| 38th World Team Championships | Page 4 | Bulletin 7 - Saturday 6 October 2007 |
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france v denmark - vc Round 11 by Phillip Alder
by Phillip Alder The biggest match-up in the eleventh round of the Venice Cup pitched France, then fifth with 184 victory points, against Denmark, then sixth, one VP behind. France sent Catherine d'Ovidio and Danièle Gaviard to play North-South in the Open Room against Stense Farholt and Maria Rahelt. In the Closed Room, Bénédicte Cronier and Sylvie Willard were East-West against Nadia Bekkouche and Trine Binderkrantz. The match featured several big swings, beginning on the third board, where these were the East-West hands: WEST EAST The French stopped in four notrump, but the Danes got to six notrump thus: 1♥-1♠-2♠-3♣-3NT-6NT-Pass. The opening lead was a diamond around to the jack. Taking the safety play, Rahelt cashed her diamond king, played a heart to dummy's ace, and led a heart to her ten. This lost to North's jack, but declarer claimed four spades, four hearts, three diamonds and one club. That gave Denmark 13 IMPs and the lead by 19-0. France got on the board on the next deal.
(a) Transfer
(a) Transfer to clubs The auction in the Open Room must set some sort of record. One moment East-West were content with a contract of one notrump, then ended in four notrump. Rahelt passed on the second round because she had no bid to describe her hand. A three-club response would have shown 4-5 in the minors, and three diamonds 5-4. D'Ovidio, thinking her partner had some values, balanced with two diamonds, a transfer. After Gaviard completed the transfer, Rahelt had her chance, cue-bidding to announce an unusual hand. Farholt showed her four spades, and Rahelt jumped to four notrump, believing that it showed a minor two-suiter. East, not on the same wavelength, passed. (Note that five diamonds has no chance.) Against four notrump, South led a heart of course. Declarer won and ran the diamond jack, losing to North's queen. Back came a heart and declarer could have taken seven tricks, but she went down four. In the Closed Room, Willard described a minor two-suiter, and Cronier chose three notrump. When South led from her stronger major, declarer was safe with two spades, two hearts and five clubs. Plus 400 and plus 600 gave France 14 IMPs. More points went the same way on the fifth board.
In the Open Room, Farholt had no difficulty in four hearts, losing one spade and one diamond to score up an overtrick. At the other table, Bekkouche opened a weak notrump at unfavorable vulnerability -- not a good moment for partner to hold zero points. At least North-South found their eight-card fit, but East doubled anyway, going for the throat. West led the club ace and continued with a second trump. East, after taking her club king, shifted to the heart queen. When that held, East led her last trump. Declarer could take one spade, one diamond, one club and a couple of ruffs, but that was down three. Minus 450 and plus 800 gave France 8 IMPs. More accurate partscore bidding gave France another 15 IMPs on the next three boards to take a 37-19 lead at halftime. But on the ninth deal Cronier had a mechanical error, accidentally pulling the wrong card from her hand. This let through a nonvulnerable game, giving Denmark 10 IMPs. The next big swing occurred on this deal:
In the Open Room, Rahelt opened one club in the third position, putting d'Ovidio in an awkward position with only two hearts. Some would overcall one spade, but she made a textbook pass. Farholt responded with a weak jump response of two hearts, which is an unusual agreement by a passed hand. (The traditional interpretation is a fit-showing jump. East would be showing a maximum pass with five hearts and four or five clubs.) Once her partner balanced, Gaviard adopted modern team tactics: If there is the faintest aroma of game wafting across the table, bid that game. Against four spades, West led her higher heart, covered by the jack, queen and ace. Declarer ran her spade nine, drew the trumps, and took her two heart tricks, discarding a club from the dummy. She lost only one diamond and two clubs to make her contract. In the Closed Room, Bekkouche took a very cautious position. Yes, her partner was a passed hand, but she was vulnerable and had four-card spade support, a doubleton and five controls (an ace counts two controls and a king one). She surely should have bid four spades. North won ten tricks, but France gained 10 IMPs. More points went the Gallic way on the next deal.
(a) Artificial inquiry In the Closed Room, Binderkrantz bid four spades once she found out that they had a 4-4 spade fit. West led the heart queen and the way the cards lay, declarer had no chance. The play record is not given. One would expect her to take two heart winners, discarding clubs, then to take a winning spade finesse and cash the spade ace, getting the bad news. Now comes a diamond to dummy's ace and a diamond. When East plays low, declarer should duck, knowing West must have the king. In that way, South could escape for down two, but she actually went down four. In the Open Room, East's one-spade response (instead of two hearts) picked off her opponents' suit. So d'Ovidio drove into three notrump. After East led the heart seven and West put up her jack, how should North have planned the play? Assuming the spade finesse is working, she has two spades and two hearts. In that case, five diamond tricks would see her home. But playing the ace and another diamond would make communications a problem. D'Ovidio saw the right answer: At trick two, she ducked a diamond. Then she could win the heart continuation, cash the diamond ace, dropping the king, take the spade finesse, and run for home. Nicely played. Plus 200 and plus 400 gave France a further 12 IMPs. France gained another 8 IMPs when Rahelt opened three diamonds in third position holding: ♠ Q 4 2 This resulted in a missed three-notrump contract. The French ran out winners by 67 IMPs to 29, or 24-6 in victory points. |
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