Canada vs Thailand

As the boards 1 to 10 of round no. 9 are covered in the article Netherlands v USA 1, the report of the match between Canada and Thailand concentrates on the second half, which of course is the "starter" for the Closed Room, where your reporter lived to see a slightly nervous (due to his presence?) but highly entertaining match with the players' all smiles.
Canada scored first, when its North player made a very sensible decision in the Open Room:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Sasibut	Grainger	Limsinsopon	Wolpert
			1©
2¨	2ª	2NT	3ª
3NT	4ª	All Pass

When North went for a forcing 2ª bid, Canada had no problem getting to the right spot, and scored a maximum plus, when East/West failed to save in 5¨, which is either one or two off depending on whether declarer gets the trumps right or wrong - Canada +420.
In the Closed Room Thailand's North player felt he had to show spades and clubs via a negative double:

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
			1©
2¨	Dble	4¨	4©
All Pass

Josh Heller, Canada

When the tray came back he was faced with a self-made "double trouble". Finally North passed and South was left to play in the inferior contract of 4©. The defence started with §A and a switch to ª9. Declarer won in dummy and played a second round of clubs. East went in with the queen and fired back ©7. East won declarer's 8 with the 9 and played another club. Declarer ruffed in hand, ruffed a diamond, and led §9. East ruffed in with ©Q and South overruffed with the ace. Now declarer played a heart to the king and consequently lost another diamond for two down - Canada +100 and 11 IMPs. The next board recorded a thoughtful and flawless bidding sequence in the Closed Room:

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
All Pass

The Open Room on the contrary came to Mangaratiba to play and double, but certainly not to pass:

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Sasibut	Grainger	Limsinsopon	Wolpert
Pass	Pass	1¨	Pass
1ª	Pass	Pass	Dble
Pass	2§	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

North/South reached their best spot, which was undefeatable the actual layout given - Canada +180 and 5 IMPs.

A game of ping pong in board 15 between declarer and defence saw Thailand entering the scoreboard in the end:

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.   ª A © K 8 5 4 ¨ K Q 6 3 § K 10 8 6 ª K 8 7 © 10 7 3 2 ¨ A J 4 2 § 4 3 ª J 4 3 2 © Q 6 ¨ 8 5 § A Q 7 5 2   ª Q 10 9 6 5 © A J 9 ¨ 10 9 7 § J 9

1 NT, 2¨, 2ª, 2NT and 4© were popular contracts in other the matches, but Thailand - optimistically as always - managed to get to the unbeatable 3NT:

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
			Pass
Pass	1¨	Pass	1ª
Pass	2§	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

But as a wise man once said, even unbeatable contracts can sometimes be beaten... by the declarer himself. West led ©2 to the queen and ace and declarer switched to ¨10 to West's ace, who played back ª7 to dummy's ace. After a heart to the jack, South should have finessed in hearts, but he "pinged" and played the club finesse. From this moment on he is down, if East e.g. takes the trick, plays back a spade, takes the club return with the ace and exits with a club or a diamond. Declarer is stuck in dummy and will have to concede a heart in the end. At the table East ducked the §J, took §9 with the queen and played back ¨8 to the 9, jack and queen. When declarer now got off lead in clubs again, East now "ponged" and returned a club. As dummy's ¨6 had become a winner in the process of play, declarer was able to collect §K, ©K and two diamonds and was home again - Thailand +600.

Kirawat Limsinsopo, Thailand

Had South finessed in hearts earlier on, there's nothing the defenders can do to prevent him from scoring game. No matter what West does, declarer can turn to clubs now and is home as the ªJ is with East. Whenever the defenders cash their spade trick, dummy throws his diamond loser and will be high only a few tricks later.

