| 37th World Team Championships | Page 5 | Bulletin 2 - Monday 24 October 2005 |
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Argentina v USA1 (Bermuda Bowl) In their defence As the defending champions in the Bermuda Bowl, the USA1 team captained by Nick Nickell wanted to get off to a good start in the marathon that is the round-robin - 21 matches of 20 boards against each of the other teams in the event. The Americans started with Argentina on vugraph. Rising star Agustin Madala and Pablo Lambardi faced Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell. It was a shootout, with nearly 100 IMPs changing hands before the match was concluded. The South Americans scored first on the second board.
In the closed room, Dick Freeman's save against the vulnerable heart game was normal enough, and Nick Nickell played trumps for one loser to finish one down for minus 100. The problem was that 4♥ is not a maker with proper defense.
Madala could have assured defeat of the contract by leading his singleton diamond - he can put partner in with the ♠A after winning the ♥K to get his diamond ruff. Madala, however, started with a low spade, taking that entry out of partner's hand. Lambardi won with the ♠A and returned the suit, taken by Rodwell with the king. He needed to discard his ♠J on the ♣A, and the only way to get there was by playing a diamond. After returning to hand with club ruff, Rodwell played a low heart from hand. Madala rose with the ♥K and led a low spade. Lambardi ruffed with the trump ace and returned a diamond for one down. That was 5 IMPs to Argentina. They scored again on the next deal.
The 1♣ bid was strong and artificial, and 1NT showed the minors. Lambardi's pass obviously indicated no preference, so Madala chose the stronger of his suits. Meckstroth started the attack with a spade, and Madala could not be prevented from taking seven tricks - two spade ruffs in hand, a club ruff in dummy, three top trumps and the ♥A. That was minus 200.
Martin Monsegur and Gullermo Mooney also employ a strong 1♣ system, so Freeman was bidding very aggressively by intervening with 2NT. Mooney, with stoppers in both minors, bid what he thought he could make. Indeed, 3NT cannot be defeated. On a diamond lead, West can set up his suit (hoping to get in with the ♥A to cash the setting trick), but when declarer cashes four spade tricks, the West hand is squeezed. If he ever discards the winning diamond, declarer can simply knock out the ♥A. If West hangs onto the ace and the diamond, he must come down to three clubs, allowing North to score four club tricks for the game. Plus 400 was another 5 IMPs for Argentina. Argentina was leading 13-0 when Board 6 came along. When it was over, the Americans had closed to within 1I MP. When the same strain is played East-West at one table and North-South at the other, it's safe to say one of them was wrong. It was Argentina on the following:
Meckstroth's double showed a hand with one minor or both majors. Rather than wait to discover which it was, Lambardi transferred to spades and invited game. The bad trump split doomed the contract, and Madala finished one down. There was an apparent accident at the other table.
Mooney's bid of 2♠ seems strange given his partner's clear preference for hearts. This forlorn contract finished three down for minus 500 - 12 IMPs to USA1.
USA1 picked up 10 IMPs when the bidding made the defense clearer.
After Rodwell raised diamonds with a cuebid, Meckstroth had an easier time leading his suit. Rodwell won with the ace and returned the suit. Madala ruffed in dummy and played a spade to the ace, followed by a low heart to dummy's king. Rodwell won with the ace and tapped dummy again with a diamond return, Madala playing the jack. He got off dummy with a club to the queen, and then was forced to ruff a diamond with the ♠K. He cashed the ♥K and ruffed a heart, but the ♠Q was his last trick. That was three down for minus 300. At the other table, Nickell and Freeman did better in the auction, and much better in the play.
After Freeman's diamond bid, Mooney was less inclined to start with his long suit, so he tried a heart. Monsegur took the ♥K with the ace and returned a club. Mooney won and exited with a heart. It was easy sailing from there and Freeman scored up plus 140. The Argentines picked up 11 IMPs when Meckstroth and Rodwell stopped in 6♠ where 13 tricks were trivial in any of three denominations (they bid 7♠ at the other table), but USA1 got some of it back when Nickell and Freeman bid a non-vulnerable game missed in the other room. Another small swing went Argentina's way in unexpected fashion.
Meckstroth led the ♦10, and Rodwell won with the ace, reand turned the 6, reverse suit-preference for clubs. Madala won with the ♦K and played a low heart from hand. Dummy's ♥J won the trick, and declarer discarded a low club on the ♦Q. Meckstroth ruffed and erred by not cashing his ♥A before playing a club. Madala ruffed the second club and played a heart to Meckstroth's bare ace, leaving him the choice of providing a ruff-sluff (declarer ruffs in dummy and pitches a spade from hand, and two more spades go on dummy's good diamonds) or breaking the spade suit. Madala guessed well on the spade return to finish with plus 140. The contract was the same at the other table, and play went along similar lines, but when Mooney as North took his diamond ruff, he cashed the ♥A before getting out with a club, leaving Freeman with an unavoidable spade loser for one down. Both sides bid aggressively on the following deal, but it did not work out well for Argentina.
Lambardi started with the ♥9. Meckstroth won with dummy’s ace and played a diamond to his jack. Lambardi won with the ace and played a spade to the 8, 9 and ace. Meckstroth played the ♠J to the king and continued with a diamond. When the queen appeared, Meckstroth claimed nine tricks for plus 110.
Monsegur's 2♦ showed a hand of less than opening value with both majors. Mooney's jump to 4♥ did not work out well, although he did escape a double. Nickell started with the ♣A, continuing the suit. Mooney ruffed, played a heart to the ace and misguessed diamonds by playing low to his king. Nickell won and led a spade to Mooney's jack, and when declarer played a heart from hand, Freeman could cash his two heart winners and exit with a spade to declarer's bare ace. Mooney then had to play a diamond from hand. Freeman won with the queen and stuck declarer in dummy by playing a club. Mooney still had to lose a spade for three down. That was 6 IMPs to USA1. Near the end of the match, with Argentina leading 37-35, Meckstroth and Rodwell bid well to a superior contract. All Rodwell had to do was make it.
In the closed room, Mooney and Monsegur stopped in 3♦ on the North-South cards, making five. Meckstroth and Rodwell did better in the bidding.
Rodwell, by virtue of his artificial 1♦ bid, became declarer in the best game contract - 3NT had no play, and 4♠ was doomed on the lead of the singleton diamond by East. Against 5♦, Madala started with the ♥K. Rodwell won, played a spade to his queen and continued with the ♦10. Madala rose with the ace, cashed the ♣A and got out with a spade. Rodwell played low from dummy, ruffed in hand and continued with another diamond. Madala followed low, and Rodwell spent a long time deciding on his play before finally inserting the jack. That was plus 400 and a lead of 41-37 for USA1. USA1 led by only 6 IMPs with a board to go, gaining 13 IMPs when Nickell and Freeman stopped in 3NT with 32 high-card points between them, while Madala and Lambardi landed in a 6♣ that was no play as the cards lay. Two down cost 13 IMPs and USA1 had started the defense of their title with a 57-38 victory. |
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