Croatia - Latvia

Juniors Round 4

Croatia dominated the early stages of their Junior match with Latvia, picking up points on eight of the first nine boards to lead by 32-0 IMPs. There was one major swing in this series of deals.

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

Luka Dondivic did not see an opening bid in the East cards so Tomislav Gracin opened 1♠ in third seat. Jurijs Balasovs showed good discipline by not overcalling 1NT with the North cards, vulnerable and facing a passes partner. He must have been pleased that he had kept quiet when he now heard his opponents bid up to 3NT. Here, however, Meelis Kuldkepp judged to lead a club, hoping to hit his partner’s suit as he had little hope of establishing and cashing his own. This worked out badly and gave Balasovs no winning defence. Balasovs put in the jack over dummy’s ten and Dondivic passed the jack of spades. With two heart entries still in dummy, there was no great point to ducking so Balasovs won the spade queen and played ace and another club. That gave declarer nine tricks for +400 and 10 IMPs to Croatia.

The Latvians scored their first IMP on Board 10 and then followed four flat boards, leaving the score at 32-1 after 14 deals. Then came a quick one-two from Latvia, and they were right back in the match.

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

Both E/W pairs bid efficiently to the small slam for a flat board. The Latvian auction was Polish Club, with the 2♣ rebid confirming the strong version, while the Croatians started with a natural opening and forcing raise. In the Junior Series, 18 pairs bid and made 6♥, while one bid 6♥ but went down (ouch!). There was one 6NT just made and two 7♥ down. In the Girls, seven bid the small slam, four went down in the grand, and one stopped in game.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	♠ Q 8 ♥ 9 6 ♦ A K 10 7 5 ♣ A K J 9
♠ K J 9 7 4 2 ♥ 10 5 ♦ J 9 8		♠ 10 6 5 ♥ Q J 8 ♦ 4
	♠ A 3 ♥ A K 7 4 3 2 ♦ Q 6 3 2 ♣ 8

I prefer Balasovs’ 3♦ bid to the double chosen at the other table. Consider that, after the start to the auction at the other table, the best N/S could realistically hope for was to get to 6♥, when 7♦ is probably more likely to make than 6♥. The 3♦ bid made it easy for Kuldkepp to raise to 5♦ over 4♠. Maybe Balasovs could have tried 6♣ on the way to 6♦, and maybe Kuldkepp would have decided that his partner needed the two ace-kings to make a grand slam try with no major-suit control. As their +1390 was worth 12 IMPs to Latvia, perhaps they would not have been too worried at missing the grand slam.

In the Juniors, there were no less than ten different contracts: seven times 7♦ was bid and made, six times 6♦, once 6♥, once 6NT, one each for the game contracts of 4♥, 5♦ and 5♥. Then there were the four N/S pairs who defended – two against 7♠ doubled, one 4♠ doubled, and one a mere 3♠ doubled. In the Girls, nobody got to seven – two played 5♦, three played 4♥, two played 6♥, and five played 6♦.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	♠ J 6 4 ♥ K J 9 5 ♦ A J ♣ A K 8 5
♠ 9 8 7 3 2 ♥ 8 4 ♦ K Q 4 3		♠ A K Q 5 ♥ A Q 10 3 2 ♦ 8 6
	♠ 10 ♥ 7 6 ♦ 10 9 7 5 2 ♣ J 7 6 4 2

Ivancic cashed a top club then switched to a heart. Lorencs finessed the queen, cashed two top spades then played ace and ruffed a heart, a spade to dummy and ruffed another heart before giving up a diamond and had ten tricks for +620.

Balasovs opened a strong club and Dondivic presumably thought he was too strong to come in immediately – but then he should surely have come in over the 1NT rebid (it is normal to play the same defence here as to a strong 1NT opening bid). When he passed again, his side had been shut out of the auction on a deal where they were cold for a vulnerable game. Worse still, what I consider to be a deeply obscure low heart lead allowed 1NT to make for +90 and 12 IMPs to Latvia. Surely, even on Mars, a top spade is normal to take a look then decide what to do next?

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

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ 9 8 7 3 ♥ Q 10 6 3 ♦ A ♣ K 10 9 6
♠ J 10 6 5 ♥ 7 2 ♦ J 10 7 5 3		♠ A K 2 ♥ A ♦ Q 9 8 6 2
	♠ Q 4 ♥ K J 9 8 5 4 ♦ K 4 ♣ 8 5 2

Four Diamonds made exactly for +130. Meanwhile, apart from the fact that it agreed hearts, I am not sure of the meaning of Ivancic’s 3♦ bid. It certainly worked very well, as his opponents missed their ten-card fit in diamonds to play the hopeless spade game. Or was it hopeless?