It has been many years since a woman participated in the Bermuda Bowl, and no one can remember a woman ever getting to the semifinal round of the event. Rose Meltzer of USA II, therefore, is breaking new ground - and making the most of her opportunity. As play began for the third semifinal session of the Bermuda Bowl, USA II led the favored Polish team 63-61.

The Americans wasted no time adding to their margin - and it could have been more.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª K Q 10 6 2 © A 10 8 3 2 ¨ 10 § 8 5
ª 9 8 3 © 9 ¨ 9 7 § K Q 7 6 4 3 2		ª A 7 4 © Q 6 5 4 ¨ A K 8 § A J 9
	ª J 5 © K J 7 ¨ Q J 6 5 4 3 2 § 10

West	North	East	South
Meltzer	Balicky	Larsen	Zmudzinski
	1ª	Dble	2¨
3§	Pass	3NT	Dble
All Pass

Perhaps Adam Zmudzinski was counting on clubs breaking badly for declarer, considering his singleton. The double worked out badly, however - Kyle Larsen had 10 tricks and soon was scoring up plus 650. The auction at the other table was vastly different - and declarer landed in a contract that could have been defeated.

West	North	East	South
Martens	Martel	Lesniewski	Stansby
	Pass	1§ (1)	3¨
Pass	Pass	Dble	Pass
5§	All Pass.

(1) Polish club: possibly strong.

Lew Stansby started off with the ¨Q, taken by Marcin Lesniewski in hand. He cashed the §A and played the §9 to dummy's king, followed by dummy's singleton heart. Chip Martel could have sunk the contract by playing low, but he played the ©A and switched to the ªK. Lesnieswki ducked and won the spade continuation. He ruffed a heart, returned to hand with the §J and played a third round of hearts. When the king appeared, Lesniewski ruffed and claimed for plus 400 (discarding the losing spade in dummy on the good ©Q). It was a 6-IMP loss, but it could have been 12.

Both pairs got too high on the following deal - and both went down, although it looked in the open room as though Lesniewski was going to get it right.

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

East played 5© at both tables after 1§ openings by West. Meltzer's 1§ opening was natural, Krzysztof Martens' was the Polish Club. Eventually, both West's got around to Blackwood, officially getting the partnership too high.

Full details of the play in the closed room were unavailable, but Larsen finished down one for minus 100.

On Vugraph, Lesniewski had a chance to make the contract, but it didn't work out. Stansby started with the ¨J, taken by the ace. Lesniewski then ruffed a diamond and led a club to the king. Martel ducked smoothly, and Lesniewski cashed the ¨K, pitching a club, and exited dummy with a low club. Martel won the §J, thought about his play for awhile, and continued with the ¨Q. Lesniewski ruffed with the ©9, and the Vugraph analysts predicted that the defense would prevail if Stansby declined to overruff. Stansby did ruff with the queen, and now Lesniewski could make it by taking the right view in hearts. He played a heart to the king and another to the ace, however, and was down one.

The following deal featured a torturous auction that landed Lesniewski-Martens in the wrong spot, but the opening lead rescued declarer.

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

West	North	East	South
Meltzer	Balicky	Larsen	Zmudzinski
			1ª
1NT	2©	3NT	All Pass

Larsen's 3NT bid was a bold stroke - and it worked like a charm, especially when Cezary Balicki led the ©5 to the king, and Zmudzinski unblocked the queen. All of a sudden, Meltzer had 11 tricks and plus 660. At the other table, the auction took its toll on East and West.

West	North	East	South
Martens	Martel	Lesniewski	Stansby
			1ª
1NT	2©	3©	Dble
Pass	Pass	Redbl	Pass
3ª	Pass	5¨	All Pass

Neither Pole would own up to having a heart stopper, although the two hands combined could stop the suit once. Martens' 3ª bid seemed to be offering Lesniewski one last chance to bid 3NT, but he just couldn't do it with a singleton king. After a protracted huddle during which he appeared to be undergoing the tortures of the damned, Lesniewski finally bid the diamond game. The next question was whether Stansby could avoid the led of the ©Q, which would give the game away. On the auction, it seemed impossible that he would lead anything else, and in fact that is what he led. After all that, Lesniewski used the heart suit - of all things - to discard two of his losing clubs. Eleven tricks made for plus 600 and a loss of 2 IMPs.

