Good show!

It may be difficult to be objective when watching a VuGraph show, but even partisans can appreciate an entertaining match, however it comes out. That was the case in round 10 of the women's Olympiad series, as England defeated Austria, 51-42.

Austria, a formidable squad, started the day in second place in Group A. They scored first, taking 5 IMPs by stopping in a part score while Nicola Smith and Heather Dhondy reached a game with very little play against a defense that did not slip.

England retaliated with 13 IMPs on the next board, however.

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

Dhondy led the ©7, taken in dummy with the 9. Gabriele Bamberger played the top two diamonds, and exited with a diamond to Dhondy's queen. Back came another trump and Bamberger played a third round, ending in dummy. She cashed the ªA, pitching a club, and played a club to the jack and queen. The §A finished her off for down one and minus 100. Given the information Bamberger had on the bidding, her line of play seems way off the mark. It seems a simple matter, with South likely to have six spades, to ruff out that suit and pull trumps before throwing North in with a diamond. With no clues from the bidding, Sandra Penfold got it right.

Maria Erhart led the ¨Q to Penfold's king. She played a heart to the 9, pitched a club on the ªA, played a diamond to her ace, a heart to the jack, followed by a spade ruff. Now she exited with a diamond, and Erhart was endplayed, down to nothing but clubs. Her line of play, in fact, would have succeeded even if North had started with four diamonds to the Q-J. That was 13 IMPs to England.

On this deal, Dhondy took advantage of a favorable opening lead, and a slip by the defense to land a shaky contract.

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

Doris Fischer's pass with so many high-card points seems conservative, but with two bidding opponents her partner could have been completely broke. In any event, the defense had six top tricks but got only five.

Fischer started with the ¨9. Dhondy eyed the card suspiciously, but with little to rely on for her contract except hope, she played low. Two more diamonds provided a discard for one of Dhondy's losing clubs. Dhondy gave the defense one more chance to defeat her when, upon leading a low spade from dummy, she covered Bamberger's ª9 with the jack. Fischer won the king and could have defeated the contract by cashing the §A and continuing with a diamond, promoting her partner's ª10. Instead, Fischer cashed the ªA, followed by the §A and the §J. Dhondy ruffed and turned her attention to hearts. As the cards lay, she could not go wrong. If she played a low heart from her hand to dummy's 9, West could win but would have to play another heart (she had only the king left in clubs). East, in with the ace, would have to give declarer and ruff-sluff with a diamond or play a club, whereupon the king would be ruffed out.

Ín practice, Dhondy played to the ©J and ducked the return to East's ace. A hard-earned but well-deserved plus 110.

At the other table, Nevena Senior overcalled a natural 1NT when South opened 1§ and North responded 1ª. Penfold transferred to hearts and Senior brought home nine tricks by playing three rounds of hearts. The defenders took three diamonds tricks from there, but that was it. Plus 140 was good for a 6-IMP gain.

Another game swing extended England's lead to 26-7.

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

Penfold led the ©2 to the king, and Jovanka Smederevac played the §K from dummy. Penfold won and played a diamond to the jack and ace. Smederevac rode the ª10 to Senior's jack, and Penfold ruffed the heart return. The trump ace was still outstanding, so declarer finished with nine tricks and plus 140.

Fischer led the §4 to her partner's ace. Bamberger switched to her singleton heart, and when Fischer got in with the trump ace, she gave her partner a heart ruff. That was all for the defense, however, as Dhondy had the §K to take care of dummy's third diamond, so she didn't have to try to figure out that suit.

On the next deal, the auction had a significant influence on the outcome.

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

Smith led the ©J, and it was not long before Fischer was claiming 10 tricks for the loss of one heart, one club and one diamond.

Erhart led a low diamond to Smederevac's ace. Next on the table was the ©J. Penfold made the reasonable play of the ©K, which would freeze the suit if South had led from a doubleton ©J. Erhart did open 1©, after all. Unfortunately for her, the ©10 was with South, so when Erhart won the ©A and played another one, Penfold ducked. Down one England 7 IMPs.

Dhondy made a good decision on this deal to save her team from a loss.

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

Perhaps Smederevac sounded like she was saving against the heart game. It is difficult otherwise to understand the double of 5¨. Indeed, six was no problem at all, and Smederevac chalked up plus 650.

