Round 11: Israel v Netherlands – Seniors

After ten rounds of the Seniors series The Netherlands had moved into the lead. In Round 11 they faced fourth-placed Israel in a match that could have a major impact on the final standings.

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

West	North	East	South
Boegem	Schwartz	Janssens	Romik
			Pass
1§	Dble	Rdbl	Pass
Pass	1¨	Dble	Pass
Pass	1©	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Levit	Trouwborst	Kaminski	Doremans
			Pass
1§	Pass	1¨	Pass
1©	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

For Israel, Yeshayahu Levit and Amos Kaminski had a free run to the decent no trump game. With the cards lying very favourably for declarer, Kaminski came to eleven tricks; +660.

At the other table Adrian Schwartz scraped up a take-out double on the North cards and Onno Janssens redoubled. Schwartz ran first to diamonds then to hearts, being doubled both times.

Perfect defence holds 1© doubled to three tricks for –800 but, as is usually the case, perfect defence was difficult to achieve against a one-level contract. Janssens led §Q followed by §J and Willem Boegem overtook to play a third club, which Schwartz ruffed. He crossed to the king of diamonds and tried a spade to the king but that lost to the ace and back came the ªJ, overtaken, and a third spade to the ten. At last, Janssens found the heart switch, ten, low, low, ace. Schwartz tried to cash the ace of diamonds but Boegem ruffed. A club was ruffed with the eight and over-ruffed with the queen and now the play of the thirteenth spades assured declarer of one more trick; down two for –300 but 8 IMPs to Israel.

Had Janssens not used the ©8 to force the queen, dummy would still have had to ruff, but now Janssens would have been able to ruff the thirteenth spade and defeated the contract by an extra trick.

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

West	North	East	South
Boegem	Schwartz	Janssens	Romik
Pass	Pass	1©	Pass
Pass	Dble	Rdbl	1ª
2©	Pass	3¨	Pass
3©	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Levit	Trouwborst	Kaminski	Doremans
Pass	Pass	1¨	Pass
Pass	1NT	Pass	2ª
Pass	Pass	3©	Pass
3ª	Pass	4©	All Pass

I am not sure what was going on in the Israeli auction but what mattered was that they reached 4© and made it, with an overtrick for +650. I thought that Boegem might have bid game in the other room also when Janssens made a try with 3¨, which fitted his hand well enough, but it appears that he did not like the ªK. Here too, eleven tricks were made, but that was only +200 and 10 IMPs to Israel.

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

West	North	East	South
Boegem	Schwartz	Janssens	Romik
	2ª	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Levit	Trouwborst	Kaminski	Doremans
	2¨	2ª	All Pass

Boegem opened with a natural weak two bid and was left to play there. Janssens led a top club then switched to a diamond to the ace. Back came a club and he won and played a third round for the ª9 and ª10. Schwartz led ace and another spade now and Janssens was able to draw all the outstanding trumps then switch to a heart. Declarer just made the ¨K from here for down five; -500.

Jaap Trouwborst opened with a multi and Kaminski overcalled 2ª. Had Levit gone on with 2NT, he would have been raised to the making 3Nt and held the board to only a modest loss for Israel, but Levit imagined that hearts were sitting over him and that his queen might be of dubious value, so passed. Nico Doremans led a club and Kaminski won and played two more rounds, ruffing with the nine and being over-ruffed with the ten. Trouwborst switched to a heart round to dummy’s queen and declarer played a spade to the king then ace of hearts and a heart ruff, a diamond to the ace and another heart ruff, and had nine tricks for +140 but 8 IMPs to Netherlands.

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

West	North	East	South
Boegem	Schwartz	Janssens	Romik
Pass	Pass	1ª	2©
2ª	4©	4ª	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Levit	Trouwborst	Kaminski	Doremans
Pass	Pass	1ª	2©
2ª	4©	4ª	5©
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

The auctions were identical up to South’s decision over 4ª. Romik went quietly and led his singleton diamond. That went to the jack, queen and ace and Janssens tried a club to the king. Scwartz won the §A and returned a diamond for Romik to ruff. Romik next cashed the §Q before playing a heart to the ace and collecting a second ruff. There was still the king of spades to come so that was down three for –150.

Doremans went on to 5© at the other table, being unsure who could make what. After a spade lead to the ace, Kaminiski cashed the king of diamonds and seems to have misread the position as his diamond continuation gave the contract; +650 and 11 IMPs to Netherlands.

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

West	North	East	South
Boegem	Schwartz	Janssens	Romik
	2¨	Dble	5¨
6¨	Pass	6©	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Levit	Trouwborst	Kaminski	Doremans
	Pass	1§	Pass
1ª	Pass	2§	Pass
2©	Pass	4©	All Pass

The weak 2¨ opening on a five-card suit worked beautifully here as Pinhas Romik could bounce all the way to 5¨ over Janssens’ take-out double. Given that East/West have no making contract at the five level, the best they could do now would be to double and collect 800, but Boegem liked his five-five shape and cuebid, which got his side to 6©. Romik cashed the ace of diamonds but then switched to a club, assuming his partner to hold six diamonds. That allowed Janssens to get rid of his second diamond loser on a club, but the heart waqs offside and he had to go one down for –100 and 12 IMPs to Israel.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	ª 9 5 4 2 © 9 8 2 ¨ K Q 8 6 2 § 6
ª A J © K 10 4 ¨ 10 4 § A Q 8 7 4 3		ª K 6 © Q J 7 5 3 ¨ A J § K 10 9 5
	ª Q 10 8 7 3 © A 6 ¨ 9 7 5 3 § J 2

West	North	East	South
Boegem	Schwartz	Janssens	Romik
			Pass
1NT	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	Pass	3NT	Pass
4©	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Levit	Trouwborst	Kaminski	Doremans
			Pass
1NT	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	Pass	3§	Pass
3ª	Pass	4¨	Pass
6§	All Pass

Did Levit/Kaminski outbid their opponents when they bid to the club slam, or was it actually Boegem/Janssens who won the bidding battle, as 6§ goes off on a diamond lead? You may have your own opinion as to what contract you would like to play. However, the bottom line was that the lead to 6§ was a spade and now declarer could draw trumps and play on hearts for twelve easy tricks; +920.

Four hearts was safer and made twelve tricks when, after a club lead, the defence failed to take its ruff; +480 but 10 IMPs to Israel.

And that was that. A diamond lead against 6§ could have saved the match for The Netherlands. As it was, Israel ran out winners by 43-23 IMPs, or 20-10 VPs. Both teams were still very much in the hunt for the title.