USA 1 v Poland - Segment 1
Poland went into the 96-board final with a 4.5 IMP carry-over advantage not a lot, but matches andchampionships have been decided by fewer IMPs than that often enough.
| Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul. |
| | ♠ A Q 8 4 3
♥ 9 7 6 4 3 2
♦ 10
♣ Q |
♠ 5
♥ A Q J
♦ A J 8 5 2
♣ A 10 8 6 |  |
♠ K 10 9
♥ K 10 8
♦ K 7
♣ K J 7 3 2 | | | ♠ J 7 6 2
♥ 5
♦ Q 9 6 4 3
♣ 9 5 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| | Pass | 1NT | Pass
|
| 3♠ | Dble | 4♣ | Pass
|
| 4♥ | Pass | 4NT | Pass
|
| 6♣ | All Pass
| | |
(i) GF short spades
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| | Pass | 1♣(i) | Pass
|
| 2{(ii) | Dble | Pass | 2♠
|
| Pass | Pass | 2NT | Pass
|
| 3♣ | Pass | 4♣ | Pass
|
| 4♦ | Pass | 4♥ | Pass
|
| 4♠ | Dble | Pass | Pass
|
| 6♣ | All Pass
| | |
(i) Polish, strong ART or weak NT
(ii) GF natural
Both East/West pairs did well to bid to the cold slam to start the match cold as the cards lie, that is as, looking only at the two hands, slam needs a little more than picking up the trumps without loss; a push at +920.
| Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul. |
| | ♠ A 2
♥ K Q 5 4
♦ Q 5 4
♣ Q 5 4 3 |
♠ Q 10 6 5 4
♥ A 9 8 2
♦ K 10 3
♣ J | |
♠ K J 8 3
♥ 10 3
♦ 8 2
♣ 10 8 7 6 2 | | | ♠ 9 7
♥ J 7 6
♦ A J 9 7 6
♣ A K 9 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| | | Pass | 1♦
|
| 1♠ | 2♠ | 3♠ | Pass
|
| Pass | Dble | Pass | 4♣
|
| Pass | 5♣ | All Pass
| |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| | | Pass | 1♦
|
| 1♠ | Dble | 3♠ | Pass
|
| Pass | 3NT | All Pass
| |
Why did Jacek Kalita start with a 2♠ cuebid rather than a negative double? We don’t know, but as South’s next call came over a 3♠ raise from East at both tables, it did notaffect the issue too much.
When 3♠ came back around to North, Ari Greenberg tried 3NT, knowing that he had the values for game and had a spade stopper. Of course, if partner could not help out in spades there would have to be nine running tricks. Greenberg won the spade lead and ran the queen of diamonds. When that lost the defence had six winners; 200.
Kalita preferred to reopen with a double, which gave Krzysztof Kotorowicz an unattractive range of options. Having already shown genuine diamonds, Kotorowiczdecided to bid his three-card club suit and Kalita raised to game. Five Clubs would not have been much of a spot at the best of times, but the five-one trump break made it completely hopeless and Kotorowicz drifted three down for 300 and 3 IMPs to USA1.
| Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ Q J 7
♥ J 10 8 6
♦ Q 5 4
♣ 6 4 2 |
♠ A 9 6
♥ 7
♦ A 9 7
♣ A K Q J 7 5 | |
♠ K 8 5 4 3 2
♥ Q 4 2
♦ 8 6
♣ 10 9 | | | ♠ 10
♥ A K 9 5 3
♦ K J 10 3 2
♣ 8 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| | | | 1♥
|
| Dble | 2♥ | 2♠ | 3♦
|
| 3♥ | Pass | 4♠ | Pass
|
| 4NT | Pass | 5♦ | Dble
|
| 5♥ | Pass | 5♠ | All Pass
|
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| | | | 1♥
|
| Dble | 2♥ | 2♠ | 4♦
|
| 4NT | 5♥ | Pass | Pass
|
| 6♣ | All Pass
| | |
For the second time in three deals the Polish East/West pair bid to 6♣, but this time with less success. Slam is only on an even spade split but, when the spades proved to be three-one, 6♣ went more down than would have 6♠. Greenberg led the ♥J and Justin Lall overtook to switch to the jack of diamonds. Krzysztof Buras won the diamond and drew trumps then tried to split the spades; down three for 300. Note Greeneberg’s nicely judged 5♥ bid, which took away the space required for East/West to discover that the queen of spades was missing.
The American East/West did have room to check for the queen of spades and so stopped in 5♠ when they discovered that it was missing. Kotorowicz cashed a top heart then switched to the king of diamonds to dummy’s ace. Joe Grue cashed the top trumps then played on clubs to take eleven tricks for +650 and 14 IMPs to USA1.
| Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul. |
| | ♠ Q 7 3
♥ K Q 10 4 2
♦ A K 3 2
♣ 8 |
♠ K 10 6 5 2
♥ A 9 7 5 3
♦ 10
♣ Q 7 | |
♠ A
♥ 8
♦ Q J 9 8 7 6 4
♣ A J 9 2 | | | ♠ J 9 8 4
♥ J 6
♦ 5
♣ K 10 6 5 4 3 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| 1♠ | 2♥ | 3♦ | Pass
|
| 3NT | Pass | 5♦ | All Pass
|
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| 2♥ | All Pass
| | |
The Polish East/West auction was short and sweet 2♥ showed a weak hand with at least five hearts and any second suit of at least four cards. As he could suspect which was the second suit, Araskiewicz passed out 2]. Greenberg cashed a top diamond then switched to the two of hearts a great play on this layout for the jack and ace. Buras ran the queen of clubs to the king. A spade came back to the bare ace and the ♦Q was ruffed and over-ruffed. Buras cashed the king of spades then tried a club towards dummy, but Greenberg could ruff the club and draw trumps. He had the ♠Q and ♦K to cash but then had to conceded the last trick to dummy’s ♦J; down three for 150.
