A First Look

By Brian Senior

Our first look at the McConnell Trophy features one of the fancied teams, The Netherlands, against The Philippines. The Philippines must be the most widely distributed team in the tournament from a geographical point of view, as the four players live in Manila, London, New York, and Auckland, New Zealand. Apart from having all represented the Philippines at some time in the past, the link is team-member Gemma Mariano, as all three are either her past or current partners. Inevitably, the team is a little short on face-to-face practice, so beware, as they will be getting stronger as the tournament progresses. The Dutch were fielding their new junior pairing of Meike Wortel and Marian Michielsen, alongside the vastly experienced Bep Vriend and Carla Arnolds.

A relatively quiet set of deals started with a flat grand slam.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ 8 ♥ Q 10 8 2 ♦ Q 7 6 5 3 ♣ J 7 5
♠ A K Q 4 2 ♥ 7 ♦ A J 2 ♣ A K 9 6		♠ J 10 7 6 3 ♥ A K J 9 ♦ K 8 ♣ 4 3
	♠ 9 5 ♥ 6 5 4 3 ♦ 10 9 4 ♣ Q 10 8 2

West	North	East	South
Mayer	Wortel	Egan	Michielsen
	Pass	1♠	Pass
4NT	Pass	5♣	Pass
7♠	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Vriend	Mariano	Arnolds	Del Gallego
	Pass	1♠	Pass
2♣	Pass	2♥	Pass
3♠	Pass	3NT	Pass
4♣	Pass	4♦	Pass
4NT	Pass	5♣	Pass
7♠	All Pass

One might dream of picking up a hand like West’s on this deal then hearing partner open the bidding with 1♠. For the Philippines, Faith Mayer took the simple approach – surely correct in an unpractised partnership – of checking that there was no missing key card, then bidding the grand slam. Yes, it is possible to construct hands where 7♠ is a bad contract, but you need some methods to be confident that it is right to stay out of seven.Bep Vriend went more slowly, 3♠ being forcing, and discovered that her partner was 5-4-2-2. When Carla Arnolds could cuebid in diamonds, Vriend had all the information she required to know that seven would be cold (short of outlandish breaks) if the ace of hearts was present.

Flat at +1510.

Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ Q 6 5 ♥ 8 7 6 2 ♦ 10 9 4 ♣ 8 4 2
♠ 8 7 ♥ J 10 ♦ A 8 6 5 2 ♣ A K 6 5		♠ K J 10 4 2 ♥ Q 9 4 ♦ K J 7 3 ♣ 3
	♠ A 9 3 ♥ A K 5 3 ♦ Q ♣ Q J 10 9 7

West	North	East	South
Mayer	Wortel	Egan	Michielsen
1♦	Pass	1♠	Dble
2♣	Pass	3♦	Pass
3♥	Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Vriend	Mariano	Arnolds	Del Gallego
1♦	Pass	1♠	Dble
2♣	Pass	3♦	All Pass

Vriend/Arnolds had a normal auction to a normal contract and Vriend’s normal spade play led to ten tricks for +130.

Mayer made a very aggressive move towards game and, holding the requested heart stopper, Victoria Egan bid 3NT. This was a great opportunity for the Philippines, as the same normal spade play of hoping to find North with the queen would have seen the contract home after Marian Michielsen’s club lead. Alas, Egan convinced herself that she could not get so lucky and that, maybe, her youthful opponents might misdefend if she gave them the opportunity to do so. She cashed all the diamonds then played a heart, but Michielsen could clear the clubs and, though she had to give the last trick to declarer as she had kept a low spade along with the ace in case declarer played a spade after the diamonds, that meant one down for –100 and 6 IMPs to Netherlands when it could have been 10 IMPs the other way.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ K 7 2 ♥ A K 7 5 2 ♦ 8 7 5 3 ♣ J
♠ A 5 4 ♥ J 8 6 4 3 ♦ K J ♣ Q 7 5		♠ Q J 10 9 8 ♥ - ♦ 2 ♣ A K 10 9 6 4 2
	♠ 6 3 ♥ Q 10 9 ♦ A Q 10 9 6 4 ♣ 8 3

West	North	East	South
Mayer	Wortel	Egan	Michielsen
	1♥	2♥	2♠
3♥	Pass	4♠	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Vriend	Mariano	Arnolds	Del Gallego
	1♥	2♣	2♥
2NT	Pass	3♠	Pass
3NT	All Pass

The Philippines immediately missed another opportunity at the other table on this deal. Egan’s Michaels cuebid led to one of the two good games being reached and she soon had eleven tricks stacked in front of her for +450.

