Herkules vs Plovdiv, 1st session

by Jos Jacobs

After the Roud Robins, it would be De Lombard v. Parioli and Herkules v. Plovdiv. For reasons that will become clear once you know about the outcome, the first segment of the Lombard-Parioli match is shown elsewhere in this issue in Italian only. Below, you will find a reort about that same 1st segment of the other semifinal. If you look at the boards, it’s difficult to imagine how the score in the other match could stand at 67-9 after only 12 boards. Most probably, God still is Italian...

On the very first board, the Bulgarians were punished severely for what might have been a slight inadequacy in their bidding methods.

Board 1 - N/-
	ª J 9 7 5 2 © A 7 ¨ - § A K Q 5 4 3
ª K 6 © Q 10 8 ¨ Q 9 8 7 5 4 2 § 10		ª 4 3 © 9 6 5 2 ¨ J 6 3 § J 8 7 6
	ª A Q 10 8 © K J 4 3 ¨ A K 10 § 9 2

Open Room:
West	North	East	South
Iporski	Bertheau	Kovatchev	Nystrom
	1ª	Pass	2§
Pass	3¨	Pass	3©
Pass	3ª	Pass	4§
Pass	4ª	Pass	6ª
All Pass

South only made relay bids, on which North showed 8-10 high-card points (A=3, K=2 and Q=1) by bidding 3¨ and 5-3-0-5 or longer on the suits by bidding 4ª. After this, the shot at the final contract was made in full confidence and so it proved. An easy enough +980 with no chance of a grand as the spade finesse was wrong.

Closed Room:
West	North	East	South
Sylvan	Karaivanov	Sundelin	Trendafilov
	2§	Pass	2¨
Pass	3¨	Pass	6NT
All Pass

Surprisingly enough, North showed six clubs and five spades on this sequence and still South went for 6NT. Had he not realised that he would be the declarer in 6ª as well? We will never know, but the 4-1 break in clubs meant that 6 NT was too difficult in practice.

Double-dummy, there is a simple (?) line. The diamond lead goes to Jack and Ace. You cross to dummy’s §A, noting the fall of the §10, and then the ªA and another endplays West.

Anyway, 11 IMP’s to Herkules.

Two boards later, Herkules missed a great chance:

Board 3 - S/EW
	ª K J 10 8 4 © Q ¨ 9 8 7 4 § K Q 5
ª 7 © A K 10 8 ¨ A 5 § J 10 9 8 3 2		ª A Q 9 3 2 © 9 5 3 2 ¨ Q J 3 § 7
	ª 6 5 © J 7 6 4 ¨ K 10 6 2 § A 6 4

Open Room:
West	North	East	South
Iporski	Bertheau	Kovatchev	Nystrom
			Pass
2§	Pass	2ª	Pass
3§	All Pass

On a diamond lead, declarer could not lose more thans three clubs and a heart. Plovdiv +110.

Closed Room:
West	North	East	South
Sylvan	Karaivanov	Sundelin	Trendafilov
			Pass
2§	2ª	All Pass

Here too, someone bid 2ª after the same 2§ opening, but the timing was not quite proper. Holding three quick tricks, Sylván mighyt have ventured a balancing double, but when he elected to pass, the Swedes had to be content with down three undoubled for +150 only, and just 1 more IMP.

Both teams had a chance to scoire a considerable gain on a real guessing board:

Board 8 - W/-
	ª A 10 4 © 9 8 7 ¨ 10 9 8 7 5 § 7 6
ª K 9 6 5 2 © K 10 ¨ A 2 § Q 8 3 2		ª J 8 3 © A Q 6 2 ¨ J 4 § A 10 5 4
	ª Q 7 © J 5 4 3 ¨ K Q 6 3 § K J 9

Four Spades would be the normal contract, but you have to guess very well without any clues to make it. Diamond lead (we will never know why North at one table led the ¨5 from his sequence) to the ace, three rounds of hearts shedding the red loser and a spade to the king. So far so good, but East wins and returns a diamond. You ruff and lead a spade to dummy’s eight and South’s queen. Not good enough, as the next diamond will fatally shorten you.

Try a spade to the nine instead. This works out well: it loses to the ª10, but on the next round of spades, all higher outstanding trumps appear. So you will not be shortened as you can ruff the third round of diamonds with dummy’s last trump, this not being the jack. After this, a club from dummy will see you home past South’s §K. Unlikely, but effective.

In our match, 2 IMP’s to Herkules when the Bulgarian declarer went two down and his swedish counterpart only one.

Both teams missed another chance on board 10:

Board 10 - E/All
	ª A 10 9 8 © 3 ¨ J 6 § A K 10 8 6 2
ª J 6 4 3 © A Q J ¨ A K Q 10 § 7 5		ª Q 2 © K 9 7 6 5 4 ¨ 9 § Q J 4 3
	ª K 7 5 © 10 8 2 ¨ 8 7 5 4 3 2 § 9

Open Room:
West	North	East	South
Iporski	Bertheau	Kovatchev	Nystrom
		2¨	Pass
2NT	3§	Pass	Pass
4©	All Pass

On this start of the auction, ending up in 3NT looks impossible. It’s even very difficult to double 3§, though it will probably go down only two...

On the other hand, 4© will be in jeopardy with four black top losers.

Closed Room:
West	North	East	South
Sylvan	Karaivanov	Sundelin	Trendafilov
		Pass	Pass
1§	Pass	1©	Pass
2§	Dble	2©	Pass
4©	All Pass

Here, 1§ was either 11-13 or 17+ and 2§ confirmed the strong NT-type. Still, the Swedes came nowhere near the proper final contract either, inspite of the silence of their opponents...

It did not matter all that much, as after 12 boards Herkules had a convincing enough 23-1 lead, which they nearly doubled in the 2nd segment to almost make sure of their qualification for the final at that early stage.