CHINESE TAIPEI v HUNGARY
May I begin by apologising to the Chinese Taipei team who were referred to incorrectly as China Taipei on a number of occasions in yesterday’s bulletin. Hopefully they will feel a little better after seeing their excellent Round 3 performance against Hungary described below.
| Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ A 7 6
♥ 10 8 3
♦ K J 4 3 2
♣ J 7 |
♠ Q J 10 8 5 3 2
♥ 6
♦ 7 6
♣ A 10 8 |  |
♠ K 9 4
♥ Q J 5 4
♦ A Q 10 8 5
♣ 9 | | | ♠ –
♥ A K 9 7 2
♦ 9
♣ K Q 6 5 4 3 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| | | | 2♣
|
| Pass | 2NT | Pass | 4♥
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| | | | 1♥
|
| 2♠ | 3♥ | 4♠ | 5♣
|
| Pass | 5♥ | Dble | All Pass
|
For Chinese Taipei, Chien Yao Tseng opened a Precision-style 2♣ then followed up with a jump to 4♥ to show his six-five shape. Tseng received the normal spade lead so threw his diamond on the spade ace, cashed the top hearts and knocked out the club for a quick and painless +420.
For Hungary, Andras Riesz opened 1♥, leaving room for Tzu-lin Wu to make a weak jump overcall of 2♠. Csaba Szabo competed in hearts, Yen-hsuen Wu jumped to 4♥ and Riesz showed his two-suiter. When Szabo corrected to 5♥, East doubled confidently, ending the auction. Things looked good for the defence when West led a diamond to his partner’s ten. A club switch, collecting the ruff, would have defeated the contract immediately – indeed, with no entry to dummy to pick up the trumps, there would be a fourth trick to come for down two – but East actually switched to a spade, imagining that his partner would have only six cards for the 2♠ call. Riesz won the ♠A and led the ♥10 to jack and ace then led a low club. When the jack scored he was home, able to draw the trumps then knock out the club for a great +650 and 6 IMPs to Hungary when it might have been 12 the other way.
| Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ 7 6 4 3 2
♥ A Q 5
♦ 9 5
♣ K Q J |
♠ K 8
♥ 10 8 4 3
♦ A K 4
♣ A 10 7 3 | |
♠ A Q J
♥ J 9 7 2
♦ 10 8
♣ 9 8 5 2 | | | ♠ 10 9 5
♥ K 6
♦ Q J 7 6 3 2
♣ 6 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| | 1NT | Pass | 2♣
|
| Pass | 2♠ | Pass | Pass
|
| Dble | Pass | 2NT | Pass
|
| 3♣ | Pass | 3♥ | Pass
|
| 4♥ | All Pass
| | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| | 1NT | Pass | 3♦
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Both Norths could open 1NT but the respective Souths handled their cards very differently. Tseng used Stayman and, after Wei-Bung Wang’s 2♠ response, East/West took over. The heart game was hopeless, of course. Tseng led the ♦Q and Gabor Minarik won in dummy then led a heart to the nine and king. With all the club honours together there was no way for the defence to go wrong from here and they duly collected two more hearts and two clubs for down two and –200.
Riesz preferred to respond 3♦, to play, and that bought the contract. A heart lead permitted him to play three rounds for a spade pitch, but there was no way to avoid the loss of two trumps, two spades and a club, so Riesz was down one for –50 and 6 IMPs to Chinese Taipei.
| Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul. |
| | ♠ K J 5
♥ J 10 7 4
♦ Q 10 7 5
♣ 9 7 |
♠ A 8 4 2
♥ 6 5 3
♦ 9 2
♣ K 10 5 4 | |
♠ 7 3
♥ K 9 2
♦ J 8 6 4 3
♣ J 3 2 | | | ♠ Q 10 9 6
♥ A Q 8
♦ A K
♣ A Q 8 6 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| | | Pass | 1♣
|
| 1♦ | Dble | 1♥ | Dble
|
| 1♠ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| Pass | Pass | 2♣ | Dble
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| | | Pass | 2NT
|
| Pass | 3NT | All Pass
| |
Tseng’s strong club opening collected a reds or blacks 1♦ overcall from Peter Marjai and a semi-positive double from Wang. Minarik bid a pass-or-correct 1♥ then gave preference to clubs when Marjai showed that he actually held the black suits as Tseng started doubling. Tseng doubled for a third time, ending the auction.
