World Youth Teams Championship
2003
The recent World Youth Team Championship was held
in Paris, at the French Bridge Federation headquarters. The holders,
USA2, lost an epic semi-final to Italy by just half an IMP after
being over 60 IMPs behind going into the last 16-board segment.
Italy met Denmark in the final, the Danes having defeated Poland
in their semi-final. The Italians led throughout the final and were
never in any danger of losing. They took the gold medals, Denmark
the silver, and USA2 the bronze after they beat Poland in the third-place
play-off.
These are a few of the more interesting deals from
the championship. How to Read the Cards Properly. Here is a board
from the Round 9 of the Round Robin where declarer easily can make
a mistake and go down.
Board 4. All Vul. Dealer West. |
|
ª Q 6 2
© A K 9 4
¨ J 10 4 3
§ A 7 |
ª J 9 8 7
© 8 7 6 3
¨ Q 9 6
§ 10 9 |
|
ª A 10 5 4 3
© J
¨ K 8
§ K Q J 8 6 |
|
ª K
© Q 10 5 2
¨ A 7 5 2
§ 5 4 3 2 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Chitngamak. |
Ellestad |
Vichayapai. |
Jorstad |
Pass |
1NT |
2ª |
2NT |
Pass |
3§ |
Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
4© |
All Pass |
|
Olav Ellestad opened 1NT 14-16 HCP and Vichayapaibunnag's
overcall 2ª showed
spades and a minor. 2NT was a relay for 3§
and 3NT promised four hearts and a spade stopper (well, it happened
before that the bare king won a trick).
In 4©
you seem to have a loser in every suit except trumps but the declarer
must play very carefully not to be shortened in trumps. East led
§K to the ace and
Ellestad let East win trick two with ªA.
East cashed a club trick then declarer ruffed the club continuation.
Ellestad played ace and king of trumps to find these were split
four-one. Now East's distribution was clear like an open book: 5-1-2-5.
Ellestad played East to have one of the high cards in diamonds and
led ¨10 which ran
to the queen. Note the importance of keeping the queen of spades
in hand, because if declarer had won ªQ
earlier West now could switch to a spade and force a ruff in dummy.
A Successful Operation
After a week of very serious bridge, it is perhaps
understandable that a few of the players in the
Swiss Pairs are taking things in a slightly more light-hearted manner
than usual. Not that they do not want to win, just that the way
in which to achieve that goal may involve a little more imagination
than usual. The irregular Norwegian pairing of Gunnar Harr and Olav
Ellestad tried a little operation during the first match of the
competition, their victims being first-time partnership Michael
Wilkinson (Australia) and Gareth Birdsall (England).
Board 8. None Vul. Dealer West. |
|
ª J 4
© 8 7
¨ A K Q J 4
§ K J 9 7 |
ª A 10 9 8 6
© Q 10 4
¨ 10 8 2
§ 8 5 |
|
ª 7 5 3
© J 6 3
¨ 9 7 5
§ 10 6 3 2 |
|
ª K Q 2
© A K 9 5 2
¨ 6 3
§ A Q 4 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Ellestad |
Birdsall |
Harr |
Wilkinson |
Pass |
1¨ |
Dble |
Rdbl |
1© |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
1ª |
Pass |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
|
|
|
Non-vulnerable, and facing a passed partner, Gunnar
Harr decided to create a little diversion with one of the weaker
take-out doubles we have seen this week. When Wilkinson redoubled,
Ellestad decided to join in with a psychic bid of his own - perhaps
he could get himself doubled in 1ª,
which looked to have good chances, if he could get his opponents
started with the doubling.
Sure enough, Wilkinson had an obvious double of 1©
but, when Ellestad ran to his real suit, he did not fancy doubling
that and made a rather heavy jump to the no trump game. Ellestad
thought a little about doubling the final contract but wisely decided
that if someone was a little light for his bid it was more likely
to be his partner than anyone else so passed. Twelve tricks were
easy, of course, and the Norwegians had carried out a most successful
operation as their opponents missed the laydown slam.
A Touch of Inspiration
Canada defeated China Hong Kong in Round 11 but Henry
Wong outplayed his counterpart on this deal when he found a way
home in a 4ª contract that failed at the other table.
