USA1 v Denmark

Orbis Venice Cup - Semifinal

USA1 took a 10 IMP carry-forward advantage into the first set of their Orbis Venice Cup semi-final against Denmark. They more than doubled that advantage on the first board of the match.

Board 1. Dealer North. Love All ª J 8 7 3 2 © A K 7 4 ¨ A § 9 8 2 ª 5 ª A 10 9 © 3 © J 10 9 8 5 2 ¨ K Q 10 6 5 4 ¨ 8 § A Q 7 6 5 § K 10 3 ª K Q 6 4 © Q 6 ¨ J 97 3 2 § J 4

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller 1ª Pass 3ª 4NT Pass 5§ All Pass

Four spades should be defeated, so Five Clubs was a phantom save. However, with no double, the normal action by East/West was not going to cost very much. Kirsten Steen-Møller led the king of spades and Renee Mancuso won her ace and played a diamond to the king and ace. Bettina Kalkerup cashed a top heart then reverted to spades. Mancuso played on crossruff lines, making all her trumps separately, plus the queen of diamonds when Kalkerup chose not to ruff. That was just one down for -50.

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin 1ª Pass 3ª 4NT Pass 5§ Pass Pass Dble All Pass

The auction was almost identical to that in the other room, the only difference being that Jill Meyers added a double of the final contract. Randi Montin led a trump. Trine Bilde won in hand and led a diamond to the king and ace. Back came a second trump. Bilde won in dummy and tried to cash the diamond queen. When that got ruffed she had only six club tricks and the ace of spades; -800 and 13 IMPs to USA1.

Denmark bounced right back on the next deal.

Board 2. Dealer East. NS Game ª K Q 5 © K Q 8 5 3 ¨ A 8 7 3 § Q ª J 8 6 ª 10 4 3 © A J 10 6 2 © 9 4 ¨ 6 5 ¨ Q 4 2 § 10 7 4 § A J 6 3 2 ª A 9 7 2 © 7 ¨ K J 10 9 § K 9 8 5

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller   Pass 1§ 1© 3NT All Pass

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin Pass 1§ Pass 1© Pass 1ª Pass 2¨ Pass 2NT Pass 3¨ Pass 3NT Pass 4© Pass 5§ Pass 5¨ All Pass

The One Hear overcall led to a very quick and simple auction on vugraph. Mancuso led a heart and Shawn Quinn won and switched to a spade. Kalkerup proceeded to get the diamonds wrong but then had ten tricks; +630.

Dorte Cilleborg did not overcall. Left to themselves, Meyers/Montin went off on a possible slam hunt and ended up in Five Diamonds. When declarer misguessed the trump suit, she was down one; -100 and 12 IMPs back to Denmark.

Board 7. Dealer South. Game All ª A 7 5 © 2 ¨ K J 9 7 4 § J 10 ª K J 10 ª Q 9 6 4 3 2 © 10 7 5 3 2 © 6 ¨ 3 ¨ Q 6 2 § Q 10 8 5 § 9 7 2 ª 8 © A J 9 8 4 ¨ A J 10 7 § A J 6

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller 1© Pass 2¨ Pass 3ª Pass 4§ Pass 4¨ Pass 4NT Pass 5¨ Pass 5© Pass 6¨ All Pass

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin 1© Pass 2¨ Pass 3ª Pass 4NT Pass 5¨ Pass 5© Pass 6¨ All Pass

Both North/South pairs bid efficiently to the good slam (as indeed did everyone else in both series) via a Three Spade splinter and RKCB. Both declarers made exactly for +1370 and a push.

Board 9. Dealer North. EW Game ª 9 8 6 © 4 2 ¨ Q J 10 8 5 § Q J 9 ª A K 10 3 2 ª Q 7 5 © K Q J © A 10 9 8 5 3 ¨ 6 4 3 ¨ 7 § 7 5 § A 6 3 ª J 4 © 7 6 ¨ A K 9 2 § K 10 8 4 2

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Pass 1© 2§ 2ª 3§ Pass 3ª Pass 4© Pass 4ª All Pass

Tough to reach the good slam and nobody managed it in either series. Quinn followed a fairly obscure looking line, after a diamond lead and club switch, to hold herself to 11 tricks for +650.

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin Pass 1© Pass 1ª Pass 2© Dble 4© 5¨ Dble All Pass

I prefer Montin's pass on the first round to Steen-Møller's overcall on that anaemic club suit. Montin came in next time with a take-out double, which got both minors into the game and enabled her side to reach the Five Diamond save. That cost 500 but was worth 4 IMPs to USA1.

Board 10. Dealer East. Game All ª A Q 9 © K 8 7 ¨ 10 8 4 § A Q 9 2 ª 7 5 ª 10 6 4 2 © A 10 5 © J 4 ¨ J 9 7 ¨ K Q 5 § K J 7 6 5 § 10 8 4 3 ª K J 8 3 © Q 9 6 3 2 ¨ A 6 3 2 § —

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Pass 1© Pass 2§ Pass 2¨ Pass 2ª Pass 3ª Pass 4¨ Pass 5¨ Pass 6NT All Pass

You may not like Steen-Møller's opening bid, but that is a matter of personal style and was not the cause of this disaster. Remember that the Danes have had health problems in their camp and that Kalkerup and Steen-Møller were not supposed to be playing together here in Bermuda. Clearly, Steen-Møller intended her Three Spade bid to merely bid out her pattern, while Kalkerup took it as showing a strong hand.

Six No Trump was hopeless, of course, but Kalkerup gave it her best shot. She won the spade lead in hand and led a heart to the queen and ace. Back came a heart. She won and cleared the suit and won the spade return. Mancuso pitched a diamond on the third heart. Kalkerup ran her major-suit winners and exited with ace and another diamond. That got her a club lead into the ace, queen for her tenth trick; -200.

