Norway v Croatia - Juniors Round Five

Norway lat third overnight but had an awkward morning match against the dangerous Croatian team. First blood went to Norway with a single IMP on the first board of the match, then Croatia took the lead on Board 4 when Norway declared an inferior partscore and declarer misguessed the ending.

Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª A 9 2 © K 10 7 ¨ K 5 4 3 2 § Q 3
ª K 8 6 4 © Q J 8 6 ¨ 10 8 7 § 7 5		ª J 3 © A 9 5 3 ¨ Q § K J 10 9 4 2
	ª Q 10 7 5 © 4 2 ¨ A J 9 6 § A 8 6

Three Diamonds is a much more comfortable contract than 2NT and I much prefer Tomislav Sasek’s auction to that of Ronny Jørstad.

Unless he is willing to lead his singleton trump queen, East will give a trick whichever suit he leads and Marina Pilipovic brought home ten tricks in 3¨, to score +130 for Croatia.

Jørstad received the lead of a club through dummy’s queen from Vanja Grahek in his 2NT contract. He played the queen and ducked the king. Grahek won the second club and played the ace of diamonds. When the queen fell he cashed three more rounds of diamonds, on which Karlo Brguljan pitched a spade then two hearts. The spade pitch was an error as it gave Jørstad a chance to make his contract. He led the ªQ from hand but, when Grahek ducked smoothly Jørstad chickened out of running the queen. When he rose with the ace he could cash the fifth diamond but had to concede the remainder for down one; -100 and 6 IMPs to Croatia.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	ª 3 © J 7 3 2 ¨ K Q 5 2 § 9 5 4 2
ª A Q 8 6 5 © A 8 6 ¨ J § K Q J 6		ª 9 © K 9 ¨ A 10 8 7 6 4 § A 10 7 3
	ª K J 10 7 4 2 © Q 10 5 4 ¨ 9 3 § 8

What would you rebid with the East cards? Brguljan went for the classic diamonds, diamonds, then clubs sequence to show a weak 6-4, while Thomas Charlsen preferred to bid clubs at his second turn. Olav Ellestad drove Charlsen to slam while Grahek was willing to stop in game.

The lead against 5§ was a trump. Grahek won in hand and played three rounds of hearts, ruffing, then cashed the ace of spades before playing a diamond to the ace and ruffing a diamond. He had 11 tricks now on a crossruff; +400.

The opening lead was more critical in the other room where Charlsen was in slam, but from the other side. The singleton trump lead did not look attractive and Sasek actually chose a spade. Charlsen won the ªA and proceeded to cash all his winners then crossruff his way to 12 tricks - four top tricks in the side suits and eight trump tricks.

Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
	ª K 5 4 3 © Q J 10 9 8 ¨ K 2 § J 9
ª 10 7 6 © 7 5 ¨ A 10 7 3 § A 6 5 4		ª A Q J 9 8 2 © A 6 4 3 ¨ 9 8 § 2
	ª - © K 2 ¨ Q J 6 5 4 § K Q 10 8 7 3

One can sympathise with Pilipovic’s double of 4ª. After all, she had a ten-count and king to four trumps facing a hand that could open the bidding then make a free rebid. But she found that she could do nothing to defeat the contract. Indeed, Charlsen managed an overtrick. He was able to ruff three clubs in hand and two hearts on table and eventually develop an endplay to make all six of his trumps for a huge +990.

In the other room, the Croatians had not bid to game on the East/West cards and must have been quite happy with the +500 they took from 5§ doubled. Grahek led spades at every opportunity and declarer eventually lost control. Though he was able to ruff out the diamonds, he had insufficient trumps to be able to enjoy them. Grahek had a small trump to make at the end for a promising Croatian result. They can do without more promising results like that one, as it cost them 10 IMPs.

Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	ª 5 3 © K 7 6 5 3 ¨ J 8 3 2 § 6 3
ª 10 6 4 2 © Q ¨ 6 § A K Q J 10 9 8		ª Q 9 8 7 © 10 8 4 ¨ A K 10 5 § 7 5
	ª A K J © A J 9 2 ¨ Q 9 7 4 § 4 2

Ellestad’s mini-splinter jump reverse allowed Pilipovic to get her hand off her chest at the three-level and she had no reason to remove what was an essentially penalty double of 4ª. Sasek cashed the ace of hearts then switched to a low diamond for the jack and ace. Charlsen played a low spade from hand, losing to the jack, and now Sasek forced dummy with a heart. Charlsen could not draw trumps without conceding a second heart trick and had to go two down; -300.

In the other room, Grahek made the full-blooded jump to 4ª and Jørstad doubled. Perhaps Jørstad intended that to be for penalty, but if so I disagree with him, and so apparently did Stig Roar Hakkebo, who removed to 5©. Had that been doubled, it could have gone three down for 500 to Croatia, however, when Brguljan felt unable to double, Grahek took the push to 5ª and that was 500 the other way and 5 IMPs to Norway.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	ª K J 6 4 © J 7 6 2 ¨ A 5 § K Q J
ª 9 8 2 © A K 10 9 8 3 ¨ 9 8 2 § 7		ª 10 7 © 5 4 ¨ J 10 7 4 § 9 5 4 3 2
	ª A Q 5 3 © Q ¨ K Q 6 3 § A 10 8 6

Norway outbid their opponents on this deal, Hakkebo/Jørstad reaching the cold spade slam while Pilipovic/Sasek reached the inferior but hardly terrible club slam, which failed on the 5-1 trump split.

