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1st SessionII	At the table French Offence by Steen Møller The 1st session by Kees Tammens

It was most appropriate that the WBF should hold the opening ceremonies for the World Junior Pairs and world junior camp adjacent to an athletic track, and coincidentally that this should occur in the week that new record times were set for the 10,000 and 800 metres.

Guided by Director of Ceremonies Stefan Back, we heard from the Italian Federation, the WBF, and our onsite manager.

Each of 27 nations attending the games were welcomed, and the 5 Zones that were atttending the contest duly noted, all in the impressively efficient time of 28 minutes.

An awed spectator predicted that the record would hold up for as long as Bob Beamon's Long Jump record, and it is worth noting that the rarefied air of Forli no doubt had a bearing on the spectacular time achieved. However, since we had a representative of the Olympic Committee present and actually participating in the record-breaking achievement, we have no doubt that the record will be officially ratified!

Just for the record: the five Zones participating in the event are Zones 1,2,3,5,7 - Europe, USA, South America, Central America and Australasia. The 27 countries present are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guadeloupe, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Martinique, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and USA.

For our first check on the Championship we alighted at the table occupied by Great Britain's Paula Leslie and Suzanne Cohen. The first pair to visit them was from Israel, Ran Schneider and Yossi Roll. This was the more interesting of the two boards:

Dealer East. E/W Game 9 8 4 10 5 3 2 K Q 7 5 10 6 A 7 3 Q J 5 A K 8 4 Q J 9 — J 9 8 4 3 A K 8 4 3 2 9 5 K 10 6 2 7 6 A 10 6 2 Q J 7 West North East South Schneider Leslie Roll Cohen Pass Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass

This deal combined a bidding problem for East-West and a defensive problem for North-South. The Israeli pair failed their part when they reached 3NT rather than Five Clubs. South led the two of spades and declarer won with the queen and played three rounds of clubs. South promptly switched to the two of diamonds and the defenders took their tricks for one down. Next up were a pair from the Netherlands, Marco Verloove and Patrick Baremans.

Dealer South. Game All 10 6 K J 10 6 5 7 6 3 A 7 3 A 7 5 Q 8 3 2 8 4 3 2 A Q 7 K Q 9 8 2 A 10 5 6 Q 8 5 K J 9 4 9 J 4 K J 10 9 4 2 West North East South Verloove Leslie Roll Cohen Pass Pass Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 1NT All Pass

The Dutch pair were clearly MAFIA men - 'Majors always first in answering! When East-West died in 1NT, South might have come back into the auction with Two Clubs, but in the event passing 1NT turned out quite well.

North led a diamond and declarer decided to cash all his winners in that suit. South pitched a couple of clubs and a spade and West then took a winning heart finesse. He came back to hand with a spade to the ace and tried a spade to the queen. South won and switched to a club, giving the defence the remaining tricks. Going to bed with the queen of hearts gave East-West a poor score.

The Dutchmen got their revenge on the second board, once again bypassing a minor suit.

Dealer West. Love All A Q J 8 Q 4 3 Q 10 3 2 9 8 K 10 7 4 3 9 6 2 6 5 A 9 8 7 2 — K J 9 5 4 A K Q 10 5 2 — 5 K J 10 A 8 7 6 J 7 6 4 3 West North East South Verloove Leslie Roll Cohen 1 Pass 4 All Pass

The auction gave North little chance of finding the killing lead of a heart (a club also appears to work, but is hardly obvious) and she selected the two of diamonds. Declarer played the jack and when that forced the ace he had established a discard for his losing heart. After ruffing the ace of diamonds, he continued with three top clubs, discarding hearts from the dummy. North ruffed in with the jack of spades on the third round and switched to a heart. West won with the ace and took his discard on the king of diamonds. He then set about the crossruff that would inevitably lead to ten tricks, but while he was doing it he inadvertently tried to ruff a club with the four of diamonds! South, earning a deserved nomination for the championships most sporting player award, allowed him to correct his mistake and he recorded +420.

At another table a Dutch pair sitting North-South did rather better!

West North East South Brulleman Wijma 1 Dble Redble Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass Pass Dble Redble All Pass

Not an everyday auction! Once again North failed to find the heart lead, and for the second time a diamond lead allowed declarer to set up a discard.

At trick two, he went to dummy with the ace of hearts and pitched his losing heart on the king of diamonds. He now played a spade to the ten and queen and ruffed the heart return. He ruffed a club and unwisely played another spade. North won with the jack, cashed the ace and played another heart. Declarer went four down, -1600, but scored as -2200. It hardly mattered. Back to reality.

