China v Egypt

Orbis Venice Cup - Round 15

With two days to go in the round robin stage, the Chinese women, one of the favourites, were lying eighth, just a point clear of ninth-placed Canada. Round 15 saw them face Egypt, a dangerous team even if not in contention themselves. China had gained a couple of small swings when an opportunity for something bigger came along.

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang Pass Pass Pass 1§ Pass 1© Pass 1NT Pass 3NT Pass

One Club was strong and One Heart a natural positive. The One No Trump rebid was natural - presumably Hongli Wang likes to have a five-card suit to bid it here. Samia Shatila led the king of spades to declarer's ace. Wang passed the ©10, which scored, then played a spade towards the jack. Shatila won her queen and returned a spade. Wang won and led the nine of clubs to the queen and king then ran for home; +600.

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily   Pass Pass Pass 1© Pass 1ª Pass 2§ Pass 2© All Pass

The natural auction did not get to game and made only eight tricks on a passive lead; +120 but 10 IMPs to China.

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang   Pass 2ª All Pass

Two Spades was weak and two-suited. These bids can be very effective on the right deal, but this was not the right deal. Shatila led the queen of trumps and Margaret Homsey won and switched to a diamond to the king. A second diamond was won by dummy's queen when Homsey had the misfortune to pull the wrong card, but declarer still lost control on repeated diamond leads and had to go one down; -50.

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily   Pass Pass Pass 1© Pass 1ª Pass 2§ Pass 2© All Pass

South passed and Lily Khalil and Maud Khouri had a straightforward auction to Two Hearts. Game makes courtesy of the heart finesse and even breaks in the key suits, and the Egyptians must have been mildly worried that +170 would not prove to be sufficient. Not to worry, it was actually a 6 IMP pick-up.

 

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang 1¨ Pass 3¨ Dble Rdble 3© Pass Pass 4¨ All Pass

Three Diamonds was a pre-emptive raise and Shatila first redoubled to show a good hand then bid on to Four Diamonds. With Four Hearts looking to have only three losers on the North/South cards, playing Four Diamonds for +130 looked OK, however:

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily 1§ Dble Pass 3© Dble Pass 5¨ All Pass

One Club was strong and Ling Gu did well to jump to game when Yalan Zhang doubled Three Hearts for take-out on the next round. The lead was a club to the ace. Gu unblocked the heart and proceeded to draw trumps and eliminate the hearts. When at a late stage she played the ace of spades, she found Maud dozing peacefully and failing to unblock the king. A club exit meant that North was endplayed with the king of spades to give a ruff and discard and the contract; +400 and 7 IMPs to China.

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang 1§ Pass 1ª Pass 2¨ Pass 2© Pass 2ª Pass 2NT Pass 3© Pass 4ª Pass 4NT Pass 5§ Pass 6ª All Pass

One Club was strong and One Spade a natural positive. Perhaps there are inferences of which I am unaware in the Chinese auction, but it looks as though Ming Sun just did too much without any real encouragement from her partner. The slam was always hopeless, but Shatila led ace and another club to settle things immediately; -50.

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily 1ª Pass 4ª All Pass

No danger here of getting too high here. Played by North, a diamond lead meant 12 tricks; +480 and 11 IMPs to Egypt.

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang   Pass 1© Pass 1ª Dble Rdble 1NT Dble 2§ 3ª Pass 4ª All Pass

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily   Pass 1© Dble 1ª 2§ 2ª Pass 4ª All Pass

The Egyptian declarer went down after a club lead when she tried to make her small trumps by ruffing and found that the unfavourable heart position left her a trick short; -100.

Sun received a heart lead. She finessed and Shatila won the king and switched to a club for the ace. Sun gave up a diamond, ruffed the club return, and cashed the top spades. Next she ran the hearts and had a trump left in the dummy to take care of her last diamond; +620 and 12 IMPs to China.

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang 1NT 4ª Pass Pass Dble All Pass

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily 1NT 3ª Pass Pass 4§ Pass 6§ All Pass

Lily and Maud reached the hopeless club slam when Lily competed over the pre-emptive overcall and Maud took her seriously. Six Clubs went three down, which looks to be one more than was compulsory, but -300 proved to be worth 10 IMPs to Egypt!

At the other table, Homsey went for a full-blooded overcall of Four Spades, and when that got back to Sun she doubled. Wang led a low heart, which was not best for the defense. Homsey played low and Sun won her ace and switched to the ace of clubs. To beat the contract for certain, she needed to switch to a diamond now but, not being sure of the club position after seeing a rather vague three from Wang, continued with the club king. Homsey ruffed with the nine and led a heart to dummy's jack. She ran the eight of spades then led the seven. Now she took time out to decide who was more likely to hold the king of diamonds. If it was North, she wanted to stay in dummy to take the diamond finesse, while if was South a squeeze would be required and that meant overtaking. After some thought Homsey overtook the spade and continued with ace and another. Sun won her king and switched to a diamond, but Homsey had made up her mind how she intended to play the hand and was not to be dissuaded from that decision. She went up with the ace of diamonds and ran the trumps and Wang had to surrender; +790.

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

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang 2¨ Pass 2ª Pass 2NT Pass 3¨ Pass 3© Pass 4¨ Pass 4ª Pass 5© Pass 6§ Pass 6© All Pass

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily     2¨ Pass 2© Pass 3NT Pass 4© All Pass

Wang's Two Diamond opening was a multi, while Lily's was strong and artificial. China outbid their opponents to reach a slam which needed little more than hearts 3-2 or a bare honour, only to find that the trumps were 4-1 offside with no bare honour. That was 13 IMPs to Egypt. Six Hearts is a good contract but Six Clubs would have been better. Did anyone manage to get there in the other matches?

Board 17. Dealer North. Love All ª Q 10 6 © K 9 ¨ J 10 9 4 3 § 9 7 4 ª A J 9 7 2 ª 8 5 4 3 © 5 4 2 © 10 8 7 3 ¨ 8 ¨ Q 7 2 § A 10 3 2 § 8 5 ª K © A Q J 6 ¨ A K 6 5 § K Q J 6

West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang Pass Pass 2¨ Pass 2© Pass 3© Pass 3ª Pass 4¨ Pass 5¨ All Pass

Wang showed a big three-suiter via her multi opening and Sun asked for controls, discovered that her partner held six or seven, and settled for Five Diamonds. It was all about the trump guess and Wang had no reason not to lay down the ace and king; down one for -50.

West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily Pass Pass 2§ 2ª Pass 3ª 4© Pass 5¨ All Pass

Maud was also in Five Diamonds, on a heart lead. She had heard sufficient opposition bidding to suspect that there might be some unbalanced distribution about. She won the heart ace, cashed the diamond ace, and crossed to the king of hearts to take the diamond finesse. Well done for +400 and 10 IMPs to Egypt.

The final score was 54-37 to Egypt, or 19-11 VPs - a serious blow to China's hopes of qualification as they slipped to 9 VPs behind Canada in the battle for eighth place.