| 18th European Youth Team Championships | Page 6 | Bulletin 2 - Tuesday, 9 July 2002 |
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Match of the Day Norway v Belgium - Juniors Round 2 My personal fancy to win the Junior title here in Torquay are the defending champions, Norway. For Round 2 I thought I had better take a look to see how sound my judgement might be. Norway faced Belgium, a team that had started with a good win on Sunday evening. In the early running, it looked as though my judgement was seriously wrong as Belgium built up a very useful lead.
If my partner's 1§ opening promised three or more cards, I think that I would want to bid more than just 2§ on the South cards when East overcalls 1©. Gunnar Harr had indeed promised three clubs and Stian Sundklakk did only raise to 2§ but then took a second bid when his opponents reached the heart game. When Wim van Parijs went on to 5©, neither North nor South had a hand suitable to double. However, the lie of the cards is very bad for East/West and Harr was three down for -150.
Where Sundklakk was happy to start with a simple overcall on the South cards, Peeters preferred to show spades and a minor via a Michaels Cuebid. The auctions were pretty much identical from there until the respective Souths had to decide what to do when 6§ was passed around to them. In theory, Sundklakk did the right thing when he doubled as 6ª is easily beaten by a club lead and continuation. Harr led the ¨Q to Sundklakk's ace, received a diamond ruff, and in turn gave his partner a heart ruff for down two; -300.
Although the Norwegian auction seems to indicate that they have a four-three spade fit in the Closed Room, Jef van Parijs chose to lead a low spade. That did not matter as Wim won the queen and switched to a low heart to the ten, five and ace. However, when Harr cleared the clubs, the defence got into a tangle and somehow allowed him to emerge with nine tricks. The details are not suitable reading for those of a delicate constitution.
Van Parijs's 2¨ opening showed 6-11 with four or more diamonds and a four-card major, and the 3¨ raise was to play. With 3NT apparently a trick short, making 3¨ after a trump lead looked to be a decent result for the Belgians; +110. Norway bid to 3NT in the other room, the rebid showing a weak no trump and Joekstad making the aggressive raise to game. Peeters led the ©K, getting a discouraging two from partner, ducked by Ellestad. He switched to a spade, won in hand with the ace, and Ellestad led a diamond to the jack then cashed a top diamond to discover the even break. Now he made the clever play of a club to the queen. When Peeters won the king, he placed declarer with the §A and therefore not with the ©A. He switched to a low heart and that ran to Ellestad's eight, his ninth trick. That was +400 and 7 IMPs to Norway.
Midway through the match it was still Belgium by 40-27 IMPs, but they had scored their last IMPs, while there was a string of swings to Norway, though they missed a chance on this deal. In the Closed Room, Sundklakk had been allowed to bring home his 3NT game with an overtrick for a healthy +430. In the Open Room, the 1NT opening was artificial, a semi-game force. Two Clubs was a relay, and 2ª showed five or more spades and a powerful hand but not a game-force. Peeters closed proceedings with a jump to 3NT. Ellestad led the §2 and when Cornelis played the nine from dummy Joekstad played low smoothly, retaining his jack. Cornelis cashed the ace of spades then crossed to the ©Q to lead a spade towards his jack. When the queen appeared, he contemplated ducking but finally won the king and played two more rounds of spades. On these, Joekstad threw a low diamond and a low heart, leaving Ellestad in no doubt that he was supposed to lead a second club. He duly did so but Cornelis got it right by putting up the queen and that was his ninth trick; +400 but 1 IMP to Norway. The defence can prevail but West must keep his fourth heart, throwing two clubs away, and East return a heart when in with the spade. If East wins the first round of diamonds, the long heart can be established before declarer can get the diamonds going and he is a trick short. In the vugraph match, Greece played 3NT down three after a losing club guess, on the auction 1ª - 1NT - 3¨ - 3NT - Pass, but The Netherlands reached a much better spot. After the same first three bids, Maarten Schollardt raised to 5¨, and with just the two top trumps to lose there was no problem in making that for +400 and 11 IMPs to The Netherlands.
In the Closed Room, Jef van Parijs made a slightly surprising 2¨ overcall rather than a take-out double of 1ª. That choice did not affect the North/South auction unduly and the Norwegians soon reached the normal spade game. Van Parijs led his singleton trump to the eight and queen and Harr immediately led the ¨10 from hand. When East ducked, declarer was in control. He continued with the ¨K to the ace and a ruff and, though the next diamond could be over-ruffed by West, that was with a trump trick; +620. Joekstad's 2ª opening was weak with four spades and a longer minor, and that did affect the North/South auction, of course. Ellestad's response was pass or correct and Peeters overcalled in his strong six-card heart suit. Inevitably, Cornelis tried 3NT over that, ending the auction. Ellestad led a low diamond against 3NT. Cornelis won the ¨9 with his ten and played a heart. When Ellestad played low, a finesse of the ten would have brought home the contract, but that play is against the odds and Cornelis preferred to play three rounds of hearts from the top. Ellestad won the third round and switched to a low club and, after some thought, Joekstad played low, so Cornelis won the jack. Cornelis now cashed the §A, crossed to the ace of spades and exited with dummy's last club. This was not a success. Joekstad won and cashed clubs before playing a diamond through for down three; -300 and 14 IMPs to Norway.