Two Clubs was an ugly affair for East/West. Tseng led ace and another club, run to the jack, and Minarik ducked a spade to North. Wang switched to the ♥J followed by a low heart and now Tseng could play a third trump. Minarik came to just three trumps and the ace of spades; down four for –1100.
At the other table Riesz opened 2NT, ensuring his opponents’ silence, and was raised to game. Tzu-lin Wu led a passive heart round to declarer’s queen and Riesz played ace and a third heart to the king. The club switch was ducked to the ten and a second club went to the jack and queen. Riesz unblocked the diamonds then led to the king of spades and cashed the established heart trick beforereverting to spades, leaving the ♦Q in dummy. He eventually had to lose the fourth club as well as the spade ace, but had nine safe tricks for +600 but 11 IMPs to Chinese Taipei.
| Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ Q J 9 5 3
♥ 9 4
♦ K 10 2
♣ Q 10 3 |
♠ 7 6
♥ A K 7 6 5
♦ A Q
♣ K J 6 4 | |
♠ A K 4 2
♥ Q J 8 2
♦ J 5 4 3
♣ 9 | | | ♠ 10 8
♥ 10 3
♦ 9 8 7 6
♣ A 8 7 5 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| 1♥ | Pass | 4♣ | Pass
|
| 4♥ | All Pass
|
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| 1♥ | Pass | 3♣ | Pass
|
| 4NT | Pass | 5♣ | Pass
|
| 6♥ | All Pass
| | |
Minarik’s splinter bid did not excite Marjai, who had extra values but too much club wastage. He signed off in 4♥ and played there. He won the trump lead in dummy and played a club up. When Tseng took the ace to play a second trump, only one club ruff was required so when the diamondfinesse failed Marjai had eleven tricks for +450.
At the other table Yen-hsuen Wu showed 10-12 HCP with at least four trumps and an unspecified shortage. I assume that it was open to West to ask for the shortage but probably he saw an advantage in not tipping off the opening leader what to expect from dummy. Anyway, he chose to check on key cards then bid the small slam on discovering that only one was missing. Slam is not good, but it is by no means hopeless – on a non-trump lead declarer will need the diamond finesse plus reasonable breaks, but he will often be able to handle the clubs effectively. Szabo actually led a club, solving one problem for Wu, but there was no way to avoid the diamond finesse so the contract was down one for –50 and 11 IMPs to Hungary.
| Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| | ♠ J 7 6 3
♥ –
♦ A K 10 6
♣ A Q 7 5 2 |
♠ K 10 9 8
♥ 8 3
♦ 9 8 4 2
♣ K 10 8 | |
♠ A 5 4
♥ K J 10 7 4
♦ Q J 7 3
♣ 4 | | | ♠ Q 2
♥ A Q 9 6 5 2
♦ 5
♣ J 9 6 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| | 1♦ | 1♥ | Pass
|
| Pass | Dble | Pass | Pass
|
| 1NT | Dble | 2♦ | Pass
|
| Pass | Dble | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| | 1♣ | 1♥ | Pass
|
| Pass | 1♠ | Pass | 2♥
|
| Pass | 3♦ | Pass | 3♥
|
| Pass | 3♠ | Pass | 4♣
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Both Easts made the normal 1♥ overcall, Wu over a natural 1♣, Minarik over a Precision 1♦. Both Souths passed in hope of hearing a reopening double and Tseng was rewarded when Wang did indeed double. Marjai ran to 1NT when perhaps 1♠ would have worked better. When that got doubled Minarik tried 2♦, doubled by Wang. Tseng led his trump against 2♦ doubled. Wang won and returned the ♦6 to declarer’s jack. Minarik played three rounds of spades, Wang winning the jack and playing two more rounds of trumps. Minarik won the ♦Q and played the ♥K from hand to Tseng’s ace. Tseng cashed the queen of hearts and played a club through. Wang could have won that cheaply and put dummy in with the fourth spade to force a lead away from the ♣K for down three, but he was not completely sure of the position and settled for cashing his second club winner for down two; –300.
