Italy vs Sweden (Juniors Round 12)

Italy were the leaders in the Junior event when they met Sweden, also challenging for a qualifying spot, so a very important match. The action mostly came in the bidding.

Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
	♠ A J 7 6 ♥ A 10 ♦ J 8 2 ♣ 10 8 6 5
♠ K ♥ K Q 3 2 ♦ A Q 10 3		♠ Q 8 2 ♥ J 9 8 7 5 4 ♦ 9 7
	♠ 10 9 5 4 3 ♥ 6 ♦ K 6 5 4 ♣ A J 9

Sara Sivelind opened a strong club and Cecilia Rimstedt responded 1♦, negative. When Irene Baroni overcalled, Sivelind passed and now Alberto Sangiorgio’s pre-emptive raise did its job. Sivelind could have guessed to double for take-out, and no doubt would have done so with the same shape and point-count without a wasted king, but there was no security at all at the four level facing a weak hand so she passed and the cold heart game was missed.

Sivelind led the king of hearts to dummy’s ace and Baroni ruffed the ♥10 and led a spade to the king and ace and a second spade. Rimstedt won the queen of spades and switched to a diamond. Three rounds of those gave her a ruff and there was still a club to come; down one for –100.

Matteo Montanari opened 2NT, one of my pet hates with a singleton, but it worked just fine this time as Arrigo Franchi transferred to hearts, Montanari broke the transfer, Franchi retransferred and Montanari duly played 4♥. There were three aces to lose but the king of diamonds was where it had to be so that was +620 and 11 IMPs to Italy, who led at this point by 34-1.

Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul.
	♠ 10 7 6 5 2 ♥ A Q 10 8 ♦ 8 ♣ J 4 3
♠ Q 3 ♥ – ♦ K Q J 7 5		♠ J 8 4 ♥ K J 4 2 ♦ A 10 9 4
	♠ A K 9 ♥ 9 7 6 5 3 ♦ 6 3 2 ♣ Q 6

West	North	East	South
Sivelind	Sangiorgio	Rimstedt	Baroni
		Pass	Pass
2NT	Pass	3♦	Pass
4♥	Pass	5♦	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Montanari	Thalen	Franchi	Asplund
		Pass	Pass
1♣	Pass	1♥	Pass
2♦	Pass	2♠	Pass
3♦	Pass	3♠	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Sivelind opened 2NT to show both minors, either weak or game-forcing – a slight stretch but we all love to use our pet bids whenever we can. Rimstedt gave preference to diamonds and Sivelind showed the game-force with short hearts, just in case. Switch East’s majors around and slam is huge, but with the wasted heart values Rimstedt signed off in 5♦. There was nothing to the play after Baroni had cashed the top spades; +600.

Montanari showed his six-five shape then admitted to a bit of something in spades. Unless there is something I don’t know about there methods, he seems to have described his hand perfectly and it looks like a clear misjudgement on Franchi’s part to not play in the nine-card diamond fit. Three rounds of spades were played. Montanari won the third round, cashed one diamond winner then led a club to the ten and jack. Bjorn Thalen cashed out for two down; –200 and 13 IMPs to Sweden.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	♠ J 10 7 6 ♥ A 7 6 2 ♦ – ♣ J 7 6 5 4
♠ Q ♥ J 9 3 ♦ J 10 9 6 4 3		♠ A K 9 8 5 3 ♥ – ♦ A K Q 8
	♠ 4 2 ♥ K Q 10 8 5 4 ♦ 7 5 2 ♣ 8 3

West	North	East	South
Sivelind	Sangiorgio	Rimstedt	Baroni
Pass	Pass	1♣	1♥
3♦	5♥	5NT	6♥
Pass	Pass	7♦	Pass
Pass	7♥	Dble	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Montanari	Thalen	Franchi	Asplund
1♦	Pass	1♠	2♥
Pass	4♥	4NT	Pass
5♣	Pass	5♦	Pass
6♦	All Pass

Montanari opened the West hand and this put his side in a good position in the subsequent auction. Franchi showed his spades but, when the Swedes bid up to 4♥, was willing to take control and drive to slam. N/S went quietly and 6♦ made 13 tricks without any difficulty for +1390.

