The first-ever Round of 16 match in World Championship history got underway on Sunday morning. The vugraph show offered the mouthwatering prospect of two of the most entertaining teams in the world, Indonesia and Brazil.

The match began with a run of flat boards, but there was certainly scope for a swing on the last of them.

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

How strange that neither pair got close to the cold slam. The deal also seemed to cause problems in some of the other matches.

Denny Sacul opened a strong club and received a negative 1¨ response. Why he could not bid his spades now is unclear. Certainly, had he been able to jump in spades, Frankie Karwur who was already limited by his initial response, would have been worth a splinter raise and the slam might have been reached.

Gabriel Chagas opened with his partnership's big bid and Marcelo Branco's 2¨ response showed some values. Again, it is surprising that Branco did not think his hand worth a 4© cuebid on the way to 4ª after Chagas had rebid his spades. Anyway, the outcome was a flat board but an opportunity missed by both teams.

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

Would you open the West hand after three passes? Conventional wisdom would suggest that the answer should be no due to the shortage in spades, but both Eddy Manoppo and Joao Paulo Campos did open. The auctions were identical up to 2ª, when Manoppo decided that he could afford a take-out double while Campos did not.

There was nothing to the play of 2ª. Karwur lost three trumps and two clubs; +110. Branco led the ten of spades against Henky Lasut's 2NT contract and Chagas played the five, normal count. Declarer can always come to eight tricks if he reads the hand correctly, but the easy way proved to be a diamond to the queen at trick two. Branco won the ace and could not know not to play a second spade into declarer's tenace; +120 and 6 IMPs to Indonesia.

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

Four Spades looks to be an uphill struggle for declarer but the defence has to show some care. In the Closed Room, Campos led a heart and Karwur cashed three rounds to pitch his clubs. Then he led a diamond to the jack and queen. It looks as though a forcing game should just beat the contract now, but Campos played ace and another diamond for Miguel Villas-Boas to ruff and that was the end of the defence; +420.

In the Open Room, Manoppo led ace and another club to Branco's king. Declarer cashed two top spades, finding the bad break. Next, he cashed three rounds of hearts and pitched two diamonds. Drawing trumps would not have been good enough now as declarer does not have time to establish and cash a diamond. Branco played a diamond to his jack, and Manoppo could win and play two more rounds of diamonds - one down for -50 and 10 IMPs to Indonesia.

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

Karwur opened a weak 2© while the hand did not match Branco's standards for a vulnerable opening. Campos did not overcall 2NT, as would many, but when Villas-Boas could reopen with a double, he jumped to 3NT. After a heart lead, Campos took the club finesse and later played for the ace of spades to be onside. Not the greatest of games, but it had the priceless merit of being cold; +600.

Given a free run, the Indonesians stayed out of game in the other room. Facing a 15-17 no trump, I would fancy the East hand, with two four-card suits and all the high cards in the long suits, to drive to game. Lasut, perhaps allowing for the fact that he was facing an optimist who would bid on at any excuse, settled for an invitational sequence. After a low spade lead, ducked, and a heart switch, Manoppo took the club finesse then played safe for eight tricks; +120 but 10 IMPs to Brazil.

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

Manoppo/Lasut missed another thin game bid by their Brazilian counterparts. Facing an essentially natural opening bid, Campos bid game on his own, banking on his heart holding being worth more than usual on the auction. With diamonds 3-3 and the clubs coming in, there was no way to prevent him from making nine tricks for +600.

Manoppo decided not to look for game opposite the Precision 1¨ opening but to play for a penalty instead. He passed over the 1© overcall then made a penalty double when the 2© raise came around. Despite his shapely hand, Lasut knew a penalty double when he saw one and passed. Manoppo led the ten of spades and Branco overcame the first hurdle when he played low from dummy.

He won the ace and played a club to the queen and king and Lasut switched to a diamond for the jack and ace. Branco ruffed a club, starting the shortening process, then played king of spades and a spade to the jack. Lasut ruffed and played a diamond to the king and Manoppo returned a club. The defence could come to three trump tricks now, but the diamond loser went on one of those tricks so the contract was just one down; -200 but 9 IMPs to Brazil.

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

This was the last significant swing of the match and also the most interesting of the 16 deals. In the Closed Room, Campos led a low heart to dummy's ten. Karwur played a diamond to the jack and queen and Campos found a low spade switch to dummy's queen, ducked by Villas-Boas. Karwur crossed to the ace of clubs to cash two top hearts then exited with a spade. Campos rose with the ace of spades and played a club through. Karwur went up with the king and played a diamond to the ace then exited again with a spade. He was down one for -100, never really getting close to succeeding.

Manoppo led the nine of hearts to dummy's ten and Branco too played a diamond to the jack and queen. Manoppo continued with another heart and now Branco had a chance. He won, while pitching a diamond from dummy, then played a spade to the queen and king. Lasut thought for a while and, seeing that he was likely to be in trouble in the endgame, tried the effect of leading a club. Branco rose with the §A and ducked a diamond. Lasut won and returned his remaining diamond. Branco cashed his diamonds and one top heart, Manoppo coming down to two hearts and two spades, which would have beaten the contract had Lasut held the ten of spades. Now Branco led a spade and Manoppo took his ace but declarer could unblock the jack and therefore had a way back to hand to cash the last heart winner; +600 and 12 IMPs to Brazil.

Had declarer not held the ª10, he would have had to go down in this ending. Unable to unblock the jack of spades, he would have been put in dummy to concede the last trick to the queen of clubs, while if he cashed the last heart before playing a spade up Manoppo would have had a heart to cash to defeat the contract.

The set ended with Brazil ahead by 35-20 IMPs, a useful start, but there was a lot more bridge to be played in this match before a winner could be predicted with any confidence.

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