| 35th World Interzonal Team Championships, Paris, France | Friday, 2 November 2001 |
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Norway vs USA II Bermuda Bowl Final 1 The Bermuda Bowl final is shorter than usual this year, consisting of 128 boards in eight 16-board segments, instead of 160, allowing a less exhausting schedule. Just as well if the deals are all going to be as lively as the first set on Thursday afternoon.
Lew Stansby's 2¨ overcall showed one major and Geir Helgemo doubled then bid his hearts, suggesting an at least semi-balanced hand with five hearts. Of course, Tor Helness raised to the heart game rather than explore the possibility of playing 3NT. Chip Martel led the eight of spades to the ace and Stansby switched to his singleton club. There is a winning line from here but it is not a very likely one, namely to play four rounds of diamonds to throw clubs from hand. South has to ruff the fourth diamond to prevent the second discard but no longer has the third trump with which to ruff a club. Anyway, that was all academic as Helgemo followed the simple line of playing the §J to the queen and ace then leading a trump. Martel won his ace and led a club to the king, ruffed - down one for -50. Rose Meltzer did very well at the other table. When South overcalls
2ª, West has to decide whether to show the hearts or just settle
for no trump. Perhaps a good compromise would be to use a Lebensohl
sequence to show four hearts plus a spade stopper? Anyway, Meltzer
ignored the hearts completely, showing a balanced game raise with
a spade stopper. Boye Brogeland's low diamond lead did no exactly
paralyse declarer. Kyle Larsen won and played a heart to the queen
and ace and Erik Saelensminde returned a diamond. Larsen had time
for an overtrick now; +430 and 10 IMPs to USA2.
East/West are on the heart position for 4© and, in the normal course of events, are likely to get that decision right. Neither East/West pair managed to get into the auction in this match. Martel opened a weak two and received a pre-emptive raise from Stansby, shutting out Helgemo, who would no doubt have come in had 2ª been passed around to him. The North hand was way too good for a weak two in the style of this Norwegian partnership and Saelensminde opened at the one level. When Brogeland gave a single raise, Saelensminde reraised himself as a pre-emptive measure and he too bought the contract in 3ª. There was little to the play. Larsen led the jack of hearts, Helness the nine of clubs, and both declarers failed by a trick for -100 and a push board.
Would you open the North hand? A matter of personal style and I personally would pass at this vulnerability, but I have no problem with the more aggressive style. Here, passing worked out very badly for Martel as Stansby opened 1§ then passed the 1ª response and game was missed. This was particularly unlucky for the Americans as at a different vulnerability Stansby would have been playing a weak no trump opening and now Martel would have been able to transfer then follow an invitational sequence which would probably have reached game - the South hand is no longer a minimum once partner has shown spades. Helness led his low trump against 1ª and Martel ran that to the king. Helgemo switched to the singleton club and now it looks as though there are eleven tricks available, though Martel was only credited with ten; +170. Meanwhile, Saelensminde did open the North hand, as one might expect
of this partnership, and the Norwegians were always getting to game.
Larsen led a heart and Saelensminde won in hand and ran the seven
of spades. Meltzer too switched to the club and declarer made eleven
tricks for +650 and 10 IMPs to Norway.
Brogeland switched to a spade, which Larsen ran towards his ten, losing to the jack. Back came a low spade to the nine and king and now Larsen played for his legitimate chance by leading to the king of hearts rather than running the eight. That meant an extra one down as he now lost three spades and three hearts; -200 and 8 IMPs to Norway.
The Norwegian North/South pair had a free run to 3NT and Saelensminde's 3ª bid no doubt dissuaded Larsen from trying a double of the final contract. Meltzer led a heart to the king and ace and Brogeland ran the clubs. He saw Larsen throw a spade then a heart, and Meltzer two hearts and a diamond. With nine top tricks at this point, Brogeland elected to back his judgement that the ¨Q was on his right. He played ace of diamonds then a diamond to the jack and was left looking very foolish when Meltzer won the queen and switched to the ten of spades - one down for -100. It is fair to say that Brogeland would still have been OK had the remaining spades not been 4-1. With spades only having been bid once on his right, Helness decided to double 3NT at the other table. When that got back to Martel he knew what the problem was and, after some thought, judged to make a doubt-showing redouble. Had the ª10 and ª5 been switched, this would have been absolutely correct, of course. Stansby had nowhere very nice to run to but assumed that Martel would have some clubs to be able to suggest removing 3NT doubled. Stansby removed to 4§ and Martel raised to game. There is quite a lot to the play of 5§. The contract is an easy
make looking at all four hands, but by no means cold in real life.
Helgemo led his spade and Helness allowed the ten to hold the trick.
Not wishing to open up either red suit, Helgemo switched to a trump
for the eight, jack and queen. Stansby wanted to take the heart
finesse and the convenient way to cross to dummy was in diamonds.
