This was a wild match - 120 IMPs changed hands - six per deal. The lead rocked back and forth, with Chinese Taipei eventually the winner, 67-53, which translates to 18-12 in Victory Points.

New Zealand started fast, scoring the first 16 IMPs. The Kiwis made what looked like a phantom save on the first board, but a slip on the part of a Chinese Taipei defender turned the save into a plus.

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

Mik opened with 1 and Jedrychowski leaped to game over Kuo's 2 overcall. Huang went on to 5, was doubled and was set two tricks - minus 300. There was no opposition bidding in the Open Room, and it appeared that the contract was down after the diamond opening lead from East. Declarer put up the king, and Huang took both his ace and queen. Kuo followed to the second diamond with the 4 instead of the 10, so Huang shifted to a club. Declarer won and led a heart. East ducked! Now declarer was able to draw trumps and give up a diamond to make his contract and gain 3 IMPs.

Both sides went down two tricks at 2 on Board 2, but New Zealand doubled, thereby picking up another 7 IMPs. New Zealand gained on partials on the next two deals, but the pendulum then swung to Chinese Taipei. They bid an aggressive game on Board 5 and were lucky enough to find the Q onside, the club honours split, the diamond finesse working and the K onside. As a result they scored up plus 630.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Game A K 10 2 A Q 9 8 4 A 5 3 2 Q 8 7 6 4 5 K 3 J 8 7 2 10 7 2 K J 9 5 3 K 7 4 Q 8 6 J 9 3 10 6 5 4 A Q 6 J 10 9

The New Zealand South decided that his eight flat points weren't enough to make a move over a 15-17 notrump. New Zealand also took 10 tricks, but that was a 10-IMP loss.

Chinese Taipei stopped in a partial on the next deal, scoring 150 at 3. New Zealand climbed to a notrump game and was set a trick - 4 to Chinese Taipei. On the next board the New Zealand North-South suffered a bidding disaster.

Board 7. Dealer South. Game All A Q J 4 A J 10 9 A J 7 2 J 10 6 2 9 7 3 K 8 6 3 5 4 2 Q 3 K 10 9 4 10 9 5 3 Q 8 2 K 8 5 Q 7 8 6 5 A K 7 6 4 Open Room West North East South Huang Mik Kuo Jedrychowski 1(1) Pass 1 Pass 1NT Pass 2(2) Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 3NT Pass 4(3) Pass 4NT(4) Pass 5(5) Pass 6NT All Pass

(1) Polish club - often equivalent to a weak notrump.

(2) Asking for major.

(3) Feels hearts is a better contract than notrump.

(4) Signoff in notrump.

(5) Read 4NT as Blackwood and responded.

It appears that Mik was trying to sign off - he was willing to play 3NT. But his partner took 4NT as Blackwood. Huang found the imaginative opening lead of the 3, but everything worked out well when Kuo put in the 9 to hold the trick. A second diamond guaranteed defeat of the contract - in fact, Jedrychowski suffered a two-trick defeat. Shen and Lin stopped in 3NT in the Closed Room - 13 IMPs to Chinese Taipei, who took over the lead by 1 IMP.

New Zealand picked up 3 IMPs on notrump overtricks on Board 8 and two more the same way on Board 9. Then they bid another aggressive notrump game on Board 10.

Board 10. Dealer East. Game All A Q 7 5 3 Q 9 5 9 4 A J 6 K J 10 8 9 K 10 3 A J 8 6 Q J 2 A 8 7 5 Q 9 7 10 5 4 2 6 4 2 7 4 2 K 10 6 3 K 8 3 Closed Room West North East South Ker Shen Dravitsky Lin Pass Pass 1 1 Dble Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass

The opening spade lead went to the 9 and Ker led a diamond to the queen, South ducking. Next came the 10, covered by the queen and won with the ace. A second diamond came next, taken by the king, and Lin fired back a spade. But when Shen took his top spades, declarer now had three diamonds, four hearts and two spades for his game. In the Open Room, Chinese Taipei played in 3, which was destined for a one-trick set - 12 IMPs to New Zealand.

New Zealand got to a bad 3NT on Board 11 and quickly took a two-trick beating when Huang and Kuo cashed out six heart tricks. New Zealand played in 3 at the other table - down one, for a 4-IMP gain for Chinese Taipei.

One of the weakest overcalls in bridge history occurred on Board 12.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Game A 5 2 A K 7 K 5 3 A Q 7 4 K J 4 7 6 3 9 8 6 5 3 J 2 Q 9 8 2 10 7 4 9 J 10 8 6 3 Q 10 9 8 Q 10 4 A J 6 K 5 2 Open Room West North East South Huang Mik Kuo Jedrychowski Pass 1 2 Dble Pass 3NT All Pass

What do you think of Kuo's overcall?

