Board 8. Dealer West. Love All J 8 7 5 2 — Q 7 5 4 3 7 6 4 Q 6 4 A K 3 A J 10 9 8 3 6 A 8 K 2 A K Q J 10 9 5 3 2 10 9 K Q 7 5 4 2 J 10 9 6 8 West North East South Wolff Kowalski Chagas Cope 1 Pass 2 Pass 3NT Pass 4 Pass 4 Pass 4 Pass 5 Dble 5 Pass 7 Pass 7NT All Pass

Bobby Wolff and Gabriel Chagas might be virtually a first time partnership, but they produced a polished sequence, avoiding a potential catastrophe, to head for the very top spot on this board. Wolff's 3NT showed 18-19, and thereafter the cue-bidding for clubs saw all the first round controls established. Wolff heard his partner look for a grand slam and was staring at the Ace-King of trumps. Despite the identifiable problem in hearts he trusted his partner, and jumped to 7. Now Chagas could see that there would be the same tricks in No Trump as in clubs and converted to the higher scoring contract, simultaneously side-stepping the heart ruff that would have beaten 7. Nicely done.

Geir Helgemo is not accustomed to being outwitted, but he had to pay off to Michel Perron on the following deal.

Board 9. Dealer North. EW Game A J 10 7 5 4 5 2 Q 5 A K 2 K 6 Q 9 8 K 9 4 A Q 7 K J 9 3 A 8 7 2 10 9 8 7 5 4 3 3 2 J 10 8 6 3 10 6 4 Q J 6 West North East South Whang Perron Helgemo Freeman 1 Pass Pass Dble 2 2NT All Pass

Freeman led a spade, of course, to the king and ace. Helgemo ducked the second spade and won the third one, as Freeman discarded a small heart.

Now three rounds of hearts followed, and Perron did the best he could by discarding the K (not a small club). Helgemo worked out that Perron was likely to have the Q for the bidding thus far. He boldly led the J and Perron covered this with the Q. Helgemo took the A and had to decide whether Perron had started life with a 6-2-3-2 shape or his actual hand. If the latter, a second diamond finesse would see him home with eight tricks. If the former, a club exit would endplay Michel to concede two diamond tricks at the end for down one - no great success, but no tragedy either. He decided to go for the endplay - and the defence could now cash out for three down and virtually all the matchpoints.

Board 14. Dealer East. Love All J 8 4 9 A 9 A K Q 8 7 6 5 — A 10 7 2 Q J 6 5 3 2 A 8 4 J 7 5 4 2 K Q 10 6 10 9 J 4 K Q 9 6 5 3 K 10 7 8 3 3 2 West North East South Robson Mittelman Bessis Zia 1 2 5 5 All Pass

Zia was allowed to bring home an impossible game contract when the defence failed to lead their own suit at either of their opportunities. Andy Robson had done well to force his opponents to the five-level, but he decided to lead the Q rather than set up a diamond trick. Conversely Bessis thought there could be no diamond trick available so he shifted to the J. Zia was in dummy, so led a spade to the queen then a spade back to the jack. When Bessis took his A, Zia had no further problems.

On the surface of it, it appears that if Bessis ducks the second spade too, life is much harder for Zia. If declarer plays a third trump a diamond ruff disrupts the entries to dummy.

However, Zia could have succeeded by shifting his attention to clubs. Bessis can ruff the third club, but Zia simply overruffs and ruffs a heart in dummy, then plays more clubs and the defence only get the ace of trumps.

Krzystof Martens started the tournament slowly (he was 52nd at one point), but he had been motoring up the field until encountering a reverse in a very delicate grand slam:

Board 20. Dealer West. Game All 10 9 J 6 4 K Q 10 8 5 3 2 7 K Q J 7 3 A 5 A K 9 7 Q 8 5 2 9 A 7 4 10 9 2 A Q J 5 8 6 4 2 10 3 J 6 K 8 6 4 3 West North East South Martens Westra Bompis Zhang 1 3 Dble Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 5NT Pass 6 Pass 7 All Pass

No one could accuse Martens of holding back here, but the grand slam is not a lot worse than the club finesse. Of course, as the cards lie this line is doomed to failure, but after much thought Martens followed a different line on the lead of the K. He won in dummy and ruffed a diamond, then laid down a top heart, in case a jack or ten appeared. Now he crossed to the A and led a third diamond. Zhang ruffed in with the 10 and Martens overruffed and led the 9. When Westra followed small he had to decide whether to play for the drop or finesse. It is a complex question, with Restricted Choice overtones, influenced by the 7-2 diamond split. Martens eventually got it wrong. Only two declarers managed to guess the heart suit to bring in 13 tricks in the grand slam; both Mari and Perron collected 2210 - even 1460 would have produced an excellent board.

