USA1 v USA2 (Venice Cup)

Two For The Road

Jill Levin and Sue Picus, two members of the winning Venice Cup team from 2003, are in Estoril with new team mates trying for another world championship. They were in the line-up, along with Hansa Narasimhan and Irina Levitina, for their quarter-final match against USA2.

There were fireworks on the opening board.

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

West	North	East	South
Sutherlin	Levitina	Allison	Narasimhan
	1♥	Pass	2♥
Dble	3♣	3♠	Pass
4♠	5♥	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Irina Levitina guessed correctly that there was no way todefeat the spade game, so she took the five-level save. Karen Allison started with the ♠Q, ducked all around. East then played a diamond to the jack and queen. Peggy Sutherlin cashed the ♦A before exiting with a club to the jack and ace. Levitina was soon claiming for minus 500. She would be pleased later to learn that it was a 3-IMP gain.

West	North	East	South
Levin	Mancuso	Picus	Wittes
	1♥	Pass	3♣
Dble	4♥	4♠	Dble
All Pass

Pam Wittes’ 3♣ bid was a constructive heart raise. Against the doubled spade game, Wittes led a heart to Renee Mancuso’s king. The club return went to the ten, and Sue Picus followed with the ♠Q, ducked. The ♠J was covered by the king and ace. In hand with the ♣A, Picus played a diamond to the king and ace, followed by the ♠7 to South’s ten. Wittes played a club to her partner’s king, and Mancuso did the best she could with a second round of hearts, but Picus ruffed with the ♠9, played a diamond to the jack and queen, pulled the last trump and claimed for Plus 590.

USA2 got 3 IMPs back on the next deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Sutherlin	Levitina	Allison	Narasimhan
		Pass	Pass
1NT	Pass	2♣	Pass
2♦	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Levitina started with the ♥Q and continued with the king when Sutherlin ducked. Levitina cleared the suit with a low heart. Sutherlin went to dummy and took a club finesse. After Levitina cashed her winners and exited with a diamond, Sutherlin went up with the ♦A and took another club finesse for one down.

West	North	East	South
Levin	Mancuso	Picus	Wittes
		Pass	Pass
1♣	1♥	2♥	Pass
2NT	Pass	3♠	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Levin’s 1♣ was strong, and Picus’ 2♥ was game forcing without a long suit. Mancuso led hearts, continuing until the suit was cleared. Levin cashed the ♣A, guarding against the singleton king with North, then entered dummy with a spade to play a club toward the queen. Levin misguessed by putting up the ♣Q, and things got worse from there, Levin finishing three down for Minus 150.

There was some discussion among the vugraph panellists about East’s view on the next deal.

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

The auction was identical at both tables: 1♦ by West, 1♥ by East, 2♦ by West, all pass and a cold 3NT was missed. Should East take further action? Does the lack of a diamond fit make a difference? The no trump game was reached once in the Bermuda Bowl, once in the Seniors Bowl and three times in the Venice Cup.

USA1 extended their lead on Board 5.

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

West	North	East	South
Sutherlin	Levitina	Allison	Narasimhan
	Pass	1♦	Dble
Rdbl	1♥	Dble	1♠
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Hansa Narasimhan’s offshape take-out double put her side in jeopardy had Allison doubled 1♠ Narasimhan would have been in big trouble, but Allison rescued her with a bid of 1NT. South started with the ♣8, won in dummy with the queen. Allison cashed the ♦K and ran the jack to Narasimhan’s queen. Allison simply did not have the tricks from there, finishing one down.

West	North	East	South
Levin	Mancuso	Picus	Wittes
	Pass	1♦	2♣
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

There was nothing Wittes could do against the bad club split, and she finished three down for Minus 800. USA1 had upped their lead to 25-3.

USA2 had to settle for a 2-IMP swing on the following deal, but they had a chance for more.

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

West	North	East	South
Levin	Mancuso	Picus	Wittes
	1♣	Pass	1♥
Dble	2♥	3♦	All Pass

Levin’s take-out double without four-card support for both unbid suits would not be everyone’s choice. Picus could not help losing one spade, one heart, two clubs and two diamonds for Minus 200.

West	North	East	South
Sutherlin	Levitina	Allison	Narasimhan
	1♣	Pass	1♥
Dble	2♥	3♦	3♥
All Pass

Sutherlin took the same aggressive course that her compatriot had, but Narasimhan came to the rescue of East/West by bidding on.

Sutherlin started naturally enough with a low diamond, to the nine, jack and queen. Narasimhan could have assured the contract by playing back a diamond, setting up her ♦10 for a spade discard from dummy, but she played a club to dummy’s queen at trick two. A heart went to the queen and Sutherlin’s king, and she correctly switched to spades, but her choice was the queen the ♠A followed by the queen would have made things easier for her partner. Narasimhan went up with dummy’s ♠K, pulled trumps and played a diamond to the king. Allison won with the ace, butinstead of playing a spade she got out with a diamond. One of dummy’s losing spades went on the good ♦10 in the South hand. USA2 had rallied to take a 25-22 lead in the set (although they still trailed because of the 9-IMP carryover), but the penultimate deal produced a significant swing for USA1.

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

West	North	East	South
Sutherlin	Levitina	Allison	Narasimhan
			Pass
1♠	2♥	2♠	3♥
3♠	4♥	All Pass

Allison led the ♠Q to her partner’s ace. Levitina put up the queen when Sutherlin switched to a diamond. Levitina won with the ♦A and played a club from dummy. Sutherlin rose with the ♣A and played heart, taken by Levitina with the ace. She cashed the ♣K, ruffed a spade in dummy and ruffed a club, felling the queen. She got to dummy by ruffing her good ♠K and discarded a diamond on the ♣J. Levitina had to ruff a club winner at the end and give Sutherlin a trump trick, but that was 10 tricks in for Plus 620.

West	North	East	South
Levin	Mancuso	Picus	Wittes
			Pass
1♠	2♥	3♥	Pass
4♠	All Pass

Levin had to lose one trick in each suit, but it was still an11-IMP win for USA1. The set ended with USA1 ahead 42-25, including carryover