France vs Germany
Germany, trailing France at the halfway point of their Venice Cup
final match, needed a fast start in the fourth session to keep from
being left for dead. Fate seemed to have had other ideas, however,
as the Germans suffered an 11-IMP loss on the first board of the
set. From that point, however, they came up with a series of major
swings to knock the deficit from 49.5 to 9.5 with 32 boards to play.
It didn't look like things were going to go Germany's way at the
outset, however.
Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
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|
ª A 9 8 4 3
© 9 5
¨ A 7 5
§ J 7 4 |
ª 7
© 8
¨ Q J 9 8 2
§ A K Q 10 5 3 |
|
ª K J 10 6 5
© A Q 4 3
¨ 10 3
§ 9 6 |
|
ª Q 2
© K J 10 7 6 2
¨ K 6 4
§ 8 2 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Rauscheid |
Cronier |
Nehmert |
Willard |
|
Pass |
1ª |
2© |
3§ |
3© |
3NT |
Pass |
4¨ |
Pass |
5§ |
All Pass |
Pony Nehmert's 3NT would probably have made, but Andrea Rauscheid
overruled her. The result was a hopeless club game. It didn't take
long for Sylvie Willard and Benedicte Cronier to record +50.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Bessis |
Auken |
D'Ovidio |
Von Arnim |
|
Pass |
Pass |
2¨
(1) |
3©
(2) |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
(1) Weak two-bid in hearts or hearts and a minor.
(2) At least 5-5 in the minors.
Veronique Bessis was not inclined to overrule Catherine D'Ovidio,
who knew that Bessis was distributional and bid 3NT anyway.
Daniela von Arnim started with the normal-looking ©J,
and D'Ovidio was likely to make her contract as long as she
didn't touch the diamond suit. When she won the ©Q
and immediately played on clubs, she looked like a player
who was going to guess the spade position after cashing six
club winners. She ended up plus 460 when von Arnim discarded
both of her spades on the run of the clubs. The defenders
got only the ¨A
and ªA. That
was 11 IMPs for France, who increased their lead to 61 IMPs.
Germany struck back right away, however, as Sabine Auken
and von Arnim bid to a vulnerable diamond slam while Cronier
and Willard stopped in game - 13 IMPs to the Germans.
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Willard Sylvie, France
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A second straight slam swing occurred on the next deal.
Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
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ª K 10 7 5
© 5 4
¨ 8 7 4 3
§ 8 5 4 |
ª A J 9 4
© A Q 3 2
¨ K Q 6 2
§ 2 |
|
ª 8 6
© K 10 9 7
¨ 5
§ A K Q 10 9 7 |
|
ª Q 3 2
© J 8 6
¨ A J 10 9
§ J 6 3 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Rauscheid |
Cronier |
Nehmert |
Willard |
|
|
|
Pass |
1¨ |
Pass |
2§ |
Pass |
2© |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
3ª |
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
5ª |
Pass |
6© |
All Pass |
Cronier got off to the best lead for the defense - a spade from
the king - but with clubs and trumps both breaking favourably, Rauscheid
had no trouble taking 12 tricks for +1430.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Bessis |
Auken |
D'Ovidio |
Von Arnim |
|
|
|
Pass |
1¨ |
Pass |
2§ |
Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
4¨ |
Pass |
4© |
Pass |
5§ |
Pass |
5¨ |
Pass |
5© |
All Pass |
This is the kind of auction that appears in the bridge magazines
under the heading, Who's fault is it? The 3NT rebid, which apparently
showed the 4-4-4-1 shape with extra strength, didn't help matters,
taking up so much room - and D'Ovidio was obviously concerned about
her doubleton spade. At any rate, the auction ended much too soon
for French partisans, and Germany had scored another 13-IMP swing.
A 61-IMP margin had shrunk to 35 in two deals.
Two pushes followed, but Germany added another 10 IMPs on the following
deal.
Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
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|
ª 10 6
© A Q 8 7
¨ 10 7 2
§ J 10 7 3 |
ª 9 5 2
© K 10 9 5
¨ A K 6 4
§ 5 2 |
|
ª K Q J 4
© J 3
¨ 9 8 5
§ A K 8 4 |
|
ª A 8 7 3
© 6 4 2
¨ Q J 3
§ Q 9 6 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Bessis |
Auken |
D'Ovidio |
Von Arnim |
|
|
1§ |
Pass |
1© |
Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
1NT |
All Pass |
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There was no chance the French women were going to get higher than
the one level, although Bessis took nine tricks after the lead of
the §J by Auken. Von Arnim won the §Q and played the ©4 to the 5,
7 and jack. Bessis played dummy's ªK, ducked by von Arnim, and then
followed with a heart to her 10. Auken won the ©Q and exited with
the ª10, covered in dummy and ducked again by von Arnim, who took
the third round of spades and played the ¨Q to declarer's ace. Bessis
had three spades and two tricks in each of the other suits for plus
150.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Rauscheid |
Cronier |
Nehmert |
Willard |
|
|
1NT |
Pass |
2§ |
Pass |
2ª |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
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At the vulnerability, Rauscheid did not fancy fooling around with
invitations, so she bashed into the game. A club lead would have
made life difficult for declarer, but Willard started with the ¨Q.
Nehmert won the ace and played a spade to her king, ducked. The
©J was next, and Cronier won the queen. A club shift might have
defeated the contract, but Cronier continued with the ¨10, ducked
by declarer. A third round of diamonds made it clear that was not
the best suit for the defenders to have attacked. The defenders
took two hearts and two aces, but Nehmert had her game and +600.
Germany had reduced the French margin to 25 IMPs.
This was another costly deal for France.
Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
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|
ª A 4 3
© A 9 6
¨ 5 3
§ 9 7 6 3 2 |
ª K J 8 5
© J 7
¨ K J 9 4
§ A Q 5 |
|
ª 9 6
© K 10 5 4 2
¨ A Q 10 2
§ 10 8 |
|
ª Q 10 7 2
© Q 8 3
¨ 8 7 6
§ K J 4 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Bessis |
Auken |
D'Ovidio |
Von Arnim |
|
|
|
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
2© |
Pass |
3¨ |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
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|
Auken started with the §3, which went to the 10, king and ace.
Bessis made an excellent play by entering dummy with a diamond to
the queen and leading a low heart to her jack. Had Auken ducked,
as she considered briefly, Bessis could have survived by playing
a heart to the king and a third round, giving her four hearts, four
diamonds and two clubs. Auken won the ©A, however, and continued
clubs, giving Bessis no chance for nine tricks. She did well, in
fact, to guess spades and avoid two down.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Rauscheid |
Cronier |
Nehmert |
Willard |
|
|
|
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
2© |
Pass |
3¨ |
Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
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Catherine D'Ovidio, France
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Cronier also got off to the killing club lead, but she started
with the 7, which made it difficult for Willard to appreciate
how damaging the lead had been to declarer. When Rauscheid
played the ©J
to Willard's queen, Willard apparently envisioned West with
a stronger holding in clubs than the actual A-Q-5. In hopes
her partner held something in spades, including the 8, Willard
switched to the ª10,
a move that on another day would have produced the desired
result. On this occasion, however, it helped declarer out
of a major jam. Whereas a club return would probably have
produced two down, declarer now had an overtrick - and Germany
had 12 more IMPs. France was ahead by only 13.
When Cronier and Willard bid to 6©
off the ace and king of trumps (Auken-von Arnim stopped in
4©), Germany
trailed by only 2 IMPs.
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France recoved 5 IMPs when Rauscheid-Nehmert overbid to 4ª, one
down for -100, while Bessis-D'Ovidio played in 2¨, making an overtrick
for plus 110. It was a small gain, but at least it stopped the bleeding.
It looked as though France might engineer a game swing on the following
deal, but a bidding misunderstanding produced a minus.
Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
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|
ª Q 6 5 4 3
© 10
¨ Q 7 6 5
§ K J 9 |
ª 9 7
© K Q 9 7 3
¨ J 8 4 2
§ Q 6 |
|
ª K J 2
© A 6 4
¨ A 3
§ A 8 5 4 3 |
|
ª A 10 8
© J 8 5 2
¨ K 10 9
§ 10 7 2 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Rauscheid |
Cronier |
Nehmert |
Willard |
|
|
|
Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
2© |
All Pass |
Ten tricks can be made, even on a club lead (one declarer in the
Bermuda Bowl did just that), but Nehmert was not in game and she
took only nine tricks after Willard started off with a low club.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Bessis |
Auken |
D'Ovidio |
Von Arnim |
|
|
|
Pass |
Pass |
1ª |
1NT |
Dble |
2¨ |
All Pass |
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The double was alerted as not being for penalty. Von Arnim explained
that her partner would pull the double with a weaker, distributional
hand. Auken didn't have to bother after Bessis bid 2¨, obviously
intended as a transfer to hearts. D'Ovidio didn't see it that way,
however, as she passed. On the defense she received, Bessis could
have made her contract, but it didn't happen.
Auken led the ©10 to declarer's king. Bessis led a spade from hand
and, not surprisingly after Auken's 1ª opener, misguessed by putting
in the king. Von Arnim gave Auken a heart ruff, returning the jack
in hopes of preventing a club switch after the ruff. Auken got out
with a club anyway, and Bessis rode it to her queen. She then played
a spade to Auken's queen, and the §K drove out the ace. At this
point, Bessis could have made her contract by playing the ¨A and
another diamond. She could have played a further round of the suit
to hold her losses to two spades, two diamonds and a heart ruff
for +90.
Instead, she cashed the ¨A and played on the plain suits, allowing
Auken to get two more heart ruffs. That was -50 and 5 more IMPs
to Germany, back to within 2.
More pre-emptive bidding by the Germans resulted in another swing
for them on the following deal.
Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
|
|
ª K Q 10 6 3 2
© 7 3
¨ K Q 4 2
§ 6 |
ª 8 4
© A 9 2
¨ J 9 7 3
§ Q 10 4 2 |
|
ª 7
© K Q J 10 8 6
¨ A 8
§ A K J 3 |
|
ª A J 9 5
© 5 4
¨ 10 6 5
§ 9 8 7 5 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
Rauscheid |
Cronier |
Nehmert |
Willard |
|
|
2§ |
Pass |
2¨ |
2ª |
3© |
4ª |
Pass |
Pass |
5§ |
Pass |
5© |
All Pass |
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Nehmert took 11 tricks after the lead of the ªA. The only way to
defeat 6§ by East, as you can see, is a diamond lead - not easy
to find with the South hand.
West |
North |
East |
South |
Bessis |
Auken |
D'Ovidio |
Von Arnim |
|
|
2§ |
Pass |
2¨ |
2©
(1) |
Dble |
4§ |
4© |
4ª |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
All Pass |
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(1) Spades or the minors.
Whichever hand Auken held, von Arnim had great support and was
comfortable raising to the four level. All the bidding seemed to
slow the French women down, and they settled for the plus score
rather than speculating that they had 11 tricks. Only five tricks
were available, however, and +300 represented another 5-IMP loss
for France.
The team picked up game swing on the last deal,
but it was a rough set as Germany outscored France 61-25 to make
a match of it.
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