Round 8: USA v Sweden – Seniors

After seven rounds of the Seniors competition, Sweden headed the table while USA were close behind near the front of the chasing pack. The match began quietly with two flat boards but then exploded into life with two big swings.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª 7 © A K 9 2 ¨ A J § A 9 7 5 4 3
ª 6 5 3 © J 7 3 ¨ Q 10 5 4 2 § K 2		ª 10 9 © Q 8 6 5 4 ¨ K 9 7 6 3 § 10
	ª A K Q J 8 4 2 © 10 ¨ 8 § Q J 8 6

West	North	East	South
Bell	Hallen	Miles	Backstrom
			1ª
Pass	2§	Pass	4ª
Pass	4NT	Pass	5ª
Pass	5NT	Pass	7ª
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Ekberg	Robison	Alfredsson	Onstott
			4ª
Pass	6ª	All Pass

For USA, John Onstott opened 4ª and Jim Robison simply punted the small slam, trusting the trump suit to be decent at this vulnerability. After a diamond lead, Onstott drew trumps and took the club finesse for his overtrick; a painless +1460.

For Sweden, Lars Backstrom opened 1ª. According to his partner’s explanation, the 4ª rebid showed good spades but no club fit. Anyway, whatever the subtleties of that call, Hans-Olof Hallen checked on key cards then invited seven, and Backstrom was sufficiently impressed with his black-suit holdings to accept the invitation. Leo Bell led a trump and Backstrom won, drew a few more rounds, pitching clubs from the dummy, then led the queen of clubs. When Bell played low without a flicker, Backstrom went up with the ace and was one down in his ‘laydown’ grand slam; -100 and 17 IMPs to USA.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª K 6 5 © A K J 9 8 6 4 ¨ 6 § 6 4
ª 4 2 © - ¨ K J 5 2 § A Q 10 9 7 5 2		ª A Q 9 7 © Q 10 2 ¨ A Q 10 7 4 § 8
	ª J 10 8 3 © 7 5 3 ¨ 9 8 3 § K J 3

West	North	East	South
Bell	Hallen	Miles	Backstrom
Pass	4§	Dble	4©
6§	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Ekberg	Robison	Alfredsson	Onstott
1§	1©	Dble	2©
3§	4©	Dble	All Pass

Bell saw no sensible opening bid on the West cards so passed to await developments. Those developments proved to be a 4§ opening on his left, showing a heart suit with one hole in it, and a double from partner, Marshall Miles. What the American agreement for this double was, I am not sure, but I would have thought it was normal for it to be take-out of hearts. If so, Miles must have felt rather uncomfortable when his partner leapt to 6§ over Backstrom’s conversion to 4©, but what could he do about it?

The club slam proved to be no problem for Bell. He ruffed the heart lead, crossed to a top diamond and took the finesse of the queen of clubs. When the clubs proved to be three-two with the king onside, there was just a club to be conceded, the second spade going on the long diamond; +1370.

Ekberg opened a quiet 1§ as West and Jim Robison overcalled 1©. Lars Alfredsson made a negative double and Onstott raised hearts. Now Ekberg made a slightly cautious 3§ rebid and Robison jumped to 4©. A penalty double from Alfredsson concluded proceedings. Perfect defence nets six tricks for down three, but that is difficult to achieve on this deal and the contract was actually two down for –300 but 14 IMPs to USA, who had taken a grip on the match with 31 IMPs in two deals.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª A K Q 9 8 3 © - ¨ 9 3 2 § J 8 5 2
ª J 7 © A 10 8 7 6 3 ¨ 6 § A 10 9 6		ª 5 © K J 9 5 4 ¨ K Q 10 8 4 § K 3
	ª 10 6 4 2 © Q 2 ¨ A J 7 5 § Q 7 4

West	North	East	South
Bell	Hallen	Miles	Backstrom
1©	1ª	3ª	4ª
5§	Pass	5¨	Dble
5©	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Ekberg	Robison	Alfredsson	Onstott
Pass	1ª	Dble	2NT
4©	4ª	5©	Pass
Pass	5ª	Dble	All Pass

Bell opened the West hand with 1© and Miles made a splinter raise over the 1ª overcall. When Backstrom competed with 4ª, Bell was willing to show his club control and East/West did well from here to settle for 5©, making exactly for +650.

