Belgium v Greece – Juniors Round 5

Monday was a good day for Belgium in the Juniors as they were collecting almost a maximum, 70 out of 75 possible VPs. First there was Lithuania who were blitzed by 25-2, then Germany was defeated by 20-10 and finally Portugal was polished off by 25-2.

These three victories were perhaps an expensive experience for the Belgian captain, Jean-Francois Jourdain, who before these Championships promised his team players one bottle of champagne for each match they won. The bulletin staff assume that he meant a bottle for the whole team – not each player. If that was the case we have no information about, but when we sat down to watch Tuesday's early match the Belgians looked fresh like a daisy, as Stefan Back in the EBL Youth committee would have expressed it.

In Round 5 the Belgians was challenged by Greece, a team that in these Championships won't do quite as well as their soccer team did at the European Championship earlier this year...

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
De Donder	Vroustis	Amsel	P.Karamanlis
-	-	-	3¨
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Anastasios	Fastenakels	M.Karamanlis	Verachten
-	-	-	Pass
Pass	1NT	Pass	2NT
Pass	3§	Pass	3¨
Pass	Pass	3©	All Pass

Vassilis Vroustis made a sensible try by bidding 3NT when Philippos Karamanlis opened 3¨. East led a heart to West's queen and declarer's king. Vroustis played ¨A and noticed the jack from West. Now Vroustis said to himself: Makapi va min eixa to deka karo (If only I didn't have the ten of diamonds). If he had held ¨9 instead, and the dummy the ten, there would be an option of finessing the diamonds. But the Greek Gods had left Prague and the game was doomed to go down; 200 to Belgium.

In the Closed Room Milton Karamanlis, in best Peter Fredin manner, listened to the auction and then took some action. In 3© there were four tricks to lose; 140 to Greece but 3 IMPs to Belgium.

Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
	ª 10 2 © 10 5 4 3 ¨ 7 § A K J 9 8 3
ª A K 7 5 © K Q 7 6 2 ¨ K 8 4 3 § -		ª Q 3 © 9 8 ¨ A Q J 10 6 § Q 6 5 2
	ª J 9 8 6 4 © A J ¨ 9 5 2 § 10 7 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
De Donder	Vroustis	Amsel	P.Karamanlis
-	-	-	Pass
1©	2§	2¨	3§
4§	Pass	4©	Pass
5§	Pass	5©	Pass
6¨	All Pass

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Anastasios	Fastenakels	M.Karamanlis	Verachten
-	-	-	Pass
1©	Pass	1NT	Pass
2ª	Pass	3NT	All Pass

A reverse auction didn't impress Milton Karamanlis on this board. He simply bid 3NT, certainly not the best spot to be but 600 to Greece anyway as the cards lay.

In the Open Room Steve de Donder and Alon Amsel were more brave. 4§ was a cuebid in clubs, 4© an attempt to play there and now de Donder bid 5§, Exclusion Blackwood. 5© showed one key card. Since the hearts were split nicely 6¨ didn't cause Amsel any problem; +1370 and 13 well-earned IMPs to Belgium.

Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	ª A 9 5 2 © K 9 8 5 4 ¨ A 10 § 6 2
ª K 6 4 © 10 3 2 ¨ 9 8 2 § J 9 8 4		ª Q J 10 8 3 © A 6 ¨ J 7 6 4 § Q 7
	ª 7 © Q J 7 ¨ K Q 5 3 § A K 10 5 3

Open Room
West	North	East	South
De Donder	Vroustis	Amsel	P.Karamanlis
-	1©	1ª	2ª
Dble	Pass	Pass	3§
All Pass

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Anastasios	Fastenakels	M.Karamanlis	Verachten
-	1©	Pass	2§
Pass	2¨	Pass	3©
Pass	4©	All Pass

As a double dummy problem you can always make 6© and there were a few tables where North/South reached 6© and the declarer made it.

