South Africa vs Brazil - Venice Cup - Round 2

Our first Venice Cup match of these Championships features two teams who will have to perform at close to their best if they are to reach the knock-out stages of what looks to be a tough competition, South Africa and Brazil. There was plenty of action on an interesting set of deals, with the South Africans having rather the better of proceedings.

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1§	1¨	Dble
Pass	2ª	Pass	4ª
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1NT	2NT	3§
Dble	Pass	Pass	3©
Pass	3ª	Pass	3NT
All Pass

Margie Hulett for South Africa had no problem in making 4ª after the lead of East's singleton heart. The heart went to the eight, ten and king and Hulett played a spade to the ace then a second spade. Though Marina Amaral played the ten smoothly, Hulett went up with her queen. It was plain sailing from here with declarer being able to establish the hearts with the aid of a second finesse and making a total of twelve tricks for +680.
At the other table Agota Mandelot opened 1NT and Cherrie Swartz overcalled 2NT, minors. It is not clear who was at fault after that - perhaps Leda Paim expected her partner to show a four-card major immediately so that 3ª would show only three cards, though my own view would be that her pass over 3§ doubled need not deny a major. Anyway, 3NT was not a success after a club lead to the queen and ace. Declarer tried the queen of diamonds to the king and ace, followed by the ©J to queen and king. Eventually, she had to let West into the lead and Joan Fihrer wasted no time in returning the ten of clubs to pick up the suit for the defence. Mandelot was three down for -300 and 14 IMPs to South Africa.

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
			1§
Pass	1¨	Pass	1NT
Pass	2©	Pass	3NT
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
			1§
Pass	1©	Pass	1ª
Pass	1NT	Pass	3©
Pass	4©	All Pass

Again one team played in 3NT and the other in four of a major, but this time it was the no trump game that was successful. After a spade to the ace and a spade back, there were ten tricks in 3NT; South Africa +430. I do not have all the play details from the other room but it is unclear why 4© went down. On the face of it, declarer should lose only a heart, a spade and a diamond, ruffing one diamond and pitching two on the spades. Anyway, the contract did fail by a trick and that was -50 and 10 more IMPs to South Africa.

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
	1NT	Pass	2§
Pass	2¨	Pass	2NT
Pass	3§	Pass	3¨
Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
	1§	Pass	1ª
Pass	1NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

At both tables the defence began with four rounds of hearts. At this point Lucia Doria switched to a low diamond from the East hand and Hulett ran it, losing to the king for down one. Of course, the contract can be made from this point by rising with the ace of diamonds and cashing four rounds of clubs. That squeezes West between the ¨K and his spades. Sure enough, Mandelot brought home the game in the other room for +600 and 12 IMPs to Brazil.
Well, you say, that serves Hulett right - obviously the diamond switch would not be away from the king. And perhaps you would be correct against some defenders, but suppose that declarer has the queen and jack of diamonds and you do not switch; isn't declarer likely to take the finesse and make her contract? Perhaps East SHOULD switch to a diamond when holding the king to give declarer a losing option. That must be correct if declarer does not believe that such a switch will be found.
Of course, there were several tables at which a club lead was found and now there was no squeeze so that the contract had to fail. Of more interest would be if any pair of defenders worked it out after a heart lead and switched before cashing the whole suit, thereby avoiding the squeeze. If anyone managed that, please let us know.

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
Pass	1§	Pass	1ª
Pass	2§	Pass	3¨
Pass	3NT	Pass	5§
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
Pass	1§	Pass	1ª
Pass	1NT	Pass	2NT
Pass	3§	Pass	3ª
Pass	4¨	Pass	4©
Dble	4NT	Pass	5¨
Pass	5ª	All Pass

The excellent club slam proved to be too tough for both our pairs. Di Adrain invented a diamond suit then jumped to 5§ over Hulett's 2§ rebid but that didn't really get the message across and Hulett can hardly be blamed for passing. If you are willing to commit to clubs on the South African auction, then 4© Exclusion Key Card would seem the easiest approach over 2§ but that may well not have been an option.
I am not totally sure what was going on in the other room but presumably 2NT was a transfer to clubs. The Brazilians exchanged cuebids and Mandelot asked for key cards but then settled for 5ª on discovering that two were missing. Should South have bid the slam, realising that her partner had probably assumed the heart cuebid to be an ace and that North should have sufficient key cards in the other suits for slam to be on?

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
	Pass	Pass	Pass
1ª	Pass	2§	Pass
4ª	All Pass

Identical auctions and opening leads but different results. Both Norths led a trump to the six, queen and king, and both declarers cashed the king of hearts before playing a diamond. Amaral played the ten of diamonds at trick three and took dummy's ace. She pitched her remaining diamond on the ©A and continued with a club. When South played low smoothly declarer decided to duck. Hulett won and returned a second trump. Amaral won in dummy and ruffed a heart, bringing down the queen, but with only one club ruff to come and the heart being ruffed she had to go one down for -100.
Fihrer did rather better, leading the queen of diamonds at trick three. When that got covered, she gave up a diamond and the even break in that suit enabled her to make an overtrick; +650 and 13 IMPs to South Africa.

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
		1§	1¨
1NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
		1§	1¨
2NT	Pass	3NT	Dble
All Pass

What is the west hand worth when partner opens 1§, playing a strong no trump so that the 1§ bid will often prove to be a minimum balanced opening? I am firmly with Fihrer on this one, believing Amaral's 1NT call to be too timid. Mind you, Fihrer might have had some doubts before dummy came down after Paim's double of 3NT. Both declarers received a diamond lead, which they won in hand. They both crossed to dummy with a heart and played a club up, after which there were always nine tricks. Amaral made +150, while Fihrer managed an overtrick in her doubled game for +950 and 13 IMPs to South Africa.

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

West	North	East	South
Amaral	Hulett	Doria	Adrain
	Pass	1¨	1©
2©	4©	Pass	Pass
5¨	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Mandelot	Swartz	Paim
	Pass	1¨	1©
2©	4©	All Pass

Having already shown a constructive diamond raise with the 2© cuebid, should west go on to 5¨ over 4©? The answer in real life was, of course, that bidding on was the losing option, and perhaps that is as it should be, because west has plenty of high cards for defence but too little distribution to provide the offence to make 5¨. Both contracts failed by a trick for two 100s to South Africa, giving them 5 IMPs.

The match ended in a comfortable 24-6 VP win to South Africa.