Steamroller

Roumen Trendafilov, Bulgaria

The team from Bulgaria entered the last day of play in the Bermuda Bowl round-robin with momentum on their side, having won four victories on Friday to vault into a qualifying spot at No. 6 from 15th place.

Bulgaria faced a challenge in a Swedish team also regaining its form and pushing for a spot in the top eight. It would be a tough match.

Sweden scored first, taking a 7-0 lead on board 1when Kalin Karaivanov and Roumen Trendafilov overbid to 3NT in the closed room, going down three tricks, while Anders Morath and Marten Gustawsson stopped in the much more reasonable contract of 2¨, making two overtricks for plus 130.

Bulgaria took the lead on the very next board, however.

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

West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lindkvist	Trendafilov	Fredin
		1NT	Pass
Pass	Dble	Pass	Pass
2§	Pass	Pass	Dble
All Pass

Ivan Nanev’s weak 1NT blew the Swedes out of the water and the collected only plus 100 in the doubled partscore. In the open room, the Bulgarians had a free run to the best spot.

West	North	East	South
Gustawsson	Mihov	Morath	Nanev
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1NT	Pass	2§
Pass	2©	Pass	4©
All Pass

Morath started with the ¨10, taken with dummy’s queen, and Vladimir Mihov played the ª7 to the 8 and Morath’s king.

The low heart return went to the 10 and king and a club was returned to the queen. There wasn’t much more to the play. Mihov had plus 620 and Bulgaria 11 IMPs.

Bulgaria scored again when the Swedes at both tables took unsuccessful views.
On the next board, Gustawsson played well to land his game contract.

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

In the closed room, Fredin made an imaginative bid that paid off for the Swedes.

West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lindkvist	Trendafilov	Fredin
1©	3ª	Pass	Pass
Dble	Pass	4©	4ª
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

Magnus Lindkvist went down only two for minus 300.

West	North	East	South
Gustawsson	Mihov	Morath	Nanev
1§	3ª	Pass	Pass
4©	All Pass

Mihov started with his singleton club, and Gustawsson played expertly to land 10 tricks. He won the §K in dummy, played two rounds of trumps, ending in hand, then cashed the §A and ruffed his club loser. He returned to hand with the ¨A and claimed for plus 620 and a 4-IMP gain.

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

West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lindkvist	Trendafilov	Fredin
Pass	5§	Pass	6§
All Pass

Peter Fredin’s gamble might have worked – indeed, at least one East-West pair let the slam through – but Trendafilov did not err on defense, starting with the ªA and switching to a diamond for plus 50.

West	North	East	South
Gustawsson	Mihov	Morath	Nanev
Pass	2§	2©	3§
3©	5§	Dble	All Pass

There were only two tricks for the defense, so Mihov had plus 550 and another 12 IMPs for his side.

On board 10, Nanev had to defend well to avoid a loss.

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

In the closed room, Trendafilov and Karaivanov stopped in the sensible contract of 2© after a Multi 2¨ opener by East. The contract made on the nose for plus 110.

Gustawsson and Morath were more ambitious.

West	North	East	South
Gustawsson	Mihov	Morath	Nanev
		2©	Pass
2NT	Pass	3¨	Pass
4©	All Pass

This was not a good contract. Nanev started with a high diamond and had the first of two chances to make the killing club switch (he was going to get in with the ©K, of course). He did it at trick two, and Morath had no chance. Plus 50 gave Bulgaria 5 IMPs instead of a 7-IMP loss.

The match was close until Bulgaria blew it open with two major swings near the end.

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

Karaivanov and Trendafilov sailed into a spade slam that has the virtue of being cold, thanks to the lie of the club suit. The Swedes in the closed room could not have felt good about writing minus 1430 in their scorecards.

Gustawsson and Morath conducted a labored auction to 3NT by West, taking 11 tricks on the lead of a low club, ducked to South’s queen. That was plus 660 but a 13-IMP loss.

The next-to-last board was the crusher for Sweden.

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

West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lindkvist	Trendafilov	Fredin
			1ª
2§	2ª	3NT	4©
Pass	4ª	Dble	All Pass

West started with the §A, switching to the ¨A at trick two. Fredin ruffed and played the ªQ to the king. Trendafilov got out with a low diamond, ruffed in the closed hand. Fredin then played a club to dummy’s king and returned a heart, finessing with the jack. West won the ©Q and continued to tap declarer with another diamond. At that point, Fredin could not afford to play another trump – if he did, East could cash a diamond. There was no way to avoid down two for minus 500.

West	North	East	South
Gustawsson	Mihov	Morath	Nanev
			1ª
2§	3ª	3NT	4ª
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

Gustawsson started with the §A, but at trick two he switched to the ©Q. It was easy from there for Nanev, who lost only the two high trumps from there for plus 790 and a 15-IMP swing for Bulgaria, who continued on their roll to a spot in the quarter-final round with a 57-21 victory. The only question was who their opponents would be.