Round 13 – Canada vs USA2

Canada came to these championships with realistic hopes of progressing to the semi-finals but were not in contention by the time they met USA2 in Round 13. The Americans were very much in contention for a place in the knock-outs and would need to collapse over the last three rounds to fail to get there.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
	1¨	2§	Pass
Pass	Dble	Pass	Pass
2ª	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
	1¨	2§	Pass
2ª	Pass	3NT	Pass
4ª	All Pass

After identical starts to the auction, John Kranyak was willing to respond 2ª immediately while Danile Lavee was not and only bid his spades to escape from 2§ doubled. When Joe Grue jumped to 3NT, Kranyak suspected that his hand would be a disappointment as dummy so went back to 4ª.

Against the partscore John Hurd underled his diamonds and the nine lost to declarer’s ten. Lavee crossed to the ace of clubs to run the nin eof spades but now Hurd played ace and another diamond and Joel Wooldridge ruffed away the king. There was nowhere for declarer to park his fourth diamond but he had a safe +140.

The defence would be of considerably more importance against Kranyak’s game. Here Vincent Demuy began with the ten of hearts to dummy’s ace. Kranyak cashed the top clubs to pitch his heart loser then ran the ª9 to the king. This was the key moment of the hand and when Demuy continued with a second heart Kranyak could ruff, draw trumps and play the diamonds for two tricks; +420 and 7 IMPs to USA2. That lead was not to survive a single deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1©	1ª	2©
Dble	Pass	3§	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
		2ª	Pass
3§	Dble	Pass	3NT
All Pass

Grue’s weak 2ª opening promised a minor on the side and Kranyak’s response wa spass or correct. Demuy doubled for take-out and Gavin Wolpert took a shot at 3NT. Kranyak led the king of clubs but could not read the position after Grue had played the two, upside-down count. He switched to a spade for the jack and king and Wolpert played the jack of diamonds to the king and ace then a heart for the ten and jack. It required a low club play now to break the contract but Kranyak continued with spades and declarer ran for home; +600.

David Grainger did not open as East, his weak twos being single-suited, and that led to a quite different auction. Grainger eventually played in 3§ and found that his side lacked the high-card strength to allow that contract to succeed. Grainger was three down for –150 but that meant 10 IMPs to Canada.
Once again the lead did not survive the next deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
			Pass
1ª	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
			Pass
2§	Pass	2©	Pass
4ª	All Pass

What would you open with the West cards? I understand 1ª, as a 2§ opening will pre-empt the auction and often lead to the clubs first being shown at the four level. But perhaps Lavee was taking a good idea just a shade too far when he opened at the one level with such a powerful hand? It is quite unlucky to be left in 1ª when you hav eso much distribution as usually someone else also has sufficient distribution to find a bid. Not this time. One Spade was passed out and made twelve tricks thanks to the fall of the trump king; + 230.

Kranyak opened 2§ and the 2© response showed a bad hand. Kranyak simply jumped to the most likely game and playe dthere for +680 and 10 IMPs to USA2.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
1ª	Pass	2¨	Pass
3§	Pass	4§	Pass
5©	Pass	5ª	Pass
5NT	Pass	7§	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
1ª	Pass	2¨	Pass
3¨	Pass	3NT	Pass
4§	Pass	4©	Pass
4ª	Pass	5¨	Pass
5©	Pass	6§	Pass
7¨	All Pass

For the first time the lead did not change hands on this deal as both East/West pairs bid to the grand slam. However, Kranyak’s strange decision to support the diamonds immediately rather than introduce his five-card club suit meant that the Americans reached a much inferior contract and could consider themselves to be very fortunate that the trumps behaved and they flattened the board; +2140 and no swing.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
	Pass	Pass	1¨
Pass	1©	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
	Pass	Pass	2¨
Pass	2ª	Pass	2NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

I really do not believe that it is sound to play a method that requires a balanced 18-count to be opened at the two level but that is what the Canadians do and it had no adverse effect on this occasion as both pairs bid to the normal 3NT.

Lavee looked no further than his one and only four-card suit for an opening lead. Wooldridge won the club and cashed spades, hoping that something good might happen. He could have succeeded by playing for either red suit to divide evenly but failed to do so and ended up a trick short; down one for –100.

