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Open teams R11 - USA v Germany
The leaders clash
by Brent Manley
Germany and the USA in the Open series have been occupying the top two spots in their qualifying group for much of the tournament, so there was considerable interest in their round-11 match.
The Americans struck first.
| Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ 8 3
♥ K 10 6 3
♦ 3 2
♣ 8 7 6 5 3 |
♠ A Q 9 7 2
♥ A J
♦ J 10 6 5
♣ K 4 |  |
♠ 10 5
♥ 9 5 2
♦ A 8 7 4
♣ A Q J 2 | | | ♠ K J 6 4
♥ Q 8 7 4
♦ K Q 9
♣ 10 9 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Rodwell | Piekarek | Meckstroth | Smirnov
|
| | | 1♦ | Pass
|
| 1♠ | Pass | 1NT | Pass
|
| 2♣* | Pass | 2♦* | Pass
|
| 3NT | All Pass
| | |
Alexander Smirnov led the ♥4. Declarer, Jeff Meckstroth, put in the jack, losing to the king. A heart back cleared the suit. At trick three, Meckstroth entered his hand with a club to the queen, then put the ♠10 on the table, letting it ride when South did not cover. A second spade went to the 9 and Meckstroth was home with three spades, one heart, four clubs and a diamond. Plus 400.
The auction was identical at the other table, as was the opening lead. Chris Compton won the ♥K at trick one and cleared the suit. Declarer, Michael Elinescu, played the ♣K and a club to the ace, followed by the ♠10. Bob Hamman covered with the king, however. Declarer took the ♠A and rode the ♦J to Hamman’s king. The defenders cashed two more hearts, ending in the South hand, and Hamman got out with a low spade. Elinescu could have succeeded by inserting the 9, but he went up with the ♠Q and played a diamond to his ace, obviously hoping to drop the queen. When that hope did not materialized, he was one off and USA had 10 IMPs in the bank.
It all went away, and then some, on the next deal.
| Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ J 10 6 3
♥ J 10 7 3
♦ 10 4
♣ Q J 9 |
♠ A K Q 5 2
♥ A 8 2
♦ K
♣ A K 8 2 | |
♠ 4
♥ K 5
♦ A J 9 8 2
♣ 10 7 5 4 3 | | | ♠ 9 8 7
♥ Q 9 6 4
♦ Q 7 6 5 3
♣ 6 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Wladow | Compton | Elinescu | Hamman
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 1♣ | Pass | 1♦ | Pass
|
| 4♠ | All Pass
| | |
Entscho Wladow and Elinescu missed the ice-cold club slam, but at least they were in a making contract for plus 650.
At the other table, Eric Rodwell and Meckstroth got overboard.
In a protracted and complex auction, Rodwell finally landed in 7♣, which was doubled by Josef Piekarek, who didn’t fear chasing Rodwell into some making contract given his stoppers in three suits. In fact, Rodwell ran from a 12-trick contract to 7NT, which had only 11 tricks. That was also doubled for minus 500 and 15 IMPs to Germany.
On board 5, it was the Germans’ turn to overbid – and it was also costly.
| Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ A K 9
♥ A Q 9 5 3
♦ Q 6 2
♣ A 2 |
♠ Q J 10 7 6
♥ 7
♦ A 9 8 5
♣ 8 6 3 | |
♠ 8 5 3
♥ 2
♦ K 10 7 3
♣ K J 10 9 7 | | | ♠ 4 2
♥ K J 10 8 6 4
♦ J 4
♣ Q 5 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Wladow | Compton | Elinescu | Hamman
|
| | 1♥ | Pass | 4♥
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Elinescu led a trump, and Compton was soon claiming 10 tricks, losing two diamonds and a club.
At the other table, Piekarek and Smirnov did not have the auction to themselves, and they went astray.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Rodwell | Piekarek | Meckstroth | Smirnov
|
| | 1♣ | Pass | 1♥
|
| 1♠ | 2♦* | 3♣ | 3♥
|
| 3♠ | 4♣ | 4♠ | Pass
|
| Pass | 4NT | Pass | 5♦
|
| Pass | 6♥ | All Pass
| |
Rodwell led a club, ducked in dummy to Meckstroth’s king. From there, declarer could not avoid losing two diamonds for minus 200 and 13 IMPs to USA.
USA was up 25-21 when this deal came along.
| Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ A Q 7 3
♥ A K 9 7 3
♦ 3 2
♣ A 8 |
♠ J
♥ Q 5 2
♦ Q 10 7
♣ K Q J 6 3 2 | |
♠ 6 2
♥ 10 8 6 4
♦ 9 8 5 4
♣ 10 9 4 | | | ♠ K 10 9 8 5 4
♥ J
♦ A K J 6
♣ 7 5 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Rodwell | Piekarek | Meckstroth | Smirnov
|
| 2♣* | Dble | Pass | 3♣
|
| Pass | 4♣ | Pass | 4NT
|
| Pass | 5♣ | Pass | 6♠
|
| All Pass
| | | |
It seemed that Piekarek and Smirnov were on their way to the spade grand slam after Rodwell’s natural but limited 2♣ opener, but Smirnov took his partner out of the picture by leaping to the small slam. Plus1460 did not get the job done.
