USA1 v The Netherlands

Orbis Venice Cup - Final

USA1 started their Orbis Venice Cup final against the Netherlands with a 3 IMP carry-over advantage. The advantage did not survive the first board.

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

West North East South Simons Meyers Pasman Montin Pass 1§ Pass 1ª Pass 2§ Pass 2© Pass 2ª Pass 3NT All Pass

With no opposing bidding, Anneke Simons and Jet Pasman had no difficulty in stopping in Three No Trump. Of course, there is a defense to defeat that contract - diamond to the ace and heart switch - but why should anybody find that defense? Jill Meyers led a low heart and that was Simons' tenth trick without having to guess the spades; +430.

West North East South Sokolow Vriend S-Molson v.d.Pas Pass 1§ 1© 1ª 3© Pass Pass Dble Pass 4© Pass 4NT Pass 5§ Pass 6§ All Pass

It was a lot tougher for Tobi Soklow and Janice Seamon-Molson. Marijke van der Pas overcalled One Heart and that enabled Bep Vriend to pre-empt the auction to an awkward level for her opponents.

Sokolow doubled Three Hearts and Molson found the excellent bid of Four Hearts, showing long clubs and three decent spades but a minimum hand because she had passed over Three Hearts. What was Four No Trump? In theory, it should probably be a good Five Club bid, in which case Sokolow's Six Club continuation was undisciplined, but it is not clear what their agreements are.

Sokolow was hoping for her partner to hold something more like ªK and ©A, when she would only need the heart ace onside for slam to be making.

The defense took the first two tricks; -50 and 10 IMPs to the Netherlands.

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

West North East South Simons Meyers Pasman Montin     Pass 1© Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass

After this unrevealing auction, Randi Montin led the king of diamonds. Pasman won the ace and returned the diamond eight.

Montin won the ten of diamonds and switched to a heart to the queen and king.

Back came a heart but Pasman could cross to hand in spades to clear the diamonds and then to the ace of clubs to cash them; +630.

It is more taxing for declarer if Montin ducks the second diamond but it looks as though she can still succeed.

With two diamond tricks in the bag, declarer plays on hearts to establish a second trick in that suit.

If she then cashes her major-suit winners and exits with a heart, North is forced to lead away from the king of clubs to give the ninth trick.

West North East South Sokolow Vriend S-Molson v.d.Pas     Pass 1© Pass 1NT Pass 2NT Pass 3© Pass 3NT All Pass

Molson's Three Diamond call, obviously forcing and suggesting an alternative game to Three No Trump, guaranteed that van der Pas would avoid the disastrous diamond lead. Instead, she led a spade. Molson won in dummy and tried ace and another diamond. Van der Pas won and continued with the spade attack. Declarer won in hand to take the heart finesse. The heart position meant that there was no possibility of making the contract. Molson set up the same endplay as previously discussed but then lost concentration and failed to profit by it so was two down for -200; 13 IMPs to the Netherlands.

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

West North East South Simons Meyers Pasman Montin Pass 1NT 2© 2NT 3© Pass 4© 4NT 5© Dble All Pass

Two Diamonds showed a major one-suiter and Three Hearts was pass or correct. Meanwhile, Montin went about showing her minor two-suiter. Having already shown her handtype, it looks wrong for Simons to bid on to Five Hearts in front of her partner and that decision was duly punished.

A spade lead allows the defense to make all three trump honours separately, but that is not a very likely lead with West as declarer. Meyers actually led a trump and the contract escaped for one down; -100.

West North East South Sokolow Vriend S-Molson v.d.Pas Pass 1ª 2© 2NT 3© Pass 4© 4NT Dble 5© Dble All Pass

Van der Pas transferred to clubs after the overcall then, when Four Hearts came round to her, showed the minor two-suiter. Sokolow doubled, liking her club holding, and Vriend showed her diamond preference. Molson was not hard pushed to find a double, ending the auction. Molson led out three rounds of trumps. It looks normal to switch to a heart, after which declarer has an uphill struggle to hold herself to only one more loser. However, Molson switched instead to her club. That went to the king and ace and Sokolow returned a low club, assuming that her partner would not have switched to a club unless that was a singleton and that she had another diamond with which to ruff. When the club ten scored, Vriend had no further problem; -300 and 9 IMPs to USA1.

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

West North East South Simons Meyers Pasman Montin 1© Pass 1© 2§ Dble Pass 2NT Pass 3© Pass 3NT All Pass

Montin's well-timed One Heart response made it very tough to find the killing defense to Three No Trump. The lead was a club and Montin played on diamonds. When Simons could not find the hearts witch, that was a huge +430 to USA1.

