| 21st European Youth Team Championships | Page 7 | Bulletin 3 - Saturday 14 July 2007 |
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Sweden - Netherlands Girls Round 4 The gold medallists from Riccione 2005, the Netherlands, met the runners-up, Sweden, in Round 4 of the Girls. Both teams are weakened since the services of the lead pair back then is required elsewhere. The Women Teams winners from Antalya, Meike Wortel/Marion Michielsen, are now a part of the Dutch Junior team here in Lido di Jesolo, and so are the World Pair Champions, the Swedish duo Cecilia Rimstedt/Sara Sivelind. Cecilia’s sister, Sandra, with Emma Sjoberg, were considered for the Juniors as well, but the Swedish captain needed a solid pair beside the less experienced pair of Kristin Nedlich/Freja Andersson so they remained in the Girls team. In the Dutch squad, three players from 2005 are still in the team. Together with them, the sisters Jamilla and Sigrid Spangenberg have moved from the Schools to the Girls team. The most experienced Dutch pair, Rosaline Barendregt/Astrid Dekker, were in the team which was only one crucial board away from knocking out the winners in the Womens Teams in Antalya some weeks ago. This was the final deal in the quarter-final between the Dutch ‘Ladies’ and the Dutch ‘Women’ .
4♠ was reached at both tables. If Meike Wortel for the Women’s team, who was declarer, were to fail while Dekker for the ‘Ladies’ could succeed, the match would be turned around. In both rooms the ten of clubs was led. Bep Vriend won the ace against Dekker, and then gave her partner a ruff. Carla Arnolds cashed the diamond ace and then exited with a diamond. Dekker had the intention to create a swing as she played the trumps from the top. This was not their day and, when Wortel made her game, close, but no cigar. OK, back to these Championships! Sweden have had a slow start and really needed to defeat the Dutch girls if they still wanted to have a fair chance to reach a medal spot. The Netherlands gained 3 IMPs on Board 2, but this was the first large swing.
Open Room
Closed Room
At both tables South’s 2♥ showed hearts and a minor. Rimstedt took a different view in the Open Room to that of Spangenberg in the Closed Room, as she took a shot on game. A bit surprisingly, neither of the East players took any action after partner’s double. Sjoberg’s feared a club ruff, but when Barendregt led the spade ace and continued the suit declarer could draw trumps and claim ten tricks; N/S +590. In the Closed Room the Dutch recorded N/S +170, but that was 9 IMPs to Sweden. That was a good start for the Swedish girls but, furhermore Rimstedt/Sjoberg now had a psychological edge over their opponents. The score had moved on to 33–13 in Sweden’s favour when this came along.
Open Room
South opened a weak No Trump and when East reopened with 3♣ West hoped to find a spade stopper in partner’s hand, thus she went for the No Trump game. Four Hearts on the 4-3 fit is cold for E/W while 3NT doesn’t have any realistic chances. North found the spade lead and South won the queen and continued in spades. North took the trick with the ten but now switched to a diamond! Declarer’s hopes were raised and all she needed was the club king to behave. After the club finesse had failed the defence finally cashed their spade winners for two down and N/S +100. The most irritating thing the opponents can do to you on a bad day might be to err in the defence but steal the cake anyway. Closed Room
West opened a Polish Club and 2♠ was forcing with clubs. 3♠ asked for a spade stopper and without it E/W ended up in the minor-suit game instead. South ignored her own lead-directing double and advanced a heart as opening lead. Now declarer could pitch a losing spade on the diamond ace; just made and N/S –400. That was another 11 IMPs to Sweden and the Dutch girls were now in big trouble trailing by 31 IMPs as the score was 44-13 IMPs. A partscore swing and some overtricks helped the Netherlands to come a little closer. With four boards to go the score was 45–23 and a very lucky board for Sweden followed.
Open Room
Once again Barendregt/Dekker were in 3NT with a wide-open spade suit. Sjoberg had no difficulty in leading a spade and this time Rimsted had learned her lesson, thus she won the ace and played back spades. That was one down and N/S +50. Closed Room
Despite the thirteen-count, Kristin Nedlich refused to open the auction. That is not something you see every day, in particular not in a Juniors event. No, Nedlich had not miscounted, she saw some difficulties in rebidding the hand, thus she passed. Instead, Freja Andersson opened 1♦ and, since Nedlich didn’t want to take a too pessimistic view, she bid 2♣ rather than 1NT. When 2♣ was passed out, Nedlich had hit the jackpot, as she eventually found out that neither game was good, even though 5♣ and 5♦ can be made if declarer can work out the diamond position. South led her singleton diamond, so Nedlich took twelve tricks for N/S –170 and that was another 6 IMPs for Sweden. The Netherlands gained 1 IMP on Board 18, so Sweden was now in the lead by 51–24 and there were only two bords left for the Netherlands to create some IMPs.
Open Room
Closed Room
In the Closed Room, Nedlich cuebid hearts twice and then had a tough moment when her partner came up with Voidwood, i.e. showing void in spades and asking for aces outside the spade suit. Nedlich didn’t see any decent way to retreat, so she passed. 4♠ is makable with a fair amount of acrobatics but 5♠ was one level too high. Declarer went down two after the ten of hearts was led; N/S –200. Now the Dutch pair in the Open Room had their opportunity, since they stopped in time. We saw the same lead, the heart ten. As the cards lie, the key on this board is to avoid winning a trick with the heart king, since you are obliged to draw trumps from hand. Not the easiest thing to spot, but if you win trick one with the heart queen, on the king of spades dummy must discard the heart king, or it has to fall under the ace if North continues in hearts, otherwise declarer will get caught in dummy. Declarer has to cash the spade honour and the next move will not be to draw trumps but to take the diamond finesse. When South follows to three rounds of diamonds declarer can pitch a loser, and then ruff a minor in hand. Now the time has come for drawing trumps. The defence is powerless against this play. In practice Dekker played low from dummy and won the trick in hand with the ace. At trick two she missed failed unblock the king of hearts under the trump king, giving Rimstedt the chance to be a heroine. Could she avoid playing a high club and instead find the only winning shift – a heart? Yes, she did! Declarer had no sensible card to play from dummy, so she tried to cash the two diamond tops, but North ruffed and then gave South a heart ruff. South had to win another trump trick; N/S –200 and no swing. When the last board also was flat the Swedish girls ended as winners. The final score was 51-24 IMPs, converted to 21-9 in VPs. |
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