Board 14. None Vul. Dealer East. |
|
ª 9 6 3
© K 9 5 3
¨ K 8 3 2
§ K 3 |
ª 7 5 2
© 8
¨ A Q 10 7 6 5
§ A J 7 |
|
ª K Q 10 8 4
© A Q J 2
¨ 4
§ 9 6 4 |
|
ª A J
© 10 7 6 4
¨ J 9
§ Q 10 8 5 2 |
Wong was East and received the lead of a low club,
which he ran to Vincent Demuy's king. Demuy returned a club to dummy's
jack and Wong led a heart to the queen then ruffed a heart. A spade
to the king lost to the ace and Gavin Wolpert gave his partner a
club ruff. Demuy exited safely with his last spade and Wong got
that right, rising with the queen to drop the jack. Now he ran the
rest of the trumps and North was squeezed in the red suits. Naturally,
having got this far,Wong got the ending right for a fine +420 and
10 IMPs to China Hong Kong.
I am not sure that this is the best theoretical line,
but who can argue with success? When you're hot, you're hot!
Trump Promotion
Norway defeated Egypt by 17-13 VPs in the Friday
morning vugraph match but it seemed at one point as though they
were headed for a much more substantial win. This deal helped in
the Egyptian fightback.
Board 15. N/S Vul. Dealer South. |
|
ª Q 2
© K J 6 3
¨ Q 9 4 3
§ 7 4 2 |
ª A 9 3
© 9 5 4
¨ A K J 8
§ A 8 3 |
|
ª 10 7 6
© A Q 10 8
¨ 10 7 6
§ 10 9 5 |
|
ª K J 8 5 4
© 7 2
¨ 5 2
§ K Q J 6 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Yousry |
Ellestad |
Rabie |
Jorstad |
|
|
|
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
Pass |
2¨ |
Dble |
Rdbl |
Pass |
2ª |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
All Pass |
Ronny Jorstad's 2¨
bid showed a single-suiter and Olav Ellestad's redouble asked him
to show which it was. The final double was a little sporting given
Ahmed Rabie's trump holding but it proved to be a well-timed action
as the play unfolded.
Ahmed Yousry kicked off with a top diamond and switched
at trick two to a heart for the king and ace. Rabie returned the
§10 for the jack
and ace and Yousry played a second heart to jack and queen. Now
Rabie accurately switched back to diamonds, leading the ten, and
Yousry won and played a third round to establish the possible trump
promotion. Declarer made the small psychological error of finessing
the ¨9 successfully
to pitch his fourth club. The queen is slightly better because it
is that little bit easier for East to ruff a winner on the fourth
round than a loser, should he not be alive to the trump promotion
possibilities.
Now declarer played the ¨Q
himself, hoping that this would make it harder for the defence to
appreciate that a promotion was the right thing to play for. Sure
enough, Rabie discarded a club instead of ruffing with the ª10
as required. Now a trump play would hold the contract to down only
one, but declarer lost his way and played a club instead. Only now
did he play a spade to the queen and another one back to his king.When
Yousry won the ªA
it was clear to play a club and when Rabie ruffed in with the ten
the ª9 was promoted
for the second undertrick for –500.
Nice Defence
In Round 4, France defeated the champions, USA2,
by 20-10 VPs. This nice defence from Olivier Bessis and Godefroy
de Tessieres helped them on their way.
Board 2. N/S Vul. Dealer East. |
|
ª K J 9 3
© K 6
¨ J 9 7 6
§ K J 4 |
ª A 8 6 4
© 10 8
¨ K Q
§ A 10 9 6 3 |
|
ª Q 10
© A Q 7 5 4
¨ A 10 8
§ 8 5 2 |
|
ª 7 5 2
© J 9 3 2
¨ 5 4 3 2
© Q 7 |
Joel Wooldridge declared 3NT as East on the lead of
the seven of spades, ducked to the king. Bessis returned a spade
to the queen and Wooldridge led a club to the ten and jack. Now
Bessis found the only card in his hand to create a problem for declaer,
the ©6. Of course,
had Wooldridge put in his queen, everything would have been easy,
but a different layout of the clubs and hearts could have turned
this into the losing play. At the table he played low and de Tessieres
won the jack. He wasted no time in shooting a third spade through
dummy's holding and declarer won the ace and continued with ace
and another club. When Bessis held both the long spade and long
club the contract had to fail by a trick for -50. Around the room,
3NT normally succeeded.
|