italy   v   usa 2    -    bb Round 12

Groundhog Day

by Mark Horton

I suspect everyone knows the brilliant movie in which Pittsburgh weather man Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is sent on assignment to Punxatawney, where on Groundhog Day each year the locals have a tradition of consulting the groundhog to find out if spring is imminent or if they should prepare for six more weeks of winter. Phil despises the job and the town, and can't wait to get it over with.... even though he has a soft spot for Rita (Andie MacDowell), the producer overseeing his broadcast. Phil's dislike of Punxatawney, its people and its traditions is set to get a hell of a lot worse, though ... as when he awakens the next morning he finds himself reliving the same day. And so it goes – every time Phil gets up, it's still February 2nd and he seems destined to be stuck in the same day for the rest of eternity.

In between writing up match reports and stories for the Bulletin, I am also a commentator once a day. For the last three matches one of the featured teams has been Italy, the bridge equivalent of Groundhog Day.

Still, who could object to watching an encounter between the two teams who have dominated the Bermuda Bowl in recent years.

A packed house certainly got value for money.

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

Open Room

South’s redouble promised three-card heart support, and when North made an invitational jump, South, who might have had rather less in the Meckwell methods, went on to game.

East led the ace of diamonds and switched to the five of spades. Declarer won with dummy’s ace and ran the queen of hearts, West dropping the ten. East won and played a second spade. Declarer won, ruffed a spade high and drew trumps. He could get to dummy with the ace of clubs and take the marked diamond finesse, +420.

East could have defeated the contract by playing back a trump, as that creates insurmountable communication problems for the declarer.

(My finessing friend always gets home by playing a heart to the ace, then ruffing a spade and exiting with a heart, but that is not a line of play that would appeal to a human.)

Closed Room

1♦ 4+♥, 4+ points
1♥ 3/4♥ unbalanced

Here the Italian system made South declarer.

A club lead would have defeated the contract, but that was hardly attractive given South was almost certain to have some real clubs. West led a diamond.

East won with the ace and ... the rest was silence.

Unfortunately all we know from here is that the contract was one down, giving USA 10 IMPs.

My guess is that East switched to a club and declarer went up with the ace, after which there was no winning line.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ 9 6 5 3 ♥ A 4 ♦ J 10 9 8 ♣ A 10 6
♠ J 10 ♥ K 10 8 7 5 3 ♦ 6 4 2 ♣ K 9		♠ 7 2 ♥ 9 6 2 ♦ A K 3 ♣ J 8 7 4 2
	♠ A K Q 8 4 ♥ Q J ♦ Q 7 5 ♣ Q 5 3

Open Room

2♦ promised one major in a limited hand, but North brushed it aside without attempting to locate a possible spade fit.

West led the three of hearts (attitude). Declarer won in hand with the queen and cashed five rounds of spades, discarding a diamond from dummy as West parted with the five of hearts and the six and four of diamonds, East disposing of the three of diamonds and the eight and four of clubs.

Odd cards are encouraging, so East’s diamond showed something good in that suit – assuming declarer believed East/West would feel obliged to tell each other anything useful.

South played the five of clubs, and when the nine came up, he put up dummy’s ace and returned the six of clubs, East following with the two.

When declarer elected to play the queen, he was one down.

Closed Room

3♦ Bergen raise

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

Open Room

I approve of 3♠, although there might be some merit in adding the now hackneyed phrase, ‘Don’t try this at home.’

North’s 4♣ also gets a stamp of approval, although 4♠ doubled would have been a painful experience.

However, East came to the rescue and what was worse 5♦ was quickly one down, -100 when the defenders started with three rounds of clubs.

Closed Room

I prefer Versace’s double to 4NT, but how easy it is to be wise after the event.

When North came in, East showed his key cards and West retreated to 6NT – quickly down one, -200 to give Italy 3 IMPs.

I must mention a brilliant piece of defensive bidding by Poland’s Krzysztof Martens on this deal:

West	North	East	South
Goel	Martens	Mukherjee	Jassem
		1♦	3♠
6NT	Pass!	7NT	Pass
Pass	Dble	All Pass

Martens realised that if he doubled 6NT there was a real danger that either East or West might retreat to 7♦, and then it might be essential for South to find a club lead (if indeed he had one).

When he passed he received his reward, as East made an undisciplined raise that cost his side an extra 400 points.

At the other table South did not overcall and North’s 2♣ intervention saw Jerzy Skrzypczak and Boguslaw Gierulski stop safely in 4NT for +660 and 15 IMPs.

