Two Slams

Poland have led the Schools Championship almost from the start and still appear to be favourites to take the title. However, Israel are doing their best to keep in touch. The two teams will meet in the last round of the competition and until then the job of the Israeli team is simply to keep close enough to their rivals that a good win in that final round can be sufficient to see them take the title.

Israel did the business in Round 11 against Austria, chalking up a maximum 25-1 VP victory while Poland were losing 14-16 to Czech Republic. These two slams helped them on their way. Each Israeli pair bid a 6§ contract that was not bid at the other table, and both contracts came home for large swings. Mind you, one slam was rather better than the other.

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Suda	Birman	Kautny	Argelasi
-	-	-	1¨
Pass	1ª	Pass	3§
Pass	4§	Pass	4©
Pass	4NT	Pass	5ª
Pass	6§	All Pass

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Tal	Hopfler	Segev	Resch
-	-	-	1§
Pass	1ª	Pass	2¨
Pass	2©	Pass	3¨
Pass	4§	Pass	4©
Pass	5§	All Pass

Eliran Argelasi opened 1¨ and, when Alon Birman's response was in his three-card major, stretched very slightly to make a game-forcing jump rebid. Birman supported the second suit so Argelasi cuebid and Birman checked on key cards then bid the small slam. Matthaus Suda led the ten of spades to Paul Kautny's ace and Argelasi dropped the king, trying to distract Kautny from giving a possible ruff. There was no ruff and no problem in the play so +1370 for Israel.

At the other table Mathias Resch opened 1§ then reversed into diamonds, an approach which he will no doubt grow out of soon enough (I hope). Markus Hopfler used FSF then agreed clubs but was unwillin gto go to slam. It seems that North was quite conservative here; +620 after a spade lead and 13 IMPs to Israel.

Kees Tammens might call the above Israeli auction GOOD. I am not sure whether the one below is BAD or UGLY.

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Suda	Birman	Kautny	Argelasi
-	Pass	1NT	Pass
2ª	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Tal	Hopfler	Segev	Resch
-	Pass	1NT	Pass
2ª	Pass	3§	Pass
4NT	Pass	5©	Pass
6§	All Pass

Both Wests transferred to clubs. Kautny denied a club fit and Suda signed off in 3NT – maybe that was a mild try for slam? Anyway, 3NT was a good place to play and Kautny made eleven tricks after a spade lead for +660.

Dana Tal also transferred. Either Ron Segev showed a club fit and Tal used Key Card, or maybe Segev denied a club fit and 4NT was intended as quantitative but taken as Key Card? Certainly, with clubs as the agreed triump suit, 4NT as Key Card would be a poor idea from West, as we can see from what happened here when she bid 6§ next off two aces. I expect they know who was wrong.

But just because there are two aces missing does not mean that two aces will be lost. Resch led the ace of hearts and stopped to look at dummy. He must have known that there was a second ace to cash, but which one? It seemed that there was a greater danger that the ace of spades might disappear as that was the shorter suit in dummy, while the ace of diamonds might still be available later. Accordingly, Resch switched to a spade and Segev had all the tricks he needed; a not unfortunate +1370 and another 12 IMPs to Israel.

It's tough to beat a team that is both good and lucky, so the Poles had better be careful.

Defensive Delicacies

By Chris Dixon

Eveyone knows that it is generally wrong to over-ruff with a useful trump, but just how small can a useful trump be? Consider this hand from Round 19 of the Juniors.

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

The popular contract was 4ª by West, which was usually defeated on the ©K lead but, at most tables, the line of play selected by declarer was an inferior one. The best play is to win the heart lead with the ace and cash the ¨A before crossing to dummy with a low spade to the queen. Now a low diamond, carefully ruffed with the ª9, which North declines to over-ruff. Declarer continues with the ªK, which North should duck but will probably win and continue hearts, forcing dummy to ruff the third round. Declarer now leads a second low diamond and ruffs with his last trump in hand, the four. North also has only one spade left – the five, but must decline to over-ruff otherwise dummy is now high.

It is alwayssatisfying to make a slam contract by means of a criss-cross squeeze, but Ben Green and Duncan Happer managed it in defence to defeat a 1NT contract by two tricks in their Juniors Round 22 encounter with Turkey.

Board 17. None Vul. Dealer North.
	ª 10 8 7 2 © 5 4 ¨ A 6 5 § K 8 5 3
ª 6 5 3 © K 9 8 7 ¨ 10 8 § A 10 9 7		ª Q J 4 © A 3 ¨ K 9 7 3 2 § Q 4 2
	ª A K 9 © Q J 10 6 2 ¨ Q J 4 § J 6

East opened 1¨, South (Happer) overcalled 1© and West's 1NT ended the auction. North (Green) led a heart, taken with the ace, and declarer played on clubs, North clearing the hearts when he won the king. On declarer's winning clubs, South discarded the ª9 and the ¨Q. Now, after a spade to the jack and king, South cashed his hearts, leaving this ending with East still to discard:

	ª 10 8 © - ¨ A § -
ª 6 © - ¨ 10 8 § -		ª Q 4 © - ¨ K 9 § -
	ª A © ¨ J 4 § -

There was no escape.