Canada v Egypt
Going into the Thursday morning match, Canada was lying third while opponents Egypt were third from bottom. If that suggested a comfortable win for the Canadians, it didn’t quite work out that way.
| Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| | ♠ Q J 4 2
♥ A Q 10 4 3
♦ 3
♣ 6 4 2 |
♠ A 8
♥ 6
♦ K J 10 8 7 4 2
♣ J 9 8 |  |
♠ 9 7 6 3
♥ 7
♦ A Q 6 5
♣ A Q 10 5 | | | ♠ K 10 5
♥ K J 9 8 5 2
♦ 9
♣ K 7 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Noshy | Wolpert | Tawfik | Demuy
|
| | Pass | 1♦ | 1♥
|
| 2♥ | 4♥ | Pass | Pass
|
| 5♦ | All Pass
| | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Halasi | Nabil | Capes | Abdelfatta
|
| | Pass | 1♦ | 2♥
|
| 3♥ | 4♥ | Pass | Pass
|
| 5♦ | All Pass
| | |
Both teams missed an opportunity to start the match off with a game swing on this first deal. At both tables South led a heart to the ace and now it required a spade switch to defeat the game. But North didn’t know anything about declarer’s side-suit strength or shape and at both tables the chosen switch was to a club. Declarer could get the spade loser away on the fourth club for a flat board at +400.
In all, 5♦ was played nine times around the room and only defeated twice. Take a bow, Jacek Kalita/Krzysztof Kotorowicz of Poland, and Charlie Garrod/Noble Shore of USA2, for their successful defence.
| Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ A K Q 10
♥ A 10 8
♦ K J 8
♣ Q J 6 |
♠ 4
♥ Q J 5 3
♦ 9 5
♣ A 10 9 8 7 4 | |
♠ J 9 7 5
♥ 9 7 6
♦ Q 10 6 4 2
♣ K | | | ♠ 8 6 3 2
♥ K 4 2
♦ A 7 3
♣ 5 3 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Noshy | Wolpert | Tawfik | Demuy
|
| | | Pass | Pass
|
| 3♣ | 3NT | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Halasi | Nabil | Capes | Abdelfatta
|
| | | Pass | Pass
|
| Pass | 2NT | Pass | 3NT
|
| All Pass
| | | |
The 3♣ opening did not affect the final contract, but it did affect the opening lead and that in turn made a substantial contribution to the final outcome of the board.
Where Canada’s Charles Halasi passed in third seat, Tim Capes led his fourth best diamond and that presenteddeclarer with his ninth trick for +600.
Sherif Noshy’s pre-empt gave Aly Tawfik an easy lead of the king of clubs and the sight of dummy persuaded him to switch to a heart. Gavin Wolpert won in hand and cashed two top spades, getting the bad news there, then knocked out the ace of clubs. Back came another club. Had Tawfik pitched a heart on either of these clubs, it would have been open to declarer to cash the ♥K then endplay him in spades and diamonds, but Tawfik discarded diamonds and was comfortably placed in the endgame; down one for 100 and 12 IMPs to Egypt.
The above defence was also found by England’s Ben Green after Duncan Happer had also opened 3♣.
| Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul. |
| | ♠ A J 7
♥ 5
♦ K J 7 2
♣ K 7 5 4 3 |
♠
♥ A Q 10 9 6 4 3 2
♦ 10
♣ J 9 6 2 | |
♠ K 10 9 6 4 3
♥ K 7
♦ 9 6 3
♣ Q 10 | | | ♠ Q 8 5 2
♥ J 8
♦ A Q 8 5 4
♣ A 8 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Noshy | Wolpert | Tawfik | Demuy
|
| 4♥ | Dble | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Halasi | Nabil | Capes | Abdelfatta
|
| 4♥ | All Pass
| | |
Would you double with the North hand? With both a minimum in high-card terms and lacking a fourth spade, it is a borderline decision, though there is always the argument that the player who is short in the opponents’ suit has to stretch to take action. And, with 12 working HCP and 5-4 distribution, would you be content to play for a penalty when holding only a weakish doubleton heart?
Well, Wolpert doubled as North and Vincent Demuy passed it out, presumably fearing that game would be tough to make his way if partner also held two hearts, which was entirely possible. No doubt Demuy did not give much thought to the possibility that 4♥ might actually be making but, of course, there was no defence. Plus 790 for Noshy and +620 for Halasi meant 5 IMPs to Egypt.
| Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ J 10 6 3
♥ 8 7 6
♦ K 6 4 3
♣ 5 3 |
♠ A Q 8 5 4
♥ 4 2
♦ J
♣ A K J 10 6 | |
♠
♥ A K J 5 3
♦ 10 9 8 7 2
♣ 8 7 2 | | | ♠ K 9 7 2
♥ Q 10 9
♦ A Q 5
♣ Q 9 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Noshy | Wolpert | Tawfik | Demuy
|
| | | Pass | 1♣
|
| 1♠ | Pass | 2♥ | Pass
|
| 3♣ | Pass | 3♦ | Pass
|
| 3NT | All Pass
| | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Halasi | Nabil | Capes | Abdelfatta
|
| | | Pass | 1♣
|
| 1♠ | All Pass
| | |
East has an unattractive decision opposite a 1♠ overcall, particularly if a 2♥ response would be forcing.
Capes found it sufficiently unpalatable to bid that he passed out 1♠, where Halasi made a painless overtrick by playing for diamond ruffs after a club lead to the queen and ace; +110.
