Israel vs Croatia - Juniors Round 15
Croatia had a very good day on Tuesday
and moved up to sixth place overall, well in touch with the
qualifying places. On Wednesday morning they met the leaders,
Israel. Could Croatia continue their good form?
Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. |
|
ª
J 3
© Q 6
¨ A 7 6 4
§ A Q J
10 7 |
ª
K 5
© A 10 8 7
5 4 2
¨ 3
§ 8 3 2 |
|
ª
9 7 6 4 2
© K J 9
¨ K Q 10 9
8
§ - |
|
ª
A Q 10 8
© 3
¨ J 5 2
§ K 9 6
5 4 |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
|
1§ |
1¨ |
1ª |
2© |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
4© |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
All Pass |
|
|
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
|
1§ |
Pass |
1ª |
3© |
Pass |
4© |
5§ |
All Pass |
|
|
|
The match started very well for the leaders.
In the Closed Room, Asaf Amit’s simple 2© overcall caught a
raise and he went on to game. I don’t really understand Tomislav
Sasek’s combination of calls on the South hand; his partner
had opened 1§, which admittedly might not have been a long suit,
yet he never supported clubs and then doubled the final contract
for penalty. That was not a success. Marina Pilipovic led two
rounds of spades and Amit ruffed and led a diamond up. Pilipovic
took her ace but that was the end of the defence; +690.
Had Pilipovic ducked the diamond, declarer
would have had no diamond loser but would then have needed to
ruff three clubs in the dummy so the defence would have come
to a heart trick instead for the same score.
At the other table, Vedran Zoric made
a jump overcall and Vanja Grahek raised him to game. Ran Schnieder
bid 5§ over that, ending the auction. After Grahek had led the
king of hearts and Zoric overtaken it, establishing declarer’s
queen for a diamond discard, the contract depended on the spade
finesse. When it failed Yossi roll had to go one down, but -50
was a small price to pay with game cold the other way; 12 IMPs
to Israel.
Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul. |
|
ª
K 9
© A K Q
7 5
¨ 7 3
§ K 10 5
2 |
ª
A 7 4
© J 8 6
¨ Q 9 8 5 2
§ 7 6 |
|
ª
6 3
© 10 9 4 3
2
¨ 6 4
§ A 9 8 3 |
|
ª
Q J 10 8 5 2
© -
¨ A K J 10
§ Q J 4 |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
|
|
Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
2© |
Pass |
3¨ |
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
5¨ |
Pass |
6NT |
All Pass |
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
|
|
Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
2© |
Pass |
3¨ |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
|
Roll’s 2© was game-forcing and Schnieder’s
3¨ showed either extra high-card strength or serious distribution.
Roll had a bit to spare for his two-over-one response but no
great fit and after a little consideration settled for 3NT.
After a club lead to the queen, ducked, he continued with the
club jack, also ducked, and made 12 tricks for +690.
Sasek’s 3¨ bid would always deliver extra
values and Pilipovic jumped to 4NT. That really ought to be
natural in this sequence as North can set any suit as trumps
below game and then use Blackwood on the next round. I cannot
be certain, but the subsequent auction suggests that Pilipovic
agrees with me while Sasek does not. Five Diamonds looks like
a Blackwood reponse, as otherwise it seems odd to rebid the
four-card diamond suit, but then North’s jump to 6NT doesn’t
make a lot of sense.
Anyway, whoever was doing what in the
auction, the bottom line was that the Croatian pair were in
a slam off two aces and there was no problem in taking them;
one down for -100 and 13 IMPs to Israel.
Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
|
ª
9 6 4 2
© A K J
10 3
¨ A 10
§ A J |
ª
A Q J 7 5
© 4 2
¨ K 9 6 5 4
§ 10 |
|
ª
10 3
© Q 7 5
¨ Q 3
§ 9 8 6 4
3 2 |
|
ª
K 8
© 9 8 6
¨ J 8 7 2
§ K Q 7
5 |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
|
|
|
Pass |
Pass |
1© |
Pass |
1NT |
2© |
Dble |
Pass |
4© |
All Pass |
|
|
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
|
|
|
1NT |
2ª |
Dble |
All Pass |
|
In the Open Room, Schnieder opened a mini
no trump and Zoric came in with a 2ª overcall. At this vulnerability,
it was clear for Roll to double rather than look for a game
his way. Roll led a top heart then switched to a trump to cut
down possible diamond ruffs in the dummy. Zoric thought for
some time before playing low from dummy and this might have
tipped Schnieder off to the fact that he should also be playing
low to prevent dummy’s ten from becoming an entry. Indeed, the
spade pips were such that the defence would also come to a trump
trick by force this way. Schnieder actually played the ªK and
Zoric won the ace and played a heart up. Roll won, cashed the
ace of diamonds, then played two rounds of clubs. Zoric ruffed
and could cross to dummy and cash both red queens. Though he
had an eighth trick in the king of diamonds, he couldn’t get
back to hand to cash it without shortening his trumps and he
had to go one down; -200.
In the Closed Room , Sasek did not have
an opening bid and Amit also chose to pass his 5-5 ten-count.
Amit showed his two-suiter on the next round but soon found
himself defending against 4©. Yaniv Vax found the best lead
of the queen of diamonds to declarer’s ace. There was nothing
declarer could do after that lead and she was one down for another
100 to Israel and 7 IMPs.
Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul. |
|
ª
A K Q J 6 4
© K 6 4
2
¨ J 5 4
§ - |
ª
7 5 3 2
© -
¨ A Q 9 8 3
§ A K 5 2 |
|
ª
10 8
© A Q J 9
8
¨ 10
§ Q J 8 7
6 |
|
ª
9
© 10 7 5
3
¨ K 7 6 2
§ 10 9 4
3 |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
1¨ |
1ª |
Dble |
Pass |
2§ |
2ª |
3ª |
Pass |
4¨ |
Pass |
5§ |
All Pass |
|
|
|
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
1¨ |
1ª |
2© |
Pass |
3§ |
3ª |
5§ |
Pass |
6§ |
All Pass |
|
|
Croatia were lucky on this board. It might
not appear so when they went three down in a freely bid slam,
but consider that if the defensive clubs had broken more evenly
6§ would still have failed while 5§ would have been making,
so that the adverse swing would have been 12 IMPs.
Five Clubs went just one down on three
rounds of spades, declarer ruffing with dummy’s queen on the
third round; one down but 5 IMPs to Israel.
Croatia trailed by 37 IMPs after just
four boards and desperately needed to halt the slide. They created
a golden opportunity on Board 5, only to waste it and fall even
further behind.
Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul. |
|
ª
J 9
© A K 2
¨ A 9 7
§ A Q 10
7 5 |
ª
Q 6 4 3 2
© 9
¨ K Q 10 5
§ K 9 3 |
|
ª
K 8
© J 10 7 4
3
¨ J 8 2
§ J 6 4 |
|
ª
A 10 7 5
© Q 8 6
5
¨ 6 4 3
§ 8 2 |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
|
1§ |
Pass |
1© |
Dble |
Rdbl |
Pass |
Pass |
1ª |
2ª |
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
|
1§ |
Pass |
1© |
Dble |
Rdbl |
2¨ |
Pass |
Pass |
2NT |
All Pass |
|
After identical starts to the two auctions,
Grahek bid his three-card diamond suit while Vax preferred to
leave the decision round to his partner. After the 2¨ bid, Roll
was willing to stay out of game and bid only 2NT, where he played.
Sasek led a diamond and the suit was cleared. Roll cashed a
top heart then led the jack of spades to the king and ace. He
played a second spade towards his nine and Zoric erred slightly
by winning the queen, leaving two spade winners in the dummy.
The 13th diamond was cashed and roll threw a club from dummy.
When Zoric switched to a club he rose with the ace and cashed
his winners; +120.
In the Closed Room, Pilipovic cuebid 2ª
then raised the 2NT response to game. Again diamonds were led
and cleared. With the clubs breaking 3-3 with an honour onside,
there is a simple line to make nine tricks, but Sasek played
ace, king and a third heart to get to hand and now East had
hearts to cash when he got in with a club. The contract was
one down for -100 and 6 IMPs to Israel when it might have been
10 IMPs the other way. Israel led 43-0. the bleeding paused
for a while but then came another big swing to Israel.
Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. |
|
ª
A J 10 9
© Q 7
¨ J 7 6 4
§ 9 8 2 |
ª
K 7 6 3
© A 10 8 6
¨ A
§ K J 6 4 |
|
ª
5 2
© K 9 4
¨ K 9 2
§ A 10 7 5
3 |
|
ª
Q 8 4
© J 5 3
2
¨ Q 10 8
5 3
§ Q |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
1§ |
Pass |
2§ |
Pass |
3¨ |
Pass |
5§ |
All Pass |
|
|
|
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
1§ |
Pass |
1© |
Pass |
4¨ |
Pass |
6§ |
All Pass |
|
|
|
|
In the Closed Room, Vax made an inverted
raise of his partner’s 1§ opening and Amit splintered. That
was not good news for Vax, who held a minimum 2§ bid including
a probably wasted ¨K, and signed-off in 5§. Amit won the trump
lead in hand and played a second trump to dummy. Next he played
a low heart to the eight and Pilipovic’s queen. Amit won the
trump return and got the hearts right for a spade pitch from
dummy. He could ruff dummy’s last diamond in hand and just concede
a spade for +400.
For reasons best known to himself, Grahek
responded 1© at the other table - surely 1¨ is safer if no number
of clubs appeals? Zoric overbid now with a 4¨ splinter. The
West hand is only worth a raise to three and a splinter in bare
ace is hardly ideal anyway if there is any alternative option
available. Now Grahek seems to have become afraid of the monster
of his own creation. Not wishing to play a 4-3 heart fit, and
fearing that a return to 5§ would be taken as a cuebid for hearts,
which could get him even deeper in the mire, he leaped to 6§,
though with the ¨K likely to be wasted, that is a serious overbid.
At least Zoric got the message about the trump suit, but once
Roll had resisted the temptation to lead the ace of spades (he
did finger it a couple of times before choosing to lead a trump
instead), there was no way to avoid two losers. The slam was
actually two down as declarer had to try for the ªA onside to
have a chance of success and so lost two spades and a heart;
11 IMPs to Israel/
Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
|
ª
10 3
© A K Q
4
¨ A J
§ A J 10
8 3 |
ª
A 9 5 2
© J 10 9 8
6 2
¨ 6 4 2
§ - |
|
ª
K J 8 4
© 7 5
¨ Q 10 9 5
3
§ K 6 |
|
ª
Q 7 6
© 3
¨ K 8 7
§ Q 9 7
5 4 2 |
Closed Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Amit |
Pilipovic |
Vax |
Sasek |
|
|
|
Pass |
Pass |
1§ |
1¨ |
2§ |
2© |
Dble |
Pass |
3§ |
3¨ |
3NT |
All Pass |
|
Open Room |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Zoric |
Roll |
Grahek |
Schnieder |
|
|
|
Pass |
2¨ * |
Dble |
Pass |
3§ ** |
Pass |
3¨ *** |
Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
4§ |
Pass |
4© |
Pass |
5§ |
All Pass |
|
* Multi
** Natural but showing values
*** Cuebid
|
Israel completed a resounding victory
with another game swing when they reached the game that could
be let through on the opening lead rather than the one in which
the defence would have two chances to attack the correct suit.
Note also that 5§ really is better as if the clubs play for
no losers it will be cold (short of three rounds of spades promoting
a bare king of clubs offside) while 3NT could still lose five
spade tricks on a different lay-out.
Sure enough, the lead against 5§ was a
diamond and now Schnieder could win, cash the ace of trumps
and play winning hearts to get rid of two spade losers before
East could ruff and lead spades; +400.
In the other room, Vax also led a diamond
against 3NT. Pilipovic won and played ace another club, Amit
pitching the ten of hearts. Vax switched accurately to the jack
of spades, picking up four spade tricks for one down; -50 and
10 IMPs to Israel.
Croatia did not show the form that had
brought them into contention. They lost by 4-74 IMPs, 2-25 VPs,
and would have to do all the hard work all over again to get
back in touch with the leading group. Meanwhile, Israel had
extended their lead while getting a dangerous opponent out of
the way, and were looking good.
|