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

Open Room

South cashed the king of diamonds and then took the queen and ace, North discarding the five of hearts. South continued with the nine of diamonds and North ruffed with the nine of clubs, declarer overruffing and returning the queen of clubs.

South gave that a look, took the ace and played the last diamond. When North produced the ten of clubs declarer had to go two down – a rare double uppercut delivering +200.

Closed Room

2♣ 18/19 balanced no five-card major (plus stronger options)
2♥ Transfer 2♠ can be made on this deal – but only with the East/West cards.

West led a club. Declarer won, played three rounds of diamonds and exited with a club. East won and switched to a trump. The defenders played three rounds of the suit and declarer’s goose was cooked, down three, -300 and 11 IMPs to USA 2.

Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ Q 6 4 3 ♥ 10 4 ♦ K Q J 4 ♣ A J 9
♠ K 10 9 8 2 ♥ A Q 7 5 ♦ 7 6 ♣ K 2		♠ J 5 ♥ K 9 ♦ 9 3 2 ♣ 8 7 6 5 4 3
	♠ A 7 ♥ J 8 6 3 2 ♦ A 10 8 5 ♣ Q 10

Open Room

It was not too shabby to get to game in the face of an opening bid and response.

Full marks to Barry Rigal, who predicted West would lead a diamond.

It did not help as declarer had an easy route to nine tricks via two spades, four diamonds and three clubs, +400.

Closed Room

South had no reason to go on over 1NT, +150 and another 6 IMPs to USA 2, now ahead by 29-15.

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

Open Room

2♦ Inverted
2♥ 11-13 balanced
2♠ Relay to 2NT
3♠ Short in ♥
4♣ Natural

The only thing wrong with the North/South auction was that at no point did they establish that two aces were missing.

For some pairs 4♦ in this sort of situation would have been RKCB, and perhaps 4NT over 4♠ would have had the same effect?

East led the five of hearts. West won and simultaneously put a spade on the table, +50.

Closed Room

1♠ Denies 4♠
3♦ 4+♥

A good stop delivered 10 IMPs.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	♠ A K 6 5 3 ♥ A 4 3 ♦ 6 2 ♣ A 10 7
♠ J 7 ♥ J 9 7 5 ♦ K Q J 9 7 ♣ K 8		♠ Q 8 4 2 ♥ 10 8 6 ♦ A 3 ♣ J 5 4 2
	♠ 10 9 ♥ K Q 2 ♦ 10 8 5 4 ♣ Q 9 6 3

Open Room

3NT was hopeless – after five rounds of diamonds, West switched to a spade and declarer could make no more than seven tricks, -100.

Closed Room

2♦ would have cost 300, but South’s trumps were hardly good enough to pass.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	♠ Q 10 8 5 4 ♥ 8 3 ♦ Q J 10 6 5 ♣ Q
♠ 7 3 ♥ A K Q 10 6 2 ♦ 9 8 7 2 ♣ 5		♠ K 6 ♥ J 9 5 4 ♦ A 4 3 ♣ A J 8 3
	♠ A J 9 2 ♥ 7 ♦ K ♣ K 10 9 7 6 4 2

Open Room

North led his singleton queen of clubs. Declarer won with dummy’s ace, ruffed a club, cashed two trumps and then ducked a diamond to the singleton king, leaving South endplayed.

While Rodwell was pondering, West claimed one down, –50.

Closed Room

East/West did well to shut out the spade suit.

Declarer took the club lead in dummy, and preparing for an elimination, cashed the ace of diamonds.

When the king appeared, he crossed to the ace of hearts, drew a second round of trumps with the king of hearts and exited with a diamond, hoping to endplay South.

Unlucky!

He had to go one down, no swing.

It was perhaps unlucky that declarer had no clue to the distribution. However, at least one declarer did make the contract:

West	North	East	South
Møller	Lasocki	Lund	Russyan
			2♣
3♥	Pass	4♥	All Pass

In the Senior Bowl, Denmark’s Steen Møller won the opening lead of the queen of clubs and played a heart to the queen followed by a diamond to the ace. When the king appeared, declarer could see a glimmer of hope.

He cashed a top trump in dummy and played a club, discarding a spade from his hand.

South, endplayed for the first time, and he cashed the ace of spades and exited with a spade. Declarer won with dummy’s king, discarding a diamond from hand, and played a club, again discarding a diamond. South played the king of clubs, but when declarer discarded for the third time, South had to concede a ruff and discard.

It earned Denmark a game swing as at the other table declarer followed the line taken by Hemant Lall.

USA 2 won 34-30 IMPs, 16-14 VP, but they would have to pick up the pace if they were going to secure a qualifying spot.