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin   Pass Pass Pass 1NT Pass 2§ Pass 2¨ Pass 3ª Pass 4© All Pass

Montin did not open the South hand. When Meyers opened One No Trump, Montin used a Smolen sequence to show five hearts and four spades, and Meyers opted to play the 5-3 heart fit. Bilde led the king of diamonds and the defense had two hearts and two diamond winners for down one - only 3 IMPs to USA1.

Board 11. Dealer South. Love All ª Q 8 7 5 © J 3 ¨ 9 3 § K Q 9 8 5 ª 6 ª A K J 3 2 © A K Q © 10 6 ¨ Q J 8 5 2 ¨ A 7 6 4 § J 7 3 2 § A 4 ª 10 9 4 © 9 8 7 5 4 2 ¨ K 10 § 10 6

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Pass 1¨ Pass 1ª Pass 1NT Pass 2¨ Pass 3¨ Pass 3ª Pass 3NT Pass 4¨ Pass 5§ Pass 6¨ All Pass

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin Pass 1¨ Pass 1ª Pass 2§ Pass 2© Pass 2NT Pass 3¨ Pass 3NT Pass 4§ Pass 4© Pass 4NT Pass 5§ Pass 6¨ All Pass

Both East/Wests reached the good Six Diamonds. It makes on an non-club lead and has good, but unsuccessful, chances even on that lead. Both Norths led the king of clubs. Declarer tried three rounds of hearts for a club discard but had to go one down when North could ruff in with the nine of diamonds. When the nine of diamonds appeared, declarer took the club pitch anyway, hoping that the trump king would now be singleton. Note that Meyers had to lead into declarer's known sidesuit to defeat the slam.

Board 12. Dealer West. NS Game ª 10 8 5 2 © A 7 6 5 ¨ A 5 § Q 10 2 ª A 6 4 ª K J 9 7 3 © J 10 4 © 9 ¨ K 9 6 ¨ J 10 8 4 2 § 8 7 6 3 § K 9 ª Q © K Q 8 3 2 ¨ Q 7 3 § A J 5 4

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Pass Pass Pass 1© Pass 2§ 2NT Pass 4§ Dble 4¨ Pass Pass Dble 4ª Pass Pass Dble All Pass

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin Pass Pass 2ª Dble 3ª 4© All Pass

The third-seat weak two opening looks pretty normal these days and it led to North/South declaring the normal contract. Four Hearts made an overtrick when West was squeezed in the minors in the endgame; +650.

On vugraph, Mancuso did not open the East hand. Kalkerup's Two Club response to the opening bid was Drury, showing at least three-card heart support. Now Mancuso overcalled Two No Trump, which she intended to show any two-suiter. Quinn, however, explained that she thought she was being asked to bid a minor suit and duly jumped to Four Clubs. It does seem that Two No Trump should be specific as Two Hearts is available for a spade/minor hand. Mancuso tried four Diamonds and, when that got doubled, guessed to run to Four Spades. Her series of actions looks odd, but the final contract was a perfectly good one, given that the opposition was cold for game.

Steen-Møller led her trump against Four Spades Doubled, not the best start for the defense. Mancuso won in hand and passed the jack of diamonds. Kalkerup thought a moment then ducked her ace. Seeing an impending diamond ruff, Mancuso drew two rounds of trumps now, ending in hand. She repeated the diamond finesse and Kalkerup won and led a low heart. Steen-Møller won and continued hearts, forcing declarer to ruff. Mancuso led a diamond to the king and Kalkerup did well, discarding. Had she ruffed, Mancuso would have had the only remaining trump and would have been able to cash two diamond tricks. Now, however, she could do no better than lead a club to the king. When that lost, she could only make her winning trump; three down for -500 but 4 IMPs to USA1.

Board 13. Dealer North. Game All ª J 9 6 3 © 10 6 4 ¨ A 8 § 10 4 3 2 ª 2 ª A Q 8 7 © 9 © A K Q J ¨ 10 7 5 2 ¨ Q 9 6 4 3 § A K J 8 7 6 5 § — ª K 10 5 4 © 8 7 5 3 2 ¨ K J § Q 9

Neither East/West pair was able to diagnose the trump weakness and stay out of the hopeless diamond slam.

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller Pass 1¨ Pass 2§ Pass 2© Pass 3¨ Pass 3ª Pass 4¨ Pass 5§ Pass 5¨ Pass 6¨ All Pass

West North East South Cilleborg Meyers Bilde Montin Pass 1¨ Pass 2§ Pass 2© Pass 3¨ Pass 3© Pass 3ª Pass 5§ Pass 5¨ Pass 6¨ All Pass

Both Easts followed a sequence which indicated shortage in clubs and invited partner to look at her values outside that suit, but when West signed-off neither could bring themselves to pass. No swing.

Board 14. Dealer East. Love All ª 7 4 3 © 4 ¨ A 10 6 2 § K 9 7 6 2 ª 9 ª A K 10 6 5 © A K 8 7 5 3 2 © Q 6 ¨ — ¨ K J 8 7 5 4 § A J 8 5 3 § — ª Q J 8 2 © J 10 9 ¨ Q 9 3 § Q 10 4

West North East South Quinn Kalkerup Mancuso Steen-Møller   1ª Pass 2© Pass 3¨ Pass 3© Pass 4© All Pass

Both pairs stopped safely in game for a flat board. Around the room, five pairs played in game and all were held to 450. Three Wests declared Six Hearts and all made 1010. Three world champions all put their fingers on the ace of diamonds opening lead, and that was that! The first set ended with USA1 having gained 10 IMPs to extend their lead to 26 overall.