Partscore competition is the area of the Pairs game which requires the finest judgement and quite by chance the six deals I chose to watch in the third qualifying session all featured competitive partscore decisions.

First up we see two deals featuring two pairs who looked to be heavy favourites to make the final as they were both lying in the top fifty after two sessions.

Board 13. Dealer North. Game All ª A 6 5 © K J ¨ 7 4 3 2 § 9 5 3 2 ª K 9 8 3 ª J 10 7 4 2 © 9 7 5 3 © A Q 6 ¨ K 8 ¨ 10 5 § K 10 7 § A J 4 ª Q © 10 8 4 2 ¨ A Q J 9 6 § Q 8 6

Marissa D'Andrea and Guido Ferraro bid and raised spades and Andrea Rauscheid made a normal pairs balancing double in pass-out seat. Ferraro redoubled to show his maximum and Klaus reps started a scramble by bidding Two No Trump. East/West can actually take 500 out of Three Diamonds doubled, but it is too tough for anyone to double when the opposition find a nine-card fit and D'Andrea settled for bidding Three Spades. Rauscheid led a club, solving declarer's only possible problem (though the nine of hearts can be established for a club pitch from hand anyway) and that was an easy +170 and an average on the scoresheet.

Board 14. Dealer East. Love All ª J 9 6 5 4 © 4 2 ¨ A 10 3 2 § 10 8 ª K 8 ª Q 10 3 © Q J 7 5 3 © 10 8 6 ¨ K 8 ¨ J 9 7 6 § A Q 7 2 § K 9 5 ª A 7 2 © A K 9 ¨ Q 5 4 § J 6 4 3

D'Andrea's pushy matchpoint double looks safe enough; declarer has two spades and two clubs to lose and, even if he divines the diamond position and does not lose the queen to the king, still has the problem of where to park his fourth diamond. Far from being on getting the diamond right to get out for one down, Reps proceeded to make the hand without getting the diamonds right!

D'Andrea led a heart to dummy's ace and reps played a low club. Ferraro won the ace and played the queen of hearts to dummy. Reps played a second club to the king and D'Andrea returned a third club, which Reps ruffed. He continued with a spade to the ace, ruffed dummy's heart loser, and exited with a spade to the bare king. Ferraro played the queen of clubs and Reps ruffed with his last trump. What was d'Andrea to do? If she over-ruffed, she would then have to open up the diamonds and there would still be a trump in dummy to cater to the last diamond. So D'Andrea pitched a diamond. But now Reps simply played the ace of diamonds and a second diamond to the queen and king. Ferraro had nothing but hearts left and so dummy had to make its last trump en passant for a great +470 to the German pair.

Board 15. Dealer South. NS Game ª J 9 5 © K Q 9 3 ¨ Q 10 7 5 § 9 5 ª Q 10 8 3 ª A K 6 2 © J 8 2 © A 6 4 ¨ 9 6 2 ¨ J 3 § A J 6 § 10 7 4 2 ª 7 4 © 10 7 5 ¨ A K 8 4 § K Q 8 3

José Damiani and Colette Lise won the bronze medal two years ago but needed a big third session if they were to make the final this time around. These two deals against the top Polish pairing of Jacek Romanski and Ewa Harasimowicz did not do the French pair any great harm, but neither did they do them much good.

On this first board Harasimowicz doubled to show the black suits then competed further with Three Spades over Three Diamonds. Maybe somebody could have doubled Three Spades to earn a few more matchpoints, but it is a hard way to make a living. Damiani led a diamond and lise won the king and switched to a heart, establishing two tricks in that suit. Romanski won the second heart and gave up a diamond. Lise won and led a heart to damiani's queen. He switched to a club to the queen and ace. Romanski ruffed his losing diamond, drew trumps and gave up a club; down one for -50.

Board 16. Dealer West. EW Game ª 8 7 5 2 © K ¨ A 8 2 § K J 7 6 4 ª 10 9 ª A Q J 3 © 10 9 3 2 © J 7 4 ¨ 9 7 6 5 ¨ K Q J 4 3 § A 10 2 § Q ª K 6 4 © A Q 8 6 5 ¨ 10 § 9 8 5 3

You might make Four Clubs on the North/South cards and Lise was a little timid not to introduce the suit after Damiani's competitive double of Two Diamonds. When she did not, the Poles were left to play peacefully in Three Diamonds. Lise led a club to dummy's ace. Harasimowicz played a diamond to the king and followed up with the queen of diamonds to Damiani's ace. Damiani cashed the king of hearts then played a club. Declarer ruffed, crossed to the nine of diamonds and took the spade finesse. When that lost Lise had two hearts to cash for one down; -100.

Board 21. Dealer North. NS Game ª A J 4 3 2 © 3 ¨ Q 9 8 2 § 6 5 4 ª K Q 10 9 ª 8 7 5 © J 6 5 2 © A Q 10 8 7 ¨ 7 4 ¨ A K 3 § K 9 3 § 10 2 ª 6 © K 9 4 ¨ J 10 6 5 § A Q J 8 7

One of our editorial team has an interest in the English pairing of Nevena Senior and David Mossop. They were lying around fifty places out of the qualifying spots after two sessions so needed a sound but not necessarily spectacular session to make the cut. On this deal, Mossop decided that he was just too good for a simple heart raise, even playing four-card majors, so showed his spades then gave delayed heart support. When Mme. Poizat of France competed with an unusual no trump bid, Mossop doubled to show his maximum. At the prevailing vulnerability, I would be tempted to double Three diamonds on the East cards, but that is predicated on the assumption that partner has only three-card heart support. Senior made a winning decision by judging to bid Three Hearts as Three Diamonds is making as the cards lie.

Poizat led her spade against Three Hearts - king, ace, seven. North switched to a diamond and Senior won and played two more rounds, ruffing. She ran the heart jack to the king and South switched to ace then queen of clubs. Senior drew trumps and had to give up a spade for +140.

Board 22. Dealer East. EW Game ª J 8 4 © Q 10 9 7 5 ¨ A 3 § Q 8 6 ª K 9 3 2 ª A © K 2 © J 4 3 ¨ 10 9 5 ¨ K Q J 8 7 2 § 9 5 3 2 § K J 10 ª Q 10 7 6 5 © A 8 6 ¨ 6 4 § A 7 4

David Mossop took the idea of competing at matchpoints a little too seriously when he bid One No Trump over the spade overcall. It is tough to see when this bid is necessary facing what will often be a weak not trump type and with the vulnerability against you. Still, Senior's Three no Trump raise was no thing of beauty either. One can sympathise with her thought that Three Diamonds might be bid on a lesser point-count, but Two No Trump looks to be sufficient even if you expect a bit more for the One No Trump bid. Not, of course, that Two No Trump would have been a great success either. North led a spade and continued with the suit when he won the ace of diamonds. Mossop could cash his diamonds but South had the rest for two down; -200 and a very poor score for East/West. Had West not bid his free One No Trump, East would surely have competed with Three Diamonds anyway and that contract makes an overtrick while the opposition cannot afford to compete any higher in spades.

Results	Contents
Mixed Pairs 3rd Qualification Session 1st Final/Consolation Session	Qualifying Session II High Rollers Qualifying Session III Thoughtful Bridge Dutch Treat