Arnolds preferred to overcall 2♣ then showed the spades over Vriend’s 2NT response. But when Vriend went back to no trump, Arnolds gave up with a significant part of her distribution unbid, at least in my view. Gemma Mariano led a low heart to the queen and Tina Del Gallego’s return of the ten of hearts was covered by the jack and king. Now a low heart to the nine followed by a spade through would have defeated the contract but, of course, Del Gallego would have returned the ♥10 from and ♥Q10x holding, and Mariano chose to switch to a diamond, establishing declarer’s ninth trick; +400 and a lucky escape for the Netherlands, who lost just 2 IMPs when it might have been 11.

Board 8. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ A 7 4 3 2 ♥ 9 3 ♦ A J ♣ 10 9 4 2
♠ J 5 ♥ Q 8 5 4 ♦ Q 9 4 ♣ A K Q 3		♠ K 10 9 6 ♥ K J 7 ♦ K 6 5 ♣ 7 6 5
	♠ Q 8 ♥ A 10 6 2 ♦ 10 8 7 3 2 ♣ J 8

West	North	East	South
Mayer	Wortel	Egan	Michielsen
1♣	1♠	1NT	Pass
2NT	Pass	3NT	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Vriend	Mariano	Arnolds	Del Gallego
1♣	1♠	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Both Mariano and Meike Wortel overcalled on the empty spade suit. It is normal enough to do so, of course, particularly given that the opening bid was 1♣ so that there was some pre-emptive benefit to the bid. However, this proved to be a bad time for it as East/West reached a game that they would not otherwise have bid and then the lead of the ♠Q was disastrous for the defence.

Arnolds upgraded her ten-count because of the good spade holding and Vriend had an easy raise to game. At the other table, Egan bid a mildly cautious 1NT but Mayer made a very aggressive invitation and she had an obvious acceptance. Both Souths led the ♠Q to declarer’s king and declarer played the ♥K, South winning the ace. Del Gallego now continued with her remaining spade, while Michielsen switched to the eight of diamonds. It made no difference, both declarers taking a safe nine tricks when they might even have managed ten with a third-round heart finesse. Flat at +400.

Board 10. Dealer East. All Vul.
	♠ 5 4 3 ♥ 10 8 7 5 ♦ 9 7 5 3 ♣ 7 3
♠ A 8 7 6 ♥ 9 3 ♦ 4 2 ♣ A K 10 9 6		♠ 10 9 2 ♥ K Q J ♦ K J 10 8 ♣ J 4 2
	♠ K Q J ♥ A 6 4 2 ♦ A Q 6 ♣ Q 8 5

West	North	East	South
Mayer	Wortel	Egan	Michielsen
		Pass	1♣
1♠	Pass	2♣	Pass
3♣	Pass	3♠	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Vriend	Mariano	Arnolds	Del Gallego
		Pass	1♣
All Pass

Lack of partnership experience explains the Philippines’ auction. Well, it doesn’t explain Mayer’s 1♠ overcall, which was to do with her personal approach to the game, but it explains the subsequent auction Michielsen’s 1♣ opening promised only two cards and Mayer was therefore unsure of the meaning of Egan’s 2♣ bid. Of course, when Egan converted to 3♠, Mayer quickly passed. A diamond lead would have defeated 3♠, but why should Wortel lead a diamond? Mayer won the actual club lead, played ace and another trump, won the next club and played a third trump. She won the club return and played a heart and Michielsen was powerless; +140.

In the other room, the Dutch East/West pair passed over Del Gallego’s 1♣ opening and she was left to stew there, going three down for –300 and 4 IMPs to The Netherlands. The Philippines had had their chances in a closely fought match, but The Netherlands sneaked the victory by 22-19 IMPs, 16-14 VPs.