We have managed to cover all 32 boards that were in play during the first session. They are presented in sets of eight boards.

One facet to good reporting is to be in the right place at the right time, and as you will see, the staff was frequently well positioned. The editor's instructions were 'make it entertaining' and the players who came under the microscope co-operated in full measure. We hope you enjoy it!

Sabine Auken of Germany is a former winner of this event, so we selected her table to watch the first few boards of the championship. In the past the event has been for partnerships from one nation only, but now it is trans-national, giving Sabine a chance to partner her husband, Jens Auken of Denmark.

They began their tournament with a bang, indeed one might call it an explosion… a result so horrendous that we can safely say they were bottom of the field after Board 1:

Board 1. Dealer North. Love All A J 8 5 9 8 7 K Q 9 5 3 2 Q 9 7 5 2 4 3 A Q 8 6 3 10 9 7 5 4 2 A K Q 3 — J 7 6 4 K 10 6 K J 4 2 J 10 6 A 10 8 West North East South Barbaroux Jens Lacroix Sabine 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2NT Pass 3NT Dble Rdble All Pass

A glance at the diagram shows that North/South have nine winners in the black suits. West, Daniel Barbaroux of France, made a speculative double of 3NT to ask for a heart lead, dummy's first bid suit. Jens redoubled, describing it later as "In doubt". This was an accurate description in one sense… it was Sabine who was in doubt. "Undiscussed" was her reply when West enquired the meaning of the redouble.

Nine tricks were duly made in Three Notrumps Redoubled but, unfortunately for our champions, by the wrong side! East led 10, covered by jack and queen. A diamond came back, and declarer ducked the next heart, the nine. East cashed her diamonds, and led another heart. The defence came to four diamonds and five hearts and a score of 2800. So, if the Aukens make the final, you know where they started. And the result was so bizarre that Sabine even managed a smile.

"The advantage of Pairs," said your Bulletin reporter, trying to be encouraging, "is that a couple of extra tricks on the following deals might see you back to average." And so it proved.

Board 2. Dealer East. NS Game A K 5 2 10 9 4 A 10 8 7 6 5 Q 8 4 3 J 10 8 7 5 2 A K Q 6 3 K 5 3 A Q J 10 8 K Q 4 9 7 6 J 4 9 7 6 2 J 9 3 2 West North East South Barbaroux Jens Lacroix Sabine 1 Pass 3 Pass 4 All Pass

A simple and uninformative auction with a lot of matchpoints resting on the lead. If South chooses a red card declarer makes 11 tricks, as trumps are drawn, dummy's clubs go away on the diamonds, and declarer ruffs her singleton club! But Sabine led a spade, and Jens quickly cashed three tricks to give the partnership an above average score.

The next board completed the move back to average:

Board 3. Dealer South. EW Game 7 6 3 2 9 8 4 K 10 3 2 9 7 9 8 5 J 10 A 5 2 K Q J 10 7 A 9 7 6 4 8 K 3 Q 10 8 6 5 A K Q 4 6 3 Q J 5 A J 4 2 West North East South Barbaroux Jens Lacroix Sabine 1 Pass Pass 1 Dble 2 2 2 3 3 Pass 4 Dble All Pass

East-West reached a reasonable Four Hearts, and Sabine made a sharp double. She began with three rounds of spades, reducing declarer to four trumps. Double-dummy the contract can be made. East has to run the ten of clubs and then later ruff a third club with the ace of trumps. If you start with a club to the king and a club to the ten and jack, you cannot make, as South withholds her ace of clubs on the third round. You can ruff one club high, but the defence come to another trick later because North is standing by to over-ruff the dummy. Declarer actually did worse by drawing two rounds of trumps with the ace and king, and then following with a club to the king and a club to the ten and jack. A diamond switch was won in dummy and declarer came back to hand with a diamond ruff to take a ruffing finesse in clubs, South carefully not covering. Declarer threw a diamond from the dummy, but when North ruffed he was able to remove declarer's last trump by playing a third diamond. The club suit was ruffed good, but at trick 13 the lead was in dummy and the defence made a diamond. +500 must have been a near top for the Aukens.

