The opening board was an unlikely push - both teams played and made 4.

Board 1. Dealer North. Love All J A J 7 4 3 K 7 K 6 5 4 3 K Q 10 8 6 4 10 9 8 2 A Q 10 9 2 8 6 5 4 3 A J 10 8 7 2 A 9 7 5 3 2 K Q 6 5 J Q 9

Why was this push unlikely? Well, East-West have a fine save in 5 -- at many tables it was beaten only one trick. Ten pairs saved in diamonds, and nine more pushed their opponents to 5, where they scored a plus for beating the contract one trick. The bidding was the same at both tables here - North opened 1 and South splintered to 4. North returned to 4, and both East, with his near-yarborough but lots of diamonds, and West, who had a good second suit, decided to defend. Wrong decision.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Game 4 9 2 A K 10 9 8 5 A Q 4 3 Q 10 7 5 A 9 6 A 6 5 4 Q J 10 8 7 3 J 6 4 3 2 K 9 2 7 K J 8 3 2 K Q 7 J 10 8 6 5 Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski 2 2 3 4 Pass 5 All Pass

This contract certainly had good chances. The big problem was the lack of entries to the South hand. Romanski won the singleton club opening lead with the jack, then cashed the A and Q. He had to hope that East did not have the last trump because this was the only way he could take the necessary second club finesse. But of course East ruffed the second club. He switched to the Q - king, ace, and West returned the 4. East could have cashed the A for down two here, but he continued with hearts and declarer escaped for down one. In the Closed Room the Indian pair stopped in 4, making four for a 6-IMP gain.

Board 4. Dealer West. Game All 10 9 8 6 9 8 A Q J 6 5 4 3 K Q 7 3 A 4 2 K 8 7 5 6 2 A K 10 5 3 J 9 6 4 — 10 9 8 2 J 5 A Q J 10 4 3 Q 7 2 K 7 Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski 1 2 2 3 Pass 4 Pass 4 All Pass

This was good bidding on the part of the Poles - they found a good advance save against the diamond game. 4 was set two tricks, but there had been no double so this was only minus 200.

Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye 1 3 3 3 3 Pass 4 Pass 5 All Pass

Zmudzinski and Balicki were not to be stopped, despite the aggressive 3 overcall by Dalal. North led his singleton heart and quickly scored a ruff, but now the first lead of trumps disclosed the situation and Zmudzinski had no problem taking the rest of the tricks for a 9-IMP pickup. Board 8 was an interesting deal in just about every match.

Board 8. Dealer West. Love All 10 6 — A K Q 8 5 3 A K 10 6 2 A J 9 5 4 3 2 10 9 8 7 2 A Q J 3 7 J 2 9 4 Q J 8 5 3 K Q 8 7 K 6 5 4 10 9 6 4 7 Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye Pass 1 1 Dble 2NT 3 Pass 4 Pass 5 Pass 6 All Pass

Balicki led the 2, and Dalal went wrong when he pulled the remaining trump. Now he was one trump short of being able to ruff three clubs and so was beaten one trick.

Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski Pass 1 Pass 1 1 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 5 All Pass

Ghose led a spade, and Romanski played to ruff out the clubs, winding up with 12 tricks for a 10-IMP gain. At some tables the opening lead against the diamond slam was the A. After that the slam came home easily. At one table the Q was led, and declarer neglected to cover. Declarer eventually went down when he drew two rounds of trumps and found himself left with a club loser.

Board 10. Dealer East. Game All 10 9 2 Q 6 5 3 J 4 3 9 8 5 A Q 5 K J 8 7 6 4 K 7 A 4 K A 10 8 5 K Q J 7 6 4 3 10 3 J 10 9 8 2 Q 9 7 6 2 A 2 Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 3 Pass 3 Pass 4 All Pass

Apparently something went wrong in the bidding mechanism here. West has a giant hand opposite a partner who could open the bidding. It's surprising that West was willing to stop in game. Ghose had no problem taking 12 tricks.

Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 6 All Pass

Shivdasani trotted out Blackwood, and when Ghose showed three controls, Shivdasani had no problem bidding the slam and collecting 13 IMPs.

