A musical joke

Cultured bridge writers (alas, not this one) know of a piece by Mozart entitled A Musical Joke because the ending is three flat notes.

That could sum up the fifth-round Open series match between Japan and Sweden. With a comfortable lead near the end, the strong Swedish team dropped 23 IMPs over the final three boards to lose a close match 31-28..
Sweden earned the first significant swing of the match on this deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Takano	Sylvan	Teramoto	Sundelin
Pass	2§	2©	Pass
3©	Pass	4©	All Pass

Tadashi Teramoto (East) might have made the heart game, but after winning the club opening lead with the ace, he played three rounds of spades, discarding dummy’s losing club. North ruffed and erred by playing the ©10, but Teramoto also erred by playing low, allowing the 10 to force dummy’s jack. Now when Teramoto played the ¨K, Johan Sylvan won the ace and played a second club, allowing P.O. Sundelin’s ©9 to score. That was plus 100 for North-South.

West	North	East	South
Fredin	Ino	Lindkvist	Imakura
	1NT	2©	2ª
2NT	3§	Pass	3ª
All Pass

Tadashi Imakura did a lot of bidding with the South hand, even considering that his partner opened a strong 1NT. Peter Fredin’s 2NT was intended as a relay, apparently with the intention of introducing his diamonds suit.

Imakura was lucky not to be doubled. Fredin started with the ¨K, taken in dummy. The §K was next. Magnus Lindkvist won the §A and got out with the ©K. Declarer won the ©A and took a heart pitch on the §Q. When he played the ¨2 from dummy, Lindkvist ruffed and cashed his top spades. He picked up his partner’s ªQ in the process, but South was left with two losing diamonds for two down and 7 IMPs to Sweden, now leading 8-1.
Japan missed a chance for a nice gain three boards later.

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

West	North	East	South
Takano	Sylvan	Teramoto	Sundelin
			1ª
Pass	2ª	3§	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Sylvan led a low diamond to the jack and king, and Hideki Takano played a low spade to the queen and ace. A diamond was returned to the 10 and queen, and the ¨A was cashed. A second round of spades went to the West hand, and declarer played a low club to the queen, ducked by Sundelin. Now the successful heart finesse made a second club finesse unnecessary. Plus 630 to Japan.

West	North	East	South
Fredin	Ino	Lindkvist	Imakura
			Pass
1NT	Pass	2§	Pass
2©	Pass	4©	All Pass

The opening lead was the ª10 to South’s ace. Fredin falsecarded with the jack and took the second spade in dummy. He then played a heart to the ace and cashed the ªK, pitching dummy’s diamond. He then took the losing club finesse, and Tadashi Imakura had the opportunity to give Fredin a big problem by playing a fourth round of spades. Had Fredin not guessed to ruff with the trump queen, he would have gone down. Imakura, however, returned a low club to dummy, and there was no further problem for Fredin. Plus 620 and a push.
Board 10 featured bidding accidents by both sides, but Sweden escaped unscathed while Japan paid a heavy price.

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

West	North	East	South
Fredin	Ino	Lindkvist	Imakura
		1§	Pass
1¨	Pass	2NT	Pass
4§	Dble	4NT	All Pass

No doubt 4§ was meant to show shortness. In any event, the Swedes missed the cast-iron 4© contract, playing a tenuous 4NT instead. Fortunately for the team, Lindkvist managed 10 tricks. The opening lead was the §8: 10, queen, ace. He continued with the ©A and a heart to South’s king. The §2 was next, and Ino made the good play of inserting the 6 instead of playing the king, which would have given Lindkvist 10 easy tricks. Lindkvist won the §J, played a heart to dummy and passed the ¨9 around to South’s queen. Imakura did not read his partner’s ¨5 accurately, switching to a low spade from the queen. That gave declarer 10 tricks and a nervous plus 630.

In the closed room, the wheels came off in the auction for Takano and Teramoto.

West	North	East	South
Takano	Sylvan	Teramoto	Sundelin
		2NT	Pass
3¨	Pass	3ª	Pass
4¨	Pass	4ª	All Pass

Takano’s first bid was a transfer, and the response obviously was some sort of super-acceptance. Takano tried to re-transfer, then apparently was convinced by the 4ª bid that East had started with a long spade suit. The 3-3 fit did not play well.