Kranyak tried a low heart from queen to three. Wolpert ducked and Grue continued hearts. This time declarer won and played back the suit to establish the thirteenth card and had nine tricks for +600 and 12 IMPs to Canada. Once gain the lead had changed hands but this time it would stay with Canada to the end.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
		Pass	Pass
1¨	Pass	1©	Pass
2©	Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
		1§	Pass
1ª	Pass	1NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Grue opened the East hand while Grainger did not but the only difference this made was to the information available to the defence as both eventually declared the no trump game.

Wooldridge led a low club, his stronger of the unbid suits, against Grainger. Hurd won the §A and returned the suit and declarer had his ninth trick very early, winning the club to clear the spades. He got an overtrick in the ending for +630.

Wolpert also led an unbid suit, but at his table diamonds were an option and it was natural to lead his only four-carder. Grue ducked the diamond to Demuy’s king and Demuy found the killing swich of alow club, quickly establishing three club tricks for the defence and five in all; down one for –100 and another 12 IMPs to Canada.
The boards quietened down for a while but then the Canadians pulled further ahead.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
4ª	Dble	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
4ª	Pass	Pass	Dble
Pass	5§	5ª	Dble
All Pass

Hurd could double in second seat to show a good all-round hand, essentially penalty, and he did so, ending the auction. Had he been able to keep his fingers away from the club honours he would have probably gone plus, but the §Q looked to be the normal lead d that is what he chose. Lavee won the §A, cashed the ªA and played the §J. He could not be prevented from ruffing his fourth club in dummy and that was +590.

Demuy passed over 4ª and Wolpert balanced with a double when many players would prefer a two-suited take-out bid. Demuy responded 5§ rather than try for a penalty and Grue took the push to 5ª, imagining that his opponents might make something at the five level or that 5ª might be cold. Neither possibility paid off on this occasion. The same club lead meant that Kranyak had ten tricks but this time that meant one down; –100 and 12 IMPs to Canada.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
	Pass	Pass	1¨
2§	Dble	3§	Pass
3©	Pass	4©	Dble
All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
	Pass	Pass	Pass
1§	Pass	1©	Dble
2©	4ª	All Pass

Wolpert passed in third seat and now Grue/Kranyak bid only as far as 2© on the East/West cards before Demuy leaped to 4ª in response to the take-out double of 1©. Four Spades needed a little care after a club lead to the ace and a heart switch, forcing dummy to ruff. Demuy played a club to the king then ran the ¨Q to the king. He ruffed the heart return and led dummy’s remaining low spade, the nine, off the table, and successfully running this to East’s king. With the ªA remaining in dummy to take care of a further heart lead, it seemed to East that he should try a different line of attack, so he led a diamond. Demuy won that in hand and crossed to teh ace of spades, drawing the outstanding trumps in the process. Now he could cash the diamonds for heart pitches; +620. Had East played a third heart, declarer could have ruffed in dummy but the diamonds would have been blocked and he would have had to concede a heart in the ending for down one.

Wooldridge opened in third seat but wa sthen unwilling to get involved again until he rather obscurely chose to double the final contract, banking on his partner to turn up with a heart stack of some kind. The ¨Q was led to the ace and Wooldridge switched to the eight of clubs, run to a deceptive king. Back came a spade to the ace and when declarer got the club position wrong, believing South to be the one who had falsecarded rather than North, he was down one for –200 and 13 IMPs to Canada.

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

West	North	East	South
Lavee	Hurd	Grainger	Wooldridge
			Pass
Pass	Pass	1©	1ª
2ª	3©	4©	4ª
Dble	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Kranyak	Demuy	Grue	Wolpert
			Pass
Pass	Pass	1©	Pass
2§	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	All Pass

Wooldridge’s 1ª overcall put momentum into the auction and, where the uncontested auction had stopped quietly in 2© at the other table, his opponents got all the way to game. Now Wooldridge judged to save in 4ª, where he was doubled. Four Hearts was detsined to succeed, as evidenced by the +170 scored by USA2 in the other room, but the price of down two for –500 was too much and resulted in a swing of 8 IMPs to Canada.

The final score was 69-24 in favour of Canada, 24-6 VPs. It came too late to get them into the knock-outs, but meant that USA2 could not be certain of taking their expected place in the semi-finals.