John Kranyak opened a shaded 1♠, which was no surprise after some of the other openings we have seen from this partnership. Even in the context of a limited opening style, the 3NT rebid was pretty ugly, but what else could Kranyak do? Joe Grue preferred to play his shapely hand in 5{, ending the auction. Grue won the heart lead and ran the queen of clubs. That lost and the club return was ruffed. There were just the two top diamonds to lose from here; down two for 100 but 2 IMPs to USA1.
| Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Vul. |
| | ♠ 7 4
♥ 10 7 4 2
♦ Q J 10 9 8 3
♣ 9 |
♠ Q 10 9 8 5
♥ K J 6 5
♦ 2
♣ 8 6 5 | |
♠ A K J 6
♥ A Q 3
♦ A 6 5
♣ J 3 2 | | | ♠ 3 2
♥ 9 8
♦ K 7 4
♣ A K Q 10 7 4 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| | 3♦ | 3NT | All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| | Pass | 1♣ | Pass
|
| 1♠ | 3♦ | 4♦ | 5♣
|
| Dble | 5♦ | Dble | All Pass
|
Kalita showed a healthy disregard for the four-card side-suit and missing seventh diamond to open with a pre-empt of which I wholeheartedly approve, and it caused big problems as the five-four spade fit was missed. East/West did have a diamond stopper and ten running tricks, butKotorowicz had six club winners to cash for down two;200.
Greenberg did not open the North hand but came in later with a weak jump overcall, probably implying four hearts to explain the lack of an opening pre-empt. With their opponents in 4♠, the best that North/South could do was to save in 5{, promptly doubled by Araskiewicz, who cashed two top spades then played three rounds of hearts; down three for 500 and 12 IMPs to Poland.
| Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul. |
| | ♠ A 7 6
♥ J 9 7 4
♦ 5 4 3 2
♣ 4 3 |
♠ 10 8 3
♥ 6 3
♦ K J 10 9
♣ A K J 9 | |
♠ J 5
♥ A K 10 5
♦ A 8 6
♣ Q 7 5 2 | | | ♠ K Q 9 4 2
♥ Q 8 2
♦ Q 7
♣ 10 8 6 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| | Pass | 1NT | Pass
|
| 3NT | All Pass
| | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| | Pass | 1♣ | 1♠
|
| 2♠ | Pass | 3♣ | Pass
|
| 3♦ | Pass | 3♥ | Pass
|
| 4♣ | Pass | 4♦ | Pass
|
| 5♣ | All Pass
| | |
Grue/Kranyak had a standard weak no trump auction crude but giving away the minimum of information. Giving the opposition a blind lead is a winner more often than the scientists care to admit, but not this time. Kotorowicz had an easy low spade lead and the Poles took the first five tricks for down one; 100.
The Polish Club auction left room for Lall to overcall so that the spade weakness was discovered early and Buras/Araskiewicz were never in danger of playing in no trump. Five Clubs is the place to be, with a vulnerable game bonus at stake, and that is where the Poles alighted. Thedefence began with three rounds of spades. Araskiewicz ruffed the third round, drew the outstanding trumps, and played one top heart before turning his attention todiamonds. When his first play was low to the nine, he was home; +600 and 12 IMPs to Poland.
| Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul. |
| | ♠ K 9 6 3
♥ 7
♦ A Q 10 9 8 7 5 4
♣ |
♠ Q J 4 2
♥ J 9 8 6 5
♦ K
♣ Q 9 6 | |
♠ A 10 8 5
♥ Q 10 4 3
♦ 2
♣ A J 10 7 | | | ♠ 7
♥ A K 2
♦ J 6 3
♣ K 8 5 4 3 2 |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Kranyak | Kalita | Grue | Kotorowicz
|
| | | 2♥ | Pass
|
| 2NT | 4♦ | Pass | Pass
|
| 4♥ | 4♠ | Pass | 5♦
|
| Pass | Pass | Dble | Rdbl
|
| 5♥ | Pass | Pass | Dble
|
| All Pass
| | | |
| West | North | East | South
|
| Buras | Greenberg | Araskiewicz | Lall
|
| | | 1♣ | Pass
|
| 1♥ | 5♦ | All Pass
| |
Grue’s 2♥ opening was the old Precision 2♦ hand, three-suited, 10-15 with short diamonds. Kranyak enquired then bid 4♥ when Kalita’s pre-empt took away Grue’s chance to describe his hand further. Kalita went on to show his second suit and Kranyak initially passed 5♦ round to Grue but then pulled the double to 5♥ when Kotorowicz expressed confidence with his redouble. And right they both were, as there are twelve tricks to be had in a diamond contract for North/South. Kotorowicz led his spade to the declarer’s eight. Grue played a trump and Kotorowicz won the king to play a diamond to his partner to get his spade ruff. There was still a top heart and the ♣K to come; down three for 500.
Greenberg was not about to let his opponents gettogether after the Polish Club opening and natural positive response. He pre-empted all the way to the five level and was left to play there, making twelve tricks for +420 but 2 IMPs to Poland.
At the end of a lively set, Poland had extended its lead to 49.5-27. |
