Canada v China Hong Kong
The morning match had seen Canada creep back into fourth place ahead of hosts, Australia. Now they needed to consolidate their position to allow them to relax on the rest day before the final three rounds of qualification. Canada could not have asked for a better start:
| Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| | ♠ K Q 10 5 3
♥ A K Q 8
♦ 10
♣ Q 10 5 |
♠ 2
♥ 10 9 6 3 2
♦ A 6 2
♣ 8 6 3 2 |  |
♠ J 8 4
♥
♦ 9 8 4 3
♣ A K J 9 7 4 | | | ♠ A 9 7 6
♥ J 7 5 4
♦ K Q J 7 5
♣ |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Demuy | FY Ng | Wolpert | Mak
|
| | 1♠ | 2♣ | 4♣
|
| Dble | 4♥ | 5♣ | 6♠
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| C-h Leung | Grainger | C. Ng | Lavee
|
| | 1♠ | 3♣ | 4♦
|
| Pass | 4♥ | Pass | 5♣
|
| Pass | 6♠ | All Pass
| |
Do you like a simple 2♣ overcall or a weak jump? Given what some of us would bid 3♣ on, maybe this is worth the more constructive option but, of course, it is a matter of partnership style. It didn’t seem to matter too much as Fei-Yeung Ng/Kwok.Fai Mak got to slam via a 4♣ splinter and David Grainger/Daniel Lavee via a fit-jump. Six Spades is a good contract on the two hands, but it is also an unlucky one which should fail.
Gavin Wolpert made the aggressive opening lead of the nine of clubs, trying for a quick kill. Dummy ruffed discarding would make the slam, who could find that? Ng played two rounds of spades then the ten of diamonds, overtaking with dummy’s king. Vincent Demuy won the ♦A and, after a few moments thought, gave his partner the heart ruff that was surely indicated by the opening lead; down one for 50.
At the other table, Chi-Cheung Ng led a more pedestrian ace of clubs and again dummy had to ruff. Grainger tried a low diamond at trick two and Cheuh-hin Leung went in with the ace. Here, there had been a normal-looking opening lead that did not give Leung a clue that partner had a ruff coming. Perhaps he might have got it right anyway, but it was more difficult and he decided to return a diamond, which meant that Grainger could win, draw trumps and cash twelve tricks for +980 and 14 IMPs to Canada.
| Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul. |
| | ♠ Q 10 7
♥ Q 7 2
♦ A 4 3
♣ K J 6 4 |
♠ 8 5 4
♥ J 9 6 3
♦ Q 10 6
♣ A 8 7 | |
♠ A J 9 6
♥ K 10 5
♦ 8 7 5
♣ 10 5 3 | | | ♠ K 3 2
♥ A 8 4
♦ K J 9 2
♣ Q 9 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Demuy | FY Ng | Wolpert | Mak
|
| Pass | 1♣ | Pass | 1♦
|
| Pass | 1NT | Pass | 3NT
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| C-h Leung | Grainger | C. Ng | Lavee
|
| Pass | 1NT | Pass | 3NT
|
| All Pass
| | | |
According to Deep Finesse, 3NT is always beatable, whatever the opening lead. However, it does require gooddefence.
Wolpert led a low spade round to Ng’s ten. Ng played the jack of clubs and Wolpert played the five, Reverse Smith so suggesting a switch. Demuy won the ♣A and switched to a low heart the nine or jack is better in theory and Ng went up with the queen when he would have done better to play low as the cards lie. Wolpert won the ♥K and continued with the ♥10 then ♥5. Declarer had eight tricks and no prospect of a ninth on the actual layout; 100.
At the other table, Ng also led a low spade round to the ten. Grainger led to the queen of clubs, losing to the ace, and back came a spade to the ace. Ng cleared the spades but Grainger was now in control, able to play ♦K, a diamond to the ace and a third diamond to establish his ninth trick; +600 and 12 IMPs to Canada.
| Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ J 10 6 5 3 2
♥ Q J 6
♦ 10 9
♣ J 5 |
♠ A K 7
♥ A 10 4 2
♦ 3
♣ K 7 6 3 2 | |
♠ Q 8 4
♥ K 8 7
♦ K Q J 8 7 6 5
♣ | | | ♠ 9
♥ 9 5 3
♦ A 4 2
♣ A Q 10 9 8 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Demuy | FY Ng | Wolpert | Mak
|
| | Pass | 1♦ | 2♣
|
| Pass | Pass | 2♦ | All Pass
|
| West | North | East | South
|
| C-h Leung | Grainger | C. Ng | Lavee
|
| | Pass | 1♦ | 2♣
|
| Pass | Pass | 2♦ | Pass
|
| 3NT | All Pass
| | |
After identical starts to the auction, Demuy took what looks to be a huge position when he passed his partner out in 2♦ despite holding 14 HCP facing a one-level opening bid, while Leung just jumped to 3NT in the same position are there no bids between 2♦ and 3NT rather than these two committal actions? Note that 5♦ is cold and requires little more than an even trump break.