Tawfik could bid an encouraging but non-forcing 2♥ and the 3♣ rebid confirmed a good hand, after which 3♦ was normal enough now. Three No Trump was quite cold, of course, after Wolpert’s club lead to the queen and ace. The defence took its tricks when in with the heart and that was that; +600 and 10 IMPs to Egypt, who were building up a useful lead.
The boards were quiet for a while and Egypt continued to hold a solid lead, then Canada pulled a few IMPs back near the end.
| Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| | ♠ K 4
♥ Q 8 5 4 2
♦ Q 10 9 3
♣ 10 3 |
♠ 9 7 6 3 2
♥ A J
♦ 6 5 4
♣ 9 5 4 | |
♠ A Q 10
♥ K 9
♦ A K 7 2
♣ K 8 7 2 | | | ♠ J 8 5
♥ 10 7 6 3
♦ J 8
♣ A Q J 6 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Noshy | Wolpert | Tawfik | Demuy
|
| | Pass | 1♣ | Pass
|
| Pass | 1♥ | 1NT | 2♥
|
| Dble | All Pass
| | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Halasi | Nabil | Capes | Abdelfatta
|
| | Pass | 1♦ | Pass
|
| 1♠ | Pass | 2NT | All Pass
|
I confess that I would have responded 1♠ as West, though getting to 2NT on these cards is not exactly a triumph and Capes/Halasi must have been well pleased when they scored this deal. Mahmoud Abdelfatta led a heart against 2NT and Capes won in hand then played ace and ten of spades to Karim Nabil’s king. A second heart took out dummy’s only entry and declarer ducked a diamond to South. The defence cashed three heart winners then switched to the ten of clubs and had four tricks there as Capes had pitched clubs on the hearts. That meant declarer came to just four tricks; down four for 200.
Noshy did not respond but then he made what looks like a take-out double of 2♥ but Tawfik passed, suggesting a misunderstanding. Still, no harm done if the defence isaccurate, as there are six tricks to be taken against a heart contract. However, Tawfik started out by cashing a top diamond but then didn’t know what to do next. His actual choice of the ten of spades would have been just right had Noshy held the ♠K, but on the actual deal it was disastrous. Wolpert scooped in the king of spades and played on clubs, getting rid of his remaining spade on the third round. He had only to lose two hearts and two diamonds now; nine tricks for +570 and 9 IMPs to Canada.
Could Tawfik have cashed the second diamond to get a suit-preference signal? Well, if Noshy follows with his lower remaining diamond at trick two he should deny interest in spades, and East can see the club honours, but it takes some courage to switch to a heart from ♥Kx on this auction to get a spade through. Is that necessary? A spade switch obviously gives the contract, while a club allowsdeclarer to pick up three club tricks for a spade pitch. A third diamond also puts declarer in hand to play three rounds of clubs for a spade discard but, when he next plays a trump off the table, West can go in with the ace and lead a spade to East for a fourth round of diamonds to make the ♥J for down one.
| Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul. |
| | ♠ K Q 9 8 5 3
♥ J 4 2
♦
♣ J 6 5 2 |
♠ J 4
♥ K Q 6
♦ 7 6 4 3
♣ K 9 7 4 | |
♠ A 10 6
♥ 10 5 3
♦ J 10 8 5
♣ Q 10 8 | | | ♠ 7 2
♥ A 9 8 7
♦ A K Q 9 2
♣ A 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Noshy | Wolpert | Tawfik | Demuy
|
| Pass | Pass | Pass | 1NT
|
| Pass | 4♥ | Pass | 4♠
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Halasi | Nabil | Capes | Abdelfatta
|
| Pass | 2♦ | Pass | 2NT
|
| Pass | 3♦ | Pass | 4♣
|
| Pass | 4♦ | Pass | 4♥
|
| Pass | 4♠ | Pass | 4NT
|
| Pass | 5NT | Pass | 6♠
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Nabil opened a multi then showed a maximum weak two in spades. Abdelfatta’s slam try looks a touch aggressive to me, though my view may be coloured by my style of weak two opening and I suppose slam could be very good facing ♠AKQxxx. When North signed-off in 4♠ after theexchange of cuebids, however, I am convinced that South should have passed. Surely, most hands that make slam a good proposition will not sign off in 4♠.
Capes led the jack of diamonds to dummy’s ace and a club pitch, and Nabil tried a spade to the king and ace, learning his fate immediately. Capes now switched to a heart and Nabil won the ace then pitched his hearts on the king and queen of diamonds, ruffed a diamond, cashed the ♠Q, and crossed to the ace of clubs to throw a club loser on the long diamond. That was two down for 200. How expensive would this result prove to be?
The Canadians stopped in game when Wolpert judged that the North hand did not quite fit as a vulnerable weak two bid. Over the 1NT opening Wolpert used Texas and became dummy in 4♠, against which Noshy led a low club to the ten and ace. Demuy threw all dummy’s clubs on the top diamonds and was now at the crossroads. The winning play was to ruff a fourth diamond then play a spade honour from hand. East could switch to a low heart, ducked, and now West would have to return a heart to put declarer to a guess while West still had a spade with which to ruff the fifth diamond. This line requires an even diamond split and that declarer both have a possible winning guess in hearts and that he make the winning play. Demuy, not surprisingly, preferred the simple line of playing for the ace of spades to be onside so led low to the king and ace, after which he had to lose two spades and two hearts for down one;100 and just 3 IMPs to Canada.
Despite these two late boards, Egypt held on to win the match by 43-28 IMPs, 18-12 VPs.
Six Spades was hopeless, of course. |