Sundelin started with the ¨K. Teramoto won the ¨A and fired one back. Sundelin won the ¨Q and played a third round of the suit, East discarding a low heart. Teramoto then tried a heart finesse. Sundelin won the ©K and played a fourth round of diamonds, ruffed by Sylvan with the ª9. Teramoto pitched a club rather than overruff with a spade honor, and the §Q was taken by East with the ace. A low club was ruffed in dummy, and declarer tried the spade finesse. Sundelin won and returned the suit, and soon it was over. Minus 300 and 13 IMPs to Sweden, now leading 22-5.

Going into the final three deals, Sweden was leading 28-8. Then disaster struck.

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

West	North	East	South
Takano	Sylvan	Teramoto	Sundelin
		Pass	Pass
Pass	2§	Pass	2NT
Pass	3§	All Pass

Sylvan lost three tricks for plus 130. In the closed room, Fredin and Lindkvist had the chance for a huge plus score, but it turned into a major minus.

West	North	East	South
Fredin	Ino	Lindkvist	Imakura
		Pass	Pass
1¨	2§	Dble	2NT
Pass	3NT	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Fredin hit on the killing lead of a low heart from the West hand. Imakura put in the 10 and won the king when Lindkvist played the jack. Imakura started on clubs right away, and it was clear that the defenders had a total of eight tricks for plus 1100. When Lindkvist won the §A, however, he returned the ©2, which appeared to confuse Fredin, who pictured South with the ¨K, therefore placing East with the ªK. Had Lindkvist returned the ©9, suggesting a sequence and a source of tricks, Fredin likely would have avoided the play he actually made – a spade. The grateful declarer claimed 10 tricks and plus 950 at that point for a 13-IMP gain instead of a 14-IMP loss.

The next deal was also a disappointment for the Swedes.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	ª A J 8 © A Q 10 9 7 ¨ Q § Q 7 3 2
ª Q 2 © 8 5 4 2 ¨ J 10 9 5 § 10 8 5		ª K 10 7 4 3 © K 6 3 ¨ K 4 3 § K 4
	ª 9 6 5 © J ¨ A 8 7 6 2 § A J 9 6

West	North	East	South
Takano	Sylvan	Teramoto	Sundelin
			Pass
Pass	1©	Pass	1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2ª
Pass	2NT	Pass	3§
All Pass

Sylvan had no trouble taking 10 tricks in this contract for plus 130. In the open room, Ino and Imakura were much more aggressive.

West	North	East	South
Fredin	Ino	Lindkvist	Imakura
			Pass
Pass	1©	1ª	2¨
Pass	3NT	All Pass

The favourable lie of the club suit meant that Ino was destined to make his contract, and indeed he finished with an overtrick for another 7 IMPs to Japan.

The final deal of the set, although it represented a gain of only 3 IMPs for Japan, nevertheless was interesting and typified the Swedes’ missed chances in the set.

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

West	North	East	South
Takano	Sylvan	Teramoto	Sundelin
1§	Pass	1©	Passs
1NT	2§	All Pass

Sylvan played well to land the awkward contract. Teramoto started with a low spade to the 9, queen and ace. Sylvan played the §A and §Q to Takano’s king. A spade was returned to the jack and ace, and Sylvan played a heart to the king and ace. East switched to the ¨10, and declarer put up the king. He ruffed the third round of diamonds, played a heart to the queen and ruffed a heart, the exited with his spade. West could ruff, but in the two-card ending was forced to lead from the §10 6 into declarer’s §Q 7 – plus 90 for North-South.
The auction took a different turn in the open room.

Interestingly, after East starts the defense with a low diamond and West wins the jack, the only card to guarantee defeat of the contract is a low spade from the doubleton queen. That, of course, is a double dummy play, and Fredin did not find it. He switched instead to the ©10, and declarer made the correct play of the king. East won the ©A and played the ¨10 and another diamond, ruffed by declarer. The contract was now cold if declarer played correctly: heart to the queen, spade to the ace, §A, §Q to West’s king. Declarer could then ruff the ¨A, cash the §J, play a spade to dummy’s king and make his §7 en passant by playing a heart from dummy in the two-card ending.

Declarer did not play correctly, however, giving the defenders a chance to defeat him. After ruffing the third round of diamonds, Ino played a heart to the queen and followed with another heart, giving Fredin a chance to discard a spade. Ino then played the ª8 to the king, followed by another heart from dummy.

At that point, if Fredin had ruffed in with the 10 or king, the contract would have been defeated. Fredin, however, ruffed with a low trump. Ino overruffed with the §7, leaving him with the ªA 4 and the §A Q J. He could not be prevented from taking three more tricks for plus 180 and a 3-IMP gain instead of a 3-IMP loss.