USA1 topped the qualifying table and therefore earned the right to select their quarter-final opponents. They chose to play China. Would that be a wise decision?

At Love All, you hear your opponents bid: Pass - 1 - 1NT - 2 - 2 - Pass. You hold:

KQJ87 K63 KQ2 74

Do you fancy a penalty double?

Whether a penalty double was an option or not, Zia didn't fancy it and passed the deal out. 2 went four down for 200 to USA1. At the other table Martel/Stansby started the same way but stopped in 2, down one for -50; 4 IMPs to USA1.

Neither North/South pair were close to bidding the perfect fit 6 on Board 3. Then China got on the scoreboard.

Board 4. Dealer West. Game All 6 3 A Q 10 9 K 7 4 Q 5 4 3 K 8 4 2 Q J 6 K 4 3 2 Q J A 8 3 2 A K J 10 9 8 7 6 2 A 10 9 7 5 J 8 7 5 10 9 6 5 — Closed Room West North East South Wang W. Stansby Li Martel 1 Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 1NT Pass 2 All Pass

Open Room West North East South Zia Wang X. Rosenberg Fu 1 Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 3NT All Pass

What is your choice over 1? Li bid a quiet 1NT and passed Wang's next bid when he might have considered a 3 raise. That was O.K. Wang made an overtrick; +130.

Michael Rosenberg gave jump preference to clubs. Unlike some partnerships, he knew he was facing real clubs for this sequence. Zia tried for game via fourth suit forcing and Rosenberg duly bid 3NT. South, Zhong Fu, found the excellent lead of a low heart. Jing Wang Xiao put in the queen and Rosenberg took the king then led a club to the ace followed by a spade to the queen and ace. Fu was unsure about the heart position, his partner's Smith Echo with the 5 not being sufficiently clear. Fu switched to a diamond for the queen, king and ace, but it didn't matter. Declarer didn't have nine tricks without the clubs and Wang knew what to do when he gained the lead; one down for -100 and 6 IMPs to China.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Game Q J 9 9 6 4 A J A J 7 4 2 A K 6 5 10 8 A J 8 7 2 K 10 5 5 Q 9 8 6 3 10 6 3 9 8 5 7 4 3 2 Q 3 K 10 7 4 2 K Q Open Room West North East South Zia Wang X. Rosenberg Fu 1NT Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2NT All Pass

1NT was 13-15 and Fu made the borderline decision to try for game. When he found that there was no spade fit, Fu bid 2NT and Wang passed. Rosenberg led a diamond and declarer had only one line - win the J, cash A, club to the king, K, overtake the Q. When clubs were 3-3 that was eight tricks; +120.

Closed Room West North East South Wang W. Stansby Li Martel 1NT Pass Pass 2 Dble 2 Pass 2 All Pass

Here 1NT was 12-14 so Chip Martel had no reason to bid on. Weimin Wang bid 2, Landy, and eventually played 2. Wang had no problem in making eight tricks; +110 and 6 IMPs to China.

Board 8. Dealer West. Love All J 10 9 7 5 Q 9 2 Q 2 K Q 8 K 3 A Q 4 2 K 6 3 10 8 K 10 9 8 5 4 7 5 3 A J 10 9 7 6 8 6 A J 7 5 4 A J 6 3 4 2 Closed Room West North East South Wang W. Stansby Li Martel 1 1 2 Dble Pass 2 3 All Pass

This Chinese pair open very light and it is normal for responder to go cautiously. The style worked well here and Li had no problems in 3; +130.

In the Open Room, Zia opened a natural weak 2 and played there. The lead was the J and Zia won in hand and played a second spade to dummy. Next he led a heart to the king, followed by a club to the king and ace. He tried to cash the Q but Fu ruffed so he had to over-ruff. Now he exited with a heart, obliging the defence to lead a diamond to prevent a ruff in dummy. Fu duly won the heart and switched to the 6 and Zia sat in thought. If South had started with jack or queen to three diamonds, or queen, jack to four, it would be correct to play low; if South held the A, it would be correct to go king. Zia finally played low and now he had three trump losers and six in all; -50 and 5 IMPs to China.

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

Chip Martel (USA1)

Both Souths declared 4. Martel had an easy ride when Wang W. led a heart away from the king, jack. He took only one diamond ruff so held himself to ten tricks; +420.

Zia found the most taxing lead of a trump. Fu won and ruffed a diamond then led the Q off the dummy. Rosenberg won and led the J to the king and ace. Zia thought a while but finally returned a diamond; +420 and a push.

Had Rosenberg returned a low diamond instead of the jack, surely declarer would not have put in the nine. Assuming the play of an honour, Zia could win and return a diamond, establishing a second diamond winner for the defence and declarer would have to fail. Should Rosenberg have got it right? Perhaps he feared that declarer might have something like Kx and Kxxx and that a low diamond play might see Zia under some pressure in the endgame. It looks as though this doesn't quite stand up to analysis, however.

