| 48th European Bridge Team Championships | Page 3 | Bulletin 7 - Saturday 19 August 2006 |
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Women Teams - France v Spain (Round 1) by Mark Horton France, the hottest of favourites, faced Spain in the first round of the Women’s Championship.
Open Room
West led the four of hearts and declarer won in hand with the ten and played ace of spades and a spade. She won East’s heart return with the queen and played a third spade to West’s king. Now the hand turned on the diamond guess, but declarer got the suit wrong; one down, -50. Closed Room
East led the four of diamonds and West won with the ace and returned the suit, East winning with the queen. It is hard to spot the winning defence now, which is to switch to a club. When East played a third diamond, declarer could win and play a spade to the jack and queen. She won the heart return with dummy’s ten and played ace of spades and a spade, claiming when the defenders could not cash the master diamond. A fast 10 IMPs for Spain. Over the next12 boards there were only two swings, both to France, this one giving them the lead:
Open Room
South showed a good hand with spades and then cue bid in clubs. Subsequently she promised one ace, the queen of spades and the king of clubs – at least that is what I believe the convention card indicates. East led the jack of clubs, so declarer made all thirteen tricks, +1010. Closed Room
North obviously converted to no trumps to protect her king of hearts. East led the four of diamonds and declarer won with the ace and cashed seven rounds of spades, West discarding the two and eight of hearts, the ten of diamonds, the two of clubs and the five of diamonds. Meanwhile East had discarded the seven of diamonds, the nine and five of hearts and the six and nine of diamonds. Declarer cashed the king of clubs and played a club to the….ten – two down as East won and cashed a heart and a diamond. A massive 15 IMPs for France.
Open Room
I cannot tell you why South did not bid Four Hearts over Four Clubs, but the good slam was missed. West cashed the ace of hearts and declarer took the rest, +480. Closed Room
When North took a second bid it was routine for South to advertise a heart control. +980 and 11 IMPs for Spain, back in the lead – which they immediately extended.
Open Room
Would you have bid Four Diamonds, rather than Four Hearts? Clearly you want to be in a slam that is on one of two finesses. Still, several players went down in Six Hearts on the lead of the eight of clubs, so this might not be a bad result. North did lead the eight of clubs and declarer won and took twelve tricks when the diamond king was onside. Closed Room
Well bid, but when North did lead the eight of clubs declarer decided to finesses and ran into a ruff, one down and another 11 IMPs for Spain.
Open Room
Against this optimistic contract South led the queen of hearts and continued with the king and then the five. North won and switched to the three of spades. With diamonds coming in that was +400. Closed Room
Declarer had to lose two spades, two diamonds and a club, one down and 8 IMPs to Spain. Only nine swings in the match, but Spain had dented French pride with a win by 42-26 IMPs, 18-12 VP. |
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