THE ROUND OF 32 The round of 32 saw the opportunity for upset with 32-board matches giving everyone at least a nominal chance of overturning the form-book. The first 16 deals gave little opportunity for the sparkling bid or play at the table that I was watching. However I thought the Glassons handled this deal well, buoyed by their partnership style of sound weak-two bids. Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul.   ♠ 6 5 ♥ K J 10 9 7 5 ♦ 10 8 5 ♣ A 8 ♠ 9 2 ♥ 8 6 4 ♦ 6 3 ♣ Q J 9 6 3 2 ♠ J 8 7 4 3 ♥ A 3 ♦ Q J 7 4 ♣ 10 5   ♠ A K Q 10 ♥ Q 2 ♦ A K 9 2 ♣ K 7 4 West North East South 2♥ Pass 2NT(R) Pass 3♣ Pass 4♣ (R) Pass 4NT Pass 6NT All Pass       When Bob Glasson opened a weak two his partner asked, and discovered a club feature together with some extras, then asked for key-cards and found two of them. Since the partnership style would not be to open king-sixth, Joann Glasson opted for the safest slam – as you can see 6NT has 12 top tricks while 6♥ might be down on a ruff. That was worth 11 IMPs for the Glassons on their way to a comfortable win over Wolfarth. The board with the most potential for swing was probably this one: Paul and Linda Lewis (the Glassons’ teammates) cashed out against 5♣ declared by North after that player had shown both minors. Disa Eythorsdottir and Jeff Meckstroth had a much harder task. Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.   ♠ K ♥ 10 6 4 ♦ A K J 9 6 ♣ A K 8 3 ♠ 10 7 6 3 2 ♥ A 8 3 ♦ 10 7 ♣ 6 4 2 ♠ A Q J 9 4 ♥ K 9 5 2 ♦ 8 5 4 ♣ 5   ♠ 8 5 ♥ Q J 7 ♦ Q 3 2 ♣ Q J 10 9 7 Jeff Goldberg Disa Goldberg West North East South 1♣ 1♠ 2♣ 3♠ 4♣ Pass 5♣ All Pass       Disa led the spade ace and Jeff dropped the ♠10 – upside down count, playing normal suit-preference. East now has a problem; was the highest spade-spot suit preference – the only indication being that West might not have given the highest spade without tolerance for a heart shift. That was what Disa thought, so she played a heart to let the defence cash out. Elsewhere, in the match between De Botton and Kowalski both North players demonstrated that – like beauty -- a stop is in the eye of the beholder. If you represent that you have a stop, maybe you do! At both tables North opened 1♦ and East overcalled 1♠, raised by South to 2♦, with West jumping to 3♠. Nick Sandqvist bid 3NT as North now without a care in the world. Everyone passed, and on a low spade lead declarer had +660. In the other room Kowalski also bid 3NT, but Janet De Botton tried 4♥ as east now – knowing the ♠K was on her right and that partner was short in diamonds she could even see 4♥ getting close to making (it is only one down after all). When her LHO tried 4NT everybody passed and Janet untrustingly led the ♠A; down four! In the second half of the round of 32 there were a couple of deals that offered the opportunity for accurate play and defence – not always taken! Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.   ♠ 10 ♥ J 7 4 2 ♦ J 10 8 7 ♣ 9 8 3 2 ♠ A K ♥ 9 6 5 3 ♦ A Q 6 2 ♣ A K 6 ♠ J 8 7 5 4 2 ♥ A 10 8 ♦ 9 5 3 ♣ 5   ♠ Q 9 6 3 ♥ K Q ♦ K 4 ♣ Q J 10 7 4 West North East South Molson Jansma S-Molson Arnolds       1♣ Dble Pass 3♠ Pass 4♠ All Pass     In 4♠ Seamon-Molson won the club lead and cashed the top spades, to find the bad news, then ducked a heart, and essentially relied on finding hearts 3-3 with the diamond finesse right. No luck there; but consider the following approach. After cashing the top spades and ducking a heart to South you ruff the club return in hand and duck a spade to South. Might that player win the ♠9 and cash the ♠Q to produce this ending.   ♠ --- ♥ J 7 4 ♦ J 10 8 ♣ --- ♠ --- ♥ 9 6 5 ♦ A Q ♣ K ♠ J ♥ A 8 ♦ 9 5 3 ♣ ---   ♠ --- ♥ Q ♦ K 4 ♣ J 10 7 No one has done anything wrong yet, but South has to be very careful now. If he carelessly exits with a club, the ♣K wins in dummy, and what does North discard? If he pitches a diamond, declarer can establish the ♦9 for his tenth trick, if a heart, declarer sets up the ♥9 instead. The only defence in this ending is to play back a diamond, which disrupts the timing for the ruffing squeeze. (You will find a congruent ending in Jordi Sabate’s article, in the Spanish section.) Gunnar Hallberg played 3NT on this deal after South had opened a Polish club. (1♣ – Dble – Pass – 2♠ - Pass – 3NT – All Pass). North trusted the opponents and led the Rusinow ♦10 to the ♦K and ♦A. Gunnar cashed the top spades and on finding the bad split led a heart to the ♥10 and ♥K. Back came a diamond and Gunnar contributed the ♦6 to persuade North to win and play a third diamond to dummy’s ♦9. Since North appeared to have a 1-4-4-4 shape declarer came to hand with the ♣K and led a heart from hand, trying to decide whether to finesse the ♥8 or to play South for having false-carded in hearts from the ♥KQ. When North followed low in unconcerned fashion Gunnar decided to play South for the bare ♥KQ and wet up with the ♥A to drop the queen and bring home nine tricks: two spades, two hearts, three diamonds and two clubs. The next deal presented an opportunity for virtually the whole field – but most of them neglected to take their chance. This was what happened at the table I was watching: Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul.   ♠ J 6 ♥ - ♦ A Q 8 7 6 5 4 2 ♣ 10 8 6 ♠ Q 10 ♥ A 7 4 ♦ K 10 3 ♣ J 9 5 3 2 ♠ 9 8 5 4 2 ♥ K 9 8 6 5 2 ♦ - ♣ A K   ♠ A K 7 3 ♥ Q J 10 3 ♦ J 9 ♣ Q 7 4 West North East South Molson Jansma S-Molson Arnolds     1♥ 1♠ 2♥ 4♦ 4♥ Dble ll Pass       Arnolds led two top spades and shifted to the ♦J. Molson ruffed and led a heart to the ♥10 and ♥A; down one. It may not be clear that declarer can do any better, but by contrast Marion Michielsen playing with Ilan Herbst also declared 4♥x on an equally informative auction: (1♥ – Pass – 1NT – (3♦) – Pass – Pass -3♥ – Pass – 4♥ – Dble – All Pass). The defence led a top spade, North echoing, and shifted to the ♦J, covered and ruffed. Marion returned a heart to the ♥10 and ♥A and ruffed a diamond, then played a second spade to South. Back came a spade, and Michielsen won in hand and cashed the top clubs, ruffed her winning spade, then ruffed a club. In this ending:   ♠ --- ♥ - ♦ Q 8 7 ♣ --- ♠ --- ♥ 7 ♦ 10 ♣ J ♠ 9 ♥ K 9 ♦ - ♣ ---   ♠ --- ♥ Q J 3 ♦ --- ♣ --- Marion led a spade from hand, forcing South to ruff but lead from her trump tenace to concede the rest. Could the defence have done any better? Yes they could, though it may be hard to see. Declarer needs to ruff two diamonds and one club to shorten her trumps enough to create this ending. If South for instance simply leads three rounds of spades, (or cashes two spades and shifts to a club) the best declarer can do is discard from dummy and try the cross-ruff, but the timing is irremediably altered. Try it and see!

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