| 12th World Bridge Championships | Page 4 | Bulletin 12 - Wednesday 21 June 2006 |
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The Last Set By Brian Senior With 14 boards to play in the semi-finals of the McConnell Cup, NARASIMHAN (USA) led KATT-BRIDGE (Sweden) by 84-73 IMPs, while CHINA GLOBAL TIMES led the US/Russian team captained by Carlyn Steiner by 82-57. While both matches were still alive, you might have guessed that the former would have been the one to come to the more dramatic conclusion. As it happens, you would have been mistaken. With three Wangs in the Chinese line-up, I shall refer to them by their given rather than family names. Seven boards into the set, the position in the STEINER/CHINA match had scarcely changed at 84-60 to China, but there was plenty of action in the other match.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Jill Meyers’s raise to 3♦ with the West hand took a little bit of sting out of Mari Ryman’s 3♠ rebid, while Debbie Rosenberg’s ability to jump to 3♠ meant that her call had full value. Whether or not that was the reason, Jenny Ryman passed while JoAnna Stansby raised to 4♠. After a club lead and spade switch, eventually both declarers took the heart finesse for their tenth trick; +170 to Ryman but +620 and 10 IMPs to NARASIMHAN, up by 94-73.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Rosenberg opened a strong no trump and Stansby made her play 4♠ via a Texas transfer. Catharina Midskog cashed the ace of diamonds then switched to the jack of hearts to declarer’s ace. Rosenberg cashed the ♠A then led back to the king and attempted to cash her heart winners, but Bertheau could ruff and cash her diamond and club winners for down one; -50. Mari Ryman opened 1♥ and daughter Jenny could show her long spades then try 3NT, which Mari was happy to pass. Jill Meyers led passively, her singleton heart, which threatened declarer’s communications. Jenny cashed a second heart, pitching a club, then played the king of spades followed by a spade to the ten and jack. Meyers tried ace and another club, but that gave declarer an entry to her spade winners. She cashed those then exited with a diamond and had to come to one more trick in the endgame; +400 and 10 IMPs to KATT-BRIDGE, closing to 83-94.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Midskog’s auction sounded a bit stronger in the partnership style than did Levin’s, and Bertheau doubled the final contract, despite Rosenberg’s apparent slam try. Both defences started by cashing a diamond, but declarer could win the next trick and ruff a spade to reach the South hand to play a heart up, holding their losers in the suit to two; +620 to Ryman but +790 to Stansby and 5 IMPs to NARASIMHAN, increasing the lead to 99-83.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Mari opened 1NT and Jenny transferred then invited game, which kept East/West out of the auction. Jill Levin led a club. Meyers won the ace and switched to a diamond, which Mari won with the ace. She played a club and Levin took the king and switched to ace and another spade to dummy’s king. Mari led a low heart which Meyers won with the king and led a second diamond through. Mari won the king and cashed the ♥Q then pitched a diamond on the queen of spades. Meyers had a trump trick to come for one down; -100. Rosenberg opened 1♦ and Stansby bid and rebid the hearts. It was natural for Midskog to make a balancing double when 2♥ came around and equally natural for Bertheau to play for penalties. Of course, natural does not necessarily mean successful. Bertheau led a spade to the ten and king and ducked when Stansby led a heart to the queen. Now Stansby ducked a spade, Midskog going in with the jack, and the defence played three rounds of clubs, declarer pitching the losing diamond from hand. There were just two trumps to be lost so Stansby had eight tricks for +670 and 13 IMPs to NARASIMHAN. The lead was up to 27 at 112-85, an ominous sign for KATT-BRIDGE with only eight boards to play.
Steiner v China Global Times
Finally there was some action in the other match. Yu Zhang opened 2NT and played there, losing the first eight tricks as Janice Molson led out the hearts from the top, down 300. Victoria Gromova opened with a strong club then doubled twice for take-out and finally passed Tatiana Ponomareva’s 3♠ response. As it turned out, the king of clubs was all that was required to make ten tricks once the spades divided evenly, and that was +170. This was not a bad time to miss a decent game, as the Russian pair found that they had picked up 10 IMPs for +170, and STEINER closed to 70-84.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Would you raise the 3♠ opener to game with a singleton spade and borderline values? Rosenberg did and was proved correct. The hands fit well together and, though the diamond is offside, the spade position is very friendly so Stansby had no difficulty in coming to ten tricks for +620. In the other room, Mari did not raise to game and Levin overcalled 3NT, where she played. Jenny found the excellent lead of the two of diamonds and Mari won the then switched to her spade, Levin rising with the ace. She played the king of hearts, looking approvingly at the fall of the jack, then the ♥10, ducked. Now Levin switched her attention to clubs, leading low to the queen and king. Mari led back the jack of diamonds and now Levin played three rounds of clubs. Maro won the ♣10, cashed the ace of hearts, and led a diamond. Jenny had the remainder for down three; -300 but 8 IMPs to NARASIMHAN. The deficit was up to 30 and the Swedes were running out of time.
