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The Mixed Teams Semi-finals
by Barry Rigal
The two semi-finals played the same deals, of course, and our angle of attack will be to focus on each of the matches for one half, while noting in passing the action from the other table where something of special interest took place.
For the first half the ‘All-British’ match between Anglo-Bulgaro-Israeli team Dhondy and Anglo-Bulgaro-Scandinavian team de Botton will be our focus of attention. Note that Nevena Senior and Matilda Poplilov were partners in their 1987 European Pairs Gold Medal (a few countries and husbands ago).
De Botton broke on top when Sandqvist/Senior defended One No-trump better than the Dhondys. They increased their lead to 11-0 when the four-card major style worked well for them.
| Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ 9 3
♥ A 10 6 2
♦ A K 10
♣ Q 8 5 4 |
♠ A Q 6 4 2
♥ 7 5
♦ J 9 7 4
♣ 6 3 |  |
♠ K 10 7 5
♥ K J 9
♦ 8 5
♣ A J 7 2 | | | ♠ J 8
♥ Q 8 4 3
♦ Q 6 3 2
♣ K 10 9 |
Malinowski opened One Heart on the 2-4-3-4 13-count and the raise to Two Hearts kept Jeremy Dhondy out as a passed hand with his 5-2-4-2 seven count. Two Hearts made +110, but in the other room after One Club – One Heart the seven-count came in with One Spade and bought the hand in Three Spades for +140 after a game-try or two. (Russia picked up 5 IMPs when Danielle Allouche-Gaviard did drive to Four Spades facing this one-level overcall, holding the 4-4-3-2 12-count.)
Dhondy got on the scorecard when Senior heard her partner pass, then balance with a double when One Heart was passed back to her.
| | ♠ Q 7 3 2
♥ A K 5
♦ 10 6 2
♣ A 10 3 |
Senior tried One No-trump, down rather unluckily while heather Dhondy’s One Spade bid made nine tricks. That reduced the margin to 5 IMPs, which became 1 IMP when Senior’s idea of a One Club opener (♣AKJxxx in a nine-count) cost her 4 IMPs for her enterprise.
On the next deal Ventin took the lead over Russia when a Polish Club on the strong variety lost their side’s 5-5 spade fit to some active pre-emption; they collected only 300 against the 650 available to them in Four Spades. Meanwhile Sandqvist/Senior successfully bid to Five Spades over the sacrifice of Five Clubs to pick up 4 IMPs and lead by 5 IMPs.
| Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul. |
| | ♠ J 4
♥ 5 4
♦ J 8
♣ A K Q 10 9 5 3 |
♠ 5
♥ A K Q J 6 2
♦ A 6 5
♣ J 8 4 | |
♠ 9 8 7 6 3
♥ 9 3
♦ K 10 9 7
♣ 6 2 | | | ♠ A K Q 10 2
♥ 10 8 7
♦ Q 4 3 2
♣ 7 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Sandqvist | Lilo P | Deleva | Matilda P
|
| | | | Pass(!) |
| 1♥ | 2♣ | Pass | 2♠
|
| 3♥ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Jeremy D | Malinowski | Heather D | de Botton
|
| | | | 1♠
|
| 2♥ | 3♣ | Pass | 3♦
|
| 3♥ | 4♣ | All Pass
|
Even in the world of sound opening bids the South cards look like an automatic One Spade call. Matilda’s pass lured her opponents into Three Hearts, and her double looks like it was intended as, and interpreted as penalties.
The defenders led three rounds of clubs ruffed and over-ruffed, and now Matilda took her eye off the ball, playing two rounds of spades. Declarer ruffed and ran his trumps, squeezing South in spades and diamonds for +730, and a gain of 11 IMPs for de Botton instead of 9 IMPs the other way. It was 26-10 to de Botton.
