China v Japan

by Mark Horton

The draw had brought together two sides from the same hemisphere, China and Japan. After two sessions China enjoyed a healthy lead, so Japan were looking for a following wind.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª K Q J 9 6 3 © K 8 ¨ 2 § 10 9 8 6
ª A 8 7 © 10 7 4 3 ¨ K J 8 6 5 § J		ª 5 4 © A 6 2 ¨ A Q 10 7 3 § 7 3 2
	ª 10 2 © Q J 9 5 ¨ 9 4 § A K Q 5 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Takano	Dai	Teramoto	Yang
		1NT	Pass
2§*	2ª	3¨	3ª
4¨	All Pass

South led the ace of clubs and switched to the ten of spades, ducked by declarer and overtaken by North, who switched to the king of hearts. Declarer won, and combined the drawing of trumps with the elimination of the black suits before exiting with a heart. However, there was no endplay and he was one down, -50.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Shi	Ino	Zhuang	Imakura
		Pass	1§
1¨	1ª	2ª	Pass
3¨	4ª	All Pass

The defence need to find their club ruff to defeat Four Spades, but it is not exactly obvious. East led the ace of diamonds and switched to a heart. Now it was plain sailing for declarer who simply played on trumps. +620 and 11IMPs to Japan, just the start they were looking for.

Board 23. Dealer South. All Vul.
	ª A 6 5 4 © 3 2 ¨ 7 3 2 § Q 8 6 5
ª Q 3 © 9 8 ¨ K J 10 5 4 § K 9 7 3		ª J 10 8 © A K J 10 6 ¨ Q 9 8 § A 4
	ª K 9 7 2 © Q 7 5 4 ¨ A 6 § J 10 2

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Takano	Dai	Teramoto	Yang
			Pas
Pass	Pass	1©	Pass
1NT*	Pass	2¨	Pass
2ª*	Pass	3NT	All Pass

North led the five of clubs and declarer won with dummy’s ace and played a diamond to the jack, a heart to the ace and the queen of diamonds. South won and played the ten of clubs and when that held a third club. Declarer won with the king, cashed the diamonds and took the heart finesse. South won and the defenders had the rest, down two, -200.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Shi	Ino	Zhuang	Imakura
			Pass
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

With East as declarer it was not easy for South to find the club lead. He went for a spade and the defence played three rounds of the suit. Declarer could win, force out the ace of diamonds and claim nine tricks, +600 and 13 IMPs for China.

Board 30. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª K J 9 7 6 2 © 4 ¨ 8 3 § A 8 7 2
ª 10 4 3 © K 10 9 6 5 ¨ J 4 2 § K 5		ª Q 8 5 © A Q 7 3 ¨ A K 10 9 6 § 6
	ª A © J 8 2 ¨ Q 7 5 § Q J 10 9 4 3

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Takano	Dai	Teramoto	Yang
		1¨	Pass
1©	2ª	3©	Pass
4©	All Pass

North led the eight of diamonds and declarer won and drew trumps in three rounds, ending in hand. Then he ran the jack of diamonds to South’s queen. South cashed the ace of spades and played the queen of clubs for the king and ace and North took the setting trick with the king of spades, +50.

Do you consider that the combination of the bidding and the opening lead (North does not appear to have the ªAK and the suit must be 6-1 so South must have a singleton honour) should have pointed declarer to the winning line? After drawing trumps declarer must play a club to cut the enemy communications. Then he will be able to give up a diamond and lose only one spade, one diamond and one club. I am inclined to think so.

I set out to check the records and will take you briefly to the match between Sweden and China.

West	North	East	South
Ryman	Zhang	Ryman	Gu
		1¨	Pass
1©	1ª	2NT*	Pass
3NT	Pass	4©	All Pass

Sweden’s Jenny Ryman, who combines both brains and beauty, knew from her mother’s artificial raise on the second round that she would be in Four Hearts, so in an attempt to deter North from leading a spade she deliberately bid 3NT. When the opening lead was the eight of diamonds that part of her plan had proved successful. Now she had to make the contract. Drawing all then inferences I have mentioned above, she won in dummy, drew trumps ending there and played a club to the king. Now there was nothing the defence could do and she had picked up 11IMPs for her side.

(Memo from Tacchi to the IBPA: ‘This must be the winning hand for 2005 – think of the photographer.’)

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Shi	Ino	Zhuang	Imakura
		1NT	Pass
2¨	2ª	3©	Pass
4©	All Pass

Here South was on lead, so naturally he cashed the ace of spades. He switched to the queen of clubs, but when declarer played low from dummy North, did not in every sense of the word, rise to the occasion by overtaking with the ace. Now declarer could win the next trick, draw trumps and give up a diamond. +420 and 10 Imps for China.

The pairs who got this defence right included Pakistan’s Alana & Fazli, but of course they did not earn a swing as Fantoni & Nunes also got it right (admittedly against 5©, but even so North still led a spade and South returned a low club).

Board 31. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª A Q 10 4 3 2 © 9 5 3 ¨ J § 8 5 3
ª K 9 7 5 © A Q J 8 ¨ 6 § A K 10 9		ª J 6 © 10 7 6 ¨ A Q 10 9 8 7 5 § 2
	ª 8 © K 4 2 ¨ K 4 3 2 § Q J 7 6 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Takano	Dai	Teramoto	Yang
			Pass
1§	1ª	Pass	1NT
Pass	2ª	3¨	All Pass

South led his spade and North took the queen and ace and played a third spade, ruffed by declarer with the ten, as South discarded a heart. In due course South scored a trump trick, +130.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Shi	Ino	Zhuang	Imakura
			Pass
1§	1ª	2©	Pass
3NT	All Pass

North led the four of spades and declarer won in hand with the nine and played a diamond fro the jack and queen. When that held he cashed the ace of diamonds and ran the ten of hearts. He made ten tricks, +430, another 7 Imps for China, who were comfortably in control.