To do well in an individual you have to have help from your partners. Sue Picus was in the right place at the right time, seated opposite Elizabeth Delor when it came time to find the right lead.

Board 11. Dealer South. Love All Q 7 5 4 2 Q 8 K 4 K J 10 7 J 10 8 6 3 9 10 7 4 K J 9 6 3 2 A Q 2 10 8 7 3 A 4 8 2 A K A 5 J 9 6 5 Q 9 6 5 3 West North East South Picus Erhart Delor Zur-Albu 1 1 2 2 3 3 3NT All Pass

Many of us would have led a heart, and conceded the contract; even a spade lead achieves no more than +50 - not a great return since 3 has plenty of play. But Elizabeth led a diamond to the first trick. When Sue shifted to a heart the defence had seven winners for +150 and virtually all the matchpoints.

Board 15. Dealer South. NS Game 9 3 A K 8 3 2 K Q 7 3 J 9 K 10 8 7 6 5 2 — Q J 9 6 5 J A 9 6 4 A 8 6 4 K Q 10 5 3 A Q J 4 10 7 4 10 8 5 2 7 2

Half a board on this hand from the ladies event depended on how one manipulated the spade spots. The vulnerability encouraged the field to be aggressive with the West hand. The majority of the field opened 3 but 4 was a reasonable choice too.

The defence led a top heart and shifted to Q. How do you intend to tackle the trumps? One possibility is to lead low from hand twice; if the five gets past North's doubleton nine, you follow up with the K and hold your losers to three. An alternative is to lead the K boldly from hand - that might get ducked (but not today). If it loses you follow up with the 10 to pin the 9. Even starting with the 10 has some attraction. The best straight percentage line seems to be to lead low from hand twice (start with the five, follow up with the ten to pin the doubleton nine) which picks up all the doubleton aces and a few other key doubletons.

It does not work here against best defence - but who says virtue is always rewarded?

However, the key to the hand, as Sandra Landy pointed out, is to cross back to hand with a club not a red suit ruff at trick three. If you shorten yourself artificially, you run into the danger of losing control of the hand. The danger of a club ruff is not so extreme as it may appear - it would be likely to be with a trump trick. As several players found out at the table, if you misguess the spades and shorten yourelf you finish up three down.

Board 6. Dealer East. EW Game 8 6 5 2 K 7 A K J 8 3 K 7 A K Q J 10 9 — A Q 10 8 5 4 Q 10 9 4 7 6 2 A 9 8 3 2 Q 5 7 4 3 J 9 6 3 2 5 J 10 6 4 West North East South Gawrys Szymanowski Quantin Bessis 2 Pass 2NT Dble Pass 3 Dble 3 Pass Pass Dble All Pass

Marek Szymanowski found himself in a horrid spot on Vugraph - but he managed to resuce quite a few matchpoints from the wreckage when the defensive suit-preference signals ran into some problems. On the surface of it, the defence to 3 should be an absolute blood bath. After four rounds of spades, East can ruff in and lead his now singleton club to his partner's ace. Then a club ruff, followed by two rounds of hearts and another club leaves declarer having to guess how to take even four tricks!

Alas for the defence, Gawrys won his spade honour by taking the jack, then leding the queen, king and ace. Quantin believed his partner had excellent clubs and so threw a heart at trick three.

He ruffed with the 6 at trick four, then returned the Q and Gawrys took the ace as Szymanowski unblocked the king. This gave Marek an entry to dummy for the trump finesse, and he endplayed Gawrys with the fourth trump to lead a club to dummy. That let him out for -500 and a remarkable 10 matchpoints out of 24!

Board 7. Dealer South. Game All 8 7 5 4 Q 10 9 7 Q 6 3 Q 3 J 10 9 6 3 — A 8 5 4 3 8 A K 9 7 2 J 9 5 2 A K 10 6 4 A K Q 2 K J 6 2 J 10 5 4 8 West North East South Robson Perron Delmouly Chemla 1NT 2 Dble Rdble Pass 2 Dble All Pass

With four rounds to go Chemla, in second place (who had the best score of the day at that point) met Robson, who was charging up the field and was in third place. Both Delmouly and Chemla selected a light initial action - and one worked a great deal better than the other.

Robson started doubling for penalties at once, and led a trump against 2 (the worst of the 4-3 fits). Delmouly's ten forced the ace and Chemla exited with a club to the eight. Delmouly played two more rounds of trumps and Robson now led the K, overtaken with the ace. Chemla pitched a heart, and Delmouly led a heart to Robson's jack, for another club to Delmouly. Chemla ruffed, but the defence now had enough winners to take the rest for a spectacular +1400.