| 38th World Team Championships | Page 2 | Bulletin 2 - Monday 1 October 2007 |
| |
||
Brazil v indonesia - BB Round 2 by Brian Senior
Both Brazil and Indonesia could have serious hopes of making he knockout stages of the Bermuda Bowl but neither could feel secure about their chances, making this second-round clash an important one for both teams.
Gabriel Chagas opened a natural 1♣ and, on getting a response from partner, Miguel Villas Boas, was willing to take a shot at 3NT – he had, after all, eight running tricks including a heart stopper. That pre-empted Taufik Asbi into bidding 4♥ when he might have settled for a constructive raise to three given the space to do so, and Chagas felt obliged to save. Four Hearts can be made despite the diamond loser, but it requires declarer to play North for the bare ten or nine of spades. In 5♣ doubled, Chagas won the heart lead and gave up a diamond. Robert Tobing won and switched to a club, after which Chagas could take two diamond ruffs in dummy but that left him with a second diamond loser plus a spade; down one for –100. Keng Hin Ong’s strong club opening saw Giovanni Watulingas make a negative 1♦ response and Paulo Brum could overcall a level lower than had Tobing. Ong showed his clubs and repeated the suit over Marco Thoma’s heart raise, but there was no momentum in this auction and it died down peacefully in 3♣. The same heart lead, diamond ducked and club switch, meant the same ten tricks; +130 and 6 IMPs to Indonesia.
At both tables, West began with a simple spade raise and East made what was ostensibly a game try of 3♣. Brum raised the second suit and, when Thoma simply signed-off in 4♠, assumed that 3♣ had indeed been just a game try so passed. A diamond lead allowed Thoma to make all 13 tricks for a disappointing +510. Tobing raised clubs, but indirectly, showing a useful diamond holding along the way. That encouraged Asbi to look for slam and, looking at two aces, five trumps and a shortage, Tobing jumped to the small slam. There was nothing to the play after a heart lead and continuation; +920 and 9 IMPs to Indonesia.
Indonesia increased its lead when Chagas decided to upgrade his 14-count and Villas Boas drove to game, while Ong showed a weak no trump type and Watulingas settled for a quite partscore. Asbi led a low heart against 3NT and Chagas ducked the king and ten then won the third round and cashed his spades before playing a diamond. The defence had no problem in holding declarer to his seven top tricks; -200. Brum led a diamond against 2♠. Thoma won the ace and switched to a low club for the queen and ace. Watulingas drew trumps and played on diamonds and, with the fall of the nine, had nine tricks for +140 and 8 IMPs to Indonesia.
Both East/West pairs bid smoothly to the excellent small slam and neither declarer had any trouble in coming to twelve tricks for a push at +980.
Whether or not 2♥ is forcing, I would not pass it when holding what appear to be substantial extra values for a one-level overcall – 2♥ has certainly not made North’s hand any worse – and I was surprised to see that Chagas had passed it. Villas Boas made ten tricks without difficulty in 2♥ but +170 always looked to be inadequate. At the other table, Ong rebid 3♠ with the North hand and Watulingas did well to repeat his hearts, ending the auction. Brum led ace then queen of diamonds to dummy’s king and Watulingas led the ♥Q and ran it then the ♥9, overtaking with the ten. He played a low club next to Brum’s king and won the club return, just conceding a heart for +620 and 10 IMPs to Indonesia.
It was the turn of the two North/South pairs to flatten a board by bidding and making a good small slam. The Chagas 3NT bid was presumably some sort of spade raise and Villas Boas simply jumped to slam, while Watulingas opened with a strong club and, once spades were agreed, an exchange of cuebids followed by RKCB also reached the top spot without difficulty.
This one was flat in 4♠ just making by East after a diamond lead had saved declarer from a likely losing finesse in that suit. Indonesia ran out winners by 37-2 IMPs, 23-7 VPs. Barry Rigal takes over to tell of events in the vugraph theatre: Four Spades by West is more challenging than by East, where South is likely to lead a diamond. On vugraph, declarer (who shall remain nameless for reasons that will become clear) received a trump lead. After drawing trumps in three rounds the correct technical play is clear – you need the ♥K onside so lead a heart to the ace then back towards the queen and can strip off the hearts before exiting in clubs. The defenders must now open up diamonds and give you a 75% chance to avoid a loser, as opposed to the 50% chance you would have if left to your own devices. Declarer missed this and exited with a low club after the third round of trumps. South won this trick cheaply and assumed declarer needed discards for heart losers, so shifted to the jack of hearts – close but no coconut! Declarer could now revert to the winning line, for a flat board since Fantoni/Nunes had reached the superior 3NT in the other room. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
| Page 2 |
