Holder Eliminated
By Patrick Jourdain ( Wales)
The first gold medal in the first European Transnational (in Menton) went to the American team led by Roy Welland. The team contained Michael Rosenberg who seems to have made a name for himself in the USA since being my team-mate in the Glasgow University League. Anyway I like to support old friends and watched the first half of their match against a team from the Czech Republic led by Josef Kurka.
Board 9, which Svoboda and Hnatova bid to a solid slam was cancelled due to a mis-duplication, and Board 8 was affected by the same error but a substitute board came in. And so it transpired that the only big swing in the half came on this decision for North:
You hold:
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♠ J 9 6 5
♥ J 6 2
♦ 9 6 4
♣ A Q 9 |
Partner opens 2NT (balanced 20-22). Do you raise to 3NT or seek a major suit fit? Bobby Levin made what would certainly be a popular choice when he chose 3NT, and it was mortifying for him to see the man on lead begin with six winning hearts.
At the table I was watching, Daniela Hnatova, South, held:
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♠ A K Q 8
♥ 8 4
♦ A Q J
♣ K J 8 6 |
They were playing a mainly natural system (with 2♣ as the strong bid) but the 2NT opener showed both minors so she opened 1♣. Michael R. overcalled 1♥, North made a take-out double promising spades, and South’s rebid was 4♠, a game that presented no problem. The swing of 11 IMPs to the Czech team was more than their lead at the end of the first half.
The other swings were small, but this deal shows the depth to which Michael Rosenberg analyses a hand:
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Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
|
| |
♠ Q 8
♥ J 10
♦ K 10 8 2
♣ A 10 8 6 4 |
♠ A J 10 6 5 3
♥ Q 7 5 3
♦ A 9
♣ Q |
 |
♠ 7 2
♥ A K 8 6 2
♦ J 6 4 3
♣ J 2 |
| |
♠ K 9 4
♥ 9 4
♦ Q 7 5
♣ K 9 7 5 3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Michael R. |
Svoboda |
Debbie R. |
Hnatova |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1♠ |
Pass |
1NT (A) |
Pass |
| 2♥ |
Pass |
4♥ |
All Pass |
Michael was declarer as West in 4♥. Svoboda led a third and fifth ♦8 (note how this wastes a vital pip in the suit, though the lead of the ten would not!) and Michael played low from dummy. When South contributed the queen Michael could place the ten on his left and therefore there was no danger of a diamond ruff.
Deciding to take the small risk of suffering a spade ruff, after winning the ♦A Michael crossed to a top heart and took a spade finesse next. Svoboda won and well aware that the spade suit was probably running, cashed his king of diamonds, and then tried ace and another club. Michael was able to ruff the second club, but from his point of view the hand was still not over, for he still had to take care of dummy’s small diamond.
I expected him to cash the heart queen, and then, if the trumps did not break, to decide on the safest way to take care of that diamond. However, as one might expect, Michael did that thinking first. He followed with the heart queen, and, when they broke, claimed, but during the next hand passed me a note of what he had planned had there been a trump outstanding.
If the trumps were 3-1, the silence of the opponents made it likely the clubs were 5-5. So North would hold nine cards in the minors and four in the majors. If he had three hearts and one spade Michael would finish drawing trumps and be confident a second spade finesse would win. Instead if North held one heart and therefore three spades, declarer could cash all the hearts and squeeze North in spades and diamonds.
No wonder the man has a reputation for careful play, and no surprise we won the Glasgow League, even though he had only being playing bridge for a couple of years.
The Czech team hung on to their lead to win by 49-35 and the Menton gold medallists were out.
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