japan   v   poland    -    bb  Round 19

by Brent Manley

Japan and Poland, two teams headed in different directions, sat down for a match in round 19 of the Bermuda Bowl qualifying. After starting out strongly, Poland had lost six in a row to fall out of the top eight and were in danger of not making it to the knockout stage. Japan, on the other hand, had moved into the last qualifying spot with three matches to go and were striving to stay there.

Poland struck first.

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ K 7 4 ♥ 5 4 ♦ A 8 7 5 ♣ Q J 7 4
♠ 10 6 2 ♥ Q 10 9 7 3 ♦ Q 10 ♣ 8 5 3		♠ A Q 9 3 ♥ A K 8 ♦ J 9 6 ♣ A 10 6
	♠ J 8 5 ♥ J 6 2 ♦ K 4 3 2 ♣ K 9 2

West	North	East	South
Chen	Martens	Furuta	Jassem
		1♣	Pass
1♥	Pass	2NT	Pass
3♦	Pass	3♥	All Pass

Dawei Chen and Kazuo Furuta did well to stop at the three level, and Chen did not have to work hard to come to nine tricks for plus 140.

West	North	East	South
Chmurski	Ino	Gawrys	Imakura
	1NT*	Dble	Pass*
2♥	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	Pass	Pass	Dble
All Pass

Masauki Ino’s 1NT showed 10-12 high-card points. Over the penalty double, Tadashi Imakura’s pass forced a redouble if West passed. When the Poles arrived at 3NT, Imakura expressed his doubts about that contract. Unfortunately for his side, Imakura selected a low diamond for his opening lead. Ino won the ♦A and continued the suit, and on the run of the heart suit, North and South both pitched spades, allowing Gawrys to get home with an overtrick for plus 650. That was 11 IMPs to Poland.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	♠ K 10 3 ♥ 10 8 ♦ A K 10 8 2 ♣ J 6 4
♠ Q 5 4 ♥ A 5 ♦ J 6 5 3 ♣ K Q 9 7		♠ 8 6 2 ♥ K Q J 9 4 2 ♦ Q ♣ A 5 3
	♠ A J 9 7 ♥ 7 6 3 ♦ 9 7 4 ♣ 10 8 2

West	North	East	South
Chmurski	Ino	Gawrys	Imakura
		1♥	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♥	Pass
2NT	Pass	4♥	All Pass

Bartosz Chmurski’s 2♣ was described as a two-way bid – natural and forcing for one round or balanced. 2NT showed the latter hand, so Piotr Gawrys bid the heart game. Imakura started with a low diamond, taken by Ino with the ace. He considered his next play carefully before accurately switching to the ♠3.Two more rounds of spades scuttled the contract.

West	North	East	South
Chen	Martens	Furuta	Jassem
		1♥	Pass
1♠	Pass	2♥	Pass
3NT	All Pass

North started with his fourth-best diamond, and it was over quickly as Chen was soon claiming 11 tricks. The match was even at 11.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ Q 10 6 2 ♥ Q ♦ J 10 9 5 3 ♣ J 7 4
♠ A K 4 3 ♥ K 10 6 3 2 ♦ A Q 2 ♣ 5		♠ J 7 5 ♥ J 8 7 4 ♦ K 8 7 6 ♣ K 10
	♠ 9 8 ♥ A 9 5 ♦ 4 ♣ A Q 9 8 6 3 2

West	North	East	South
Chmurski	Ino	Gawrys	Imakura
			1♣
Dble	1♠	2♥	2NT*
4♣	Pass	4♥	5♣
Dble	All Pass

2NT by Imakura was a transfer to 3♣.

West	North	East	South
Chen	Martens	Furuta	Jassem
			2♣
Dble	3♣	Pass	3♥
Dble	4♣	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

North-South kept bidding and West kept doubling. Perhaps Furuta was discouraged from bidding by Krzysztof Jassem’s 3♥ bid, but passing 4♣ doubled did not work out well at all. Jassem lost the same three tricks that Imakura did to emerge with plus 510 and a 12-IMP gain for his team.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ Q 5 4 ♥ K 9 8 7 4 2 ♦ 10 9 ♣ A 8
♠ A 10 7 2 ♥ A 10 ♦ 8 6 ♣ K 10 7 4 3		♠ K 9 8 ♥ Q J ♦ A Q J 4 ♣ J 9 6 2
	♠ J 6 3 ♥ 6 5 3 ♦ K 7 5 3 2 ♣ Q 5

West	North	East	South
Chmurski	Ino	Gawrys	Imakura
1♣	1♥	1♠*	2♥
Pass	Pass	Dble	Pass
3♣	Pass	3♥	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Played by West, 3NT cannot be defeated. No opening lead other than a diamond would give declarer any trouble at all unless he misguessed clubs (unlikely). It would, of course, be trivial for declarer to rise with the ♦A and play on clubs. A diamond continuation would only establish declarer’s ninth trick. In actual play, Ino started with a low heart and Chmurski was soon claiming plus 600.