Sivelind passed as dealer rather than open a loose diamond. I don’t really see what harm opening 1♦ will come to, but perhaps this is partnership style. This led to a very different auction. Rimstedt opened a strong club and Baroni overcalled 1♥ (why not 2♥?). Sivelind showed her positive hand with long diamonds and Sangiorgio put it to his opponents with a leap to 5♥. The precise meaning of Rimstedt’s 5NT is unclear but, when Baroni saved in 6♥, Sivelind’s forcing pass surely had to include club controls as she was missing so much elsewhere, and now Rimstedt felt able to bid the grand slam. Seven Diamonds went around to Sangiorgio and time stood still as he decided whether to save or to gamble that the pressure had made his opponents misjudge. Eventually, he got it right, swinging 20 IMPs by going on to 7♥, which went for 1100. That meant 7 IMPs to Italy instead of 13 to Sweden. Well done Sangiorgio!

Board 17. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ J 8 ♥ 6 4 ♦ 9 6 4 ♣ A J 10 4 3 2
♠ K 10 7 3 ♥ Q J 2 ♦ Q J 5		♠ Q 9 6 5 4 ♥ K 9 7 5 ♦ A
	♠ A 2 ♥ A 10 8 3 ♦ K 10 8 7 3 2 ♣ Q

West	North	East	South
Sivelind	Sangiorgio	Rimstedt	Baroni
	Pass	Pass	1♦
Dble	2♣	2♠	Pass
Pass	3♣	3♥	Pass
3♠	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Montanari	Thalen	Franchi	Asplund
	Pass	Pass	1♦
Pass	1NT	Dble	2♦
2♠	3♦	3♠	3NT
Dble	4♣	Pass	4♦
Dble	All Pass

It is hardly obligatory to double with the West hand but the vulnerability is in favour of doing so and the Swedish E/W pair competed up to 3♠, which is fair enough. Baroni got the defence spot on. She led the queen of clubs which held the trick, then switched to a low heart. Rimstedt won that in hand to play a spade up and Baroni took the ace to play ace and another heart. Sangiorgio ruffed the heart and played ace and another club for his partner to ruff; down two for –100.

It looks as though 4♦ doubled is doomed to fail by a trick but something went wrong in the defence. Rather than lead the partnership suit – remember that declarer had suggested playing in 3NT – Montanari tried the safer-looking lead of the queen of hearts, and that was all the help that Asplund required. He ducked and Montanari switched to the queen of diamonds. Franchi won the bare ace and switched to a spade but Asplund could win the ace, run the queen of clubs and play ace and ruff a heart to get to dummy. Asplund ruffed a club back to hand then led his fourth heart and Montanari was powerless; +510 and 9 IMPs to Sweden.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ 8 6 4 3 ♥ 10 5 4 ♦ K 9 7 3 ♣ 9 5
♠ 7 5 2 ♥ A K J 8 6 ♦ 6 5 4 2		♠ A K Q J 10 9 ♥ 3 ♦ Q 10
	♠ – ♥ Q 9 7 2 ♦ A J 8 ♣ K Q J 8 7 3

West	North	East	South
Sivelind	Sangiorgio	Rimstedt	Baroni
			1♣
1♥	Pass	1♠	2♣
Pass	Pass	4♠	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Montanari	Thalen	Franchi	Asplund
			1♣
1♦	Pass	2♣	3♣
Pass	Pass	3NT	Dble
All Pass

Everything was very straightforward at our first table, where Rimstedt made 4♠ for +620. At the other table Montanari made a transfer overcall, Franchi cuebid, then bid 3NT without ever showing his spades, and Asplund doubled. That proved to be an expensive misjudgement. Asplund led the king of clubs and, to guard the hearts, he came down to bare ♦A and ♣Q as Franchi ran the spades. Not wishing to risk his contract, Franchi did not bother with the almost-marked heart finesse. Instead, he cashed the top hearts then exited with dummy’s low diamond, and Asplund had to give a trick to dummy’s ♥J at the end; ten tricks for +950 and 8 IMPs to Italy.

The Italians won the match by 53-30 IMPs, 20-10 VPs, and consolidated their position at the top of the rankings.