Back in the saddle

After their hair-raising scramble to make it to the quarter-finals of the Bermuda Bowl, it wouldn’t have been surprising to find the members of USA II to be emotionally drained and slightly flat. Instead, the reprieve seemed to have energized the team. It was Poland, their opponents, who paid the price – at least in the first set.

The Poles started with a 4-IMP carryover, and they quickly upped it to 15 when Pratap Rajadhyaksha went down in a slam he might have made.

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

West	North	East	South
Zawislak	Wolff	Krupowicz	Morse
		1§	Pass
1©	Pass	3NT	Pass
4©	All Pass

Marcin Krupowicz’s 3NT showed a strong heart raise with undisclosed shortness. After the lead of the ªQ, Slawek Zawislak had no trouble making 12 tricks for a disappointing plus 480.

In the open room, the auction gave Krzysztof Jassem clue that allowed him to make the key play.

West	North	East	South
Landen	Gawrys	Pratap	Jassem
		1§	1ª
Dble	Pass	2ª	Pass
3§	Pass	3©	Pass
3ª	Dble	Redbl	Pass
4©	Pass	4NT	Pass
5¨	Dble	6©	All Pass

Jassem started with a low heart, taken in dummy. Pratap played a spade to the ace and the ¨8 from hand. Because of Piotr Gawrys’s double of 5¨, Jassem knew Pratap would not guess the correct diamond play, and indeed he did not, putting in the jack. When that lost to North’s queen, the slam could no longer be made without a defensive error. (a spade or diamond return, for example). Gawrys did not err, returning a trump, and although declarer could ruff out the ¨A, he could not get back to dummy and cash it without suffering a ruff by South. Minus 50 meant an 11-IMP loss for USA II.

The tide turned on board 5.

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

Landen and Pratap overbid the East-West cards to 4©, which has four inevitable losers, and they were down one for minus 50.

West	North	East	South
Zawislak	Wolff	Krupowicz	Morse
	Pass	2©	2NT
Dble	All Pass

Marcin Krupowicz, Poland

West might have allowed for the weakness of his partner’s hand given the favorable vulnerability. He most certainly had cause to regret his double of 2NT. He started with the ª9, not the lead to threaten declarer’s contract. The defenders had a five club tricks, but they could not take them because of the blockage, and Morse easily scored an overtrick in 2NT doubled for plus 890 and 13-IMP gain.

There was more bad news for Poland on the next deal, as Krupowicz and Zawislak missed a vulnerable game bid by Landen and Pratap. All of a sudden, Poland was behind 26-15.

More bad news was waiting on board 7.

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

West	North	East	South
Zawislak	Wolff	Krupowicz	Morse
			1¨
Pass	1ª	2¨	Pass
2©	Dble	Pass	3§
Pass	3NT	All Pass

It’s difficult to fault East for leading his top-heavy spade suit instead of the hearts. The result wasn’t a good one, however, as Wolff took his nine top tricks for plus 600.

West	North	East	South
Landen	Gawrys	Pratap	Jassem
			1¨
Pass	1ª	Pass	2§
Pass	2©	Dble	Pass
3©	5§	All Pass

3NT wasn’t going to work on this bidding, and all Jassem needed was a reasonable break in clubs. The 5-0 split was devastating, however. Pratap led a heart to the ace, won the heart return and played the ªK to dummy’s ace. Jassem got the bad news when he played a trump to the closed hand. He started in on diamonds, but Landen ruffed the third round and played a spade to partner’s 9. Landen still had a trump trick coming for plus 300. That was another 14 IMPs to USA II, now ahead 40-15.

Poland picked up 13 IMPs on a slam swing and trailed 43-28 when this swing deal came up.

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

West	North	East	South
Landen	Gawrys	Pratap	Jassem
1ª	Pass	2©	Pass
2ª	Pass	3§	Pass
3©	Pass	4©	All Pass

	Dan Morse, USA2

Jassem led the unbid suit and was dismayed to see Pratap pitch both his losing spades on dummy’s diamond honors. A club went to the ace, and another club was played. Gawrys won the §Q and switched to the ©9. Jassem did not cover the 10, preserving his side’s trump trick, but with clubs 3-3, Pratap lost only a club and a trump for plus 450.
In the closed room, East-West also landed in 4©, but Morse started with the §10, which went to declarer’s ace. Krupowicz could have succeeded by entering dummy with the ©Q and discarding his spades on the high diamonds, but he got out of his hand at trick two with a low club. Morse won the §K and, given a second chance, made the killing switch to the ªQ. That gave the defenders two spades, one club and one heart for down one and 11 IMPs to USA II.

The final swing of the match occurred on the next-to-last board.

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

West	North	East	South
Zawislak	Wolff	Krupowicz	Morse
1ª	2§	Dble	Pass
2ª	Pass	2NT	Pass
3¨	Pass	3ª	All Pass

The Poles justified the conservative bidding by taking only nine tricks for plus 140.

West	North	East	South
Landen	Gawrys	Pratap	Jassem
1ª	2§	Dble	Pass
2ª	Pass	2NT	Pass
3¨	Pass	3ª	Pass
4ª	All Pass

The only lead to defeat the contract is the ¨10 (or the ©A followed by the diamond), and South must duck to maintain communication for a ruff. It’s tough to find such a lead, however, when the fates have dealt you North’s club holding.

Gawrys started with the §K to the ace, and Landen played a spade to his jack and North’s queen. It seems that a switch to the ¨10 might still do the trick if South ducks, but West can scuttle that plan by covering with dummy’s jack. If North wins the ace and returns the suit. West wins and plays a heart, leaving the defenders helpless. If South ducks when declarer is in dummy with the ¨J, declarer can take another spade finesse. It would remain only for West to sort out the diamonds, which he would.

In practice, after Gawrys won the ªQ, he exited with the ©J, which did not trouble Landen. He won the ©K, took another spade finesse, picked up South’s king and exited with a heart. Gawrys won the ©A and played the ¨10. Jassem ducked, but Landen won the king and, with no other options, played another diamond, claiming when North played the ¨9. That was plus 420 and 7 IMPs to USA II, winners of the first set by 62-28.