The Americans picked up 11 IMPs on this deal because of a warning from a Polish auction.

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

West	North	East	South
Meltzer	Balicky	Larsen	Zmudzinski
Pass	1§	Pass	1¨
Pass	1NT	Pass	2§
Pass	2©	Pass	3NT
All Pass

One Club was Polish and the 1NT rebid showed a balanced hand of 18 or more high-card points.

Larsen didn't fancy leading a heart on the auction, so he found the killing diamond lead. From there, declarer could do no better than two down for minus 100. It wasn't as clear in the open room that a heart lead might be dangerous.

West	North	East	South
Martens	Martel	Lesniewski	Stansby
Pass	1§	1©	Dble
Pass	2NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

Lesniewski knew Martel had heart values but it didn't have to be four of them, so he made the normal-looking lead of a low heart. Martel won and played a club to dummy's king, which was ducked. Martens could not hold up a second time, and when he was in with the §A, he switched futilely to the ¨K. Martel won and cashed his club winners. Martens discarded down to the doubleton ªQ, so Martel ended up with an overtrick. That was an 11-IMP gain for USA II.

On the following deal, the Americans' best opportunity for a big gain slipped through their fingers and turned into a significant loss.

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

West	North	East	South
Martens	Martel	Lesniewski	Stansby
	Pass	1ª	Pass
3¨	Pass	4§	Pass
4¨	Dble	4©	Pass
4ª	All Pass

Stansby led the ¨3 to the ace, and Martel switched to a low spade. Lesniewski won the ace and cashed the king. He was then able to establish a long club in dummy via ruffs and claim 12 tricks.

West	North	East	South
Meltzer	Balicky	Larsen	Zmudzinski
	Pass	1ª	Pass
3©	Pass	3NT	Pass
4¨	Pass	4NT	Pass
5§	Pass	6ª	All Pass

The Americans got to the good slam but didn't make it. Zmudzinski led his singleton diamond to the ace, and Balicky switched to a trump. Larsen won in hand and, possibly planning a crossruff, played his §Q to the ace and ruffed a club. When he attempted to cash the ¨K, which he would do in trying the crossruff, Zmudzinski ruffed. That was a winner Larsen needed for his slam, and although Larsen could overruff in dummy, he finished a trick short for one down. Instead of winning 13 IMPs for the slam swing, the team lost 13.

Both pairs reached slam on the following deal, but Lesniewski had to sweat more to make his.

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª J 4 © 10 5 4 ¨ 8 2 § K J 10 8 6 2
ª A 10 8 7 5 © K 7 2 ¨ A K Q 10 § 4		ª Q © A J 9 8 6 ¨ 9 7 6 5 § A Q 9
	ª K 9 6 3 2 © Q 3 ¨ J 4 3 § 7 5 3

West	North	East	South
Meltzer	Balicky	Larsen	Zmudzinski
		1©	Pass
1ª	Pass	1NT	Pass
2¨	Pass	2©	Pass
6©	All Pass

The club lead from South made Larsen's job relatively easy once the reasonable splits in the red suits came to light. He needed only to ruff one club in dummy to claim his slam - plus 980 for USA II.

West	North	East	South
Martens	Martel	Lesniewski	Stansby
		1©	Pass
1ª	Pass	2¨	Pass
2NT	Pass	3§	Pass
3¨	Pass	3NT	Pass
4¨	Pass	4©	Pass
4NT	Pass	5©	Pass
6¨	All Pass

Stansby started with a low spade, and Lesniewski won in dummy, cashing two high diamonds, followed by a heart to his jack. Stansby won the queen and got out with his ¨J. Lesniewski, without the resources for two club ruffs - he couldn't afford to ruff with one of dummy's face cards, anyway, unless the heart finesse worked - had no choice but to take the club finesse. When it held, he could breath more easily with plus 920. It was still a 2-IMP loss, but it would have been 14 if the club finesse had been wrong.

Both teams were assessed late penalties of 2 IMPs, and the final net score of the set was 21-11 in favor of USA II, still with high hopes of a Bermuda Bowl upset.