Fast start

	Jeff Meckstroth, USA1

Any carryover is better than none, but 13 IMPs in a 128-board match isn’t likely to mean as much as it might in a shorter struggle. Indeed, USA I lost all but 2 IMPs of the carryover in the Bermuda Bowl final after the first set, as Italy won 43-32. The Americans were looking to stem the tide as the players sat down for the second round.
USA I earned 4 IMPs on the first board when Norberto Bocchi and Giorgia Duboin finished minus 100 in 2NT in the closed room, while Eric Rodwell and Jeff Meckstroth took plus 50 against Fulvio Fantoni and Claudio Nunes in the open room. Those were the last IMPs USA I were to see for some time in the set.

Italy were trailing 49-46 when this deal gave them the lead.

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

West	North	East	South
Nickell	Bocchi	Freeman	Duboin
Pass	Pass	1§	Pass
1ª	Pass	1NT	All Pass

Duboin led a heart to Bocchi’s king, and Bocchi made the excellent switch to a low diamond. When the smoke cleared, Richard Freeman had only five tricks for minus 200.

West	North	East	South
Nunes	Rodwell	Fantoni	Meckstroth
Pass	Pass	1NT	Pass
2©	Pass	2ª	All Pass

This was a much better contract. Meckstroth started with the §7 to the 8, 9 and jack, and Fantoni made the excellent play of a low spade from hand. Rodwell played a diamond to the king and ace, and Meckstroth cashed the ¨J. He continued with a club to dummy’s ace, and when Rodwell’s ªQ appeared on the second round of the suit, Fantoni had only to play a low heart from hand to dummy’s 9. That was plus 110 and 7 IMPs to Italy, now leading 53-49

More IMPs went to Italy when Rodwell went down in a vulnerable game he might have made.

Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	ª A Q 9 7 6 © 10 8 ¨ 6 § A 10 9 8 2
ª 5 4 © Q J 5 ¨ K Q 4 3 2 § 7 6 5		ª J 10 © A K 9 7 6 3 ¨ J 9 8 § K Q
	ª K 8 3 2 © 4 2 ¨ A 10 7 5 § J 4 3

West	North	East	South
Nickell	Bocchi	Freeman	Duboin
	1ª	2©	2NT
3©	4¨	Pass	4ª
All Pass

Freeman cashed two high hearts and switched to the §K. There were no problems from there for Bocchi. The defense was vastly different in the open room.

West	North	East	South
Nunes	Rodwell	Fantoni	Meckstroth
	1ª	2©	3ª
Pass	4ª	All Pass

Meckstroth’s 3ª showed 7-9 HCP and at least four trumsp. Fantoni started with the top two hearts and Nunes followed with the 6 and the jack. Whereas Freeman knew his partner had at least three hearts, Fantoni apparently was confused about the distribution of the heart suit, because at trick three he played another heart, presenting Rodwell with a cast-iron way to make his contract without having to depend on one of the club honors being with West. After long consideration, however, Rodwell discarded a diamond from dummy, later taking two club finesses, both losing for minus 100 and a strange 12-IMP swing to Italy, whose lead had grown to 65-49.

More IMPs went to Italy on the following deal.

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

Bocchi and Duboin conducted a long, complicated auction to the heart slam, which was cold on the lie of the cards, and they duly scored plus 980. Something happened to Meckstroth and Rodwell on the way to their own slam.

West	North	East	South
Nunes	Rodwell	Fantoni	Meckstroth
Pass	1§	Pass	1ª
Pass	2§	Pass	2©
Pass	3©	Pass	4¨
Pass	4©	All Pass

Rodwell’s opener was Precision, and 1ª showed hearts; 2§ showed a spade suit, and 2© denied spade support. The misunderstanding isn’t clear, but the abrupt halt to the auction was an 11-IMP swing for Italy, now leading 82-49.

The score was 88-49 before USA I broke through again on board 29, earning an overtrick IMP.

Rodwell played well to earn another IMP for his side on the following deal.

Board 30. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª K 10 6 © J 4 3 ¨ A Q § K Q J 8 7
ª Q J © 9 7 5 ¨ K 9 8 6 3 § A 9 6		ª A 5 4 3 2 © Q 10 2 ¨ J 7 § 10 5 3
	ª 9 8 7 © A K 8 6 ¨ 10 5 4 2 § 4 2

West	North	East	South
Nickell	Bocchi	Freeman	Duboin
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1§	Pass	1¨
Pass	1©	All Pass

Duboin’s 1¨ showed hearts, and he had no reason to move over his partner’s minimum bid. Freeman led the ¨J and Bocchi soon wrote plus 140 into his scorecard.

West	North	East	South
Nunes	Rodwell	Fantoni	Meckstroth
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1NT	All Pass

	Norberto Bocchi, Italy

Fantoni led the ª2 to the jack and king, and Rodwell played the §K to Nunes’ ace. He cashed the ªQ, then exited with a low diamond. Rodwell considered his play for a moment before inserting the queen. That gave West the ªQJ, the ¨K and the §A. He could not have the ©Q. Rodwell cashed the top clubs from hand to make sure the suit was splitting, then entered dummy with the ©A and returned to his hand with the ¨A. On the run of the clubs East was squeezed into discarding down to a singleton ªA, at which point Rodwell exited with the ª10, and took the last two tricks with the ©J and ©K.

On the next to last board, USA I continued their mini-rally with a 6-IMP gain when Bocchi and Duboin overbid to 3NT, going off one, while Meckstroth and Rodwell stopped in 1NT, making two for plus 120.

Meckstroth engineered a 2-IMP gain on the final board with excellent play in an unusual contract.

Board 32. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª 7 5 © A Q 8 5 ¨ K 10 9 8 § A 10 7
ª Q 10 © 9 7 4 ¨ J 5 3 2 § 6 5 3 2		ª A K J 8 © J 6 3 ¨ A Q 6 § K Q 4
	ª 9 6 4 3 2 © K 10 2 ¨ 7 4 § J 9 8

West	North	East	South
Nickell	Bocchi	Freeman	Duboin
Pass	1NT	Dble	2©
Pass	2ª	All Pass

Duboin managed six tricks for minus 100.

West	North	East	South
Nunes	Rodwell	Fantoni	Meckstroth
Pass	1¨	Dble	1©
Pass	1NT	Dble	2§
All Pass

Meckstroth’s 1© bid showed spades, and he wasn’t keen to bid his weak suit again considering that East likely had that suit wrapped up.

Nunes started with the §2 to the 7, queen and 8, and Fantoni played a heart to the 2, 9 and queen. A low spade was taken by East with the king, and another heart returned to the 10. A diamond went to the 8 and queen, and the ©J was played to the king. Meckstroth played his other diamond to the 9 and ace, and he ruffed the return of the ªJ with the §10 as Nunes dropped the deceptive ¨J. Meckstroth cashed the ¨K, then the §A. When Meckstroth played the ¨10, Fantoni had to let declarer score the §J sooner or later. That was seven tricks for minus 50 and a 2-IMP gain to close an somewhat disappointing set for USA I.