Dhondy, looking at four trumps, including the ace of the suit her partner had bid all on her own, plus controls in two outside suits, considered her bid carefully before raising to the slam. Plus 920 was good for 7 IMPs to England.

Super-aggressive bidding by Erhart and Smederevac produced a 10-IMP gain for the Austrians on this deal.

Board 13. Dealer North. Both Vul.
	ª A K 5 3 © J 9 4 ¨ K Q J 10 8 § Q
ª 10 9 4 2 © 6 2 ¨ A 9 2 § K 10 9 7		ª Q 7 © K 7 5 3 ¨ 7 4 § A J 8 5 3
	ª J 8 6 © A Q 10 8 ¨ 6 5 3 § 6 4 2

Erhart could not have fancied her chances of landing 11 tricks with that dummy in view, but the contract passed the ultimate test - it was a maker. With the doubleton ªQ falling, Erhart had no problem scoring plus 600, a 10-IMP gain since Smith and Dhondy played a more reasonable 2©, making three for plus 140.

Austria pulled to within 1 IMP when Bamberger and Fischer judged well in staying low in their heart contract while Penfold and Senior got to high and went off one.

Austria went ahead when the defense slipped on this deal to let a game through.

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

Fischer led the ¨7, taken in dummy with the ace, and she switched accurately to a trump when Dhondy played a club from dummy, hoping for a ruff. Dhondy had no chance after that and finished down one for minus 50.

Senior led the ©5 and Erhart inserted the 9 from dummy. Penfold had a difficult decision. Ducking would have worked out grandly on this occasion but what if partner had led from ©K 10 5? In that case, ducking would let declarer off with no heart losers. In practice, Penfold played the ©Q, taken by declarer with the ace.

Erhart nearly gave the contract back by playing the ªQ at trick two. Had Penfold won that trick and switched to a diamond, Erhart would have seen the ©J, her 10th trick, stranded in dummy. Penfold ducked, however, and Erhart quickly recovered, unblocking the other high heart from her hand, entering dummy with the ¨A and taking a club pitch on the ©J. That was plus 420 for Austria, now in the lead, 42-33.

The next deal was a push, but a diabolical opening lead by Bamberger nearly earned a huge gain for Austria.

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª A 9 8 7 6 © Q 8 6 ¨ 8 6 5 § K 3
ª 10 3 2 © 10 9 7 5 4 2 ¨ K 2 § 10 8		ª -- © K J 3 ¨ Q 10 7 § Q J 7 6 5 4 2
	ª K Q J 5 4 © A ¨ A J 9 4 3 § A 9

Senior led the §Q to dummy's ace. Erhart cashed the ©A and played a club to the king. She ruffed a heart and cashed the ªK and played a spade to the 8 in her hand. Next came a diamond, and Senior made the expert play of the ¨Q. Erhart won the ¨A, overtook the ªQ with the ace and played another diamond, inserting the 9 when Senior played low. That was just what the contract needed and she scored up plus 980. Smith had a much more difficult problem to work out.

Bamberger's opening shot was the ¨2! Fischer put up the queen. Smith won, played the top three spades from her hand, the played §A and a club to dummy's king. The moment of truth had arrived, and when Smith played a low diamond from dummy Fischer followed smoothly with the 7. Smith considered her play for a long time, and as the VuGraph camera focused on the cards in her hand, Smith finally pulled out the ¨9 and put it on the table. When the ¨K appeared, she had her slam.

England regained the lead on the next board when Fischer mishandled a game contract.

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

South led the §Q to Senior's ace and she immediately attacked diamonds, playing low to the 10. Erhart won the ¨Q, cashed the ace and exited with the ¨2, not exactly taxing defense. Senior played the ªA, ruffed a spade, ruffed a club and cashed the ©A, continuing with a heart to her hand. She was home with five hearts, two diamonds, two black aces and a club ruff.

Fischer also got the §Q lead. She won and played a diamond to the 10 and queen. Dhondy returned the ©10, and Fischer erred by winning the ©K in hand. Her diamonds were not established and the deal was threatening to become awkward. Fischer played a club and ruffed with the ace, establishing a trump trick for the defense, then played a diamond to dummy's king. Dhondy cashed the §K and exited with a diamond to the king. She still had a trump trick coming for plus 50 and 10 IMPs to England, who added 8 more IMPs on the last two boards for an impressive victory over a strong team.

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