| 48th European Bridge Team Championships | Page 3 | Bulletin 13 - Friday 25 August 2006 |
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Open Teams - Germany v England (Round 27) by Mark Horton Two teams both with an outside chance of qualifying – and probably hoping, win or lose, for boards with swing potential. Alas, although there was certainly swing potential – more than one match traded in over a hundred IMPs – neither team gave much away.
Open Room
West led the three of clubs and East put in the queen, switching to the ten of hearts when it held. West took declarer’s queen with the ace and played a back a club, East winning and returning a heart to dummy’s king. Declarer ruffed a club, cashed the queen of spades, played a spade to the jack and exited with the six of hearts. West won and got off play with his remaining trump. Declarer played a diamond from dummy and when East played the ten, having earlier discarded the four, declarer played low and West won with the jack and played a heart. Declarer ruffed and played a diamond to the ace – a well played +110. Closed Room
Here West had to introduce his hearts at the two level – but this risky venture paid off when East joined in and the club fit was located. With hearts 3-3 the contract was not in danger, +110 giving Germany 6 IMPs.
Open Room
West need little more than to find partner with ♥KQxxxx and the ♦Q was able to use exclusion Blackwood and signed off when East showed 0-3. When South led the queen of diamonds the hand was quickly over, +650. Closed Room
Two Diamonds promised more than a minimum and rather than resort to any kind of science West simply bid what he hoped his partner could make. Convert those points in spades to values in hearts and diamonds and he would have been right. This time it cost 13 IMPs, putting England ahead 13-7 IMPs.
Open Room
North’s 2NT bid was defensive, promising 0-5 and both minors, so South applied some pressure, hoping his opponent’s might misjudge, or even that he might be bidding a making contract. West led the ace of spades and when East followed with the queen he continued with the ten. Declarer ruffed with the jack of clubs and played the three of clubs – doubtless very annoyed to see East win with the king. When later on he got the diamond suit wrong he was three down, -500. Closed Room
West did not judge the hand as well as that his counterpart in the other room – although one doubts the penalty from 5♣ would have been so great. Five Spades was one down at once when the defenders cashed their minor suit winners and later misguessed hearts to be –300, increasing England’s lead to 27-8 IMPs.
Open Room
Although Five Diamonds would have failed it was surely right for West to take out a small insurance policy. He won the trump lead in dummy, ruffed a diamond, played a spade to the queen, ruffed a second diamond and exited with the four of clubs, which ran to South ten. He promptly returned a club and although declarer could avoid losing a heart he was one down, -50. Double dummy after trick one 5♠ can (should?) be made. Diamond ruff, spade to queen, diamond ruff, queen of hearts ducked, jack, king, ace of hearts, ace of diamonds, nine of hearts, low club. Easy game! Closed Room
Here West judged to pass and right he was, declarer having to lose a spade and two hearts, -100 and 4 IMPs for his side. In what was generally a well played match with few swings England won 30-13 IMPs, 19-11 VP to keep their slender hopes alive. |
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