The World Junior Pairs

by Barry Rigal

In 1997 the World Junior Pairs and World Junior Camp were organized in Santa Sofia in Italy, a picturesque mountain village in Italy. It had some significant advantages, in being very at a temperate climate, and affording beautiful views. In addition the camp was an athletic centre, thereby permitting the camp members to take advantage of all sorts of sporting pursuits. As against that, I do not think the Italian organizers were prepared for so many rowdy juniors, who viewed the camp as an opportunity to have a good time, rather than meekly go to bed at 10.00. Having said that, an uneasy compromise was worked out between the juniors and authority, which resulted in remarkably few incidents; indeed, had it not been for the juniors insistence on breaking and spraining limbs at every opportunity, there would have been hardly anything of excitement to report at all.

The activities started with the World Junior Pairs, a four-session pairs event, and there were enough reporters around to follow some of the ante-post favourites. Geitner and Rombeau of France are part of their junior team, and a pair who has had much success at the Open Level. They took an early lead in the tournament. Geitner had to justify some aggressive bidding to get a decent score on this hand.

Board 23. Dealer South. Game all
	♠ 9 8 4 2 ♥ 8 ♦ A 10 9 8 ♣ A J 7 2
♠ A 7 5 ♥ K 9 7 5 ♦ 7 2 ♣ Q 9 6 4		♠ J 6 ♥ A J 10 6 4 3 2 ♦ 6 3 ♣ K 10
	♠ K Q 10 3 ♥ Q ♦ K Q J 5 4 ♣ 8 5 3

West	North	East	South
Marshall	Geitner	Cockburn	Rombeau
			1♦
Pass	1♠	2♥	2♠
3♥	4♠	All Pass

Geitner’s leap to 4♠ (if double was a game try it might have been a more accurate description) left him having to justify his own bidding. Cockburn, reluctant perhaps to lead the ♥A, tried the effect of a low trump, and Marshall took his ace of trumps and laid down the K♥ (if he does not take it, it goes away). Then he shifted to a club, and Geitner read the position very well when he took the ♣A, drew trumps, and threw a club on the fifth diamond.

Now he exited with a low club, and Cockburn was in with the ♣K, and had to concede a ruff and discard, so the contract made. On the lead of the ♥A at trick one, would Cockburn have been able to find the shift to the ♣K? It is certainly the way to get your name in the papers! In the second session, perhaps because of my presence while I was watching, Wademark and Solbrand went plus on the first 12 boards quite a feat in a World Class event! Probably the best individual play was on the following hand, where Wademark really earned his top by fine declarer play.

Board 9. Dealer North. E/W game
	♠ K 8 ♥ K 7 4 ♦ A Q 9 6 2 ♣ K J 8
♠ A J 10 7 5 ♥ 8 6 3 ♦ J 8 7 5 ♣ 9		♠ 3 2 ♥ Q J 5 2 ♦ 10 4 ♣ 10 7 6 5 2
	♠ Q 9 6 4 ♥ A 10 9 ♦ K 3 ♣ A Q 4 3

The routine auction 1NT-3NT saw Andrew Walker on lead with a tough problem. As an unbiased kibitzer I was focusing on the ♠3 in an attempt to hit partner (my only successful opening lead of the year, and I have to waste it as a spectator!) but Walker led a small heart and dummy’s ♥9 scored. Now Wademark played the ♦K and a diamond to hand, and noted the fall of the ♦10 with interest. At this point he made the excellent play of crossing to dummy’s ♥A and leading a spade to his ♠K. When this held, he cashed four rounds of clubs, learning that his Left Hand Opponent had nine cards in hearts and clubs. The question was what to throw on the fourth club. If he threw a spade he could see that he would make either 11 or 13 tricks, but he followed the odds by trying for 12 tricks, which he could see would be a fine score. He pitched a diamond on the fourth club, and crossed to hand with the ♥K, squeezing West in the process.

To preserve the diamonds Ronaldson had to bare the ♠A, and he was thrown in with it at trick 11 to lead a diamond, allowing Wademark to take the finesse, and notch up 12 tricks. At the end of the third session there were four pairs in with a good chance of sinning the event. Grzejdzial and Kielichowski were leading narrowly from Wademark and Solbrand, with the transnational partnership of Drogemuller and Reim just ahead of Brogeland and Hantveit of Norway. Boye Brogeland is a current Norwegian international Hantveit the son of a current top player. Another interesting story was that Igor Grzejdzial’s wife (also a Bridge player) was overdue expecting her first child. She had encouraged Igor to go to the tournament, but he was using his cell-phone between rounds to check on progress, and as a result playing the fastest Bridge of his career. In the final stanza Brogeland had the opportunity for a nice play, although he needed a little cooperation.

Board 11. Dealer South. Love all
	♠ 10 8 2 ♥ Q 8 2 ♦ K J 10 6 4 ♣ 9 7
♠ A J 5 ♥ 4 3 ♦ Q 9 7 5 2 ♣ K 5 2		♠ Q 6 4 ♥ A K 10 7 5 ♦ A ♣ 10 8 4 3
	♠ K 9 7 3 ♥ J 9 6 ♦ 8 3 ♣ A Q J 6

West	North	East	South
			Pass
Pass	3♦	3♥	Pass
3NT	All Pass

After a junioresque 3♦ preempt E/W were goaded into 3NT when they would probably have stopped in 2♥ if left to their own devices. Brogeland would have been very poorly placed on a diamond lead, but who leads their own suit nowadays? The ♠8 travelled round to the ♠J, and Boye led a heart to the ♥10 and ♥J. Back came the ♣Q, and when it held the trick this was the defence’s last chance to play a diamond through. But South cleared the clubs, and now an avalanche of hearts finished South off. In the four-card ending he had to keep one club and two spades, and thus only one diamond, so he was squeezed out of his diamond exit. Brogeland cashed the ♦A and exited with a club, to force the lead away from the ♠K, for his ninth trick. (I think Brogeland cannot make the contract if he takes the first club. The same squeeze does not work if South has two club guards, since he can keep pitch a club and keep both his diamonds in the ending.)

The final ranking saw Wademark and Solbrand hold on to win by a clear top from Drogemuller and Reim, with Brogeland and Hantveit in third place.