High hopes

Going into the 16th round of the Bermuda Bowl, the team from China lay 11th, 13.5 Victory Points out of the last qualifying spot. In round 15, the Chinese had earned a good victory against the tough team from Poland, 43-29, to emerge with 18 Victory Points and some hope.

It didn’t get any easier for the Chinese, however – their round 16 opponents were the team from Norway.

The Norwegians broke into the lead on board one when the Chinese in the open room mistimed the defense and let Geir Helgemo make 2¨, a contract defeated in the other room. That was 4-0 Norway.

China evened the match on the next deal when Boye Brogeland for Norway was minus 100 in the closed room in 5© while Tor Helness went down one in 4ª for minus 50.
Neither team made the most of board 20, but it was an interesting push.

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

West	North	East	South
Shi	Saelensminde	Zhuang	Brogeland
Pass	Pass	1ª	2§
2¨	All Pass

Haojun Shi took 11 tricks after the low club lead from North. West had time to set up spades for a heart discard. It wasn’t as easy for Helgemo, but he, too, took 11 tricks.

West	North	East	South
Helgemo	Fu	Helness	Zhao
3¨	Passs	3ª	Pass
3NT	Pass	4¨	All Pass

Zhong Fu started with a low heart, taking vital entries from dummy and precluding a strategy of setting up the spade suit via ruffs. Helgemo won the opening lead with the ©A and played a club. Jie Zhao rose with the §A and returned the ¨Q. Helgemo went up with the ace and returned the suit. In with the ¨K, Fu played another heart. That was all Helgemo needed. He won the king, returned to hand with the §K and ran trumps, squeezing South in the majors for the overtrick.

Norway broke the tie on the following deal.

Board 22. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	ª Q 9 8 3 © 9 4 ¨ A K Q 5 § K J 6
ª 7 5 4 © Q J 7 ¨ 8 6 2 § 10 8 7 4		ª A K 10 © A 8 5 ¨ J 10 7 § Q 9 3 2
	ª J 6 2 © K 10 6 3 2 ¨ 9 4 3 § A 5

West	North	East	South
Shi	Saelensminde	Zhuang	Brogeland
		1§	1©
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Zejun Zhuang started with the ªA, which did not terrorize declarer. In fact, there wasn’t much the Chinese could do to the contract and Erik Saelensminde scored up plus 400.

West	North	East	South
Helgemo	Fu	Helness	Zhao
		1NT	Pass
Pass	Pass

Jie Zhao, China

Helness stole the contract, but VuGraph commentators were predicting it wouldn’t be much of a loss for China because North-South were due to defeat the vulnerable contract by three tricks. It didn’t happen.

Zhao started with a low heart to the queen, and when Helness called for a club from dummy, Fu made the strange play of the §J. A grateful Helness put up the queen and shifted to a spade. Helness took Fu’s queen with the ace and played another club. Suddenly he had six tricks instead of four. He didn’t press his luck trying for more, and minus 100 was good for a 7-IMP gain for Norway.

The next deal was interesting because both declarers in 6ª had to find a queen to make their contracts – and both did.

Board 23. Dealer South. All Vul.
	ª J 9 5 2 © A 5 ¨ A J 10 § A J 7 2
ª A 10 8 © J 8 6 4 ¨ 6 5 § Q 10 8 3		ª - © Q 10 9 2 ¨ Q 9 8 3 § K 9 6 5 4
	ª K Q 7 6 4 3 © K 7 3 ¨ K 7 4 2 § -

West	North	East	South
Shi	Saelensminde	Zhuang	Brogeland
			1ª
Pass	2NT	Pass	4§
Pass	4NT	Pass	5¨
Pass	5©	Pass	6¨
Pass	6ª	All Pass

	Zejun Zhuang, China

Shi led a low club, and Brogeland played low from dummy, ruffing in hand. The idea was to try to get as good a count on the opponents’ hands as possible before trying to avoid a diamond loser.

Brogeland played a heart to dummy’s ace at trick one and cashed the §A, pitching a diamond from hand. He then played a spade to the king, ducked by West. Another spade brought Shi’s ace, and Shi continued with a third round of trumps. On the three rounds of spades, East had discarded a club, a low diamond and another club. Brogeland won the ª10 in dummy and played a heart to the king, followed by a heart ruff and a club ruff (East followed with the §K). When Brogeland played his last spade, East and West both discarded heart honors as dummy let go of the §J.

Brogeland eventually with with the odds, playing the player who was void in spades and had shown up with five clubs to also have the diamond length and therefore more likely the ¨Q. He played a diamond to the ace and ran the jack, earning plus 1430 for his team.

