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Open Pairs — Final A — Session 2
by Peter Ventura
The Open Pairs was coming to the boil on Friday morning. Four sessions are on the program to find out which pair will become the new European Champions. We kick off with some boards from the first session, named the second due to the carry over.
| Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul. |
| | ♠ 9 2
♥ K 10 9 8 6
♦ 6
♣ Q J 10 9 2 | ♠ J 10 7 5 3
♥ 7 4 3
♦ J
♣ 7 6 5 3 |
 | ♠ K Q
♥ J 5
♦ A K 10 9 8 5 4
♣ K 8 |
| | ♠ A 8 6 4
♥ A Q 2
♦ Q 7 3 2
♣ A 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Bessis | Sen | M. Bessis | Senguler
|
| | | | 1NT
|
| Pass | 2♦ | 3♦ | Pass
|
| Pass | 3♥ | Pass | 3NT
|
| All Pass
|
The Turkish pair Tezcan Sen – Zafer Senguler ignored their heart fit and instead went for a no-trump contract, well aware about the fact they were playing match-points. The Open Teams gold medallists, father and son Bessis were playing E/W, and after the younger Bessis had led the diamond jack the elder Bessis cashed ace and king of diamonds and then exited with another diamond. In theory you can always make eleven tricks in no-trumps. You cash the heart ace and then overtake the queen with the king. When the jack drops you have your entry to the clubs, which you have established by playing the queen and another to the ace, if East wasn’t kind enough to cover. In practice declarer ran all his hearts and East had a discarding problem. When he pitched a club declarer had an easy journey to eleven tricks; N/S +660. That was worth the whole pot as a great deal of the field made +650 in Four Hearts.
Note though that declarer should have been put to the test and might have been held to +620. After winning the first trick with one of the top diamonds, East can shift to the eight of clubs. Now declarer has to decide whether he’ll finesse or not, considering the risk that West will win the king and then give partner a ruff. That’s good match-point bridge.
Our Turks got another 96% on the following board, since they were one out of three pairs reaching Six Diamonds. The Bessis’were the second pair and they reached the good small slam in this way:
| Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ Q 6 4 3
♥ –
♦ K Q 8 5 3 2
♣ J 8 5 | ♠ 8 7 5
♥ A J 6 4 3 2
♦ A 9
♣ 7 3 |
| ♠ J 10 9
♥ Q 10 8 7 5
♦ J 7
♣ 10 9 2 |
| | ♠ A K 2
♥ K 9
♦ 10 6 4
♣ A K Q 6 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Jansma | T. Bessis | Verhees | M. Bessis
|
| 2♥ | 3♦ | 4♥ | Dble
|
| Pass | 4♠ | Pass | 6♦
|
| All Pass
|
East led the queen of hearts, ruffed in dummy. With the favourable trump split there was not much to the play.
Geir-Olav Tislevoll – Ole Berset of Norway were the third pair in the field to reach the small slam in diamonds. Six pairs tried to play the slam in no-trumps, but with two missing aces that was not the best spot to be at – and obviously none of them succeeded.
Even when playing match-points, declaring no-trumps is not always the best strategy, at least if you misguess the play. The same Turkish pair was again involved, but this time they scored 100% as defenders.
| Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul. |
| | ♠ K 8
♥ J 7 6
♦ Q 10 9 8 4
♣ A 6 5 | ♠ Q 6
♥ Q 5 3
♦ A K J 6 3
♣ 9 7 3 |
| ♠ 7 4 3
♥ 9 8 2
♦ 7 5 2
♣ J 8 4 2 |
| | ♠ A J 10 9 5 2
♥ A K 10 4
♦ –
♣ K Q 10 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Senguler | Khazanov | Sen | Lebedeva
|
| 1♦ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| Pass | Pass | Rdble | 2♠
|
| Pass | 3NT | All Pass
|
Maria Lebedeva and Igor Khazanov had the possibility of a huge score here, as E/W had nowhere to flee. But South missed the opportunity, and against Three No-trumps East led a club, which was won in dummy. When declarer for some reason finessed in spades through East, Senguler could win the queen and then cash his two diamond winners for a top.
Bjorn Fallenius – Martin Schifko let E/W play in One Heart doubled, after East’s Kock-Werner-double, more commonly known as SOS.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Quantin | Schifko | Bompis | Fallenius
|
| 1♦ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| Pass | Pass | Redble | Pass
|
| 1♥ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| All Pass
|
The defence cleared the trumps and then poor Quantin only got two tricks. Which was the trick outside the trump trick? Well, it may be hard to guess, but it was the queen of spades as North unblocked his king under the ace. However, N/S +1100 was worth 96% for N/S. Starkowski/Golebiowski recorded +1400 and for that they scored 100% when they defeated One Heart doubled, taking all tricks exept from one.
Nicklas Sandqvist – Artur Malinowski, in the leading position most of the day, were the only pair to bid and make slam.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Gold | Sandqvist | Townsend | Malinowski
|
| 1♦ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| Pass | 1NT | Pass | 2♦
|
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | 4♠
|
| Pass | 5♣* | Pass | 5♦*
|
| Pass | 5♠ | Pass | 6♠
|
| All Pass
|
Sandqvist judged well to cue bid clubs and that drove the pair to a playable slam. Malinowski ruffed the opening lead of the king of diamonds and then simply played a low spade to the eight, since West had opened the bidding. West eventually scored a heart trick but that was N/S +980 and a well-earned 92%-board for the English pair.
On Vugraph Cezary Balicki had the chance to be a hero but ended up the goat.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Zmudzinski | Kwiecien | Balicki | Jagniewski
|
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♠ ! | Pass
|
| 1NT | Pass | 2♣* | Pass
|
| 2♦ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| All Pass
|
* Transfer to 2♦
The defenders led the spade king and now had a shot for 1100. But even 800, after a small slip, scored nearly all the match-points. |