Steiner v China Global Times
Li Ping Wang opened 2NT and played the no trump game after Yu Zhang had transferred then offered a choice of games. Tobi Sokolow led a low spade to the king, after which declarer had no hope of success. She ducked, won the second spade and led a low diamond, Sokolow rising with the ace to play queen and another spade; down one for –50. Ponomareva opened with a strong club then showed each of her suits in turn, and Gromova gave preference by passing 3♣. Ponomareva won the spade lead and played on diamonds, Wen Fei Wang winning the second round and cashing the queen of spades then exiting safely with a diamond. Declarer cashed the top clubs and just had to lose a heart at the end; +130 and 5 IMPs to STEINER, getting close at 75-84.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Both Wests opened 1NT and played there. Rosenberg led the seven of diamonds to Stansby’s ten, overtook the ♦J return and played the ♦K to the ace, Stansby returning the ♦5 for Rosenberg to cash out the suit. Declarer’s heart discards from both hands suggested that Stansby, who had thrown a discouraging ♠3, would have the king of hearts, so Rosenberg underled the heart and the defence took their two tricks in the suit for one down; -100. Mari also led a diamond, the two. Jenny won the ace and returned the jack, which held the trick, Mari following with the seven. Now Jenny tried a spade switch and Meyers grabbed her eight winners for +120 and 6 IMPs to NARASIMHAN; 127-90. Steiner v China Global Times
Molson opened light in third seat and Sokolow showed a constructive raise over the take-out double. Molson signed off in 3♦ and, for reasons only she can know, Yu Zhang jumped to 4♥ when 3♥ looks to be plenty. There were four top losers so that was –100. Ponomareva was left to open 1NT in fourth seat and played there. Wen Fei led the queen of diamonds for an attitude signal and continued with the king then seven. Hong Li Wang cashed the ace of diamonds then, having see declarer pitch a spade, switched to that suit – seven tricks for +90 and 5 IMPs to STEINER; 80-84.
Steiner v China Global Times
(i) Strong (ii) 0-7 Both East/West pairs competed up to the five level. Molson/Sokolow took the money, which came to +500 after a normal and successful spade play by Ponomareva, while Wen Fei took the push to 5♥. With a strong club opening on her left, she had no problem in getting the spades right, of course, so that was +650 and 4 badly needed IMPs to CHINA, stretching the lead to 88-80.
Narasimhan v Katt-Bridge
Mari’s 1NT response was semi-forcing, making it a matter of routine for Jenny to pass, while Rosenberg’s was forcing. Over the 2♦ rebid, Rosenberg completed the picture of her hand as a three-card limit raise, hoping that the diamond fit would compensate for the missing trump, and Stansby passed quickly. Levin led a club a against 1NT, the king forcing the ace. Mari knocked out the ace of diamonds and Levin tried a low club to her nine. Having cashed the diamonds and stacked eight tricks in front of her, Mari could afford to take the spade finesse to collect four overtricks, Levin having pitched one on the run of the diamonds; +210. Bertheau led the ten of hearts against 3♠ but Midskog won and quickly switched to a club for the king and ace. Stansby played the king of spades then a spade to the jack and cashed the ace. When there proved to be a trump loser, she had to go one down for –50 and 6 IMPs to KATT-BRIDGE. It was too little too late for the Swedes, bringing the score up to 97-127, which proved to be the final score. Meanwhile, STEINER picked up 1 IMP for 2♠ plus one against 1NT plus one. They trailed by 7 IMPs going into the final deal.
Steiner v China Global Times
Li Ping opened the West hand, an aggressive action, and declared the spade game. Sokolow led a trump so Li Ping won and drew a second round, ending in dummy to lead a heart to the king and ace. Sokolow found the killing switch to the queen of clubs, and the defenders took three club tricks for down one; -50, the ‘normal’ result. Ponomareva did not open and Gromova became declarer in the same contract. Hong Li led the two of diamonds to the king and ace and Gromova drew trumps and led a heart up. The return of a club honour would have defeated the contract and won the match, but Wen Fei played a diamond and Gromova won the queen, crossed to dummy and took a club discard on the queen of hearts; ten tricks for +420 and 10 IMPs to STEINER. The US/Russian team had scored a last gasp winner, coming out on top by 91-88, and would meet the all-American NARASIMHAN team in the final. |
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