In the Closed Room Fastenakels/Verachten didn't have any higher aspirations and stayed in 4©, but that was enough to win the board. If the Belgians were far away from slam the Greeks were not even close... to game. There was a misunderstanding at the other table, whether a new suit at the three-level is forcing or not. I hope they worked that out for the coming matches. 3§ was made with an overtrick and 4© just made; 7 IMPs to Belgium.

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª A 10 8 2 © A 10 6 5 4 ¨ J 7 4 § J
ª K 7 6 5 © - ¨ K Q 2 § A Q 10 9 6 3		ª 9 © Q J 8 2 ¨ 9 5 3 § K 8 7 5 2
	ª Q J 4 3 © K 9 7 3 ¨ A 10 8 6 § 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
De Donder	Vroustis	Amsel	P.Karamanlis
-	-	Pass	Pass
1§	1©	2§	3§
5§	Pass	Pass	5©
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Anastasios	Fastenakels	M.Karamanlis	Verachten
-	-	Pass	Pass
1§	Pass	1©	Pass
1ª	Pass	2§	Pass
3NT	All Pass

East/West can make 5§. Donder/Amsel reached the nice game but Philippos Karamanlis sacrificed in 5©. The nine of spades was led and the queen held the first trick. Vroustis played a heart to his ace and another heart to jack and king. A spade to the eight saw East ruff, then play the ©Q. Amsel continued with a club to partner's ace and de Donder exited with a spade. Vroustis eliminated the spade suit and played a diamond to the ten and West's king. West was now endplayed. But who of the defenders held ¨J and ¨9? De Donder played another diamond in tempo and Vroustis misguessed the situation, playing low instead of putting up the jack. West had to win a trick with the ¨Q and that was three down; 500 to Belgium.

In the Closed Room East/West tried a no trump game, maybe an odd choice for West who is void in hearts. Fastenakels led ©5 and the queen was allowed to hold the trick. Next came a diamond to the queen and a club to the king. Declarer tried another diamond up but now Verachten jumped up with his ace and the curtains were closed for the declarer. The defence took eight tricks in the majors in a row and generously gave away the last trick to declarer's ¨K; five off and 250 to Fastenakels/Verachten and that was13 IMPs to Belgium.
Belgium was leading by 40-30 IMPs after 14 boards.

This was another nice swing for Belgium, even though it should have been the other way around.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª K 10 © A 8 ¨ A K 10 8 7 3 § K 6 2
ª J 9 8 3 2 © K Q 5 ¨ 5 § 10 9 5 3		ª A Q 6 5 © J 7 5 ¨ J 9 6 2 § Q J
	ª 7 4 © 10 9 6 4 3 ¨ Q 4 § A 8 7 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
De Donder	Vroustis	Amsel	P.Karamanlis
-	-	Pass	Pass
2ª	3¨	3ª	All Pass

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Anastasios	Fastenakels	M.Karamanlis	Verachten
-	-	Pass	Pass
Pass	1¨	Pass	1©
Pass	3¨	Pass	3ª
Pass	3NT	All Pass

De Donder/Amsel bid and made 3ª in the Open Room; +140.

3NT by North is a perfect contract – as long as the diamonds split. In theory 3NT should be beaten, but as we can see not in practise.

East led ª5 to West's jack and declarer's king. A diamond to the queen was followed by another diamond from dummy. Fastenakels got the bad news when West pitched §5, and he let East win the trick. From East's point of view it's not obvious that his partner has got five spades. He knows declarer holds ª10 since West played ªJ at trick one. Therefore East switched to a club and now declarer was able to collect nine tricks and that was worth another 12 IMPs for Belgium.

The Greeks didn't have their best day. They were defeated by 10-20 (35-61).
Perhaps the coach, Yankos Papakyriakopoulos from now on will try the Belgian strategy and offer a Greek Mac at McDonald's to the players if they start winning matches. But after I tried a Greek Mac myself I guess they rather have that bottle of champagne...