Norway v Netherlands – Round 20 Juniors With just two rounds to play in the Junior series, Norway was fighting for both a medal and World Championship qualification, while Netherlands was out of contention and just trying to finish as high as possible in the final rankings, but certainly not the team you would like to meet when needing a good result from your final match. The match proved to be the lowest scoring the vugraph theatre had seen throughout the course of these Championships. Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.   ♠ A J 10 6 3 2 ♥ 3 ♦ J 4 ♣ A Q 10 3 ♠ 9 7 ♥ A K Q 8 7 ♦ A 2 ♣ K 9 8 6 ♠ K Q 5 ♥ 6 5 2 ♦ K Q 10 8 7 3 ♣ 7   ♠ 8 4 ♥ J 10 9 4 ♦ 9 6 5 ♣ J 5 4 2 West North East South Munnen E Eide Ritmeijer Lindqvist   1♠ 3♦ All Pass West North East South Berg Molenaar Ringseth Groenenboom   1♠ 2♦ Pass 2♥ 2♠ 3♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass     Richard Ritmeijer’s rather chunky weak jump overcall silenced everybody at the first table, Erik Eide taking a view not to reopen with the North hand. Ritmeijer won the lead of the jack of hearts in dummy and drew three rounds of trumps, then played a heart up, putting in the seven and claiming twelve tricks for +170. Joern Arild Ringseth made only a simple overcall, leading to a quite different auction in which E/W found the heart fit. Danny Molenaar led ace and another spade to dummy’s queen. Erik Berg cashed two top hearts then played on diamonds. He threw a club on the third diamond then over-ruffed on the fourth round, exiting with the king of clubs to keep the hand with the remaining trump off lead. Molenaar won the ♣A and played a spade, Merijn Groenenboom ruffing dummy’s king. But now South had no more trumps and Berg could ruff a club in dummy and throw his last loser on a diamond; +420 and 6 IMPs to Norway. Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.   ♠ 8 4 ♥ A 4 3 ♦ A 9 7 6 ♣ J 10 9 2 ♠ K J 7 ♥ J 7 6 2 ♦ 2 ♣ A K Q 7 3 ♠ Q 9 5 3 ♥ K Q 10 5 ♦ Q 5 ♣ 8 6 4   ♠ A 10 6 2 ♥ 9 8 ♦ K J 10 8 4 3 ♣ 5 West North East South Munnen E Eide Ritmeijer Lindqvist 1♣ Pass 1♦(i) 3♦ 3♥ 4♦ All Pass   West North East South Berg Molenaar Ringseth Groenenboom 1♣ Pass 1♦(i) 2♣ 2♥ 3♣ 3♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass     (i) Hearts Both auctions attracted intervention from South, a straightforward weak jump from Espen Lindqvist, a two-suited 2♣ overcall from Groenenboom. In theory, the 3♦ ovecall was more effective as Eide could raise in competition and bought the contract in 4♦ when, looking only at the E/W cards, you wouldn’t mind playing the heart game. Four Diamonds made in comfort, Lindqvist just losing one trick in each side-suit for +130. Berg/Ringseth reached 4♥ and Molenaar led a spade in search of a ruff. He could have had one, had Groenenboom ducked to preserve his entry, but he saw a simpler way to get a ruff himself and won the spade to switch to his singleton club. Berg won the club and played a heart up but Molenaar rose with the ace and gave his partner a club ruff for down one; -50 but still 2 IMPs to Norway. Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul.   ♠ A 8 3 ♥ K Q 8 5 ♦ 9 3 2 ♣ 10 4 3 ♠ Q J 10 6 ♥ A 7 4 ♦ K ♣ A Q 7 5 2 ♠ 5 4 2 ♥ J 3 ♦ A J 8 5 ♣ K J 8 6   ♠ K 9 7 ♥ 10 9 6 2 ♦ Q 10 7 6 4 ♣ 9 West North East South Munnen E Eide Ritmeijer Lindqvist     Pass Pass 1♣ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♣ All Pass West North East South Berg Molenaar Ringseth Groenenboom     Pass Pass 1♣ Pass 1♠(i) Pass 2♣ Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT All Pass     (i) Transfer The Dutch pair stopped in partscore, which is right double dummy, and soon chalked up +130, losing two spades and one heart. Norway reached game, a sis normal with 26 HCP between the two hands. Three No Trump is easily beaten, but why should North not lead a low heart? That is what Molenaar chose and dummy’s jack provided the ninth trick; +600 and 10 IMPs to Norway. It says something about the random element in bridge that this board was almost the whole difference between the two teams at the end of the match, when it could so easily have gone the other way. Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.   ♠ A 6 5 ♥ A 7 5 4 3 ♦ Q 9 5 4 ♣ 2 ♠ K Q J 10 ♥ 6 ♦ A 7 6 3 ♣ A K Q 6 ♠ 9 7 2 ♥ 10 9 2 ♦ K J 2 ♣ J 7 4 3   ♠ 8 4 3 ♥ K Q J 8 ♦ 10 8 ♣ 10 9 8 5 West North East South Munnen E Eide Ritmeijer Lindqvist   Pass Pass 2♦ Dble Rdbl Pass 2♥ Dble 4♥ All Pass   West North East South Berg Molenaar Ringseth Groenenboom   Pass Pass Pass 1♣ 1♥ 2♣ 3♥ 5♣ All Pass     Lindqvist’s enterprising 2♦ opening (we are guessing that he showed a weak two bid) got his side to 4♥ when he next admitted to holding that suit. Andor Munnen led the king of spades to dummy’s ace and Lindqvist gave up a club. The defence cashed out now, taking two spades and two diamonds for –100. For some reason, Groenenboom did not see an opening bid in the South cards! The Norwegians played game at this table also, but again with no success. The lead to 5♣ was the ace of hearts, on which South dropped the king, and a second heart, ruffed. Berg cashed one top club then took the diamond finesse and, when the jack held, ruffed dummy’s last heart. Next he cashed his remaining club and was disappointed to find the bad break, dooming his contract. Berg played a spade and Molenaar won the ace and returned the suit. Berg won, crossed to the the king of diamonds and cashed the ♣J but had to concede aclub for down one; -50 and 4 IMPs to the Netherlands Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.   ♠ 10 9 8 4 ♥ A K 7 5 3 2 ♦ K Q ♣ K ♠ A K Q J 6 5 3 ♥ 4 ♦ 3 ♣ A 8 7 6 ♠ 7 2 ♥ J 10 9 ♦ A 8 7 5 4 ♣ 9 4 3   ♠ - ♥ Q 8 6 ♦ J 10 9 6 2 ♣ Q J 10 5 2 West North East South Munnen E Eide Ritmeijer Lindqvist 4♦ 4♥ 4♠ 5♥ Dble All Pass     West North East South Berg Molenaar Ringseth Groenenboom 1♠ 2♥ Pass 3♥ 3♠ 4♥ 4♠ Pass Pass 5♥ Dble All Pass Munnen’s 4♦, a good 4♠ opening, attracted a 4♥ overcall, after which it was easy for Lindqvist to go on to 5♥ over 4♠ with the South cards. Munnen doubled to end the auction and Ritmeijer led a spade, ruffed in dummy. Eide played a club towards his bare king but Munnen rose with the ace and switched to his diamond to get a ruff; down one for –200. Berg opened at the one level at the other table and his opponents found their heart fit at a comfortable level, however, it was too difficult for N/S not to go on to 5♥ over 4♠ - either contract might have been making on a slightly different layout. Again a spade was led and ruffed and the play followed the same lines as at the first table; the same down one for –200 and a flat board to complete a generally well-played match. Norway won by 25-13 IMPs, converting to 17-13 VPs, to lie fourth with one round to go.

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