Demuy’s inaction proved to be more successful than Leung’s action. Mak led his spade against 2♦, won the first round of trumps and tried to cash the ace of clubs; twelve tricks for +170. Meanwhile, Grainger’s lead of the jack of clubs swiftly put paid to 3NT; down two for 100 and7 IMPs to Canada.
| Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul. |
| | ♠ A K 10 9
♥ K 10 4
♦ Q J 10 8 6
♣ 9 |
♠ 7 6
♥ Q 9 8 5
♦ A 9 7 4 2
♣ K 10 | |
♠ Q 8 5
♥ J 6
♦ K 5 3
♣ A J 8 5 3 | | | ♠ J 4 3 2
♥ A 7 3 2
♦
♣ Q 7 6 4 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Demuy | FY Ng | Wolpert | Mak
|
| Pass | 1♦ | Pass | 1♥
|
| Pass | 1♠ | Pass | 2♠
|
| Pass | 4♠ | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| C-h Leung | Grainger | C. Ng | Lavee
|
| Pass | 1♦ | Pass | 1♥
|
| Pass | 1♠ | Pass | 2♣
|
| Pass | 2♥ | Pass | 2♠
|
| Pass | 3♠ | Pass | 4♠
|
| All Pass
| | | |
Wolpert led the jack of hearts to dummy’s ace and Ng played a low club. Demuy thought about that for a bit then went up with the king, correctly I believe in case declarer’s singleton was the jack. He switched to a trump and Ng won the ace then passed the queen of diamonds to the ace, pitching a heart from dummy. Back came a second trump to the king and Ng led the ♦J, covered and ruffed. He led a heart to the ten, ruffed a diamond and led to the ♥K. Had the nine of diamonds fallen in four rounds, the contract would have succeeded, but as it was there was a second diamond to lose along with the club and the ♠Q, down one for 50.
At the other table Ng could see the danger of a crossruff and found the brave lead of a trump from queen to three. Grainger won the ♠9 and ran the ♦Q to the ace, won the trump return and ruffed a low diamond. A heart to hand allowed a second n diamond ruff jack, king, spade and Grainger had to lose only a heart and a diamond for ten tricks; +420 and 10 IMPs.
Canada led by 50-5 at the half-way point in the match, close to a maximum.
| Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ K J 8
♥ A 10
♦ Q 10 7 5 3
♣ Q 7 4 |
♠ A 9 6 3
♥ Q 4
♦ 6 4
♣ A J 10 9 3 | |
♠ 5 4
♥ J 8 7 6 5
♦ A K
♣ K 6 5 2 | | | ♠ Q 10 7 2
♥ K 9 3 2
♦ J 9 8 2
♣ 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Demuy | FY Ng | Wolpert | Mak
|
| 1♣ | 1♦ | Dble | 2♦
|
| Pass | Pass | 2♥ | Pass
|
| 3♣ | Pass | 5♣ | All Pass
|
| West | North | East | South
|
| C-h Leung | Grainger | C. Ng | Lavee
|
| 1♣ | Pass | 1♥ | Pass
|
| 1♠ | Pass | 3♣ | All Pass
|
Given a free run, Leung/Ng stopped safely in partscore, the 1♠ rebid confirming genuine clubs so that East could give invitational jump preference; +110.
The China Hong Kong intervention seemed to create more problems than should have been the case as Demuy/Wolpert reached the hopeless game; down two for 100 and 5 IMPs to China Hong Kong, their biggest swing to date.
| Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ K Q 10 9 8 2
♥ 4
♦ K 8 4
♣ 9 6 2 |
♠ 4 3
♥ 9 8 7 5 3 2
♦ 9 3
♣ A K 7 | |
♠
♥ K J 6
♦ 7 6 5 2
♣ Q J 10 8 5 4 | | | ♠ A J 7 6 5
♥ A Q 10
♦ A Q J 10
♣ 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Demuy | FY Ng | Wolpert | Mak
|
| | | | 1♠
|
| Pass | 4♠ | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| C-h Leung | Grainger | C. Ng | Lavee
|
| | | | 1♠
|
| Pass | 3♥ | Pass | 3NT
|
| Pass | 4♦ | Pass | 6♦
|
| Pass | 6♠ | All Pass
| |
I don’t like Ng’s game raise at all, much preferring a splinter, for all that the hand contains only 8 HCP. Mak knew that the right North hand might make slam, but the wrong North hand could have been a lot weaker than the actual one, making a slam hunt not at all safe. He passed and soon had twelve tricks stacked in front of him; +680.
Grainger’s 3♥ response is a limit raise with at least four-card support according to his convention card, which again seems a serious understatement to me. It worked though, as Lavee bid a mark-time 3NT to see what his partner might be able to cuebid and was charmed to hear of a diamond control. He leaped to slam, suggesting diamonds as an alternative spot, and so the cold slam was reached; +1430 and 13 IMPs to Canada.
That helped to get Canada up to the maximum, 73-21 IMPs, 25-5 VPs. |
