Open teams s-final - 5th - Italy v Norway
Last gasp
by Brent Manley
With four sets completed in the semi-final match between Italy and Norway, the latter team found themselves in deep trouble, trailing 167-79. They would need a rally of huge proportions to have a chance at the Open series championship.
The Norwegians’ hopes took a serious blow on the very first board of the fifth set.
| Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| | ♠ 6
♥ J 10 5
♦ Q 9 4 3
♣ J 9 6 5 2 |
♠ K J 9 8 5 3 2
♥ K
♦ K 10 7 2
♣ K |  |
♠ A Q 7 4
♥ A Q 8 3 2
♦ 6
♣ A Q 3 | | | ♠ 10
♥ 9 7 6 4
♦ A J 8 5
♣ 10 8 7 4 |
In the closed room, Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes bid the East-West cards to 6♠. The defense got the ♦A but that was all. Plus 980.
In the open room, Glenn Groetheim and Ulf Tundal had a long, complicated bidding sequence after Tundal (East) opened the bidding with 1♣ (strong). Somewhere along the way, a relay bid must have gone awry because the final contract ended up being 7♠ by East. Had Antonio Sementa (North) been on lead, he might have made the wrong choice – any lead but a diamond lets the contract make. Fortunately for Italy, Duboin was the first defender to play, and his choice was the ♦A. One down – 14 IMPs to Italy.
The margin had grown to more than 100 when board 4 arrived.
| Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul. |
| | ♠ K 9 5 4
♥ 10 6 5
♦ K 10 9 2
♣ 5 2 |
♠ 7
♥ A J 9 7 3
♦ Q 7 6 4 3
♣ Q J | |
♠ J 10 6 3 2
♥ 8 4
♦ A J
♣ K 10 9 6 | | | ♠ A Q 8
♥ K Q 2
♦ 8 5
♣ A 8 7 4 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Groetheim | Sementa | Tundal | Duboin
|
| 1♥ | Pass | 1♠ | Pass
|
| 2♦ | Pass | 2♥ | All Pass
|
Sementa led the ♣5, ducked by Duboin. Groetheim won the ♣J and played the ♣Q at trick two. Duboin returned a club, but Groetheim discarded his losing spade. Sementa ruffed and returned a spade to his partner’s ace. Groetheim ruffed and played a diamond to the jack. Declarer played the ♣K, pitching a diamond. Sementa ruffed again and exited with a diamond to dummy’s ace. Groetheim ruffed a spade and ruffed a diamond in dummy. Duboin overruffed and played the 13th club. Groetheim discarded the ♦Q and Sementa took his third ruff. The defense still had a trump trick coming for one down.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Nunes | Helness | Fantoni | Helgemo
|
| 2♥ | Pass | Pass | 2NT
|
| All Pass
| | | |
The 2♥ opener showed a limited opening bid. Geir Helgemo’s balancing 2NT was a reasonable action that didn’t work out. Nunes started with a low diamond, taken by Fantoni with the jack. Fantoni switched to the ♥8: king, 3, 5. Helgemo, tried a diamond to the 9, and Fantoni won the ace and continued hearts. Helgemo ended with six tricks for minus 200 – another 7 IMPs to Italy.
Norway finally broke through with a useful swing on board 8.
| Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul. |
| | ♠ 5
♥ 7 5 4
♦ A Q 10 8 7 5
♣ Q 8 3 |
♠ J 10 2
♥ K J 9
♦ J 9 3 2
♣ A K 9 | |
♠ A 9 8 7 4 3
♥ A Q 2
♦ 6 4
♣ 5 4 | | | ♠ K Q 6
♥ 10 8 6 3
♦ K
♣ J 10 7 6 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Groetheim | Sementa | Tundal | Duboin
|
| 1♦ | Pass | 1♠ | Pass
|
| 1NT | Pass | 2♣ | Pass
|
| 3NT | All Pass
| | |
Sementa led the ♥7, taken in hand by Groetheim with the jack. He played a spade to the ace and another spade. In with the ♠Q, Duboin tried the ♦K. It held, but without another diamond to play Duboin could only try a club. Groetheim won the ♣A and cleared the spade suit. He took four spades, three hearts and two clubs for plus 400.
At the other table, Fantoni and Nunes played in 4♠, and they could not avoid the loss of four tricks for minus 50 and 10 IMPs to Norway.
Another big swing came their way on board 12.
| Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ Q 10 7
♥
♦ Q 6 5 2
♣ Q J 10 9 7 4 |
♠ A J 4
♥ A 10 4 2
♦ K 9 8
♣ A K 3 | |
♠ K 8 2
♥ K Q 9 8 7 6 5
♦ J 3
♣ 5 | | | ♠ 9 6 5 3
♥ J 3
♦ A 10 7 4
♣ 8 6 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Groetheim | Sementa | Tundal | Duboin
|
| 1♣* | Pass | 3♦ | Pass
|
| 3♥ | Pass | 3♠ | Pass
|
| 3NT | Pass | 4♦ | Pass
|
| 6♥ | All Pass
| | |
The lead of the ♣Q from Sementa was taken in dummy with the ace. Groetheim played the ♥K and a heart to his ace. Cashed the ♣K, pitching a diamond from dummy, then ruffed his third club and played a diamond. That gave him two chances for the contract. If South played the ♦A, the ♦K would provide a parking place for one of dummy’s spades. If North had the ♦A, declarer could try to spade finesse.
At the other table, Fantoni and Nunes arrived in 6NT by West. With the ♦A in the right place for declarer, he should have taken 12 tricks. The play record is not available, so it has to be assumed that he took the spade finesse instead of leading up to the ♦K.
That was 14 IMPs to Norway. Unfortunately, almost all of it went back to Italy on the next deal.
| Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul. |
| | ♠ Q 9 7 5
♥ 9 7
♦ K Q 9 5 2
♣ A Q |
♠ K 10 4 2
♥ A J
♦ A 8
♣ K 9 5 4 2 | |
♠ 8 6 3
♥ 8 3 2
♦ J 10 7 4
♣ J 10 6 | | | ♠ A J
♥ K Q 10 6 5 4
♦ 6 3
♣ 8 7 3 |
Fantoni and Nunes bid to 4♥, losing only three tricks for plus 620.
Helgemo and Helness reached a different game contract at the other table.
| West | North | East | South
|
| Nunes | Helness | Fantoni | Helgemo
|
| | 1♦ | Pass | 1♥
|
| Dble | Pass | 1♠ | 3NT
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Nunes started with a low club, and when the queen held, Helgemo ran the ♥9 to Nunes’ jack. A second club knocked out the ace, and when Helgemo played a second heart, Nunes had three clubs and the ♦A to cash for two down and plus 200 – 13 IMPs to Italy.
Norway earned a non-vulnerable game swing late in the set, but when it was over, the score was 210-111 for Italy. With too much ground to make up, Norway conceded with a set to go.
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