| 36th World Team Championships, Monte Carlo, Monaco | Friday, 7 November 2003 |
Egypt v Brazil/Argentina – Senior Bowl Round 6 The combined Brazil/Argentina team representing Zone 3 met Egypt with both teams starting their Round 6 match a little below average. It was important for both to get a good win under their belts.
I am not aware of any systemic requirement to explain Gabriel Chagas’s 2§ response at the other table. If he simply intended to inhibit a club lead then he did not succeed in that goal, though the lead was irrelevant, but perhaps his choice of response helped Pedro Paolo Assumpcao to pass the 4© rebid; +650 and 13 IMPs to Brazil/Argentina.
The Egyptian East/West pair got too high when Wael Wattar felt that his hand fell someway in between a 2© and 3© rebid so invented a club suit then repeated the hearts. Four Hearts had to fail by a trick; -100. Martin Monsegur contented himself with a top-weight 2© rebid and was left to play there for a comfortable +140 and 6 IMPs to Brazil/Argentina.
Kamel’s 2© rebid showed the standard minimum handtype with six hearts and it seems aggressive that Shaker invited game. It was perhaps a little unfortunate that the club values were not pulling their weight, but 4© always rated to be a thin contract and so it proved. Guillermo Mooney led the queen of spades to dummy’s ace and Kamel playe dtwo more rounds of spades. Back came a club and he won and cashed the other club winner before ruffing his last spade with dummy’s ©10. Monsegur over-ruffed and played a diamond to his partner’s king. With no entry to dummy, there were two more hearts to lose for down two; -200. Abdel Samie did not double the opening bid at the other table and Assumpcao followed an invitational sequence focusing on diamonds. There were three trump losers plus a heart and a spade; down one for –100 but 3 IMPs to Brazil/Argentina.
Samie opened 1NT and was left to play there. After a diamond lead he managed to find a way to seven tricks for +90. Mooney had to open 1§ and rebid in no trump and now Shaker doubled to show an opening hand including some club length. Kamel removed that to 2¨ and played there on the lead of a top spade. Mooney switched to a club and kamel won the ace and crossed to a top diamond. It looks right to play a spade now, thereby preserving a later trump entry to hand, but Kamel cashed the second diamond first. Had Mooney gone up with the ªK there would have been eight easy tricks but he correctly played low and dummy’s queen scored. Kamel ruffed a spade then played a heart to Mooney’s king. Mooney cashed the ¨Q and played a club and Kamel ducked to the queen. Monsegur returned a heart and Kamel had eight tricks for +90 and a flat board.
Kamel’s double then bid 2© combination looks too much and it got him too high. Mooney cashed a top spade then switched to a diamond for the king and ace so there was no danger of a defensive slip-up. Kamel won the diamond and played a spade up and Mooney won then cashed his black winners before exiting with a club. When declarer got the trumps wrong he was down two for –100. Wattar responded with the West cards and Chagas made a simple overcall. Two Hearts made exactly on a similar line of play for +110 and 5 IMPs to Brazil/Argentina.
Monsegur showed a weak no trump type and played in 1NT on a low heart lead, which he ran to his queen. Declarer tried the ªQ from hand and that was allowed to hold the trick. Next he played a heart to the jack followed by a club to the king and a second round to the jack and ace. Back came a spade. Monsegur took his winners then led to the ¨K for an overtrick; +120. Wattar stretched his hand and was raised to 3NT via Stayman. Chagas led a spade to the queen but that gave declarer nothing he could not do for himself. On this lie of the cards there was no way to come to nine tricks and the contract actually went two down for –200 and 8 IMPs to Brazil/Argentina.
I am not convinced that Kamel’s 2NT bid shows a mere weak no trump but the Egyptians managed to get to a making game when he repeated no trump at his next turn. Shaker thought for some time before passing but eventually came to the winning decision. Mooney led a spade to the nine and jack and Kamel led the ¨9 for ten and ace then a second round to the eight and jack. The fortunate (or unfortunate according to your perspective) club position left the defence powerless. When Mooney switched to a heart then played a second heart on winning the next diamond declarer had ten tricks for +630. Assumpcao made the strange decision to bid his four-card heart
suit and it was normal, even looking at that spade holding, for
Chagas to raise the hearts then choose to play 4© rather than 5¨
- not that it mattered once 3NT had been left behind. Four Hearts
went two down for –200 and 13 IMPs to Egypt, a little relief
at the end of a poor set for them. |
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