He played a diamond to the ace then a heart to the queen, cashed
the ace of hearts and ruffed the ten. Now a diamond to the jack
lost to the queen and he was down one; -100 and a flat board.
Game is dreadful on the North'South cards and Stansby/Martel duly stopped off in a heart partscore, albeit at an unsafe level. Helness led a spade to Helgemo's king and the switch was to the jack of hearts. That ran to the king and Martel returned a heart to the ten. Helness played a spade, on which Martel pitched his losing club, but that only delayed the inevitable, as he had to ruff the next spade. Playing a heart no would make the contract when the suit broke evenly, but would cost three down if hearts were 4-2. Meanwhile, playing on the side suits would be a safe one down. Martel thought for a long time but eventually set about the diamonds and the defence could make their trumps separately; down one for -100. Saelensminde took an aggressive view over Brogeland's 15-17 no
trump and the bad game was reached. Meltzer led the ª8 and dummy's
queen scored. It all looked pretty hopeless for Brogeland but he
had to make the best of it. He led a heart to the king then a second
heart for the nine, queen and ace. Larsen clearly read the ª8 as
being from a weak holding because he switched to a club for the
jack and king. Brogeland played a third round of hearts, pitching
a diamond, and Meltzer won the jack. She cashed a top spade but
obviously didn't like what she saw because she now switched back
to clubs and Brogeland could win and cash out for plus one; a staggering
+630 to Norway and 12 IMPs.
What is it about that East hand that makes it so tempting to make an overcall in a suit that offers no pre-emptive effect and which you do not particularly want to see partner lead? Both Easts overcalled 1¨ but the two Souths took different courses. Stansby passed then passed again when Martel made a reopening double. Stansby led his club and Martel won and played three more rounds of the suit. Stansby threw two spades away but when Helness ruffed the fourth club with the nine of diamonds he over-ruffed and switched to the queen of hearts. Helness didn't like that very much but went up with the king and played a diamond to the ace and a diamond back. The third round of hearts forced declarer so that Stansby made his five of diamonds for down two; -300. Brogeland did not initially play for a penalty, preferring to show
his spades. Meltzer competed with 1Nt and when that came back to
Brogeland he doubled. I am not at all convinced by Larsen's decision
to rescue his partner by running to that empty diamond suit but
that is what he did and it cost his side 5 IMPs. One No Trump doubled
would surely have made five tricks - three spades, a diamond and
a heart - for a flat board, but 2¨ had to go for -500. The first
four tricks were as in the other room, but here Brogeland switched
to a spade rather than a heart. It mattered not a she eventually
came to a spade ruff so made four of his trumps, just as had Stansby.
Four Clubs was not a problem, Helgemo simply relying on the trump finesse for his contract after Martel had cashed two top hearts and switched to a diamond; +130. Four Spades was a lot more interesting. Saelensminde led three rounds of hearts and Meltzer took the force in dummy. She played a trump and Saelensminde won immediately to play a fourth heart, again ruffed in dummy. Meltzer took the club finesse now in an attempt to get to hand to draw the trumps, but the ruff meant that she was down one; -100 and 6 IMPs to Norway. Declarer has a problem with entries on this forcing defence and
as the cards lie cannot make the contract. The alternative line
is to take the first force in the long hand. Now, the defence must
duck two rounds of trumps and declarer cannot lead a third round
as she is then wide open in hearts. Eventually, the two defensive
trumps are made separately for the same down one.
Both Wests opened with their system big bids and both collected a negative response from partner. Helgemo's 2© rebid was natural and Helness made a second negative. Thinking that 3NT might be easier than 4© if Helness could bid spades, Helgemo temporised with 3¨. The actual diamond raise was not what Helgemo was hoping for and he went back to the heart game. Helgemo won the spade lead and played ace and another club to establish his ruff. He ruffed the spade return and took his club ruff then passed the ©9. The 4-1 trump break meant a loser in that suit but still +420. Meltzer's 2© rebid was two way, either natural or strong and balanced. Two Spades was a relay and 3© confirmed a one-suited heart type. Now it looks as though Meltzer read her partner's 3ª bid as a cuebid for hearts, given that she had shown a one-suiter that would presumably always do as a trump suit. That would explain why she went on to slam in the face of Larsen's sign off. Six Hearts was way too high, of course, and Meltzer was down two for -100 and 11 IMPs to Norway. USA2 picked up 9 IMPs on Board 16 because they were doubled in 4ª, making an overtrick, against 4ª undoubled making at the other table. And on Board 16 their North/South pair stopped in 3©+1 against Norway's 4©-1 for another 6 IMPs. Alas, bidding and play records were not available for these two deals. All that meant that Norway ended the set in the lead by 47-35 IMPs. |
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