West	North	East	South
Chen	Martens	Furuta	Jassem
1♣	1♥	2♠*	Pass
4♠	Pass	5♣	All Pass

Furuta’s 2♠ was a club raise. It’s not clear what 4♠ was, but the auction left the Japanese declarer in an inferior contract. Krzysztof Martens started with the ♦10, and Chen put up the ace. Jassem, perhaps signalling count, followed with the ♦5, a play that produced an amusing ending to the deal – at least for the Japanese.

	♠ Q 5 4 ♥ K 9 8 7 ♦ ♣
♠ A 10 7 2 ♥ ♦ ♣ 10 7 4		♠ K 9 8 ♥ ♦ J 4 ♣ 9 6
	♠ J 6 3 ♥ 6 ♦ 7 3 2 ♣

A diamond return into dummy’s tenace would declarer to discard two spades from hand. Equally fatal to the defense would be a heart, allowing declarer to get rid of a low spade from dummy on the ruff-sluff. Jassem tried the ♠J, but Chen had already decided to play for split honors, so he won with the ♠A and played a spade to the 9 in dummy. Plus 600 and a push.

Once Martens returned the heart, the contract could no longer be defeated even if Jassem had held onto the ♦5. Declarer simply cashes the ♥A, plays a trump to dummy and exits with dummy’s ♦4. If South goes up with the ♦K, dummy has two good diamonds for the two losing spades in his hand. If South ducks, North wins with the ♦9 but must break the spade suit or give declarer a ruff-sluff with a heart return. Declarer ruffs in dummy on the heart return, pitching a spade from hand, then ruffs out the ♦K, returns to dummy with the ♠K to cash his good ♦J, pitching a second spade from hand.

Japan pulled almost even on the next deal.

Board 25. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	♠ 9 ♥ J 10 8 7 5 3 2 ♦ A Q 10 5 ♣ 7
♠ A K Q 3 ♥ A K 9 ♦ J 6 3 ♣ K Q 6		♠ 10 8 7 6 ♥ 4 ♦ 9 7 4 ♣ 10 9 8 5 3
	♠ J 5 4 2 ♥ Q 6 ♦ K 8 2 ♣ A J 4 2

West	North	East	South
Chmurski	Ino	Gawrys	Imakura
	4♥	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Gawrys led a spade, taken by Chmurski with the queen. Ino ruffed the spade return and played a heart to the queen and king. Chmurski cashed the ♥A and got out with his last heart. Ino played another two rounds of trumps, relaxing when both opponents pitched diamonds. That was plus 590 to Japan.

West	North	East	South
Chen	Martens	Furuta	Jassem
	4♥	Pass	Pass
Dble	Pass	4♠	All Pass

Furuta did his best in the poor contract, but he could take no more than eight tricks for minus 200. Still, it was 9 IMPs to Japan.

Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul.
	♠ K Q 10 6 ♥ J 8 7 5 3 ♦ J 10 5 ♣ 3
♠ 9 4 3 ♥ K ♦ A Q 8 7 3 2 ♣ A 6 4		♠ 8 2 ♥ A 6 4 2 ♦ K 6 ♣ 10 9 8 7 5
	♠ A J 7 5 ♥ Q 10 9 ♦ 9 4 ♣ K Q J 2

West	North	East	South
Chmurski	Ino	Gawrys	Imakura
		Pass	1♣
1♦	Dble	Pass	2♠
All Pass

Chmurski led the ♥K and switched to a trump at trick two. Imakura played three rounds of trumps, ending in hand, then put the ♣J on the table. Chmurski ducked, and declarer was soon writing plus 140 on his score card, losing two diamonds and two hearts.

West	North	East	South
Chen	Martens	Furuta	Jassem
		Pass	1♣
1♦	Dble	Pass	1♥
2♦	2♥	3♦	3♥
All Pass

Chen started with the ♦A and continued with a diamond to East’s king. A low spade went to dummy’s queen. Declarer played a club to his queen and Chen’s ace, and Chen played the ♦Q, allowing Furuta to discard his other spade. Now when Chen won with his singleton ♥K, he was able to give his partner a spade ruff. That was five tricks in with the trump ace to come for plus 200, good for 7 IMPs to Japan, who won the match 42-34 to stay in qualifying position.