In the wild

There was plenty of potential for swings in the second set of the Power Rosenblum round of 16 match between the Peter Fredin and Rose Meltzer teams - and the teams did not disappoint observers who like action.

Meltzer fielded Alan Sontag-Peter Weichsel against Peter Fredin-Magnus Lindkvist in the open room and Chip Martel-Lew Stansby against Fredrik Nystrom-Peter Stromberg in the closed room.

Meltzer earned 6 IMPs on a partscore swing when the team struck for a double-digit swing on the next deal.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	ª 8 7 6 5 © A 7 5 3 ¨ 10 § K J 8 3
ª K J 9 4 3 © 4 2 ¨ 8 5 4 2 § 6 2		ª 10 © J 10 8 ¨ A K 9 6 § A 9 7 5 4
	ª A Q 2 © K Q 9 6 ¨ Q J 7 3 § Q 10

West	North	East	South
Lindkvist	Weichsel	Fredin	Sontag
			1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2©
Pass	4©	All Pass

Lindkvist led the ¨4 and Fredin falsecarded by winning the ace. He switched to the ª10 and Sontag considered his play carefully before rising with the ace. He played three rounds of trumps, ending in his hand, and played the §10 to Fredin's ace. When Fredin returned a club, it was obvious he had no more spades, so Sontag won the club in hand and passed the ¨Q to Fredin, who could do no better than return a diamond. Sontag won, ruffed his losing diamond and pitched his two spades on the good clubs. That was making for and plus 420 to the Meltzer team.
At the other table, North was declarer in 4©. Stansby started with the §A, switching to his singleton spade at trick two. Stromberg put in the queen, losing to the king, and a club was returned to dummy's queen. Declarer then played a diamond to the 10 and ace and Stansby returned a club. Declarer discarded a spade from dummy, Martel ruffed and returned a spade, which Stansby ruffed. Declarer ruffed on the club return, then tried the ruffing finesse in diamonds. The defenders had six tricks: two high diamonds, the §A, ªK, a spade ruff and a club ruff - down three for minus 150 and 11 IMPs to Meltzer.

Another 13 IMPs went to Meltzer when Fredin and Lindkvist got much too high on the following deal.

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

Stansby and Martel played a quiet 4ª in the closed room, just making for plus 620.

The wheels came off in the auction for Fredin and Lindkvist, however.

West	North	East	South
Lindkvist	Weichsel	Fredin	Sontag
			Pass
1NT	Pass	2ª	Pass
2NT	Pass	3ª	Pass
4©	Pass	6¨	Pass
6ª	All Pass

Fredin's first bid showed game-forcing values, at least five spades and one or no hearts. The rest of the auction is a mystery, although it is obvious Fredin believed the 4© bid showed a control. The deal was over quickly. Sontag led the §10 and Weichsel wasted no time cashing his three winners for plus 200 and another 13 IMPs for his side.
The Fredin team began their comeback quietly on the next deal with an overtrick IMP. On this one, Sontag had to play well to hold his losses to minus 200.

Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul.
	ª A 10 9 7 4 © K 10 2 ¨ J 2 § A 6 2
ª 2 © A 9 8 6 5 ¨ A 9 8 5 3 § 10 5		ª - © Q 4 ¨ Q 10 7 6 § K Q J 9 8 7 4
	ª K Q J 8 6 5 3 © J 7 3 ¨ K 4 § 3

West	North	East	South
Lindkvist	Weichsel	Fredin	Sontag
		2§	2ª
Dble	3§	5§	Pass
Pass	5ª	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Fredin's 2§ was natural and his 5§ was cold. With the diamond suit frozen - neither North nor South can lead the suit without sacrificing their trick - and hearts 3-3, declarer can always come to 11 tricks.

In 5ª doubled, Sontag received the lead of the §10. He went up with the ace, ruffed a club, played a spade to the ace and ruffed dummy's last club. He then played a spade to dummy and a diamond to the king and Lindkvist's ace. Back came a low heart, but Sontag went up with the king and played dummy's diamond. Fredin was stuck. He could cash the ©Q but then he had to give Sontag a ruff-sluff and the rest of the tricks. It was still a 3-IMP gain because the same contract was not doubled at the other table.

Fredin's biggest gain of the day came on a phantom sacrifice by Weichsel.

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

West	North	East	South
Lindkvist	Weichsel	Fredin	Sontag
	1ª	Pass	3ª (1)
4¨ (2)	4ª	Dble	All Pass

(1) Weak.
(2) Diamonds and hearts.

The defense was accurate. Fredin started with the §A, continuing with a low club. Lindkvist's ª8 forced a high trump from Weichsel, assuring a trump trick for the defenders. Lindkvist quickly cashed the high diamonds and ©A - and Fredin still had a trump trick to come. That was minus 500 and 12 IMPs to the Swedes because the 4© contract at the other table by East-West failed by two tricks.

On the next-to-last deal, a bid by Fredin made a risky bid that didn't cost a big minus but did keep his partner from finding what turned out to be the killing lead at the other table.

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

West	North	East	South
Lindkvist	Weichsel	Fredin	Sontag
		Pass	1©
Pass	2©	2ª	3¨
Pass	3©	All Pass

Fredin's 2ª bid would not the unanimous choice of a bidding panel, and it worked our poorly on this occasion. Lindkvist naturally led the ªJ, taken in dummy with the ace. Sontag cashed the other high spade, pitching a low diamond. When Sontag played a club from dummy, Fredin rose with the ace and shifted to the ¨9. That went to the king and ace, and Lindkvist cashed the ¨Q, then tried the jack. Sontag ruffed, however, ruffed a club to dummy and passed the ©8 to Lindkvist. He tried a low diamond, ruffed by Fredin with the queen, but Sontag overruffed and claimed.

At the other table, Stansby did not bid, so Martel made the more normal lead of the §10. Stansby went up with the ace and fired the diamond back through. Two high diamonds were followed by a diamond ruff, and the defenders still had a trump trick coming for down one.

The final deal was a wild one on which aggressive bidding by Fredin paid off handsomely.

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

West	North	East	South
Lindkvist	Weichsel	Fredin	Sontag
			1§ (1)
Pass	4§ (2)	4ª	5©
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

(1) Precision.
(2) Any solid eight-card suit.

Sontag knew what his partner's suit was, and Weichsel took the 5© bid as asking for spade controls. He did not have what was necessary to consider slam, of course, and it turned out he didn't even have the goods for 10 tricks in hearts. Fredin doubled, a la Lightner, and Lindkvist had no trouble figuring out which suit to lead. Fredin ruffed the club lead and cashed the ªA before playing to his partner's ªK. The ¨K completed the rout, knocking out the hand entry Sontag needed. He desperately tried the ªQ, but Lindkvist ruffed, assuring a diamond loser.

The loser would have been greater for the Meltzer team except that Nystrom and Stromberg found their way to 6NT on the North-South cards and Martel and Stansby managed to get their two spade tricks before they went away on an avalanche of heart and club tricks. It was 9 IMPs away, but it could have been worse.

The set ended with Meltzer improving their lead to 77-66.