West	North	East	South
Helgemo	Fu	Helness	Zhao
			1ª
Pass	2NT	Pass	3§
Pass	3¨	Pass	4§
Pass	4¨	Pass	4©
Pass	4ª	Pass	5§
Pass	6ª	All Pass

Fu and Zhao did well to get to the slam. It was up to Zhao to make it. He also got a club for an opening lead, rising with the ace to pitch a diamond from hand. He played a spade right away to his king, ducked by Helgemo, who won the next round of spades and exited with a third. He won the trick in dummy, ruffed a club, played a heart to the ace, ruffed another club, then cashed the ©K and ruffed a heart. Helness at that point had played the §K and followed to three hearts and had discarded a diamond. Zhao, as Brogeland did, figured East for the ¨Q and he backed his judgment by played the ¨A and running the jack for a push.

Norway gained 8 IMPs on the following deal to extend their lead.

Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul.
	ª Q 4 3 © K 8 4 2 ¨ 10 2 § 10 8 6 2
ª J 10 9 5 © Q 9 5 3 ¨ A 8 3 § 7 5		ª K 8 6 2 © - ¨ K Q 9 § A K Q J 9 3
	ª A 7 © A J 10 7 6 ¨ J 7 6 5 4 § 4

West	North	East	South
Shi	Saelensminde	Zhuang	Brogeland
Pass	Pass	1§	2NT
Pass	3©	3ª	Pass
4ª	All Pass

South led his singleton club and Zhuang finished with 12 tricks (North must have covered the ªJ the first time the suit was played). Plus 480 for China.

West	North	East	South
Helgemo	Fu	Helness	Zhao
		1§	1©
1ª	3©	4©	5©
Dble	All Pass

Helgemo led the ªJ to the queen, king and ace. Zhao immediately played a diamond from hand to the 10 and queen. Helness returned a spade to Helgemo’s 9 and the §7 was returned. Helness won and played another high club, ruffed by Zhao, who continued with a second diamond. Helness won again and played a third round of clubs. Zhao erred by ruffing with the ©7. Helgemo considered his options and finally overruffed with the 9, getting out with the ª10. Zhao had to ruff with the ©10, so Helgemo eventually came to another heart trick for four down and plus 800 to Norway.

Trailing 20-11, China took the lead on this board with a well-judged auction.

Board 29. Dealer North. All Vul.
	ª K 10 9 6 3 © K 10 6 ¨ J 8 § A 10 2
ª 8 © J 8 3 ¨ 7 5 4 3 2 § Q 9 6 3		ª Q J 7 2 © 7 5 4 2 ¨ A Q 10 9 § 8
	ª A 5 4 © A Q 9 ¨ K 6 § K J 7 5 4

In the closed room, Saelensminde and Brogeland had bid to 4ª, which might have made with a successful guess in clubs. It didn’t happen, so Saelensminde finished one down for minus 100.

West	North	East	South
Helgemo	Fu	Helness	Zhao
	1ª	Pass	2§
Pass	2ª	Pass	2NT
Pass	3§	Pass	3ª
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Helgemo might have given declarer an anxious moment with a low diamond lead, but the suit was blocked, so three tricks were the limit in that suit. In practice, Helgemo started with a low heart, taken in dummy with the 10. Zhao then played a low club to his jack. Helgemo won the queen and continued with hearts, but Zhao had four clubs, three hearts and two spades for his vulnerable game and a gain of 12 IMPs.

Norway got it back on the next-to-last deal of the tight, well-played match. Curiously, the swing also was based on one team’s playing game in notrump and the other playing in spades. This time the suit contract was successful.

Board 31. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª 8 2 © A Q J 7 6 ¨ J 9 6 § K 10 2
ª Q 9 4 © 8 2 ¨ A Q 10 2 § A Q 8 7		ª A K J 6 © K 9 5 3 ¨ 5 4 § 6 5 3
	ª 10 7 5 3 © 10 4 ¨ K 8 7 3 § J 9 4

West	North	East	South
Shi	Saelensminde	Zhuang	Brogeland
			Pass
1¨	1©	Dble	Pass
1NT	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

It’s noteworthy that Shi bid 1NT and then 3NT without a stopper hearts. Fortuntely, his partner was wise enough to have four to the king for him in dummy. The heart stopper was used up right off the bat, however, and Shi simply didn’t have enough tricks. He finished two down for minus 100.

West	North	East	South
Helgemo	Fu	Helness	Zhao
			Pass
1§	1©	1ª	Pass
2ª	Pass	2NT	Pass
3¨	Pass	4ª	All Pass

Helgemo gave Helness all the information he needed – that he was short in hearts. Helness could figure his ©K would score, so he figured to get some ruffs in dummy. The ©10 went to the ace, and Fu returned the jack, suggesting his other values were in clubs. Helness won and, taking Fu at his word, tried the diamond finesse. When that worked, he was home. He cashed the ¨A, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a heart, cashed the §A and ruffed another diamond. He could then ruff his last heart with the ªQ and claimed with two club losers and the top two spades for 10 tricks and a nifty 11-IMP gain.

China fought hard, but Norway emerged with the 31-23 victory.