| 19th European Youth Team Championships | Page 3 | Bulletin 4 - Thursday, 5 August 2004 |
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England v Serbia/Montenegro – Juniors Round 4 The English Junior team had made a solid if unspectacular start to the Championship, while Serbia/Montenegro are perhaps here more for the experience than with realistic hopes of qualification. This match tended to confirm that view as everything went the way of England.
The first six calls were identical but then Nikola Jurisic doubled with the West cards, presumably showing a penalty double of spades, while Alex Morris wisely looked at his lack of defence against diamonds and kept quiet. Jurisic's double ended the auction, while Morris found himself on lead against a rather thin 3NT contract. Against 3¨ doubled, Marko Jurisic led his spade and Ben Green
went up with dummy's ace, West following with the ten, to play a
low diamond, Nikola won the ace, of course, and cashed the ªK then
played a low spade. Green ruffed with the queen, and played a diamond
to the king then ran the ª8, punishing West for the signal at trick
one, and had nine tricks when the heart honours were both onside;
+670. Of course, declarer could have succeeded even had West not
been so helpful in the spade suit, but it was very easy for him
on the actual play.
Green opened slightly light in third seat and soon found himself declarer in 2© doubled after Duncan Happer's transfer response. Marko Jurisic did not find the best of starts, ace and another club, and Green won the second round, pitching a spade from dummy, then led the ©6 and ran it. A second heart was won by Easy's ace and Marko played a third club, ruffed in dummy. Declarer played a spade and Nikola Jurisic rose with the ace to play another club, ruffed as East threw a diamond. Now Green played king and another heart to Marko, who played a spade for the queen and king. He had to ruff Green's next play of the ªJ and, down to ¨AQ, had to give declarer a seventh trick at the end for just one down and –200. In the other room the contract was 2© undoubled down two, so it was a flat board.
Happer's 2NT was a pre-emptive diamond raise and Nikola showed her hearts but then passed Marko's 3NT bid. Maybe Nikola could have guessed that partner held spades because he did not hold hearts, but it was awkward. Anyway, 3NT was hopeless after the ineviatble diamond lead; down two for –200. I much prefer Byrne's 2§ overcall to the double found in the other room. Morris could do nothing immediately opposite that but later took the opportunity to make a take-out double when his opponents got together in diamonds. Morris liked that enough to jump to game in spades, needing little more than one ace and a little luck to make that a playable contract. Of course, a club ruff would defeat 4ª quite easily, but Zdravko Popovic led a diamond, normally enough, and Zoran Zakula won the ace and returned the suit to Byrne's king. Declarer could draw trumps and knock out the §A to come to ten tricks for +620 and 13 IMPs to England.
Marko opened 1§ in standard style and the heart fit was easily found, the Jurisics stopping in a peaceful 2©. Green led a diamond and Happer won and switched to his spade, getting his ruff a moment later. Now he cashed a second diamond before playing a club. Declarer won and played a heart to the queen and ace and now a diamond promoted a heart trick for North for down one; –100. Byrne's 1ª opening resulted in the hearts never being mentioned. No matter – Morris first made a negative double of 2¨ then a penalty double of 3¨, and that proved to be a very good idea for his side. A heart went to the queen and ace and Popovic played a spade to the ace then a club up, on which Byrne rose with the ace. He switched to a diamond for declarer's ace and now the defence could prevent any club ruffs in the dummy. Popovic came to just four trump tricks and two major-suit aces for down three; –800 and 14 IMPs to England.
Popovic's strong no trump opening saw Byrne able to double, as a passed hand for take-out, and Morris declared 2§. Once North turned up with the king of diamonds, Morris knew where almost all the missing high cards had to be and the play was quite straightforward for him. He managed nine tricks for a useful +110. Happer was playing a weaker no trump so had to open 1© in his partnership's four-card major style. When Green scraped up a raise, Happer went on with 2NT, where he played. The defence started with a club to the ace, the §J to queen and king, and a third club. Happer played a heart to the jack and ace and East cashed the winning club, on which Happer threw diamonds from both hands, the exited with a spade. Happer cashed the ©K, unblocking dummy's nine, then cashed the rest of the spades. Forced to keep two hearts, West was obliged to bare the ace of diamonds. A dimaond play now left him to lead into the ©Q8 at trick twelve to give declarer's eighth trick; a nicely played +120 and 6 IMPs to England. Note that this line of play also succeeds if West has to bare the ¨Q instead of the ace, as long as he also holds at least one of the ¨9 and ¨8. When the diamond is led and the queen appears, declarer ducks. If the queen holds the trick, West is endplayed, while if East overtakes with the ace, he has to lead away from the ¨9 into the ¨K7 at trick twelve.
Morris's 3© bid at his third turn looks more normal than Nikola's 3NT, but that latter contract was where both pairs ended up, though from different sides of the table. Green led a club for the jack and ace and Nikola played the ¨10, ducked as Green threw a club, then a second diamond. This time Green threw a spade as Happer won the ¨K. Happer switched to a spade and declarer judged to win the bare king then try the ©Q from dummy. Happer won the ©K and played a second heart to Green's jack. He put dummy in with a club and declarer drifted two down for –200. Byrne did rather better after the lead of the §Q to dummy's bare ace. When he ran the ¨10 it was won immediately by Popovic, who continued with the §J, ducked, and another club, giving declarer a third club trick. When Byrne cashed the three diamond tricks, North pitched a spade so declarer could overtake the ªK and cash all the spades; eleven tricks for +660 and 13 IMPs to England.
I have no idea what was going on in the Serbia/Montenegor auction. Suffice it to say that 6ª was too high both in theory and in practice and it went three down for 300 to England. Meanwhile, Green showed his diamonds, his hearts and a strong hand, then a club splinter in support of spades. That did not impress Happer, who had already shown at least five spades so had nothing to spare, and he signed off in 4ª. The lead was a heart and Happer won the ace and cashed the top diamonds, throwing a heart from hand. He then cashed the ace of clubs, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a club, and played ©K then ruffed a heart low and was over-ruffed. Back came a club, which dummy ruffed. A diamond ruff with the ace of trumps left happer with ªJ9 facing ª10, and a club lead ensured that he would make a trump trick one way or another for his contract; +620 and 14 IMPs to England. The one-way traffic finally came to an end with England coming out on top by 97-7 IMPs, or 25-0 VPs. |
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