France brought a 30 IMP lead into the fifth segment of their Bermuda Bowl quarter-final against Poland. However, most of that lead vanished in the first half an hour or so of play.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Game A 10 7 5 4 A K 10 — K 7 6 4 3 Q 8 6 2 J 9 3 8 6 J 5 4 J 7 K 10 5 4 2 Q J 8 5 2 A 10 K Q 9 7 3 2 A Q 9 8 6 3 9 Closed Room West North East South Romanski Perron Kowalski Chemla Pass Pass Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 6 All Pass

Open Room West North East South Levy Balicki Mari Szymanowski Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 2NT Pass 3 Pass 4 All Pass

It worked out well for South to open his awkward hand with 1 because he got to describe his two-suiter and North, who also had a complex hand, had his enthusiasm dampened by the void in partner's second suit and lack of a fourth trump. In contrast, Perron/Chemla sailed into slam after Chemla passed the South hand in second seat.

6 was hopeless and Chemla ended up down two; -200.

In 4, Marek Szymanowski received the lead of the Q, ducked, and a trump switch to the ten, jack and queen. Szymanowski unblocked the K and played ace and ruffed a diamond. Next he cashed the A and ruffed a club, bringing down the ace. He seemed to be well on his way now but something went wrong. A second diamond ruff and a spade ruff was followed by the Q. East took his two diamonds and had only the 54 left. He led one through declarer's 97 and the bare eight scored the setting trick; one down for only 3 IMPs to Poland and a real opportunity missed.

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

Having bid a hopeless slam on the previous board, the French pair now missed a good one. 3NT made twelve tricks on a spade lead; +490.

Open Room West North East South Levy Balicki Mari Szymanowski 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2NT Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4 Pass 4NT Pass 5 Pass 6 All Pass

The non-regular partnership of Cesary Balicki and Marek Szymanowski bid smoothly to the top spot and Szymanowski soon chalked up +920; 10 IMPs to Poland.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Game K 6 K 9 8 5 2 A 10 9 8 K 5 5 4 3 10 8 7 A Q J 7 6 4 3 K 7 6 4 2 J 5 6 J 10 9 4 3 A Q J 9 2 10 Q 3 A Q 8 7 2 Open Room West North East South Levy Balicki Mari Szymanowski 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass

A number of pairs around the room reached a poor slam on this one. The Poles had no problem in stopping at a safe level and Szymanowski took eleven tricks on a low diamond lead; +660.

Closed Room West North East South Romanski Perron Kowalski Chemla 1 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 2NT Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 4 Pass 6 All Pass

For the third time in four deals the French pair judged an awkward slam deal wrongly. The best trump suit became the fourth suit after Chemla's 2 response and, despite his best efforts to emphasise the quality of his spades later in the auction, it is always difficult to play in the fourth suit. 6 could have been making on a good day but this was not one of those. Chemla was two down; -200 and 13 IMPs to Poland. The Poles were only 2 IMPs behind now.

Board 7. Dealer South. Game All J 6 5 K 10 9 5 3 A K 6 Q 4 K 9 8 7 3 2 A Q 8 4 Q 10 8 4 2 J 9 5 A K J 9 7 5 8 3 A Q 10 4 J 7 6 2 7 3 10 6 2 Closed Room West North East South Romanski Perron Kowalski Chemla Pass 1 1 Pass 3 4 All Pass

Paul Chemla's pre-emptive raise put Jacek Romanski under pressure. He competed with 4 and played there. The defence started with three rounds of diamonds, South ruffing, and Romanski had to go one down; -100.

Open Room West North East South Levy Balicki Mari Szymanowski Pass 1 1 Pass 1 2 Dble Pass 3 All Pass

Here Alain Levy was able to show his two-suited hand quite conveniently when Szymanowski chose to get in a lead-directing spade bid before supporting the hearts. The defence to 3 began with three rounds of clubs, the third round being ruffed with the ten and over-ruffed with the queen. Christian Mari switched to a diamond and Balicki played ace, king and a third diamond, ruffing, then a heart up. Levy won the A and had to give a ruff and discard, not that this mattered. Balicki drew the last trump and had to pick the spade suit. He took the finesse and was one down; -100 and 5 IMPs to France.

Balicki might have got the spade right. The distribution was known and for the finesse to be onside East had to be 5-3-3-2 with K, Q and J. Would he not then have bid 1 over 1?

Both North/Souths bid 1NT - 2 - 2. Chemla was left to play there and made exactly for +110.

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

In the other room, 2 ran round to Mari who balanced with 2. Balicki competed with 3 so Szymanowski was a level higher than Chemla. The lead was a spade and Szymanowski examined the hand. He could see a spade loser and two diamonds, plus at least one trump. More often than not there would be a second trump to lose and there might be a third diamond. Looking at all four hands we can see that both red suits are very kindly distributed but Szymanowski didn't know that. He tried the club finesse, which could have saved him two tricks had it succeeded. When it did not, he was down. He later played ace and jack of hearts from hand so lost two of those as well for two down; -200 and 7 IMPs to France.

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

Both East/Wests played 4, but from different sides. Apolinary Kowalski was East and Chemla made no mistake, leading a low trump. Kowalski could not get two heart ruffs without giving up the lead and Chemla wasted no time in leading two more rounds of trumps when he got in. The contract was down two; -100.

In the other room, Levy was declarer from the West seat. Either black suit will defeat the contract but Balicki led a heart. Levy won in hand to play a diamond up and Szymanowski won the ace and switched to a low spade. Levy played a heart to the ace, cashed the K discarding a club and embarked on a cross-ruff. South was powerless. After ruffing the fourth heart, Levy had to come off table with the last spade but now south had the choice of winning and putting him in hand with his last trump to cash the long heart or of leading ace and another club, giving a trick to dummy's K. The contract was just made for +420 and 10 IMPs to France.

Board 13. Dealer North. Game All Q 7 6 5 K 10 6 5 2 A K 6 4 A J 9 8 5 2 K 8 3 2 A Q J 10 4 4 A J 7 J 9 7 3 Q 8 2 K 10 4 3 9 7 6 Q 9 8 3 10 5

There were people in other matches going down in 4, though it appears to be unbeatable. If the defence take their club ruff, East's spade loser goes away on the J and it is easy to ruff two diamonds. This is what happened in the Open Room where Mari was declarer. On a spade lead, the most threatening, declarer wins and goes about his business of ruffing two diamonds while drawing trumps. Then he must find the 10, but with no more entries to dummy he has to play South for the ten so makes his contract. In our Closed Room, the lead was a diamond. Kowalski did his thing in the red suits and duly got the clubs right. Nobody ever switched to spades so he got rid of the second spade on the clubs for an overtrick and 1 IMP to Poland.

The early Polish gains had been virtually wiped out. With 16 boards to play, France held the initiative, leading by 186-159.