Board 14. Dealer East. Love All 10 8 7 4 K 9 6 5 2 K 10 5 K 9 6 3 A K J 6 5 Q 10 9 3 7 3 J 8 Q 9 4 A J 8 7 6 3 Q J 8 7 5 4 2 A 2 A Q 10 2 Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski 1 1 Dble 2 2 3 All Pass

Dalal and Padhye did well on this deal - Padhye's 3 bid effectively silenced his opponents. He went down one trick when he lost three trumps, a heart and a club. Things went differently at the other table.

Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye 2 2 3 Pass 3 3 4 All Pass

Ghose's 2 opening showed a long club suit. When Shivdasani was able to raise clubs, Ghose decided to show his second suit. Shivdasani was more than happy to go on to game now that he realized his side had a double fit.

Kowalski opened his singleton club, and Romanski made a slight technical error when he put in the 10. Declarer now was able to win the jack and later pick up the entire suit with a later finesse. Since Kowalski shifted to a spade upon winning the ace of trumps, declarer scored up 12 tricks for an 11-IMP gain. The next two deals had the vugraph audience on the edge of their chairs.

Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Game A K Q 8 7 5 — J 7 6 10 9 6 4 J 9 6 10 4 3 9 5 4 J 8 7 6 3 A K Q 2 8 4 8 7 5 Q 3 2 2 A K Q 10 2 10 9 5 3 A K J Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye 1 Pass 1 Pass 1NT Pass 2 Pass 2NT Pass 3 Pass 3 Pass 3 Pass 4 All Pass

Balicki found the killing opening lead - a diamond. Zmudzinski took his three top diamonds and led a fourth round, promoting Balicki's trump 10 to set the contract one trick. A very good opening lead and a devastating defense. But the real action took place in the Open Room.

Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 6 Dbl All Pass

Ghose sat there for what seemed forever as he tried to work out what Shivdasani's double asked for. Was Shivdasani void in hearts? Did he have a killing holding in diamonds? The vugraph audience suffered along with Ghose. The difference was they could see all the cards, and they knew Shivdasani was asking for a diamond.

Finally Ghose put a card on the table - a heart! The Polish fans cheered and the Indian followers groaned. With the cards lying so incredibly favorably, Romanski was able to take all 13 tricks for the very unusual score of 1860. Since 4 had been beaten a trick at the other table, the swing was 18 IMPs. If Ghose had found the diamond lead, the slam would have been set three tricks for a 12-IMP pickup for India.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Game 9 8 6 10 9 8 6 9 8 A K 6 3 K Q J A 10 4 3 2 A Q 5 4 A K J 7 6 4 10 5 3 9 J 8 4 2 7 5 K J 7 3 2 Q 2 Q 10 7 5 Open Room West North East South Shivdasani Romanski Ghose Kowalski 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 6 All Pass

Shivdasani and Ghose were understandably eager to try to recover some of the IMPs they lost on the previous board, so they bid quickly to this somewhat optimistic slam. When the diamonds behaved, they felt good about reaching the slam. But all they got out of it was a push because this was the bidding at the other table:

Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye 1 Pass 1 1 2 3 3 Pass 4 Pass 5 Pass 6 All Pass

Board 20. Dealer West. Game All J 10 6 4 Q J 9 3 Q J 3 K J K 8 5 3 Q 7 8 4 10 7 6 2 9 8 6 5 A 7 4 Q 10 4 A 9 6 5 A 9 2 A K 5 K 10 2 8 7 3 2

India closed out the set by bidding and making 3NT while Poland stopped in 2NT, making just eight tricks.

Closed Room West North East South Zmudzinski Dalal Balicki Padhye Pass Pass Pass 1NT Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3NT All Pass

The opening spade lead went to the queen and ace, and Padhye immediately went after diamonds. Balicki took his ace and continued spades, but the 9 proved to be a major card. Zmudzinski was able to win the king, of course, but now declarer had three spade tricks to go with the two diamonds he had already set up plus four heart tricks.