Compton and Hamman had to deal with a bit of interference, but they brushed it aside.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Wladow | Compton | Elinescu | Hamman
|
| 3♣ | Dble | 3♠ | Dble
|
| Pass | 4♣ | Pass | 4NT
|
| Pass | 5♣ | Pass | 7♠
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Plus 2210 was good for another 13 IMPs for the Americans.
Hamman’s fondness for four-card major openings helped USA to another gain on the next board.
| Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul. |
| | ♠ 9 8 6 2
♥ 2
♦ 10 2
♣ A J 10 9 4 2 |
♠ A J
♥ K Q 7 6 5 4
♦ Q J 8
♣ K 6 | |
♠ 10 4 3
♥ J 9 8
♦ K 9 7 6
♣ Q 5 3 | | | ♠ K Q 7 5
♥ A 10 3
♦ A 5 4 3
♣ 8 7 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Rodwell | Piekarek | Meckstroth | Smirnov
|
| | Pass | Pass | 1♣
|
| 1♥ | Dble | 2♥ | 2♠
|
| 3♥ | All Pass
| | |
Rodwell had a good hand, but not enough to sail into game opposite what might be a mere courtesy raise by his partner – and both opponents were bidding.
The Germans took a trick in each suit – what they had coming – but Rodwell had nine tricks for plus 140.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Wladow | Compton | Elinescu | Hamman
|
| | Pass | Pass | 1♠
|
| Dble | 3♠ | Pass | Pass
|
| 4♥ | All Pass
| | |
Hamman’s opening on a four-card spade suit allowed Compton to put maximum pressure on West. It probably would not have helped for West to overcall 2♥ to start with because Compton would still have had the space-consuming raise to 3♠ available. Wladow bid on and went down, but he saved an IMP (minus 140 at both tables would have been a 7-IMP loss) because Hamman was going to make nine tricks in his spade contract.
The following deal was good for 5 IMPs to Germany.
| Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠
♥ K J 10 4
♦ K 9 8 5 4 3 2
♣ J 6 |
♠ 10 3
♥ Q 9 8 7 5 2
♦ A 10
♣ A 10 5 | |
♠ K Q 7 6 5 4 2
♥ A 3
♦ Q J
♣ K Q | | | ♠ A J 9 8
♥ 6
♦ 7 6
♣ 9 8 7 4 3 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Rodwell | Piekarek | Meckstroth | Smirnov
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 1♥ | 2♦ | 3♠ | Pass
|
| 4♠ | All Pass
| | |
Interestingly, 4♠ from the West seat is unbeatable, and it can always be defeated, as it was in this case, when played by East on a diamond lead (a heart won’t do). The key is that North cannot lead a red suit without giving up a trick.
It seems that, double dummy, East might succeed by rising with the ace on a diamond lead, then taking three rounds of clubs, pitching the losing diamond on the ♣10 after the very lucky fall of the ♣J. Say declarer does that and ruffs a diamond to hand to lead a low spade toward dummy’s 10. South plays the ♠J and exits with the ♥6. Declarer wins and plays another low spade from hand, with no red card for an exit, South inserts the ♠8 or ♠9. Dummy’s ♠10 wins, but when he leads a heart from dummy, North wins (South discarding a club) and plays another red card. When East ruffs high, South again discards and is left with the ♠A 9 over the ♠Q 7 for one down.
One East declarer who succeeded was Ahsan Quereshi of Pakistan. He took the opening heart lead in hand, cashed his two club honors, then played a low spade from hand. This may seem remarkable considering that South had not doubled the final contract, but North against Quereshi had opened 2NT, promising four hearts and a longer minor. Quereshi guessed correctly that spades were not breaking.
South won the ♠J and exited, too late, with a diamond. Quereshi won the ♦A, cashed the ♣A for a diamond pitch, and played the ♠10. South was helpless. If he ducked, Querishi would ruff a diamond to hand and knock out the ♠A and claim, losing only a heart trick.
Back to the USA-Germany match, the Germans gained on the deal because they were able to stop at a low level.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Wladow | Compton | Elinescu | Hamman
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 2♥ | Pass | 2♠ | All Pass
|
Elinescu’s 2♠ was non-forcing, so the Germans landed in a 7-2 spade fit at the two level despite having 27 high-card points between the two hands – and it was right!
Hamman led a club, and Elinescu eventually surrendered a heart trick and three spades (he started the suit from dummy) for plus 140 and 6 IMPs for his side.
USA gained an overtrick IMP on the final board to win 45-26. They ended the day’s play still in second in Group D.
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