Both tables in Ventin-Russia played Four Spades down two; Ventin led 14-6. Then the trailing teams got a boost:
| Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ 9 8 6
♥ J 10 8 5
♦ 8 6 3
♣ 9 6 3 |
♠ A K J
♥ A K 9 4
♦ Q 10 5 4
♣ A 8 | |
♠ 10 7 4 3
♥ –
♦ A K J
♣ K Q J 7 5 4 | | | ♠ Q 5 2
♥ Q 7 6 3 2
♦ 9 7 2
♣ 10 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Sandqvist | Lilo P | Deleva | Matilda P
|
| | Pass | 1♣ | Pass |
| 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ | Pass |
| 2♦ | Pass | 3♣ | Pass
|
| 3♦ | Pass | 3NT | Pass |
| 4NT | Pass | 6♣ | All Pass
|
| West | North | East | South
|
| Jeremy D | Malinowski | Heather D | de Botton
|
| | Pass | 1♣ | Pass |
| 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ | Pass | /tr>
| 2♦ | Pass | 3NT | Pass
|
| 4♣ | Pass | 4♦ | Pass |
| 5♠ | Pass | 7♣ | Pass
|
| 7NT | | All Pass
| |
Whatever your feelings about Dhondy’s jump rebid of 3NT (and in context the One Spade bid had shown an unbalanced hand) it got the job done. West’s Four Club bid allowed him to use the Grand Slam Force on the next round. Nicely done.
Senior’s combination of actions at her third and fourth turn meant Sandqvist (who could have been facing a balanced hand 11-14) did not even commit to slam. 13 IMPs to Dhondy, down 26-23 now.
Ventin as West never got to grips with the hand after: One Club – One Diamond – One Spade – Two Hearts – Three Diamonds, he jumped to Six No-trumps. No style points, and 13 IMPs away when after a Two Club opening by East, Dubinin/Ponomareva set clubs as trumps and used Keycard to locate the club honours, to bid Seven No-trumps. That made it 24-14 to Russia.
Matilda Poplilov kept up her sound opening bid style – and again scored a goal, this time in practice as well as in theory.
| | ♠ Q 6
♥ 7 2
♦ Q J 8 6
♣ A K 8 4 2 |
In England they would remove your licence to bid if you passed this hand non-vulnerable, but this was the full story.
| Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul. |
| | ♠ A 9 5 2
♥ A K J 4 3
♦ A K 9
♣ 9 |
♠ J 7 4 3
♥ 8 5
♦ 7 5 4 2
♣ 10 6 5 | |
♠ K 10 8
♥ Q 10 9 6
♦ 10 3
♣ Q J 7 3 | | | ♠ Q 6
♥ 7 2
♦ Q J 8 6
♣ A K 8 4 2 |
Matilda passed as South, and as a result her partner with a 4-5-3-1 18-count played 3NT. De Botton’s One Club opening carried Malinowski (well perhaps his natural effervescence helped too) to Six No-trumps down two.
(Could any partnership have reached Six Diamonds on the solid 4-3 fit, cold on any lead but a trump and with decent play even then?). Yes, Gromova opened the South cards One Diamond and Gromov drove to the minor-suit slam. Ventin led the essential trump, and 12 tricks had become 11. Gromova took her best practical shot when she won in hand and took the heart finesse. Danielle Allouche-Gaviard won and returned a trump, and that was 11 IMPs for Ventin, since Bessis had found his partner with 12-14 and 5-4 shape in the minors and invited with Four No-trumps rather than drive to slam. Well bid, and the match was tied at 25-25.
| Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul. |
| | ♠ A Q 7 2
♥ K Q J 3
♦ –
♣ K 8 7 5 4 |
♠ K 9 6
♥ 7 6 5 2
♦ A J 4 2
♣ A 6 | |
♠ 8 5
♥ A 4
♦ Q 10 9 8 5 3
♣ J 10 3 | | | ♠ J 10 4 3
♥ 10 9 8
♦ K 7 6
♣ Q 9 2 |
The last big swing of the first half of Dhondy-de Botton came when Senior elected to overcall Two Diamonds over One Club with the East cards. Sandqvist jumped to Three No-trumps as a two way shot, and although Lilo as North was tempted to come in, he eventually passed. Three No-trumps went down a trick, but +100 was a poor return against the 620 achieved by de Botton when Heather Dhondy passed as East, and N/S had a clear run.
At the half time in each match the teams were neck and neck. By virtue of a part-score on the last deal, Dhondy led by one, Russia led by two.
