| 3rd European Open Bridge Championships | Page 5 | Bulletin 14 - Friday 29 June 2007 |
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Womens Teams Final — Set 3 by Mark Horton After two hard fought sets Netherlands Women led Penfold 89-70. With the Open Championship apparently decided, BBO had switched their coverage. The set started in disastrous fashion for Penfold:
Open Room
West led the two of hearts and declarer, not trying dummy’s queen, won in hand with the ace and ran the queen of clubs to East’s king. East fired a club back to dummy’s ten and declarer played a spade to the queen. The fall of the jack makes a spade to the ten the obvious move, but declarer, clearly losing concentration for a moment, played a club to the ace. East ruffed that cashed the king of hearts and waited for her trump trick, +50. Closed Room
West led the seven of hearts, covered in turn by the queen, king and ace. Declarer crossed to the ace of diamonds and played a spade to the queen. Declarer now played a diamond to the king (a spade to the ten looks more natural at this point) and must have been pleased to see the queen appear. The ten of spades was covered by the king and ace, as West discarded a heart. The queen of clubs ran to East’s king and she polayed two rounds of hearts, declarer ruffing the second and playing a club to the ten. When that held she played a trump and with East out of hearts she was home, +420 and 10 IMPs. A couple of boards later a slam was in the offing:
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North, appreciating the playing potential of her hand – even the jack of diamonds was potentially useful, used the Two Club relay before emphasising her spade suit. Once South had cue bid Four Clubs it was surely incumbent on North to bid Four Hearts, which might well have seen South jump to slam. As it was the former European Women’s Pairs Champions had to be content with +480. Close, but no cigar. Closed Room
North did not see things in the same light as her counterpart at the other table so once again the slam went a begging, no swing.
Open Room
2♣ Drury 2♦ Not minimum 2♥ 3-card support Should West double Two Hearts? It is clear East has a lot of hearts, so the chance of finding a fit is diminished. Change one of East’s small diamonds to a spade and East/West could be in trouble. Well, whatever you think that did not happen here, as East, who wisely decided her trumps were not good enough to defend Two Hearts, bid her diamonds. South led the king of spades and when that held the appearance of dummy was such that there was a chance she might find the essential switch to a trump. No, she pressed on with the queen of spades, followed by the ten. Declarer ruffed, cashed the ace of hearts, ruffed a heart, cashed the ace of clubs and exited with a club. North won and could do no better than exit with a club. Declarer ruffed, ruffed a heart and played dummy’s last spade. North ruffed in with the king of diamonds and exited with the eight of diamonds, but declarer simply played the nine and had to score three more tricks, +110. Closed Room
Here North/South were left to play in Two Hearts. East led a diamond and West took the ace and returned a diamond to declarer’s king. The jack of hearts took the next trick, West discarding the seven of spades. With the 5-0 split disclosed declarer now does best to abandon trumps, but oblivious to the danger she played the five of hearts. East went up with the ace and had only to return a trump to ensure a one trick defeat. When she played the superficially attractive queen of diamonds declarer ruffed and played the king of clubs. West won and returned the suit. Declarer won and set about the spades. East could ruff the third round and exit with a trump, but declarer won with dummy’s king and played the master spade, +110 and a useful 6 IMPs.
Open Room
West led the ten of spades and declarer won with the ace and made the surprising play of a diamond to the ace. I say surprising, because it looks natural to attack trumps by playing low to the queen. (There was some discussion as to the meaning of East’s double – it was alerted – so clearly declarer was playing West for three trumps). Declarer’s next move was a heart to the king and now the contract was doomed – or was it? Declarer played a second heart and East won, cashed the ace and played a spade. Declarer ruffed and played the two of clubs. With the setting trick before her West played low and now declarer was home. She won in dummy, came back to the ace of clubs and advanced the jack of clubs for a tremendous +650. Closed Room
North led the queen of clubs and South took the ace and switched to the six of hearts for the queen and ace. Declare ruffed a heart, cashed the king of clubs discarding a diamond and played a club. When North discarded a heart she ruffed, and ruffed a heart with the nine of spades. She ruffed her last club and then played the queen of spades. Now in the endgame North eventually had to surrender a diamond trick, +420 and a massive 14 IMPs, making the score 88-108. However, there was nothing in the remaining boards and the Netherlands Women were deserving winners, 109 –88. |
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