USA I vs Russia

Bermuda Bowl - Round 8

In the Cold War days, when Russia opposed the U.S., it would have been Spy vs. Spy. In Wednesday's second Vugraph match, it was Precision vs. Precision, the systems favored by the American and Russian pairs. Although system didn't figure into the outcome to a large degree, it was a factor in a couple of deals. In the end, the Americans prevailed 48-33 to maintain their position among the round-robin leaders.

USA I, with Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell on camera against Andrei Gromov and Alexander Petrunin, drew blood on the first board.

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

Bob Hamman, West, played and made Two Spades doubled after Vadim Kholomeev, North, opened 1NT and Paul Soloway, East, showed the majors. That was plus 470 to the Americans.

This is what happened in the open room.

West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Meckstroth	Gromov	Rodwell
	1§ (1)	Dble (2)	1¨
1ª	1NT	2©	2ª
Pass	3§	Pass	3¨
Pass	3NT	All Pass

(1) Precision.
(2) Majors.

That was a lot of bidding, and Americans appeared to have been pushed to game they might not have reached on their own, but the cards lay right and Meckstroth brought the game home.

Gromov led the heart king, which was ducked, and he continued with a low heart to his partner's jack. Meckstroth considered his play carefully before winning the heart ace and playing a club to the ace. Next came the diamond jack, ducked by West and North, when East discarded, Meckstroth simply took another couple of diamond finesses and claimed nine tricks. That was plus for the Americans in both rooms and a 13-IMP swing.

USA gained an IMP with an unusual squeeze on declarer on this deal.

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

In the closed room, Soloway as East played Two Spades (he and Hamman play four-card majors). This was the action in the open room:

West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Meckstroth	Gromov	Rodwell
	Pass	1NT	All Pass

The Russians use the 1NT opening for certain 4441 hands, and apparently this one qualified.

Rodwell started with his fourth-best heart, which rode to declarer's eight. The top two spades by East produced some good news, so he went after diamonds next, playing the three to the ace, followed by a low diamond to the queen. When that held, Gromov cashed his two spades, reaching this position:

	ª -- © -- ¨ K 10 § A 9 8 2
ª -- © 9 6 ¨ -- § Q 10 6 4		ª -- © Q J 3 ¨ J 9 § 3
	ª -- © A K 10 ¨ 2 § K J

Gromov, hoping to endplay Rodwell, exited dummy with a heart to his queen. Rodwell won the king and, playing perfectly, got out with the club jack. Gromov covered with dummy's queen and Meckstroth won the ace. When he returned a club, Gromov could not make a correct discard. If he let go a heart, Rodwell's A 10 could score. If declarer let go a diamond, Rodwell could win the club king, cash his heart ace and play a diamond to partner's king, dropping the jack. Note that if Rodwell had played the club king first, declarer would have been able to score an overtrick by discarding a heart and waiting for Meckstroth to let him score the diamond jack or the club 10 in dummy.

The Americans added to their score on this deal when a bidding gadget by Hamman and Soloway paid off.

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

West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Meckstroth	Gromov	Rodwell
Pass	1ª	Dble	2© (1)
Dble	Pass (2)	3§	All Pass

(1) Described as a good three-card spade raise.
(2) Alerted and described as showing some game interest.

Petrunin's pass of Three Clubs is difficult to understand. Surely he could have afforded Three Hearts. Gromov took 10 tricks in clubs, but when the heart king showed up doubleton he realized the same tricks were available in hearts.

Soloway and Hamman had just the convention for the occasion:

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Kholomeev	Soloway	Zlotov
Pass	1ª	Dble	2ª
2NT (1)	Pass	4©	All Pass

(1) Four hearts with invitational values.

Just the ticket. When hearts behaved, Soloway easily scored up the game. That was 7 IMPs to USA I.

The Americans were up by 21 IMPs when the Russians scored their first major gain of the day.

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

West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Meckstroth	Gromov	Rodwell
			1¨
Pass	1©	1ª	Dble (1)
Pass	2©	2ª	3©
3ª	All Pass

(1) Three-card heart support.

Three Spades was defeated by two tricks for plus 100 to the Americans, but it didn't help their scorecard much, because Kholomeev and Zlotov, known as free-wheeling bidders, lived up to their reputation in the other room.

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Kholomeev	Soloway	Zlotov
			1¨
Pass	1©	1ª	Dble (1)
2§	2©	3§	4©
All Pass

(1) Three hearts.

When Kholomeev bid freely in the competitive auction, Zlotov bashed into the 19-point game, which had the virtue of being cold. Kholomeev had only to win the opening spade lead in hand, finesse the diamond and ruff the suit good, followed by two high trumps and good diamonds. The defenders were helpless to prevent his taking 10 tricks for plus 620 and 11 IMPs to Russia.

The Americans got the 11 IMPs back on this deal near the end.

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª A 5 © Q J 9 ¨ A 10 9 5 2 § K J 9
ª 6 © K 5 4 ¨ J 7 6 3 § A Q 7 6 3		ª K 9 4 2 © 10 8 7 6 3 ¨ 8 4 § 10 2
	ª Q J 10 8 7 3 © A 2 ¨ K Q § 8 5 4

In both rooms, North opened 1NT and played Four Spades after a transfer sequence.

In the open room, Meckstroth received the lead of the diamond eight. He won in dummy and played the spade queen to East's king. The club ten was returned, and Meckstroth inserted the jack after Petrunin won the ace and continued the suit. Declarer then cashed the spade ace and was soon claiming plus 450.

At the other table, Kholomeev received the opening lead of the heart eight. He rose with dummy's ace, unblocked the diamonds, played a spade to his ace and tried to cash the diamond ace for a heart discard from dummy. Soloway ruffed low, however, forcing declarer to overruff in dummy. Now Kholomeev got off dummy with a heart and his contract was doomed.

Hamman won the heart king and made the killing return of the diamond jack, allowing Soloway to discard a club. Then when Soloway came in with the trump king, he played his now-singleton club to Hamman's ace and got a ruff for one down.

The Russians picked up a further 11 IMPs when they were allowed to play Three Clubs, down one, at one table while their teammates went plus 620 in Four Spades at the other.

Two boards which looked like potential swings turned out to be pushes. On the first, Petrunin found himself in the happy circumstance of being on lead against Three Notrump with seven diamonds to the A K J 10, leading the king and viewing the doubleton queen in dummy. Although the contract was reasonable, it turned out that Four Spades on a 5-3 fit was cold, so it seemed the Russians' plus 300 might be a 14-IMP swing. Unfortunately for the Russians, the contract and result were the same at the other table.

The second potential swing occurred near the end.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª A 6 © A K 10 8 ¨ K J 10 3 § K 4 3
ª Q J 9 8 © 9 7 6 ¨ 8 6 5 § 8 5 2		ª 10 7 4 2 © Q 4 3 2 ¨ 2 § A J 7 6
	ª K 5 3 © J 5 ¨ A Q 9 7 4 § Q 10 9

Both sides bid to the good slam in diamonds - and both sides made 12 tricks. The play record from the closed room was not available, but here is how Rodwell brought home the slam.

Petrunin led the spade queen, won in dummy. Rodwell cashed the diamond king and played the diamond jack, overtaking with the ace when East showed out with a spade discard.

Rodwell played the heart jack to the ace and another diamond to his hand, picking up the last trump, then he followed with a heart to the king and a heart ruff. When the queen did not appear, he had to guess diamonds. He cashed the spade king, extracting a fourth spade from East, then played the club 10 to the king and East's ace. The heart queen came back, ruffed in hand, and Rodwell ruffed his spade in dummy to finesse against the club jack.