Yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m. the fourth edition of the prestigious European Champions Cup got underway. After Warsaw, Rome and Barcelona the participants this time had been invited to gather in Europe’s capital, the great city of Brussels. The historic centre of the capital of Belgium and the Duchy of Brabant contains what certainly is one of the most beautiful squares in the world, the Grote Markt (Grand’ Place). Tonight we will all be able to have a look at it as the old Town Hall dominates the south part of this square. Before the pleasure of enjoying Brussels we all have to do our work: playing bridge and/or taking care of whatever is needed to smoothly run this European Cup tournament. It is more than obvious that for all of us, it’s a great pleasure too to be involved in this sort of “work,” let there be no doubt about that. We would rather consider this part of our work as “the real thing.” In the first round, the Netherlands were playing Belgium, their eternal rivals. Elsewhere in this issue this match will no doubt be discussed in both Dutch and French, I assume. So I will skip it and go straight to the opening match of the holders, Roma Parioli, against the Gromov team from Moscow. On the first board, an easy enough slam was dealt to both EW pairs just to check if they were well awake right from the start. After two more pushes the Russians struck first blood on board 4:

Board 4. Dlr: West/All
	♠ A ♥ Q J 6 5 ♦ Q 10 8 7 ♣ A Q 9 2
♠ Q 7 3 ♥ 8 ♦ J 6 ♣ K J 10 6 5 4 3		♠ K J 8 6 4 2 ♥ A 3 2 ♦ A K 2 ♣ 8
	♠ 10 9 5 ♥ K 10 9 7 4 ♦ 9 5 4 3 ♣ 7

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Angelini	Gromova	Sementa
Pass	1♦	1♠	Pass
2♠	Pass	4♠	All pass

When Angelini kept silent at his second turn, a hand without a story resulted. Gromov +620. Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Gromov	Lauria	Dubinin
Pass	1♦	1♠	Pass
2♠	Dbl	4♠	4NT
Pass	5♣	Dbl	5♦
Pass	5♥	Dbl	All pass

This save went down two, so Gromov’s more enterprising double brought his team a small gain of just four imps. Looking back on it, however, one might as well say that the writing was on the wall, as this was the next board:

Board 5. Dlr: North/NS
	♠ 10 6 ♥ K 10 9 6 2 ♦ Q 7 ♣ 10 7 5 4
♠ 5 ♥ Q 7 4 ♦ A 9 6 2 ♣ K Q J 9 6		♠ A K Q 9 8 2 ♥ J 8 ♦ 10 4 ♣ A 8 3
	♠ J 7 4 3 ♥ A 5 3 ♦ K J 8 5 3 ♣ 2

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Angelini	Gromova	Sementa
	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	3♠	Pass
3NT	All pass

Nothing special, 10 tricks on a club lead but the contract was never in any danger. Gromov +430. More action, but to little avail, in the other room: Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Gromov	Lauria	Dubinin
	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♠	Pass
2NT	Pass	3♣	Pass
3♦	Pass	3♥	Pass
3NT	Pass	4♣	Pass
4♦	Pass	4♠	Pass
5♣	All pass

Versace was unlucky that spades were 4-2 and even more unlucky that clubs were 4-1, but Lauria for once had the chance to stop in the proper contract. On a heart lead and continuation the defence could sit back. Down two, 11 more imps going East. And the next board:

Board 6. Dlr: East/EW
	♠ K 6 ♥ 9 6 5 ♦ 9 8 7 5 4 ♣ 10 7 2
♠ A 3 ♥ A 8 7 ♦ 10 ♣ K J 9 8 6 5 3		♠ Q 9 7 ♥ Q 4 2 ♦ A K J 6 2 ♣ A Q
	♠ J 10 8 5 4 2 ♥ K J 10 3 ♦ Q 3 ♣ 4

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Angelini	Gromova	Sementa
		1♣	1♠
Dbl	Pass	3NT	Pass
4♣	Pass	4♦	Pass
4NT	Pass	5♦	Pass
5NT	All pass

This was the worst board the Russian women registered during this entire first session. They managed to miss an easy enough small slam. On the ♥K lead, Gromova emerged with all the tricks for +720, but she certainly did not feel comfortably about it… Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Gromov	Lauria	Dubinin
		2♦	Pass
2♥	Pass	2♠	Pass
2NT	Pass	3♣	Pass
3♠	Pass	4♣	Pass
4♦	Pass	4NT	Pass
7♣	All pass

Deep Finesse told us the the unlikely lead of the ♦Q is the only lead South can make to effectively beat the contract. As usual, DF is right, as this lead fatally disrupts the EW communications. When South led the ♠4 instead, Lauria played for his chance, and very well too: ♠A and seven rounds of clubs as well as the ♥A, throwing a diamond, a spade and two hearts from dummy. When the ♠K did not appear on the last club, the ♠Q could go too. Meanwhile, North had discarded an interesting-looking ♦9 as his first discard. So with just the four diamonds left in dummy the ♦10 came next. Lauria rightly decided to finesse, as he knew the suit was 5-2, but when the queen appeared in South, he was down three for a loss of 14 imps instead of a 13-imp gain. For the convenience of our local readers: there will be a story on this same board on one of the Belgian pages in this issue. At this stage, Gromov led 28-0. On the next board, their women overbid to a hopeless game to lose 5 and allow their opponents to get off the mark, but very little happened on most of the following boards. Near the end, we saw two more mistakes, one by either side:

Board 15. Dlr: South/NS
	♠ A K 2 ♥ Q J 7 5 2 ♦ 6 ♣ A Q 6 2
♠ J 9 7 5 3 ♥ ♦ Q J 9 3 2 ♣ 9 8 5		♠ Q 8 ♥ A 10 8 3 ♦ K 10 4 ♣ K 10 7 3
	♠ 10 6 4 ♥ K 9 6 4 ♦ A 8 7 5 ♣ J 4

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Angelini	Gromova	Sementa
			Pass
2♠	Dbl	Pass	4♥
Pass	4♠	Pass	5♦
Pass	6♥	All Pass

Well, had the ♣K been 4th or longer with the spade length in West a squeeze might have worked had the hearts not been 4-0. Even then, this contract would have been far too high, so justice was done when two down was the outcome. Gromov +200. Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Gromov	Lauria	Dubinin
			Pass
Pass	1♣	Pass	1NT
Pass	2♥	Pass	3♣
Pass	4♥

No weak twosuiter here to launch trouble for the opponents, so a quiet sequence to the proper contract. Gromov another +620 and 13 imps to lead 43-6! Near the end, Parioli finally struck back a little:

Board 19. Dlr: South/EW
	♠ 9 6 ♥ K J 9 7 ♦ K J 7 6 ♣ Q 6 4
♠ A 10 7 5 ♥ A Q 3 ♦ A 9 5 2 ♣ 8 7		♠ Q J 8 4 ♥ 10 6 2 ♦ 10 ♣ A J 5 3 2
	♠ K 3 2 ♥ 8 5 4 ♦ Q 8 4 3 ♣ K 10 9

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Ponomareva	Angelini	Gromova	Sementa
			Pass
1♣	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♠	All pass

After the Polish Club, Gromova understandably felt happy with 2♠. Ponomareva made an overtrick for +140. The Italians were more ambitious: Closed Room

West	North	East	South
Versace	Gromov	Lauria	Dubinin
			Pass
			Pass
1♦	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♠	Pass	3♣	Pass
3♥	Pass	3♠	Pass
4♠	All pass

Just one little try by Lauria, a return try by Versace, and another thin but OK game reached by the Italians. All was well and +620 the outcome for a much-needed gain of 10 imps.