Fast start

Italy and Poland in the Olympiad Open series figured to be an entertaining match, and the two strong teams did not disappoint. Late in the first set, Italy broke open a close match to take the lead 35-8. You will see later in this report why one wag in the vugraph audience had the apropos comment that "The Pope is Polish, but God is always Italian."

The match started quietly as Poland earned an overtrick IMP on the first board, followed by a deal which ended as a push but not in a way anyone would predict.

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

Alfredo Versace started with the §Q, continuing with a club to Lorenzo Lauria's ace. A third club to the king put Versace in position to cash a fourth trick, but he switched to a heart, perhaps tempting Cezary Balicki to take a losing spade finesse, whereupon Versace would cash the setting trick. Unfortunately, Balicki could not finesse in spades, so he won the heart shift, cashed two more rounds of the suit and ducked a diamond to North. From there, he had nine tricks and a plus 400.

It looked like a solid gain for Poland, but something happened on the way to down one.

Giorgio Duboin got his break at trick one when Jacek Pszczola led the §9 and Michal Kwiecen, unable the lead, played low! Duboin ran off with his nine tricks for a bizarre push.

Italy broke in front with Kwiecen and Pszczola overbid to 3NT, suffering a two-trick set for minus 100 while Versace and Lauria stopped in 2¨, making 10 tricks for plus 130. It was 6-1 Italy.

Poland tied the match on this deal.

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

Balicki started with the ªA and ªK, and the defenders took five spade tricks to open proceedings. The ¨9 went to dummy's ace, and declarer played a club to the ace and a club to the jack, queen and king. Despite the lucky lie of the clubs, declarer still had only six tricks and went one down for minus 100.

Kwiecen started with the ¨A and, after a long think, switched to a low club. Had Bocchi played low and guessed well in hearts, he was due to take nine tricks for a 1-IMP gain. It didn't work out that way, however, as Bocchi went up with the §K, losing two tricks in that suit, and later played a low heart to the king, losing another two tricks to go with the two diamond losers for minus 100 and a 5-IMP loss.

The teams exchanged 2-IMP swings on the next two boards, and the match was tied at 8-8. Five straight flat boards followed, and it was beginning to look like the two teams were going to match each other on every result. Italy was lucky that one of the pushes was not a 12-IMP loss.

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

Balicki reached 4ª on the East cards and got the lead of the ¨5. He took the 10 with the ace and played a heart to the 10. North ducked when declarer followed with the ªK. The ªQ was taken by the ace and the jack of trumps was cashed, but the defenders could take only the §A from there. Plus 620 to Poland.

Pszczola led the ¨6, and Duboin went up with dummy's ace. He should have played a heart for the finesse, but he played a spade at trick two. North won the ªA and played another diamond, won in dummy. The heart finesse was taken at that point, and Duboin realized he was in a bit of a bind. He tried to sneak a club past the ace he hoped was with North, but South took the §J with the ace. At that point, the game could have been defeated if Kwiecen had exited with a club, sticking him in his hand. Would have been able to play another club and exit with the ªQ and another spade, but North would have been able to exit with the ¨Q, and Duboin would have been down to hoping that South started with the doubleton ©K. The result would have been down one.

Kwiecen, however, got out with a diamond, and Duboin took advantage of the error. He ruffed, cashed the two clubs and played his high spade, followed by his low one. North had to play a heart or a minor suit, any of which get declarer home. A narrow escape for Italy.

Italy took advantage of a poor decision by Pszczola on the following deal for a 9-IMP gain.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	ª Q J 4 © Q J ¨ K 9 5 2 § A 9 5 4
ª 10 8 2 © A 9 6 5 ¨ 10 8 7 § K Q 7		ª K 9 7 3 © K 4 ¨ A Q J 6 3 § 10 8
	ª A 6 5 © 10 8 7 3 2 ¨ 4 § J 6 3 2

3§ could have been bloody if Adam Zmudzinski and Balicki had stopped to double that contract, but they pushed on to 3¨, just making for plus 110.

When someone opens 1NT on such slim values, you can't shake the feeling that they are trying to steal from you, and that can cloud the judgment on occasion. This would seem to be one of those times - the North had has 14 HCP, but the heart holding is of dubious value and the spots in the minors are poor. At any rate, the Italians knew what to do, punishing 2© for minus 500. Duboin started with the §Q, taken by the ace and followed by a club to the 10, jack and king. A club ruff in the short hand followed, and Bocchi played the ©K next. He switched to a low spade, ducked to the 8 and Q. There were still two heart tricks, a diamond and a spade to come for the defense. It was a 9-IMP swing for Italy.

Italy picked up another 3 IMPs when Duboin made a good guess to find his partner's unknown suit for an extra undertrick on this deal.

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

The bad trump split doomed this unlucky contract to down one. East led the ¨A and continued with a diamond to the queen. West still had a diamond to tap declarer with, so he could do no better than playing on clubs to avoid a huge minus.

A spade lead would have assured down one, but Duboin started with a low diamond. East won the ace and returned the 10 to the queen as Duboin unblocked. All Kwiecen could do was run his clubs and concede two down for minus 100 and another 3 IMPs to Italy.

The deal that had the vugraph commentators remarking on the Italians' luck was next.

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª -- © 9 7 4 3 2 ¨ K Q J 9 5 2 § Q 7
ª 10 9 3 2 © 5 ¨ A 10 6 § A J 10 6 2		ª A K Q J 8 © A K Q J 8 ¨ 4 3 § 3
	ª 7 6 5 4 © 10 6 ¨ 8 7 § K 9 8 5 4

This excellent contract was doomed by the bad splits in the majors. North led the ¨K to the ace and declarer played a spade to the ace, learning of the 4-0 trump break. He played the top two hearts, and if the third one had lived, he could have claimed after discarding a diamond. Unfortunately for Zmudzinski, South ruffed the ©Q and there was no way around a loser. Zmudzinski no doubt was disappointed not to make the grand slam, but he must also have been nearly certain it was a push. Who could stay out of the grand with all the aces and those two major suits?

The answer: Duboin and Bocchi, that's who.

What happened in the auction is hard to tell, but Duboin's decision not to cuebid his ¨A until the auction had reached the five level should have resulted in a loss of 11 IMPs. Instead, the lucky Italians chalked up a 14-IMP gain on their way to a good start in their quest for a world title.

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