Pakistan v Singapore (Venice Cup)

During the early days of these tournaments we like to cover a few matches featuring teams who are not likely to reach the knockout stages, as the qualifiers have a good chance of being written up next week. I have to be careful about using this introduction - a few years ago I used it for a match involving the South African Venice Cup team, and they take great delight in reminding me at every possible opportunity that they actually qualified quite comfortably on that occasion. Anyway, good luck to both Pakistan and Singapore, but I suspect that they are on the qualification lists of few people here in Estoril.

The match began with a series of major swings so that 54 IMPs changed hands over the first five deals.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ 10 9 8 7 5 4 2 ♥ 5 4 ♦ J 4 2 ♣ 9
♠ 3 ♥ K J 10 7 3 ♦ 9 6 ♣ A K 7 3 2		♠ A Q ♥ A Q 8 6 ♦ A K 10 8 7 ♣ J 10
	♠ K J 6 ♥ 9 2 ♦ Q 5 3 ♣ Q 8 6 5 4

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
	Pass	1♣	1♠
3♥	3♠	4♥	Pass
4NT	Pass	5♦	Pass
5♥	Pass	6♥	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
	Pass	2♦	Pass
2♠	Pass	2NT	Pass
3♥	Pass	4♥	Pass
4NT	Pass	5♣	Pass
5♦	Pass	6♥	Pass
7♥	All Pass

Neither North player was willing to open such a weak hand despite the seven-card suit.

Jane Choo’s strong-club opening attracted an artificial overcall and that forced Greta Chai to jump to 3♥ to show her positive, 2♥ being only semi-positive for this pair. Zeenat Azwer introduced her long spades and Choo agreed hearts. Chai checked on key cards then settled for 5♥, but Choo went on to slam. Seven was never really in the picture; +1010. Shirin Bokhari opened a multi then showed a strong balanced hand. Three Hearts was natural and Bokhari raised to game. Now Samia Rasheed used RKCB, checked on the queen of trumps and, on discovering that partner held that card, bid the grand slam, trusting that there would be no club loser. Not everyone who bid seven in other matches made it, playing two rounds of clubs without drawing trumps. Rasheed, however, received a spade lead, went up with the ace and drew two rounds of trumps, then played on diamonds for thirteen easy tricks when both red suits divided evenly; +1510 and 11 IMPs to Pakistan - the perfect start.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	♠ 9 ♥ 6 5 3 2 ♦ A 9 8 7 6 3 2 ♣ K
♠ 4 3 2 ♥ 10 7 ♦ Q J 5 ♣ J 8 6 5 4		♠ Q 7 ♥ A Q 8 4 ♦ K 4 ♣ A 10 9 7 2
	♠ A K J 10 8 6 5 ♥ K J 9 ♦ 10 ♣ Q 3

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
		2♣	2♠
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
		1♣	1♠
Pass	2♦	Pass	4♠
All Pass

Rehana Saigol made a simple overcall of Choo’s Precision 2♣ opening and that meant that game was missed when Zeenat Azwer had no reason to bid with the North cards; +200. In the other room, the opening bid was 1♣ and Kimiko Endo also made a simple overcall. Here, however, there was room for Ze Ying Lam to introduce her long diamonds without committing her side past the two level. Hearing a two-over-one response was all that Endo needed to bid the spade game. The defence just came to two aces; +650 and 10 IMPs back to Singapore.

Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ 10 8 7 3 ♥ Q 7 ♦ A 10 3 ♣ 10 8 3 2
♠ A J 6 5 4 ♥ J 5 2 ♦ 4 ♣ K Q 6 4		♠ K Q ♥ A 10 3 ♦ K Q J 9 5 2 ♣ 9 5
	♠ 9 2 ♥ K 9 8 6 4 ♦ 8 7 6 ♣ A J 7

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
			Pass
1♠	Pass	2♦	Pass
3♣	Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
			Pass
1♠	Pass	2♦	Pass
2NT	Pass	4♠	All Pass

Chai could bid out her shape without promising extra values, so did so and Choo judged that her ♥10 was sufficient to justify a 3NT bid rather than a less committal 3♥, which could on occasion have forced partner to go beyond 3NT when that was the correct spot. Saigol led a heart to the queen and ace, and Choo set about the diamonds, coming to ten tricks when they behaved as required; +630.

Rasheed could not rebid 3♣ in her methods and preferred a limiting 2NT to repeating the mediocre spade suit. I find Bokhari’s leap to 4♠ a little odd now, but perhaps there is some systemic inference of which I am unaware. Lam led a club to the ace and back came a second club. Rasheed won the king and played a diamond, ducked, then the ♦Q, throwing a club as Lam won with the ace. Now came the card to cause declarer a problem, the queen of hearts. Rasheed took with dummy’s ace and had to decide whether to play for diamonds to break evenly, or hearts. In practice, she chose to play the ♥10, Endo winning with the king and continuing the suit to give Lam a ruff; down one for -100 and 12 IMPs to Singapore. Rasheed would have succeeded by playing two rounds of diamonds to ditch both her hearts. Lam ruffs but that is all for the defence. This also succeeds with trumps three-three if diamonds divide evenly.

Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ Q 6 ♥ K 7 3 ♦ K 6 4 ♣ Q 8 7 4 3
♠ A K 8 7 4 ♥ A 4 ♦ A 9 5 ♣ K 9 6		♠ 10 5 2 ♥ J 10 8 ♦ Q 10 3 2 ♣ A J 10
	♠ J 9 3 ♥ Q 9 6 5 2 ♦ J 8 7 ♣ 5 2

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
1♣	Pass	1NT	Pass
2♠	Pass	3♠	Pass
4♠	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
1♠	Pass	2♠	Pass
4♠	All Pass

At both tables, North led a low club to dummy’s ten. Declarer cashed the top spades, then played ace and another diamond, North playing low. Chai got it right, going up with the queen, Rasheed wrong, finessing the ten; 12 IMPs to Singapore.

It was open to both declarers to take two diamond finesses through South, which looks better than ace and another for a guess. Both Norths had led the ♣3, third and fifth, and neither declarer wished to run the risk of taking a diamond finesse at trick two and finding that clubs were six-one, South having followed with the five at both tables.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ Q 6 4 ♥ A 10 8 2 ♦ K J 8 2 ♣ 9 6
♠ 9 8 ♥ 7 5 4 3 ♦ 10 9 7 4 ♣ J 5 3		♠ K 7 5 2 ♥ K Q 6 ♦ Q 6 5 3 ♣ Q 8
	♠ A J 10 3 ♥ J 9 ♦ A ♣ A K 10 7 4 2

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
-	Pass	1♦	Dble
Pass	1NT	Pass	3♣
Pass	3♥	Pass	3♠
Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
	Pass	1NT	Dble
All Pass

Choo’s Precision 1♦ opening kept her side out of trouble as North/South now bid to 3NT. After a spade lead, Azwer made twelve tricks for +690, just losing one club trick.

Bokhari’s weak no trump was doubled and Rasheed saw nowhere to run. Endo led out ace, king and ten of clubs - perhaps a low club at trick two is better as declarer had not unblocked the queen to ensure a dummy entry. Bokhari won with the ♣J and led a heart to her king before exiting with a low diamond to the bare ace. Endo cashed one club winner (the seven) to make it clear which other suit interested her, then switched to the ♥J. Lam took her ace and switched to spades to collect all the remaining tricks; five down for -1100 and 9 IMPs to Singapore. On Board 7, Lam did something very good for her side when she raised a 15-17 no trump to 2NT rather than use Stayman, holding:

♠ K Q 9 ♥ Q 9 7 5 ♦ J 9 8 ♣ J 10 2

There was a four-four heart fit and 4♥ was doomed to fail on a club lead and ruff, while 3NT was quite cold. Alas, Endo checked back for a major-suit fit on her way to 3NT and played in 4♥ down one after all for a flat board.

Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ A K Q J 8 ♥ K J 3 ♦ Q ♣ 7 4 3 2
♠ - ♥ A Q 6 2 ♦ A K 10 7 6 5 2 ♣ Q 8		♠ 10 9 ♥ 10 8 5 ♦ J 8 4 ♣ A J 10 9 5
	♠ 7 6 5 4 3 2 ♥ 9 7 4 ♦ 9 3 ♣ K 6

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
1♣	1♥	Dble	1♠
2♦	2♠	3♣	4♠
5♦	Dble	Pass	5♠
Dble	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
1♦	1♠	Pass	4♠
5♦	Dble	All Pass

Azwer made a transfer overcall of Chai’s strong club and Saigol started quietly by just completing the transfer. She jumped to 4♠ at her next turn, however, then removed Azwer’s penalty double of 5♦ to 5♠. Right she was! Five Spades doubled was just one down, with one loser in each side suit; -100.

At the other table, Lam overcalled 1♠ after a natural opening bid on her right and Endo made the normal pre-emptive raise to 4♠. Rasheed had little option but to bid 5♦ on her own and Lam, with a strong hand for her overcall, doubled. This is a partnership thing, of course, but I approve of the double to show that we should be doing something in this auction, and would expect partner to remove to 5♠ with her actual hand. Endo, however, passed, which may well have been correct in her partnership style, and that was +650 for Rasheed and 11 IMPs to Pakistan.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	♠ 10 9 2 ♥ 9 8 5 ♦ 5 ♣ A K 9 5 4 3
♠ 7 6 4 ♥ Q J 4 3 ♦ K J 7 ♣ 10 7 6		♠ A 3 ♥ A K 10 6 ♦ Q 10 9 3 ♣ Q J 8
	♠ K Q J 8 5 ♥ 7 2 ♦ A 8 6 4 2 ♣ 2

West	North	East	South
Chai	Azwer	Choo	Saigol
			2♠
Pass	3♠	Pass	4♠
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Rasheed	Lam	Bokhari	Endo
			1♠
Pass	2♠	Dble	4♠
All Pass

Both Souths declared in 4♠. Against Saigol, the defence began with a spade to the ace, two top hearts and a second trump. Of course, ruffing out the clubs and using the ♠10 as an entry to cash them, makes ten tricks, but declarer muddled the play and finished two down for -200.

Against Endo, the defence led three rounds of hearts. She ruffed the third round and played ace then ruffed a diamond, three rounds of clubs, ruffing, and ruffed another diamond. Now a club was ruffed with the eight and the last diamond with the ten. The defence could only come to the ace of trumps; +620 and 13 IMPs to Singapore. Singapore came out on top by 80-31 IMPs, converting to 25-4 VPs, boosting them into the top half of the table.