Our featured pair was now facing a pair from France, Gerôme Farrugia and Fableu Lacour. The visitors had the better of things on this board:

Dealer South. Love All K Q 8 7 6 3 Q 3 Q 7 A J 5 J 4 10 J 9 5 4 A K 10 8 6 2 9 6 4 A J 8 3 2 K 8 7 3 Q A 9 5 2 7 K 10 5 10 9 6 4 2 West North East South Farrugia Leslie Lacour Cohen Pass Pass 1 2 3 4 4 5 Pass 5 All Pass

Having made a preemptive raise on the second round, South should have doubled Five Hearts. North-South got all the tricks they were entitled to, but +100 wasn't a great score. They got some revenge on the next board:

Dealer West. N/S Game K 10 5 3 A 6 2 K 10 J 9 5 4 A Q J 9 7 6 K J 10 9 8 3 A 9 7 5 2 J 8 4 A 7 K 10 6 2 8 4 2 Q 7 5 4 Q 6 3 Q 5 3 West North East South Farrugia Leslie Lacour Cohen 1 Dble 1 Pass 1NT All Pass

Another weird and wonderful auction, with East volunteering One Heart and West not bothering to mention his spades. Still the final contract was reasonable, and it began to look promising when North led the four of clubs. Declarer played low from dummy and it was difficult for South to find the best play of withholding the queen. Joel Wooldridge of the USA managed to do it when it really mattered, defending against 3NT - well done indeed!

Now declarer had three club tricks, and his next move was a low diamond on which North played the king and continued with another club, taken by the ten. Declarer could have picked up the diamond suit now, but if he cashes the king of clubs first he would have to make an awkward discard from hand. As the cards lie, he can always arrange to endplay North with the fourth club and emerge with nine tricks.

As it was he preferred to play a heart, getting the suit wrong by playing the king and he subsequently came to only seven tricks. This was the auction at another table:

West North East South Stanghelle Hakkebo 1 Pass 1! Pass 1 Pass 1NT! Pass 3NT All Pass

This time West was the declarer but the opening lead was still a low club. West went up with dummy's ace, North unwisely playing the eight, and played a low diamond. North stepped in with the king and played the four of clubs, ducked to South's queen. South switched to the eight of spades and the king took the queen.

North exited with a club to declarer's king, (dummy throwing the J and the jack of diamonds pinned the ten. When declarer ran the remainder of the suit, North was squeezed in the majors and eventually endplayed to lead into the spade tenace. A magnificent +400.

The French defence is a well-known opening, but on the two boards that follow we see Geitner and Rombeau, one of the French partnerships who have competed with distinction in the Open game, scoring two excellent result in the opening set of the World Junior pairs.

Board 20. Dealer West. Game All A 10 8 6 A Q 6 4 2 — Q J 7 3 5 2 K 4 3 10 9 8 K 5 3 9 7 4 3 A Q J 2 K 10 9 8 A 6 5 Q J 9 7 J 7 K 10 8 6 5 4 2 West North East South Pass 1 1NT Pass Pass 2 Pass 2 All Pass

2 looks a reasonable enough spot, and if Rombeau was going to lead a diamond against 1NT it was definitely right for Geitner to bid on. As it was, Solbrand led a low trump, and Geitner put up the J and played a club to his jack. It was entirely understandable that Solbrand should duck this, so Geitner tried a low spade from hand, and the J scored.

Flushed with success, Geitner tried a club to his queen, and Solbrand took the ace and got out with a low club. Geitner ruffed, then led a spade to the ace and played ace and a second heart. Solbrand was left on lead with his four diamonds and the king of spades. He did the best he could by taking the top spade and exiting with the A. Geitner ruffed, crossed to the Q, and threw his club loser away on the K. At the end of the day he had come home with ten, count them, tricks. 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 J 6 K 9 7 5 A J 10 6 4 3 2 7 2 6 3 Q 9 6 4 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 spade, and Mardshall 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!

When determining which table to sit at and spectate, one cannot help but follow the faces one recognises. This year Boye Brogeland the defending champion is playing with Trond Hantveit, since his partner from Ghent, Geir Helgemo has crossed over the barrier into the Open game. Of course Boye was part of the Norwegian team that finished third in the European Championships in Montecatini, but there is no harm in trying to keep a foot in two camps. If the board below is anything to go by, the Norwegians might mount a serious challenge to defend their title.

Board 4. Dealer West. Game All Q 9 8 7 K Q 3 2 5 4 9 7 5 A K 5 3 2 J 10 4 7 4 A J 10 A K 9 7 J 10 6 2 A 10 Q J 3 6 9 8 6 5 Q 8 3 K 8 6 4 2

Hantveit as North was on lead to 4 and kicked off with the K. Declarer took the ace and played the J, which Hantveit ducked smoothly. Now the J held the next trick, and declarer could see no harm in cashing the ace and king of spades, with visions of making 12 tricks by force. The bad trump split came as a blow, and declarer next committed the double inaccuracy of exiting with a low spade (instead of cashing the diamonds from the top) and throwing a diamond from dummy on this trick.

Hantveit seized his opportunity, by winning the Q cashing the Q, and exiting with his low diamond. When declarer ducked in dummy, Brogeland played low as well, and now West was locked out of dummy, and could no longer take the club finesse. Holding E-W to ten tricks was an excellent result for the Norwegians.

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