Ekberg was not willing to open at the one level with 9 HCP, nor at the two level when holding a poor main suit and two aces. At his table it was North, Robison, who opened the bidding with 1ª and Alfredsson doubled. Onstott showed a constructive spade raise and Ekberg had an easy 4© bid. When Robison went on to 4ª, Alfredsson in turn went on to 5© but then doubled when Robison bid his spades one more time. With eleven tricks the linmit in a heart contract, taking 500 out of 5ª was the best that east/West could do, though it cost them 4 IMPs.

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

West	North	East	South
Bell	Hallen	Miles	Backstrom
			1§
1ª	2©	2ª	3§
4ª	5§	Dble	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Ekberg	Robison	Alfredsson	Onstott
			4§
Dble	5§	5¨	All Pass

Backstrom opened the South hand with 1§ and a fierce competitive auction developed, ending in 5§ doubled. It appears that there should be a loser in each suit in this contract but, after cashing a top diamond, Bell played a second round rather than switch to a spade. He had seen his partner encourage diamonds, rather than make a suit preference signal for spades, but I am still unconvinced that a spade switch was not correct – maybe partner had not signalled spades, but he had equally not signalled hearts, and a spade switch would never cost unless East held the ©K, irrespective of the position of the ªQ.

Anyway, whatever the rights or wrongs of the defence, the contract escaped for down one; -200.
Onstott opened 4§ and Robison raised to 5§ over the take-out double. Alfredsson tried 5¨ and was left to play there. That made in some comfort after a club lead and Sweden had 9 IMPs, their only significant gain of the set. USA won the match by 42-10 IMPs, 23-7 VPs, and moved to joint top of the standings, while Sweden slipped to fifth.

That may be the end of this match, but it is by no means the end of the story of Board 23. We will read elsewhere about the Canadian Seniors’ exploits on the deal in question, but here let’s take a look at what happened when Israel met Denmark, also in the Seniors.

West	North	East	South
Levit	Lund	Kaminski	Moller
			4§
Dble	5§	5¨	Pass
6¨	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Norris	Schwartz	Dahl	Romik
			Pass
1ª	Pass	2¨	4§
5§	Pass	5¨	Pass
Pass	6§	Pass	Pass
6¨	All Pass

Steen Moller opened with a club pre-empt and Yeshayahu Levit doubled for take-out. When Peter Lund raised to 5§, Amos Kaminski tried 5¨ and Levit raised to slam. After a club lead, Kaminski could win, draw trumps and knock out the ace of spades to come to an easy twelve tricks; +1370.

There are a couple of books about entitled ‘25 Conventions You Should Know’ and ‘25 More Conventions You Should Know’, both published by the excellent MasterPoint Press of Canada. I would like to write ’25 Conventions You Would Be Better Off Never Having Heard Of’. My 25 would include Namyats. Here, Pinhas Romik could not open 4§ because that would have shown a good 4© bid and, as he did not deem 1§ to be appropriate, passed as dealer. At his next turn he made a pre-emptive overcall of 4§ and his opponents bid to 5¨, where they were about to play until Adrian Schwartz saved in 6§. Now Georg Norris went on to the diamond slam.

Romik had to find a lead. His partner had not doubled West’s 5§ cuebid, suggesting that he did not have the ace of clubs, yet had been willing to save in 6§, risking that his opponents might go on to 6¨. He should, therefore, have some defence somewhere. Romik decided that a club lead would achieve nothing and that he should attack, leading from strength. His logic led him to put the king of hearts on the table and the slam was defeated when it would have made on any non-heart lead! Very nicely done and 16 IMPs to Israel, helping them to an 18-12 VP win in an important match in this championship.