Indonesia v USA1 (Seniors Bowl)

It says a lot for the way in which the prestige of the Seniors Bowl has grown in recent years that it is not long ago that we would have been very happy to see these two teams meeting in the final of the Open series.

USA1 began the 96-board final with a single IMP carry-over advantage. Set One was a quiet affair, with only around a couple of IMPs per board changing hands.

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

West	North	East	South
Sacul	Bates	Sawiruddin	Stansby
	1♥	Pass	1♠
2♣	Pass	2♦	Pass
2♠	Pass	2NT	Pass
3♠	Pass	4♣	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Sontag	Lasut	Weichsel	Manoppo
	1♥	Pass	1♠
4♠	All Pass

Not an everyday bidding problem for West over South’s 1♠ response. Denny Sacul started with a 2♣ overcall then bid and rebid spades. The first time, of course, 2♠ was an asking bid, but the rebid showed a genuine suit. However, Munawar Sawiruddin preferred clubs and said so. Roger Bates led the queen of clubs against 4♣. Sacul won with the ace, played a spade to hand and ruffed a spade in case both black suits were dividing badly. When that passed off peacefully, he crossed to hand with a diamond ruff then led a club. The even trump split meant eleven tricks for +150.

Alan Sontag found an alternative approach to the West cards, simply leaping to 4♠, where he played. After a club lead, he just had to lose two club tricks; +450 and 7 IMPs to USA1.

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

West	North	East	South
Sacul	Bates	Sawiruddin	Stansby
			1♣
Pass	1♦	1♥	Dble(i)
2♦	2NT	All Pass

(i) Three-card diamond support

West	North	East	South
Sontag	Lasut	Weichsel	Manoppo
			1♦
Pass	2♦	Pass	2♥
Pass	3NT	All Pass

The American N/S auction gave Sawiruddin the option of overcalling 1♥ on the empty suit and he chose to do so. Sacul showed a constructive raise and Bates tried 2NT, where he played. Bates won the heart lead with the queen and played a diamond to the queen and ace. Sawiruddin cleared the hearts, so Bates tested the diamonds, cashed the thirteenth card in the suit, then played on clubs; +120.

At the other table, the 1♦ opening and inverted raise shut E/W out of the auction. Two Hearts showed a weak no trump type and Henky Lasut jumped to the no trump game. Again the lead was a low heart to the nine and queen. Lasut played a low club at trick two and Peter Weichsel jumped in with the ace and continued with ace and another heart. On a different day, that might have been the killing defence, but certainly not today. Lasut still had to knock out the ace of diamonds to create a ninth trick, but as the ace was with the short hearts, that was no problem and he emerged with a surprising ten tricks; +430 and 7 IMPs to Indonesia.

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

West	North	East	South
Sacul	Bates	Sawiruddin	Stansby
1♠	Pass	1NT	2♦
2♥	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Sontag	Lasut	Weichsel	Manoppo
1♠	Pass	1NT	2♦
2♥	Pass	3♥	4♦
Pass	Pass	Dble	Pass
4♥	All Pass

The two auctions were identical up to 2♥ but then Sawiruddin passed, knowing that he was facing at most a 15-count and not liking his diamond holding, while Weichsel raised to 3♥. Sacul was left to play in 2♥, while Eddy Manoppo came again on the South cards, doubled by Weichsel but removed to 4♥ by Sontag.

Two Hearts was a comfortable spot. Bates led a diamond to the queen and Lew Stansby switched to a trump. Sacul won with the ace and played the ♦J, attempting to build a discard for his potential club loser. However, Bates ruffed the diamond and switched to a club to dummy’s ace. Sacul led a spade to the king then returned a spade to the ace. Back came a trump. Sacul won and crossruffed his way to eight tricks for +110. Four Hearts was not at all comfortable and Sontag was soon down two for -200 and 7 IMPs to Indonesia. The first two tricks were as we have already seen, then Sontag took the losing club finesse and back came a second trump. He crossed to the ace of clubs to play a spade up, but when Lasut won the second spade he could play a third trump, holding declarer to one spade ruff in dummy. Sontag came to a diamond for his eighth trick in the endgame.

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	♠ K J 7 ♥ A Q 6 ♦ 6 2 ♣ K J 10 9 3
♠ 9 4 2 ♥ K 9 5 ♦ K J 7 5 ♣ 8 5 2		♠ 8 6 3 ♥ 10 8 ♦ A 9 4 3 ♣ A Q 7 4
	♠ A Q 10 5 ♥ J 7 4 3 2 ♦ Q 10 8 ♣ 6

West	North	East	South
Sacul	Bates	Sawiruddin	Stansby
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1♣	Pass	1♥
Pass	2♥	Pass	3♥
Pass	4♥	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Sontag	Lasut	Weichsel	Manoppo
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1NT	Pass	2♣
Pass	2♦	Pass	3♠
Pass	4♥	All Pass

The natural American auction saw Stansby become declarer in the poor heart game, on the lead of a diamond to the ace and a second diamond for the ten and jack. Sacul switched to a spade but nothing mattered after this start. The contract was one down for -50.

Lasut stretched a point to open 1NT because of his good club suit, and Manoppo followed a Smolen sequence to make Lasut declarer in 4♥. Weichsel led the eight of hearts round to declarer’s queen, and Lasut crossed to the queen of spades to lead a club to the jack and queen. Back came a second trump to the nine and ace. Lasut ran the ♣K now, pitching a diamond from dummy, then played the ♣10, covered and ruffed. He crossed back to hand with a spade and played a winning club for another diamond pitch from dummy. Sontag could ruff but there was only one diamond to cash; ten tricks for +420 and 10 IMPs to Indonesia. The Indonesians won the session by 26-11 and led by 26-12 after 16 deals.