| 37th World Team Championships | Page 2 | Bulletin 7 - Saturday 29 October 2005 |
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Portugal v China (Bermuda Bowl) By Mark Horton In the pre-match interviews, Sofia Pessoa said that the Portuguese were both surprised and delighted at their position – they hoped to maintain it until the end of the Round Robin. Jack Zhao acknowledged that the Chinese Women’s team is much stronger than the Open, but they are working on that! The match featured a lively set of deals that proved testing for the players, commentators and your reporter.
Open Room
West led the five of clubs and declarer tried dummy’s queen. East took the king and switched to a diamond and declarer put up the king, losing to the ace. A second club now would have led to two down, but West played a diamond. East won and returned a trump, so declarer escaped, if that is the right word, for –50. Closed Room
A club lead would be just as fatal to Four Hearts, but West led a trump. Declarer won with dummy’s eight and played a spade to the king and ace. He took West’s club switch with dummy’s ace, drew trumps and cashed his spades, discarding dummy’s clubs. He was safe for ten tricks and the same number of IMPs.
Open Room
2NT was forcing and Three Clubs showed a minimum. Even so, it was strange to see North not bid a vulnerable game when East was marked with most of her side’s points. West led the ten of diamonds and declarer was not hard pressed to take ten tricks, +170. Closed Room
North bid what he hoped he could make, and right he was, as there is no lead to threaten 3NT. +630, and another10 IMPs to Portugal.
Both sides reached Six Hearts on this deal. When Fu & Paz led the ace of spades the declarers may have suspected the trump position, but even when South’s nine appeared on the first round of the suit it was asking a lot for either of them to get it right. They didn’t, so one down and a push.
Open Room
When East bid Four Hearts, suggested by the commentators as last train, I think West should have done more than simply sign off in Five Diamonds; +620. Closed Room
Once West admitted to a heart control East was not stopping short of Six Diamonds; +1370 and 12 IMPs for China – back in the match.
Open Room
I’m not sure why North accepted South’s invitation, but it’s amazing how often this sort of sub-standard game rolls home. East led a spade. Declarer won in hand and played the ten of clubs to the jack. West won with the queen and had only to return a spade to leave declarer with no legitimate way to make the contract. However, he switched to a heart anddeclarer put up the king and had no further problems – there was an entry to pick up the clubs and another to enjoy them. +600. Closed Room
The Portuguese duplicated the auction from the other room. Once again a spade was led. This time declarer put up the king and advanced the jack of clubs. When that held he cleared the clubs. Now West could return either a spade or a diamond, but his partner, who had led the eight of spades, had discarded the six on the third club and, for whatever reason, when West switched to the ace of hearts declarer was home, another push where both sides had missed an easy chance. There was a lot of discussion about Smith Peters during the play of this deal. It reminded me of something Groucho Marx said to one of his partner when he was asked how they should signal: ‘Smile if you like my lead.’
Both Easts opened Four Hearts. If you decided to make a try with the West cards what should you do? Perhaps a bid of Five Clubs, expecting partner to show a diamond control would be best. Of course, if he has three low in diamonds you will look foolish. Neither South led the ace of diamonds, so it was a push at +680. Now for a deal where Fu & Zhao put up a brilliant defence – surely one worthy of consideration for an IBPA award.
Open Room
North led the king of hearts and continued with the queen, West ducking twice. Now Fu realized there was no future in hearts, so he switched to the two of spades. South took the ace and was not tempted to go back to hearts, returning the nine of spades. West put in the jack and cunningly discarded the two of clubs. North won with the queen and completed a spectacular effort by switching to a diamond. One down, +50 and thunderous applause from the appreciative audience. Closed Room
East/West stopped in a safe contract. South led a heart,declarer winning in dummy and playing the king of diamonds. North won, cashed a heart and switched to a trump. Declarer won, cashed the queen of diamonds, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a heart, ruffed a diamond and claimed +130, which was worth 5 IMPs. Portugal led 44-18, but China were not finished.
Open Room
Anyone for a speculative lead-directing double on the West hand? It would be a shot with East on lead. West tried the queen of spades and declarer was able to win, draw trumps and claim when the diamond king proved to be onside; +400. Closed Room
Declarer was one down; –100, 7 IMPs for China.
Open Room
After winning the club lead, West switched to a heart.Declarer won in hand and played a diamond, putting up the king when East played low. Now he had an easy route to ten tricks via a crossruff; +170. Closed Room
East led a heart and declarer fatally went up with the ace,removing a vital entry from dummy. He played a club and West put up the ace and switched to a trump. Declarer finessed, East won and returned a trump and declarer had to go one down; –50. If declarer wins the heart lead in hand and plays a diamond, East has to play low to have any chance, but if declarer guesses right and puts up the king he can come to ten tricks. That was another 7 IMPs for China.
Open Room
South led the eight of diamonds. North won with the queen and switched to the king of clubs, catering for a singleton queen with East. Declarer won with dummy’s ace, ruffed a club and played a diamond. North won and, perhaps in a hurry to score, played a third club rather than an essential trump. Declarer ruffed, ruffed a diamond, cashed the top spades and played a spade. Now the winning play is to ruff with the six of hearts. When South cannot overruff you are home. Of course, this depends on your view of the distribution. It was suggested that North might have started with ♥K10. That may be possible but, if declarer believes that, she must play a spade at the point where she ruffed a diamond. (If she plays a diamond South can discard a spade.) Then she gets home easily on a crossruff. This is the real point of the deal. (At least I think it is.) Once North has not switched to a trump declarer surely needs to find spades 3-3. The correct line after ruffing the third club is to play three rounds of spades, ruffing, ruff a diamond and play a spade. I think this only needs you to find North with the king of hearts – the ten plays no significant role. You ruff high, ruff a diamond and play a spade to score your remaining trump honour en passant. Closed Room
Nine tricks were never in doubt, +140. That gave China6 IMPs and they had almost leveled the match, losing only44-47 IMPs, 14-16, a result that kept both teams well in the hunt. |
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