The Closed Room auction stopped in 1NT, which is entirely reasonable with a combined 23-count. However, when the cards lay so kindly that Sundklakk came home with ten tricks, he must have worried a little that +180 might prove not to be enough. Sundklakk need not have worried. In the Open Room, Cornelis opened 1§, either natural or balanced, and the 1© response showed 8+ HCP but less than four hearts. Joekstad's pre-emptive jump overcall left Peeters with a problem at his next turn. He tried 4§, which Cornelis took to be forcing and showed his diamonds. Peeters went back to clubs, naturally enough, as there could not be an eight-card diamond fit. Five Clubs was hopeless, and went three down, declarer losing two hearts and three trump tricks; -300 and 10 IMPs to Norway.
The Belgian East/West pair do not play single-suited pre-empts at the two level so Sundklakk was given the opportunity to open 1NT as South. Harr transferred to hearts before the East/West competition began and he was well placed to go on to 5© over the 4ª sacrifice. The defence began with a spade to the ace and a switch to the singleton club. Sundklakk went up with the ace and drew trumps before playing a second club and the club winners provided two discards for diamonds in dummy so there was no diamond guess; +450. Ellestad opened a Multi 2¨ and Peeters overcall of 2© was a transfer to clubs. When Peeters subsequently admitted to a heart fit, Cornelis used RKCB then bid the heart slam. After a spade to the ace, Ellestad switched to a trump. Peeters drew trumps and took the club finesse; down one for -50 and 11 IMPs to Norway.
Wim van Parijs opened 2§, 6-11 with four plus clubs and a second suit, in the Closed Room. Suspecting that the second suit would be diamonds, Jef passed and 2§ was the final contract. Declarer won the trump lead in dummy, crossed to the ace of spades and led the §J to the king and ace. He effectively played the hand in no trump from here and came to exactly eight tricks; +90 but a slight worry as there appeared to be plenty of tricks available in hearts. Plus 90 did indeed prove to be inadequate, but not because Norway reached a heart game at the other table. After three passes, Ellestad did open 1© but Peeters made an ugly overcall of 2¨ and Joekstad passed, looking for a penalty. When Cornelis made a perfectly normal raise to 3¨, Joekstad doubled happily and led the ©9, first and third from honours. Peeters won the ©A and returned a heart, which was ducked to Ellestad's queen. He returned a third heart for declarer to ruff. Peeters now led the ª10 and ran it to the jack. Now Ellestad switched to his trump, for the nine and king, and declarer led the ªQ off the table. Ellestad gave that a look but correctly refrained from covering and Joekstad won the ace. He switched to the §J to the king and ace and Ellestad cashed the §Q and ªK then played his last spade. Joekstad ruffed with the ¨10 and got out with a club. There was still the ¨Q to come; four down for -1100 and 14 IMPs to Norway.
Parijs's 2¨ opening was the by now familiar 6-11 with at least four-four in diamonds and a major and 2NT enquired. 3NT showed the extra shape and the final contract of 5¨ was the right one. Alas, a safe club lead gave nothing away and declarer was not sufficiently inspired to pin the jack of spades so went one down when the heart was offside; -100. The result in the Closed Room was rendered almost meaningless by events in the Open. Two Hearts was weak with four hearts plus a longer minor and 2NT asked. Peeters intended his 4§ overcall to show just clubs, of course, but Cornelis explained it as clubs and spades (Leaping Michaels). When Joekstad showed his maximum with diamonds, Cornelis bid 4ª then took the push to 5ª when Ellestad bid the diamond game. Ellestad doubled, of course, though he had been told that dummy would have a black two-suiter, so could not have been expecting quite the penalty he actually collected. Ellestad led the ¨K and continued with the ¨Q, ruffed by Cornelis, who did not look too enthusiastic about his contract. He led the ©10 and Ellestad won the ace and switched to a club. Cornelis won in hand, led to the king of hearts and tried a top club. Joekstad ruffed and switched to the ªQ for the king and ace. Ellestad led the ¨J and Cornelis ruffed and tried a low trump. Ellestad won, cashed the ª10 and played a fourth diamond. Declarer ruffed and had to give the last two tricks to Jeokstad for six down, -1400 and 17 IMPs to Norway. Plus 1400 looks like a great result for Norway and, of course, it was, but Joekstad was guilty of an expensive misdefence at the end. Why? Because he kept the ©Q8 for the last two tricks and he is Norwegian. He could have kept the ©Q and ¨7 and made the last trick with the seven of diamonds - the beer card! Failure to win the last trick with the beer card when it could be done at no risk should cost him a drink to each of his team-mates. On the next deal, 3NT was played from opposite sides of the table and this affected the opening lead. The Norwegians duly made 3NT while Belgium went down for a further 10 IMPs to Norway. Having trailed by 34 IMPs after six deals, they had come on strong to win by a resounding 104-40 IMPs, 24.5-2.5 VPs. |
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