It certainly must be in the running for the weakest overcall ever. Jedrychowski thought a long time before passing 3NT, and he was right - 6NT was bid at the other table and Lin could manage only 11 tricks.

That was 13 IMPs on New Zealand's side of the ledger.

Board 13. Dealer North. Game All A 10 9 A 6 K 10 7 4 J 7 3 2 6 3 2 K 10 8 7 4 K Q J 9 5 3 Q 8 6 5 3 A J 2 Q A 8 5 Q J 8 7 5 4 2 9 K 10 9 6 4 Open Room West North East South Huang Mik Kuo Jedrychowski 1 Dble Pass 1 Pass 4 4 Pass Pass 5 All Pass

Jedrychowski passed on his first turn, but he came to life when his opponents got to game. His 4 bid pushed Chinese Taipei one level too high. However, at the other table, Chinese Taipei was allowed to play in 4. After a club opening lead to the ace and a club ruff, Lin correctly guessed the singleton K and racked up his game. Now it appeared that Kuo had taken a good save in 5 - 11 IMPs for Chinese Taipei.

The next board was uneventful - a notrump push - the first and only push if the match. New Zealand gained 10 IMPs on Board 15 when they made 4NT in the Closed Room while Chinese Taipei was being set a trick in the Open Room. Then Board 16 had a surprise ending.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Game 8 J 10 4 A 10 9 7 3 10 7 5 2 A Q 2 K J 9 7 4 3 A K Q 8 9 7 5 Q 6 4 A K J 9 3 Q 4 10 6 5 6 5 3 2 K J 8 2 8 6 Open Room West North East South Huang Mik Kuo Jedrychowski 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 6 7!!! Dble All Pass

Mik did not overcall over 2, but he came in over 6. This could have been a good save with a different layout - but not this time. Mik was able to take only six tricks for minus 1700 and a 7-IMP loss. Next came the wildest hand of the tournament to date.

Board 17. Dealer North. Love All A K 8 7 6 5 3 K Q 10 7 6 3 — — J 9 2 — 8 4 A J 9 2 8 6 A Q 9 7 5 2 K 9 7 6 5 3 J 10 8 Q 10 4 5 K J 10 4 3 A Q 4 2

How often do you see a 7-6-0-0 hand? Both North-South pairs duly arrived in 6 certainly a reasonable contract. However, bidding the slam and making it are two different things. In the Open Room, the opening lead was a club. Declarer tried to ruff hearts, but when he ruffed the third heart with the 10, West was able to overruff and return a trump. Now declarer had to lose a second heart for down two.

In the Closed Room East led the A - curtains for the defence. That was a quick 14 IMPs for Chinese Taipei.

Ker made an unusual opening bid on Board 18 and was punished to the tune of a 500-point set. But the result was a plus for Chinese Taipei.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Game A K 10 4 Q J 6 2 K J 4 2 6 8 6 5 3 J 9 7 A 8 4 K 10 7 3 10 9 Q 8 6 K Q 3 2 J 9 8 Q 2 9 5 A 7 5 3 A 10 7 5 4 Closed Room West North East South Ker Shen Dravitsky Lin Pass Pass 2!!! Dble All Pass

That bid showed four or more clubs with four or more in one of the majors, or six clubs, with 3-8 high card points. This was beaten three tricks and looked like a big gain for Chinese Taipei. But this is what happened at the other table.

Open Room West North East South Huang Mik Kuo Jedrychowski Pass Pass Pass 1 Pass 3 Pass 3NT All Pass

Kuo led the 3 to the ace, and he ducked the heart return when declarer put up the queen. A diamond to the ace was followed by a diamond to the jack and queen. Kuo switched to a club, declarer of course rising with the ace. Then declarer cashed his last two diamonds, ending in dummy - and Huang discarded a spade! That was all declarer needed - he was able to cash four spades to go with a heart, three diamonds and a club. That was worth 3 IMPs to New Zealand.

Jedrychowski, faced with a tough 4 contract on Board 19, actually wound up with an overtrick, thanks to his judicious use of jacks.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Game A J 8 5 4 9 K 6 5 A J 9 5 Q 10 9 7 2 10 7 6 4 A Q J 2 8 J 10 9 7 3 2 K Q 4 2 8 6 K 6 3 K 8 5 3 A Q 4 10 7 3

Jedrychowski won the J opening lead with the ace and surprised the vugraph audience and the commentators by immediately finessing the J. When this worked, everyone thought he would cash the top spades, but no - he crossed to the K and finessed the J. When he led the 9, East ducked, and suddenly he had 11 tricks for a 1-IMP gain.

Chinese Taipei gained a final 3 IMPs on the last board when they set 5 two tricks while the same contract was going down one at the other table. That was it - an 18-12 win for Chinese Taipei.