Dhondy struck the first blow in the second set:
| Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ K 9 7 6 5 4
♥ K 9 5 4
♦ J 4
♣ 4 |
♠ Q 10
♥ Q 10 8 3
♦ K 9 5
♣ 10 8 6 2 | |
♠ 8 3 2
♥ 7
♦ A Q 8 3 2
♣ Q J 9 7 | | | ♠ A J
♥ A J 6 2
♦ 10 7 6
♣ A K 5 3 |
Everyone reached a major-suit game here. To have a chance to set Four Hearts the defenders need to lead diamonds, but Four Spades looks far harder to make. Frey opened a strong no-trump, Bessis drove her to Four Spades, and Dubinin led…a heart. Declarer wrapped up ten tricks. Gromov reached Four Hearts as North on a club lead, and cashed the top clubs, the heart ace, then two top spades, and claimed ten tricks when the queen-ten fell. No swing.
Heather Dhondy’s One Heart opening bid was raised to Four, and Dubinin led a club. Declarer duplicated Gromov’s line, for 620. Against the same auction Lilo Poplilov’s diamond lead made declarer’s task too tough. 12 IMPs for Dhondy, leading 51-38.
After a few indecisive boards, Russia struck the first blow of the set in their match when Frey/Bessis had a Blackwood accident (Frey raising herself to slam when Bessis had signed off, apparently in the belief that he would need an ace to ask her how many aces SHE had; wrong!).
Then Dubinin had a chance to put undue trust in his partner. Well if there is a side to err on, I suppose that is it.
| Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ K 9 3
♥ K Q 9 5
♦ A 10 6
♣ 9 7 5 |
♠ 8 6 4
♥ A
♦ Q 8 4
♣ A 10 8 6 4 3 | |
♠ A 10 7 5 2
♥ J 10 6 3
♦ K J 9 5
♣ – | | | ♠ Q J
♥ 8 7 4 2
♦ 7 3 2
♣ K Q J 2 |
Dubinin heard his partner overcall One Spade at favourable vulnerability, and drove her eventually to Four. On a heart lead as opposed to the killing trump, Ponomareva was still in with a chance. She scored the heart ace, diamond king, then for the next six tricks cross-ruffed hearts and clubs, discarding a diamond from hand. When she exited with a diamond to North, all that player could do was win and lead a trump. Ponomareva took her spade ace and diamond winner and graciously conceded the last two tricks. That seven IMPs gave Russia the lead 45-28,
On the same deal Dhondy struck by the simple expedient of passing the North cards (this is obviously a far more significant swing-tactic than I had realized!) and Sandqvist opened Three Clubs in fourth seat. Not everyone’s choice. Senior bid Three No-trumps, down 150 and an eight IMP swing when coupled with the Poplilov’s +170 from a spade part-score. It was 70-47 to Dhondy, with seven deals to go, and although de Botton collected the last few swings of the match to close the gap a little, Dhondy held on to win 72-61.
With two deals to go, Russia held a 46-33. However there was still hope:
| Board 27. Dealer South. None Vul. |
| | ♠ K Q J 10 5
♥ Q
♦ A K 5
♣ K Q 9 5 |
♠ 9 4 3
♥ A 10 9 8 7 3 2
♦ 10 9 3
♣ – | |
♠ 7
♥ K J 6 5 4
♦ 7 6 4
♣ A J 4 2 | | | ♠ A 8 6 2
♥ –
♦ Q J 8 2
♣ 10 8 7 6 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Ventin | Gromov | Allouche-Gaviard | Gromova
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 2♥ | Dble | 4♠ | Pass
|
| 5♣ | Dble | 5♥ | Pass |
| Pass | Dble | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South |
| Dubinin | Bessis | Ponomareva | Frey
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 2♦* | Dble | Redble | Pass
|
| 2♥ | Dble | 4♥ | Dble
|
| Pass | 4♠ | 5♥ | 5♠
|
| Pass | 6♠ | Pass | Pass
|
| Dble | All Pass
| | |
Bessis’s raise to Six spades looks a little sporting facing a partner who could not bid initially (he was missing no less than three aces, after all). Dubinin’s double was Lightner, and Ponomareva cashed the club ace to work out what to do next. Trick one made her decision easy. Well done, nullifying the excellent result from the other room where East’s actions succeeded in confusing everyone. 51-33 might look comfortable enough, but this swing was necessary, since on the last deal Dubinin-Ponomareva climbed to a slam off a cashing ace-king in the suit the opponents had bid. The 11 IMPs to Ventin left the match margin 44-51. it would be Russia-Dhondy in the final.
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