s unbeaten record would fall, Ireland recording a famous victory, 42-25 IMPs, 19-11 VP. They’ll be dancing in the streets of Dublin! |
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