| 21st European Youth Team Championships | Page 2 | Bulletin 10 - Saturday evening 21 July 2007 |
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Embarrassment of Riches by Barry Rigal Unquestionably, the best match of the tournament was the vugraph match between France and Norway in the Juniors. I’ve seen almost every board of the event and this match packed more fine plays, or opportunities for them, into 20 boards than any other match I’ve seen. The first deal where there were opportunities for good play and defence was Board 6: Norway had already got a decent lead (and, but for a defence to 3NT deemed too disgusting even for a Hammer Horror movie, it would have been more).
Both Souths reached 3NT on an auction that persuaded West to lead a diamond not the spade that would set the game on normal declarer play. Lindqvist won the ♦Q and immediately advanced the ♥J – just in case! When West covered – and who can blame him, though ducking might have set the game – Lindqvist found a neat play. His ♠9 protects him from losing four spades, so long as West is the defender who broaches the suit. The natural play in clubs, of finessing, lets East in. So the riposte might be to cash the ♣K then ♣A. Lindqvist went one step better. He led the ♣3 from dummy – and DUCKED East’s ♣6! Well done. Thomas Bessis won the diamond lead and played ♣A and another club, finessing the jack as Eide followed up the line in clubs to show preparedness for a spade shift. It pains me to tell you that Livgard did shift to spades; alas, he selected the ♠J when a low spade would have been unambiguous. Bessis covered nonchalantly, and Eide won and reverted to diamonds. Livgard muttered the Norwegian equivalent of ‘Casting pearls before swine’ and the match continued. The Bessis brothers then had the chance to shine on defence – and grabbed their opportunity with both hands.
In the Closed Room, Norway had recorded a small plus from 1♠, so the fate of 3♦ would swing quite a number of IMPs. Olivier, who had done well not to reopen with a double of 3♦, led the top spade. Declarer had a nasty decision at trick one but guessed well to duck. Now declarer was on his way to +110, right? Wrong! Olivier shifted to the ♥3 – why not the ♥2? – don’t ask me! Declarer played the ♥7 from dummy, a small but significant error, and Thomas asked himself why declarer, if he had the ♥A, would not play dummy’s ♥9? Answer: he did not have the ♥A! So Thomas took the ♥K and reverted to spades for down one and a round of applause from the audience. Now we come to my favourite board of the event. Everybody knows that one only has a finite amount of energy to waste in agonized thought. So when you identify an ‘easy’ board you play the thoughtless line and move on to the next without wasting brain-power. That makes Thomas Bessis’ performance here truly laudable.
Both Souths propelled themselves to 3♠ here after opening 1♥ and hearing West double. The Norwegians did so after North showed a good raise to 2♠, by making a game try, the French got there as an obstructive manoeuvre after a simple spade raise over the double. In both rooms declarer received the lead of three rounds of diamonds, ruffed, then drew two trumps as West threw a club. Declarer number one knew a ‘simple’ board when he saw it; he led a club to the jack and queen and was favoured with a shift to the ♥8. He covered with the nine and thereafter could hold his losers in hearts to one, for +140. Bessis sat contemplating for five minutes before realizing that rather than rely on defensive error he could generate some real pressure in the ending. He drew a third trump ending in dummy, West pitching a second club and East the ♥4 – upside down. Now came a fourth trump, East letting go the ♥3 and West his diamond. Thomas now ‘knew’ the opponents’ shapes, and led the last trump, subjecting West to real anguish. Eventually he got it right, discarding a club as dummy and West threw a heart each. This was the ending:
Thomas now led a heart to the queen, and when that held he made the key play of the club ace. If West unblocks then East wins the next club but must give dummy the club jack at the end. If he does not unblock, he is endplayed to lead hearts at trick 12. Do you see the key defensive error? West must rise with the heart ace in the diagrammed position. Now declarer must unblock dummy’s ♥Q, and a switch to the club king leaves declarer helpless.
My final exhibit indicates that the spirit of low cunning prevalent in the Juniors can be exhibited even on the last deal of a match, where the players are keen to get out and score up. Imagine the play in 4♥ on an unreadable diamond spot by North. You remember to put on dummy’s jack – after all sometimes they cover! Bingo! South plays the ♦Q and now you have a chance to be careful. You play off the two top spades, your remaining diamond honour, then overtake the ♥K with the ♥A, to cash the winning diamond and pitch a club. Later you get to lead up to the ♣K for an overtrick.Eide took his eye off the ball and played the top spades and top diamonds then led a trump. Olivier Bessis meanly shifted to the ♣Q! Declarer now subjected himself to a few minutes of torture before rising with ♣K and recording 11 tricks.Ben Green found the same switch - to no avail! In another match Tomislav Gracin led a heart to the king at trick one. Declarer played three rounds of spades and South Luka Dondjivic pitched hearts. Now Tomislav played the club queen and another club when declarer ducked, and the Russian West misguessed for down one. Was this culpable? Yes; when North leads a heart from the jack at trick one he won’t have ♣QJ9 on the side, will he? |
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