The 3rd European Open Championships

The 3rd European Open Championships were held in Antalya, Turkey, during the second half of June 2007. The Kremlin Palace Hotel offered a complete package of all-inclusive meals and drinks which some players liked very much and others disliked equally strongly. It is, of course, impossible to make everyone happy and the EBL will have to examine the player feedback carefully before making plans for future tournaments.

The playing rooms were generally good, though the frequent power losses were a mild irritant and played havoc with the BBO coverage at times. And, of course, it was hot. There appears to be a law of nature which dictates that wherever these championships are held will, for their duration, enjoy(?) record temperatures – could I recommend Greenland as the venue for 2009?

The first six days were given over to the Mixed events. Winners of the Mixed Teams were the Israel/England combination of Matilda and Lilo Poplilov, Heather and Jeremy Dhondy, while the Mixed Pairs was won by Rosen Gunev and Dessislava Popova of Bulgaria.

On to the second part of the championships, nine days of Open, Women’s and Senior events. The Open Teams was won by another transnational combination, this time featuring France and Israel – Michel and Thomas Bessis, Eldad Ginossar and Ron Pachman. The Open Pairs was won by Victor Aronov and Julian Stefanov of Bulgaria. Carla Arnolds and Bep Vriend of the Netherlands did the double by winning both the Women’s Pairs and Teams. In the latter they were joined by Jet Pasman and Anneke Simons, Marion Michielsen and Meike Wortel, also of the Netherlands. The Senior Teams was won by the USA/Israel combination of Amos Kaminski and Yeshayahu Levit, Sam Lev and Pinhas Romik, Rami Sheinman and Adrian Schwartz, while the Senior Pairs went to France, in the persons of Patrick Grenthe and Philippe Vanhoutte.

Their were substantial cash prizes for the best players in the three categories over the whole tournament, each player’s best three results counting. Russia’s Andrei Gromov won the Open ahead of Victor Aronov and Michel Bessis; Nevena Senior of England won the Women’s award from Heather Dhondy, with the Dutch pair, Carla Arnolds and Bep Vriend, tied for third; Patrick Grenthe won the Senior award ahead of Phillipe Vanhoutte and Dana de Falco of Italy.

Israel and Bulgaria did particularly well at the championships. Israel had representatives in three of the four gold medal winning teams, plus an Israeli won a silver medal in the Women’s Teams (Matilda Poplilov), and a bronze in the Senior Teams (Shalom Zeligman). As well as the winners already listed, Bulgaria had the bronze medalists in the Senior Pairs (Christo Drumev and Ivan Tanev), and one of the Mixed Pairs silver medalists (Victor Aronov), plus, both Poplilovs and Nevena Senior (who won three medals, silver in both Women’s events and bronze in the Mixed Teams) are ex-Bulgarian internationals. Indeed, they won the first European Women’s Pairs Championship together back in 1987.

Lilo Poplilov was one of the heroes of our first deal from the Mixed Teams.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	♠ A 9 4 ♥ A 5 ♦ K Q 7 2 ♣ K J 7 2
♠ K 3 2 ♥ K 7 6 3 ♦ J 10 6 5 ♣ 9 6		♠ J 7 6 5 ♥ 10 9 8 2 ♦ 9 8 ♣ A Q 5
	♠ Q 10 8 ♥ Q J 4 ♦ A 4 3 ♣ 10 8 4 3

West	North	East	South
Pass	1NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

In the other room, Michael Barel played 3NT on the lead of the ten of hearts. He played low and won the ace, played a diamond to the ace and ran the ten of clubs. East won the ♣Q and played aheart to the king, West clearing the suit. Barel threw a spade from hand and now played a club to the king, ducked by East. Barel now read the position nicely. He cashed his diamond winners and exited with a club. East won and cashed the fourth heart, declarer pitching his losing diamond. East was endplayed and forced to lead a spade. Barel guesses correctly, putting in the ten, so had nine tricks for +600.

East again led a heart against Poplilov. This was covered by jack, king and ace and Poplilov crossed to the ace of diamonds to play a club to the jack and queen. He ducked the heart return but had to win the next round, on which he pitched a spade. A club went to the king and ace and East cashed her last heart, on which Poplilov threw spades from both hands. East exited with a spade to the now bare ace. When Poplilov now cashed the two club winners West was squeezed in spades and diamonds to give nine tricks for +600 and a flat board.

Nick Sandqvist of the English de Botton team, who won the bronze medal in the Mixed, played this nice squeeze.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	♠ J 7 4 ♥ Q ♦ K Q J 9 3 2 ♣ Q J 2
♠ 5 ♥ A K J 10 6 4 ♦ 7 6 4 ♣ K 9 7		♠ A Q 10 9 2 ♥ 7 2 ♦ 10 5 ♣ A 10 8 5
	♠ K 8 6 3 ♥ 9 8 5 3 ♦ A 8 ♣ 6 4 3

West	North	East	South
Sandqvist	Sussel	Senior	Lustin
			Pass
1♥	2♦	2♠	3♦
3♥	Pass	4♥	All Pass

In the other room, the French E/W pair played the inferior contract of 4♣, which was unsuccessful, offering the chance of a big swing if Sandqvist could bring home his contract. The defence began with the king of diamonds, overtaken by the ace. Christine Lustin returned a diamond to Patrick Sussel’s jack and Sussel played the ♦Q, ruffed with the seven and over-ruffed with the eight. Lustin now led a trump. Sandqvist thought for a while then played the ace. Then he played three more rounds of hearts, coming down to three cards in each black suit in dummy.