Szabo preferred to reopen with 1♠, not relishing a one-level doubled contract when he had no trump to lead through. Riesz bid and rebid hearts but finally settled for a club partscore. Szabo could win the ♦Q lead and take a spade pitch on the ♦K then give up a spade. East won the ♠A and switched to a trump for the eight and queen and declarer had only three ruffs and one discard in dummy for his five side-suit losers so made exactly ten tricks, losing a club and a second spade for +130 but 5 IMPs to Chinese Taipei.
| Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ J 9
♥ 10 8 7 2
♦ A Q 8 7 6
♣ K 6 |
♠ 7 3 2
♥ A 5
♦ 10 2
♣ A Q J 10 9 2 | |
♠ K 8 6 5
♥ Q 6
♦ K J 9 4
♣ 8 5 4 | | | ♠ A Q 10 4
♥ K J 9 4 3
♦ 5 3
♣ 7 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| | | Pass | 1♥
|
| 2♣ | 4♥ | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| | | Pass | Pass
|
| 3♣ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| Pass | 3♥ | All Pass
| |
Tseng, protected to some degree by his strong club methods, opened the South hand where Riesz did not. When Marjai made the normal 2♣ overcall, Wang upgraded his club king and raised to 4♥. At the other table West opened 3♣ in third seat and Riesz made a balancing double but,facing a passed hand, Szabo was content to settle for a partscore. Though the diamond finesse lost, everything else lay kindly for declarer so ten tricks were made at bothtables; +170 for Szabo but +620 for Tseng and 10 IMPs to Chinese Taipei.
| Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ A K Q 10 4
♥ Q J 6 4
♦ 9 7 6
♣ 10 |
♠ J 9
♥ 9 7 3
♦ A J 3
♣ A K Q J 7 | |
♠ 3
♥ A K 10 5
♦ Q 10 5 2
♣ 9 8 4 2 | | | ♠ 8 7 6 5 2
♥ 8 2
♦ K 8 4
♣ 6 5 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Marjai | Wang | Minarik | Tseng
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 1♣ | 1♠ | Dble | 3♠
|
| Dble | All Pass
| | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| T. Wu | Szabo | Y. Wu | Riesz
|
| | | | Pass
|
| 1NT | 2♠ | 3♠ | 4♠
|
| Dble | All Pass
| | |
Marjai opened 1♣ and Minarik made a negative double of the 1♠ overcall. When Tseng raised pre-emptively to 3♠, Marjai showed his extra values with a double and Minarik passed, fearing that his partner might have more spade strength and less of a club suit. Of course, 5♣ is easy for East/West, so it was important to take the maximum out of 3♠ doubled and the Hungarians failed to achieve this. Minarik led a top heart then switched to a club, Wang ruffing the second round with the ten to preserve a possible late trump entry to dummy. He cashed two top trumps then played the jack of hearts, which Minarik won. He needed to switch to a diamond honour now for down two but chose to play for his partner to not have the ♦J by playing a club instead – a diamond play could have let the contract through had North actually held the ♦J and guessed correctly, so to play for two down was not without risk.Minarik’s club play was ruffed and Wang threw a diamond on the ♥Q so was just one down for –100.
At the other table, West opened a strong 1NT and Szabo overcalled 2♠, being raised to 4♠, where he was doubled. The play started in exactly the same way but at the critical point Yen-hsuen Wu switched to the queen of diamonds to pick up three diamond tricks for down three and –500;9 IMPs to Chinese Taipei. Of course, Wu was not risking the contract here, defending against 4♠, so the good diamond play was somewhat safer.
Chinese Taipei scored 30 IMPs without reply over the last six deals to earn a well-deserved 54-36 IMP, or 19-11 VP win. |