One board later Thailand tried out a slight variation of the common style of cue bidding, but this time East was not to be impressed:

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
Pass	1NT	Pass	2©
Pass	2ª	Pass	4¨
Pass	5§	Pass	5¨
Pass	5©	Pass	6ª
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

Whatever made North go past 4ª without a heart control and then even pretending that he had one, we will never know. Anyhow, East had a perfect double and might have collected +300 points but then the following happened.
After cashing ©AK, East switched to a diamond, which was ruffed in dummy. Now declarer continued with a spade to the king a spade to the ace and ªQ. Then he did not call for another spade but §10. East, who thought another trump had been played "discarded" ¨7. He was about to realize what had happened, when his partner made the mistake to ask "No clubs, partner". This established the revoke, although East/West had not played a card to the next trick. Strangely enough neither East nor West knew about this, as the ACBL laws allow this question on defence without any penalty.
Anyhow, the Canadian pair lost one of its three tricks, but that was still +100 in their column.
In the other room, Canada showed no intention to run into difficulties at the five- or six-level:

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Sasibut	Grainger	Limsinsopon	Wolpert
	1NT	Pass	4©
Pass	4ª	All Pass

After he had cashed ©AK, East laid down §K, which explains declarer 's overtrick for +450. The total of +550 gave Canada 11 IMPs.

But it only took Thailand one more board to "get their money back":

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
	1©	Pass	Pass
2§	3ª	Pass	4ª
All Pass

In the Closed Room North was very happy to bid again and showed his hand by a "hyper-reverse". When South raised and East didn't feel like taking a decision at the five-level, North had no great difficulties to wrap up ten tricks - Thailand +420.
At the other table Thailand followed another philosophy:

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Sasibut	Grainger	Limsinsopon	Wolpert
	1©	Pass	Pass
2§	3ª	Pass	4ª
Pass	Pass	5§	5©
Dble	All Pass

When East sacrificed and South - obviouly expecting a little more from partner - showed the double fit, Canada had gone overboard - Thailand +100 and 11 IMPs.

Compare the auctions on the next deal, and make up your mind, which you prefer:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Sasibut	Grainger	Limsinsopon	Wolpert
			Pass
1ª	Pass	2ª	All Pass

All quiet on that front, where Thailand scored an easy overtrick - Thailand +140. At the other tables there was a little more fireworks to say the least:

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
			1¨
1ª	2¨	2ª	Pass
3§	Pass	4ª	Pass
Pass	Dble !	Pass	5¨ !
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

When Canada reached a thin game that would not have made, North found a rather exotic double, which obviously gave partner a choice of what do. Otherwise one can't explain why South looking at two small spades would retreat to 5¨. The defence started with three rounds of spades. Declarer ruffed and played a diamond to the king and a diamond back to the 10 and ace. He then finessed in clubs and played a heart towards his king. East rose with the ace and returned a club to the jack, king and ace. Now declarer cashed ©K ruffed a heart, finessed again in trumps and conceded a club at the end, which meant +300 to Canada, who gained 4 IMPs, when they could have lost 6.

Just before the end of the half it was slam-time:

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

Canada in the Open Room found their best fit and simply used Keycard Blackwood to locate ªKQ and the two aces in declarer's hand and reach the grand competently:

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Sasibut	Grainger	Limsinsopon	Wolpert
Pass	1NT	Pass	2©
Pass	2ª	Pass	3¨
Pass	3ª	Pass	4NT
Pass	5¨	Pass	5©
Pass	6ª	Pass	7ª
All Pass

At the other table, Thailand's methods looked a bit unorthodox:

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Demuy	Chitngamkusol	Heller	Trimankha
Pass	1NT	Pass	2©
Pass	2ª	Pass	3¨
Pass	3ª	Pass	4¨
Pass	4©	Pass	5NT ?
Pass	7ª

Of course North was happy to bid 7ª because he knew that he had all the controls and the vital trump honors, but how could South know, when he left out Blackwood?

As the first ten boards ended 29-28 in favour of Thailand, Canada's 31-21 of the second half gave them a 59-50 win, 17-13 in IMPs to remain undefeated and stay on top of the leaderboard.