Sandqvist’s card-reading convinced him that the ♠K was offside. On the assumption that North held the ♠J, it would not matter who held the clubs as there would be a squeeze. On the next trump, North was compelled to pitch a spade to keep the club guard and the ♣10 went from dummy. South threw a club, though it didn’t matter. Sandqvist continued with a spade to the ace followed by the ♠Q, ruffing out the king and pinning the jack in the process. The ♠10 was the tenth trick.

Poland’s Andrzej Jeleniewsky and Egypt’s Mohammed Heshmat played this next squeeze played this next squeeze identically, card for card.

Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	♠ K Q 9 8 7 5 2 ♥ 6 5 ♦ 5 ♣ 8 5 2
♠ A 3 ♥ A K Q 10 8 ♦ 8 3 2 ♣ A 6 4		♠ J 10 4 ♥ J ♦ K Q J 10 7 4 ♣ Q J 3
	♠ 6 ♥ 9 7 4 3 2 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ K 10 9 7

Declarer played 6♦ as East after North had pre-empted with 3♠. South led the singleton spade. Declarer won the ace and tried to cash the top hearts for spade pitches. This is a dubious choice of line but declarer was not convinced that spades had to be 7-1 and didn’t want to give up the lead by playing trumps immediately. North ruffed the third heart and declarer over-ruffed then played the ♦K to South’s ace. South returned a trump and declarer ran the diamonds. On the final diamond, South was obliged to throw a club to keep his heart guard so now dummy’s ♥8 went away. The queen of clubs was covered – South cannot duck or declarer continues with a low club dropping the king. But after winning the ace of clubs declarer cashed the ten of hearts and now it was North’s turn to be squeezed in the black suits, completing a non- simultaneous double squeeze.

Bulgaria’s Valio Kovachev needed a squeeze to bring home this fairly horrible grand slam from the Open Pairs. Of course, 7♥ would have been easy, but at this point his partnership needed nothing but tops so tried 7NT.

Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ 9 5 4 3 ♥ 9 ♦ 9 7 6 5 4 ♣ 10 5 4
♠ A J 6 ♥ A Q J 6 2 ♦ A ♣ K 9 8 7		♠ K 8 ♥ K 10 7 5 3 ♦ Q J 10 8 ♣ A Q
	♠ Q 10 7 2 ♥ 8 4 ♦ K 3 2 ♣ J 6 3 2

North led the four of spades round to the jack, so that was one less thing to worry about. Kovachev cashed all the major-suit winners and, on the last one, South was caught in a criss-cross squeeze between his club stopper and the ♦K. Not an unlucky contract. Nevena Senior played these two 4♠ contracts nicely in the Mixed Teams.

Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	♠ 10 ♥ K 10 ♦ 10 4 ♣ A K Q 10 9 8 4 2
♠ J 8 6 5 3 ♥ 9 8 4 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ J 6		♠ A K Q 7 2 ♥ A Q 5 3 ♦ K 7 3 ♣ 7
	♠ 9 4 ♥ J 7 6 2 ♦ Q J 8 5 2 ♣ 5 3

South led a small club in response to her partner’s 4♣ overcall and North won the queen and returned the ♥K. Senior won the ace and drew trumps then paused to plan her continuation.

Assuming that North held eight clubs and two hearts, plus the singleton trump, she could give up a heart then run all the trumps to squeeze South in the red suits. But there was a much more elegant ending available which would always succeed when the squeeze worked. Senior simply cashed the ♥Q and both diamond honours then played the jack of clubs and discarded a diamond from hand. North was obliged to give a ruff and discard and away went the heart loser from dummy; ten tricks.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	♠ A Q J ♥ Q 6 4 ♦ K 10 6 ♣ K 10 6 2
♠ 9 8 7 5 ♥ A K J 10 7 5 ♦ 8 4 ♣ J		♠ K 10 6 4 3 2 ♥ 8 ♦ A 5 ♣ Q 8 7 4
	♠ – ♥ 9 3 2 ♦ Q J 9 7 3 2 ♣ A 9 5 3

To play a trump would result in one down if South held the ace-queen or, if declarer guessed to cover the queen, the ace-jack, and also if North had all three trumps. In each case, there would be no club ruff in dummy so a total of four losers. Senior instead played a heart, intending to throw her club unless North ruffed, when she would have to over-ruff. This catered to North’s holding all three trumps or any two-one trump split. In the case where South ruffed the heart, she would then be obliged to lead something which could be ruffed in dummy, declarer under-ruffing to allow her to lead towards the ♠K on the next trick. Finally, if North ruffed the heart and declarer over-ruffed, South might also over-ruff, but she would now be able to at most cash one more trump, and there would still be a trump left in dummy to ruff the last club.

And finally, a piece of light relief, courtesy of Lilo Poplilov in the Open Teams.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ K Q 9 7 6 ♥ A K ♦ K 9 6 ♣ Q 10 6
♠ 5 4 ♥ 10 9 6 5 3 ♦ J 8 3 ♣ 7 5 3		♠ 10 3 ♥ 8 4 2 ♦ A Q 10 7 5 4 2 ♣ 4
	♠ A J 8 2 ♥ Q J 7 ♦ – ♣ A K J 9 8 2

West	North	East	South
Lilo
	1♠	3♦	5♦
7♣	Dble	Pass	Pass
7♦	Dble	All Pass

The 7♣ bid worked like a charm. Of course, N/S are cold for 7♠, and Lilo’s teammates duly bid the grand at the other table to chalk up +2210. But here South in particular was terrified of a possible club ruff – after all, what else could the 7♣ bid be about? Seven Clubs wasn’t cheap at –1700, until you work out that this translated into +11 IMPs for Lilo’s team.