Board 4 was thrown in, as it must have been at many tables, so let us move quickly on…

Steen Moller gives us the first story of Board 5

A new British-Israeli combination was seen when the pairs started yesterday. Nissan Rand's normal mixed-partner was not able to go to Germany, but he was far from disadvantaged when, instead, he got to play with Nevena Senior (the former European Ladies Pairs champion, then Nevena Deleva). Mr. Rand is used to winning titles for the over 55s, but he has no chance this time as Mrs. Senior is much too young for that. He must content himself to win a title with a Senior, not a senior. The new pair did not get the best of starts against a German pair, when they reached this 3NT on the very first hand they ever played together:

Board 5. Dealer North. NS Game A 10 7 3 7 3 9 8 A Q 9 6 3 K 9 8 Q 5 2 J 10 8 6 Q 5 4 K 6 J 10 7 5 3 K 10 7 2 8 5 J 6 4 A K 9 2 A Q 4 2 J 4 West North East South Seiffert Rand Warnecke Senior Pass Pass 1NT Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3NT All Pass

West got off to a very good lead when he led the declarer's suit, hearts. South ducked the J, but captured the queen with the ace at trick two. She now played the J and ducked when West covered with the king. Unable to continue hearts West found the dramatic and effective switch to the K. Dummy took the ace and played another spade. East went up with the queen and played her last heart to South's king. South unblocked the J and played the 4.

She thought for a while when West followed low, but finally decided that is was too risky to finesse the nine. She then cashed dummy's last spade squeezing West in three suits, but West did not show any sign off distress and blanked his K smoothly. When the clubs did not break, South took the diamond finesse, as who would not, and West scored up the remaining tricks.

Two down and an awful result for Britain/Israel.

We take up the Auken story again:

At the Auken's table Sabine reached 3NT as South without revealing possession of a heart suit, so West, Dries Swinkels of the Netherlands, made the natural lead of J. South won, and led J, covered and ducked. West continued with a heart to the queen and ace. When the clubs did not break Sabine cleared the suit, leaving West endplayed. He exited with K. When East came in with a spade, a third heart put the contract one off, a normal enough result.

Board 6. Dealer East. EW Game K 7 3 A 8 6 K 9 6 A 9 5 2 J 9 6 2 A Q 10 8 5 4 J 9 7 K 4 3 Q 10 4 J K Q 6 J 8 7 — Q 10 5 2 A 8 7 5 3 2 10 4 3 West North East South Gwinner Terraneo Langer Weigkright 1 2 Dble 3 4 Dble Pass Pass 5 Dble All Pass

When Terraneo made a takeout double of 2 on his flat 14-count, Weigkricht took a shot at 4. The double was quick and confident and Weigkricht ran to the safety of her longest suit. Gwinner doubled again and led a spade. Weigkricht ruffed and played ace and king of trumps followed by a low club. Gwinner won that, cashed the Q and continued spades. Weigkricht ruffed then played ace and a second heart, badly needing to get them right as she was down to her last trump. There was a hitch on her right before playing low and she duly went up with the queen then played a third round. That was down two for -300; not great with 4 normally going one down.

The Auken's stay lower:

West North East South Swinkels Jens Swinkels Sabine 1 2 2 2NT 3 Pass Pass 3NT Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass 4 Dble All Pass

If the diamonds were breaking 2-2 there would be nine tricks for North-South in 3NT on a spade lead, but when West doubled Sabine wisely took refuge in Four Diamonds. This was doubled and lost the obvious four tricks for -100 but a better than average result for the Aukens.

On Board 7 they stopped in 4NT which proved the right spot when the clubs did not come in. . . 11 tricks. On Board 8 East-West reached the standard Four Spades, and, as Sabine avoided leading a diamond at any stage this was held to ten tricks for a normal result.

Board 7. Dealer South. Game All 6 5 A 6 5 A K Q A J 9 8 3 K Q 9 8 4 3 2 9 7 4 2 J 10 8 7 6 2 J 8 5 4 6 5 K 10 7 A J 10 7 K Q 3 10 9 3 Q 4 2

Terry and Franz bid 1 - 2 - 2NT - 3 - 3NT. The canapé response is a standard feature of Blue Club. Weigkricht won the diamond lead, crossed to hand with a heart and ran the Q. When that was allowed to hold the trick she led a second club and put in the nine. That lost, of course and she also had to concede a spade - a dull +660.

Board 8. Dealer West. Love All J K Q 6 5 4 2 9 8 6 Q 10 7 Q 10 6 4 A 9 7 5 2 9 3 8 A 7 Q 10 5 4 3 A K J 6 4 8 3 K 8 3 A J 10 7 K J 2 9 5 2 West North East South Pozoshin Terraneo Zenkevitch Weigkright 2 2 2 4 4 Pass Pass Dble All Pass

2 was Precision and Terraneo made a thin overcall of 2. 2 was natural and non-forcing and the next two bids were fairly automatic. Now it seemed clear to Weigkricht to double 4 but she had reckoned without Terraneo's aggressive bidding. There proved to be no defence. Weigkricht led ace and another heart and Zenkevitch ruffed. She cashed the A and, on seeing the fall of the jack, switched her attention to clubs, playing ace, king and a third round. She ruffed the third club and played a trump. Weigkricht won and returned a trump but the defence had only a diamond to come; +590 for the Russian pair.