West North East South Sokolow Vriend S-Molson v.d.Pas 1© Pass 1NT Pass 2© Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass

The Netherlands managed to bid to game, giving themselves a chance of flattening the board. Again the lead was a club to the ten. Declarer played on diamonds and Sokolow won the second round then stopped to think. Eventually she switched to a low spade, playing partner to hold ªA10xx and the ©Q, rather than her actual hand. That was the same ten tricks as in the other room and a flat board.

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

Both East/West pairs bid 1ª - 1NT - 3ª - 4ª. It looks normal for North to double - sure, the contract might make, but it will not often do so. Meyers did double, Vriend did not. Both declarers came to eight tricks, but that was 5 IMPs to USA1. Both North/Souths started 1NT - 2§ - 2©. Now Vriend contented herself with a raise to 2NT, passed by van der Pas, while Meyers jumped to game. Simons led a low diamond against Three No Trump. That gave Montin some hope, but she had to play on diamonds and Simons had plenty of time to find the spade switch; one down for -100.

Sokolow led a low spade at trick one against Two No Trump. Van der Pas put in the jack, losing to the queen, and Molson switched to a heart. Short of dummy entries, Van der Pas played diamonds from the top. Sokolow won the first round and played back a heart. Two more rounds of diamonds saw her on play again and again she played a heart. Van der Pas could cash her diamonds and lead a spade up with no possibility of a wrong guess so had eight tricks; +120 and 6 IMPs to the Netherlands.

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

Van der Pas/Vriend bid 1NT - 3NT, and Montin/Meyers 1© - 1ª - 1NT - 3NT. At both tables the lead was the three of clubs, fourth best. Declarer ducked to the queen and a club came back. Now, which defender is more likely to hold the queen of diamonds? Particularly on the Dutch auction, which is suggestive of a major-suit lead, the answer appears to be West. Why? Because she has led from a four-card suit. If she held two or more four-card suits, she might have led a different one, particularly given that the clubs look to be pretty weak. So she is quite likely to hold three or more diamonds.

Alas, neither declarer saw the situation that way. Both misguessed the diamonds for one down and a push.

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

West North East South Simons Meyers Pasman Montin     Pass 2© 2NT Pass 3© Pass 3ª Pass 3NT All Pass

Two Hearts showed five hearts plus a four-card or longer minor. Meyers scraped up a Two No Trump overcall and Montin checked for a four-card spade suit but then bid Three No Trump anyway. Perhaps she thought that she must have four spades to bid this way and was merely offering a choice of games. That looks quite sensible with her heart length and the danger of a ruff. Whether or not the inference was clear to Meyers (or, indeed, is purely a figment of my imagination), she passed Three No Trump. Even if you could guess the spade position, there would only be eight tricks on a heart lead. Meyers played a spade to the queen and king and was three down; -300.

West North East South Sokolow Vriend S-Molson v.d.Pas     Pass 2© 2© Pass 2ª All Pass

Vriend bid Two Hearts, take-out of that suit, over Sokolow's multi. When van der Pas contented herself with a simple Two Spade response, the Dutch pair had stopped at a level where they could not really be threatened. Though van der Pas took the spade finesse at trick two, the defense could do nothing. She cashed the ace of spades on regaining the lead and soon had eight tricks; +110 and 9 IMPs to the Netherlands.

Board 16. Dealer West. EW Game ª 8 6 3 © A Q 9 7 2 ¨ 10 6 4 2 § 2 ª K Q 10 ª 5 4 2 © K 10 6 5 4 © 8 3 ¨ 5 ¨ K J 9 8 3 § Q 6 5 3 § 10 7 4 ª A J 9 7 © J ¨ A Q 7 § A K J 9 8

West North East South Simons Meyers Pasman Montin Pass 2© Pass 2NT Pass 3§ Pass 4© All Pass

Meyers' multi saw Montin enquire then jump to game in hearts, expecting communication difficulties in Three No Trump. After the king of spades opening lead, there was just too much work to do to come home in the 5-1 fit. Montin was one down for -50, giving a great opportunity to the Dutch pair in the other room to earn their side a game swing.

West North East South Sokolow Vriend S-Molson v.d.Pas Pass 2© Pass 2NT Pass 3© Pass 3NT All Pass

Here the Two Heart opening only promised a five-card suit, plus a four-card or longer minor. Once the second suit was identified, it was obvious for van der Pas to choose to play in Three No Trump. Sokolow led the spade king and, when that was ducked, made the almost inevitable switch to a low club. Van der Pas won the club jack and played three more rounds of the suit, putting Sokolow back on play. This time the switch was to the singleton diamond. Declarer won the queen and cashed her last club trick.

The even spade break means that ducking a spade wins now, as does the heart finesse, or even ace and another heart to endplay West to lead into the spade tenace. But van der Pas could not read the position. She cashed the diamond ace then played the heart jack to dummy's ace. Then she played a spade and that was that; down one for -50 and just another dull push.

The Netherlands had won the set by 38-17 and led by 18 IMPs. There was a very long way to go.