Ellestad’s 3© pre-empt put his opponents under more pressure than Grahek’s weak jump overcall, but it still looks odd not to reach spades. Six Clubs was two down for -100 while 6ª made an easy +980 to give 14 IMPs to Norway. The Norwegians led by 42-7 at this stage but the next big swing went to Croatia, who needed it.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	ª A K Q 10 © K 9 6 4 2 ¨ 7 5 § J 6
ª 6 5 4 2 © J 5 ¨ J 8 6 3 2 § Q 3		ª 9 8 7 3 © A Q 10 7 ¨ A K 4 § 9 4
	ª J © 8 3 ¨ Q 10 9 § A K 10 8 7 5 2

Three Club smade 11 tricks after a spade lead had allowed declarer to get rid of all his diamonds; +150. But that proved to be insufficient because Croatia bid aggressively to the no trump game and it was far too tough for Ellestad to find the killing heart lead. Not unnaturally, he led a low diamond and Charlsen played king, ace and a third round of the suit. When declarer got the clubs right, he had the rest of the tricks for +660 and 11 IMPs to Croatia.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª K 10 9 4 © A Q 9 ¨ 6 2 § K J 3 2
ª J 8 6 5 3 2 © 4 2 ¨ - § Q 8 7 6 4		ª 7 © J 10 7 6 5 ¨ A J 9 8 § A 10 9
	ª A Q © K 8 3 ¨ K Q 10 7 5 4 3 § 5

Two Spades was weak with spades and an unspecified minor and 3§ was pass or correct. Brguljan led the §9, zero or two higher, to the queen and king. Hakkebo played a diamond to the king and came back to hand with a heart to lead a second diamond up. Brguljan took his ace and exited with the ©J to dummy’s king. Hakkebo cleared the diamonds and Brguljan cashed his §A; ten tricks for +430.

The Closed Room auction is withheld to protect the guilty. Given a free run, the Croatian pair took 15 bids to reach 5ª, a contract of no great beauty and even less chance of making. It went five down for -250 and 12 IMPs to Norway. It’s a shame I can’t speak Croatian, because I imagine that the post mortem must have been quite entertaining.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª A Q 9 7 3 2 © J 9 7 3 2 ¨ 9 2 § -
ª J 8 5 © K 8 ¨ Q J 10 8 7 § Q 7 4		ª - © A Q 6 5 4 ¨ A 4 3 § A K J 10 3
	ª K 10 6 4 © 10 ¨ K 6 5 § 9 8 6 5 2

Six Clubs is an excellent contract. You can usually overcome a 4-1 trump break if the diamond is onside and are virtually solid on an even trump split. To get doubled and find that you have to go two down after getting forced at trick one seems a little cruel. Charlsen/Ellestad perhaps consoled themselves with the thought that their opponents would have made 4ª and that the club game was always going down. Perhaps -500 would not be too terrible a score.

Indeed, -500 for East/West could have been a very healthy pick-up for Norway. In the Open Room, Hakkebo did not come into the bidding at all until his opponents had alighted in 4©. Then he doubled. Jørstad realised that his partner was almost certainly void in clubs and took the double as being Lightner-like. He led the nine of clubs and Hakkebo, after some thought, ruffed and underled his ªA, reading the nine as a suit-preference lead. Brguljan ruffed the spade and played ace of hearts and a heart to the king then took the diamond finesse. Had Jørstad now forced declarer with another spade, he would have been held to just his five trumps and one diamond trick, for four down and -1100. That would have been worth 12 IMPs to Norway. Alas, he instead led a club and Hakkebo could ruff or not but would only come to one trump trick. Croatia chalked up +790 and gained 15 IMPs on the deal. The second club ruff cost 27 IMPs. Has anyone seen a more expensive play yet at these championships?

Despite the last board, Norway held on to win by 54-42 IMPs, enough for a 17-13 VP win.

Not altogether surprisingly, that last board created havoc around the room with swings in almost every match. The most amusing swing probably came in the vugraph match. The Portuguese East/West played in 3NT, for reasons known only to themselves, and went two down for -200. Not to worry, that was worth 12 IMPs to Portugal. 12 IMPs, you ask? 11 IMPs is easy enough to see if North plays 4ª doubled for +790, but 12? The auction at the other table was very simple; the German East opened 1© and West responded 1NT. Now North overcalled 2ª. East thought that his hand was right for a double. Even without knowing their system, I am willing to say that I disagree with him, as I would not double even for take-out. And if double was take-out, I would not pass it with the West hand as happened at the table. Declarer made only nine tricks but +870 was quite satisfactory from his point of view.