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Women’s Semi-finals
At the half the Anglo/Israeli (Bulgarian) squad of Penfold led by 19 IMPs, but the match had closed to 11 IMPs when the three decisive boards came along.
| Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul. |
| | ♠ Q
♥ J 4 3
♦ 10 9 7 4 3
♣ 8 6 5 2 | ♠
♥ A 10 6
♦ A K Q 6 5 2
♣ A K 4 3 |
 | ♠ A K 10 9 6 3 2
♥ Q 5 2
♦
♣ Q 10 9 |
| | ♠ J 8 7 5 4
♥ K 9 8 7
♦ J 8
♣ J 7 |
After a sequence starting One Diamond One Spade Three Clubs Three Spades Three No-trumps, how much is the East hand worth? For the Danes Farholt/Rahelt stopped in Four Spades, and recorded 450, while Senior as West potted Six Diamonds when her partner showed slam interest. No slam has any play as the cards lie (it is tough to know which of spades, diamonds and clubs is best I vote for clubs). But with 11 IMPs going to Denmark, the match was now level.
| Board 25. Dealer North. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ A K 9 8 7
♥ 10 8
♦ 4 3
♣ K 8 5 4 | ♠ Q J 10 6 2
♥ A 9 7
♦ A 7 5
♣ 6 3 |
| ♠ 5 4
♥ Q 3 2
♦ Q 10 9 8 6
♣ 9 7 2 |
| | ♠ 3
♥ K J 6 5 4
♦ K J 2
♣ A Q J 10 |
As North/South, Dhondy/Smith were able to penalize One Spade, as indeed was the case at just about every table in all the other matches. Declarer really has no sensible hope of taking more than two trump tricks and two aces, if that, and 800 was duly recorded elsewhere. But Rahelt played the board with great determination. On the lead of the heart ten, she covered with the queen and ducked the king. Back came a spade to the queen and king, and the defenders then cashed three rounds of clubs, after which South was left on lead when Rahelt discarded a diamond. Smith now elected to exit with a diamond, and declarer was able to escape for 500.
Would that be 7 IMPs to Denmark? No, Jensen found an unlucky moment to open the North hand One Spade (of course good and bad luck is in the eye of the beholder) and South declared Three No-trumps on Seniors imaginative low spade lead. Declarer took the ace to advance the heart ten, covered by the queen and king, ducked by Senior. Now declarer simply crossed to dummy to play hearts again, and Senior could win cheaply and clear spades for down one. Penfold led by 11 IMPs now.
| Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul. |
| | ♠ K Q 8 6
♥ 8 5 4
♦ 7 6 2
♣ K 10 5 | ♠ A 5 3 2
♥ K Q J
♦ J 9 3
♣ J 8 3 |
| ♠ 9 7 4
♥ A 9 6
♦ Q 5 4
♣ A Q 9 2 |
| | ♠ J 10
♥ 10 7 3 2
♦ A K 10 8
♣ 7 6 4 |
Three No-trumps may be one of the more disgusting cold contracts of the tournament. After you find 3-3 clubs with the king and ten onside, all you need is to generate an extra trick in either diamonds or spades, and of course on a top diamond lead, life is easy. Senior merely invited game as West, and Poplilov passed Two No-trumps, making 120 on a spade lead.
In the other room Farholt played Three No-trumps, and Smith as South kept her side in the game by leading hearts. Now if declarer double-finesses in clubs, she will have to guess whether to play on spades or diamonds for the ninth trick. In fact Farholt led a club to the queen and could not recover. (In a parallel position on Vugraph, Gower did pass the club jack, but then played to duck a spade and play on that suit, so also went down.) Farholt went down two, and the eight IMPs to Penfold, gave them a 19 IMP lead, which is where the match ended up.
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