So, should the contract be defeated? No. Declarer went wrong at trick three. Usually, he will need two heart tricks, and that means playing West for the J. After ruffing the diamond declarer should play a low heart off the dummy, playing the queen whether the king appears or not. His plan is to finesse the ten later.

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

Once upon a time, everyone would have opened the South hand with a weak two bid. Not any more. Martel did open 2. Stansby raised to 4 and Martel made an overtrick; +650. This was the Chinese auction:

Closed Room West North East South Wang W. Stansby Li Martel Pass 1 Pass 2NT Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 6 All Pass

2NT was a balanced game-force. Wang heard his partner rebid the spades then he cuebid but, despite the sign-off, took control and bid the slam. 6 is a dreadful contract, of course, but it made without difficulty when Zia underled his A; +1430 and 13 IMPs to China.

But would Fu have made it anyway? If declarer divines the spade position he has all the dummy entries he needs for a trump coup against East. And with the side-suits breaking favourably, nothing can go wrong.

Board 11. Dealer South. Love All K 9 8 7 5 3 K J 8 4 8 4 3 A 10 6 3 J 9 8 4 A 6 2 7 5 2 A Q 10 9 3 10 7 6 5 2 A K Q J 4 2 K Q 10 7 5 6 Q J 9

China led 30-10 going into this board and it seemed that they were destined to increase their lead by going plus in both rooms. In the Closed Room, Martel opened with a Flannery 2 opening as South and Stansby responded 2NT, looking for game. That was doubled by East and when Martel showed his club fragment Stansby settled for 3, knowing that his diamond honours would be largely wasted. As Stansby perhaps already suspected, even 3 proved to be a level too high. There were five top losers and the defence made no mistake; -100.

Open Room West North East South Zia Wang X. Rosenberg Fu 1 Pass 1 2 2 3 Pass 3NT All Pass

Rosenberg's 3NT bid would not be everyone's choice with no spade stop and not even a running suit, and it seemed that he would be punished when Fu led the Q to dummy's ace. Rosenberg led a low diamond to his ten then played the Q. Wang X. won the diamond and played the 9, which held the trick. Now Wang switched to a club. Rosenberg won and played ace and another diamond and Wang won and played a second club. Now Rosenberg cashed the long diamond and South had a problem. He was down to J4 KQ Q. The spade plays seemed to indicate that declarer had the K10 left, and who had the missing small club? Fu threw another heart, on the basis that if declarer held the K then North had the A. Disaster! Rosenberg now cashed three heart tricks for an unbelievable +400 and 7 IMPs to USA1.

Let's go back to the point where North cashed the 9 then switched to a club. What was going through his mind? Simple. He assumed that declarer had 10xxx for his 3NT bid. That left South with only the bare jack at this point and if he played another spade South might have an awkward lead to the next trick, hence the repeated club plays. Well, the vugraph audience enjoyed it even if the Chinese did not.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Game 10 9 7 6 5 J 8 6 K 9 5 4 3 — K 4 A J 8 3 2 A Q 10 7 5 4 3 2 9 Q J 2 4 K Q 10 9 8 7 Q K A 10 8 7 6 A J 6 5 3 2

There are plenty of bidding decisions for the various players to make on this deal. Firstly, what should West open? Wang W. tried 4, a good 4 bid. Li converted to 4 and Martel bid 4NT, a minor-suit takeout. Stansby bid 5 and Li doubled, ending the auction. The defence took their top tricks and the bad breaks in the black suits left declarer one trick short; -200.

Zia opened 1. Should East respond 2 and bid out his shape, effectively driving to game on a potential misfit, or should he bid 1, avoiding the game-force but leading to a distortion of his distribution? Rosenberg chose 2 and that kept Fu out of the auction. Zia was soon in 4 and the friendly lie of the major suits meant that he had no worries there; +420 and 6 IMPs to USA1.

There was one more significant swing to come.

A Q 9 8 6 J 10 K Q A 7 5 K 10 Q J 8 7 4 3 K Q 9 6 4 3

Wang W. and Li bid 1 - 1NT - 2NT - 3 - Pass, after Li had passed as dealer. That contract made no less than twelve tricks when the A was not cashed at the start; +170. It looks as though East/West may have had a misunderstanding regarding the 3 bid. Clearly west did not think it was forcing, but what about East? If it was not forcing, it looks rather timid facing an invitational raise. In the other room Rosenberg had a weak 2 opening in his bag and used it. Zia enquired, discovered Rosenberg held a minimum, then bid 3NT. The cards and defence were again very friendly and Zia made twelve tricks; +490 and 8 IMPs to USA1.

After 16 boards, USA1 had a narrow lead, 32-30.