Swiss Teams Round 5
by Marjo Chorus
Greece Blue v. Japan-Czech
Yilankiran v. Netherlands Blue
The Dutch teams are doing quite well so far. As a consequence of this and also because there are a lot of Dutch teams playing, the chances are that each round’s report will contain a match with a Dutch team involved. This round will be no exception: this time, you can read about Netherlands Blue defending their chances against Yilankiran, a well-placed team from the host country. Before this round, both teams were level 5th with 74 V.P.
Our other featured match this time is between Greece Blue and a Japan-Czech combination team; these two were ranked 13th and 14th when the round started.
On the first board, the Dutch took the lead by showing just a bit more aggression at partscore level:
Board: 11. Dlr: South/None |
| ♠ 10 7 ♥ 7 6 ♦ A Q 6 3 ♣ J 9 7 6 2 | ♠ A Q 8 ♥ A 10 8 4 ♦ J 9 7 ♣ K 8 3 | | ♠ J 9 6 3 ♥ K J 5 2 ♦ 8 5 4 2 ♣ 5 | | ♠ K 5 4 2 ♥ Q 9 3 ♦ K 10 ♣ A Q 10 4 |
Closed Room
West | North | East | South |
Gundogdu | Leufkens | S.Ercan | Th.Verbeek
|
| | | 1♣
|
Pass | 1♦ | Pass | 1♠
|
Pass | 2♣ | All pass
| |
No intervention here from EW so NS were allowed to play 2♣ in peace, making just 8 tricks for +90 to NL Blue.
More action by EW in the Open Room:
Open Room
West | North | East | South |
Van Leeuwen | Cerek | Buijtenhek | Kaya
|
| | | 1♣
|
Dble | 1♦ | Dble | Pass
|
1♥ | 2♣ | 2♥ | Pass
|
Pass | 3♣ | All pass
| |
They manage to push their opponents just one level higher to collect one undertrick for +50 and a useful 4 IMPs.
On the very next board, the Turkish pair gets overboard:
Board: 12. Dlr: West/NS |
| ♠ A 9 ♥ 9 7 5 3 ♦ J 9 7 6 4 ♣ 8 6 | ♠ K 8 3 2 ♥ A K 10 6 ♦ K 3 ♣ J 9 7 | | ♠ Q J 10 6 5 ♥ 4 2 ♦ Q 10 ♣ 10 4 3 2 | | ♠ 7 4 ♥ Q J 8 ♦ A 8 5 2 ♣ A K Q 5 |
Closed Room
West | North | East | South |
Gundogdu | Leufkens | S.Ercan | Th.Verbeek
|
1♣ | Pass | 1♠ | Pass
|
2♠ | All pass
| | |
Yilankiran did well here to stop in a safe partscore, just making. Yilankiran +110.
Open Room
West | North | East | South |
Van Leeuwen | Cerek | Buijtenhek | Kaya
|
1♣ | Pass | 1♠ | Dble
|
2♠ | 3♥ | Pass | 4♥
|
Dble | All pass
| | |
Cerek, North for Turkey, had other ideas about the North hand. He balanced with 3♥ on which his partner went on to game. West then thought this was the right moment to express his views on the final contract. East led the ♦Q, won by dummy’s Ace. West thought it might be useful to unblock the ♦K so the defence had given away one trick. Therefore the contract went just one down for only +200 to NL Blue and 3 more IMPs.
Larger numbers are appearing on the scoreboard when the next board arrives:
Board: 13. Dlr: North/All |
| ♠ K 9 5 4 ♥ 9 6 3 ♦ J 10 7 4 ♣ A Q | ♠ Q 8 6 ♥ A 10 8 4 ♦ Q 6 5 ♣ 8 7 6 | | ♠ A 7 2 ♥ K Q 7 2 ♦ - ♣ J 10 9 5 4 3 | | ♠ J 10 3 ♥ J 5 ♦ A K 9 8 3 2 ♣ K 2 |
Closed Room
West | North | East | South |
Gundogdu | Leufkens | S.Ercan | Th.Verbeek
|
| Pass | 1♣ | 1♦
|
1♥ | Dble | 4♥ | All pass
|
In the Closed Room, the Turkish reach game on the EW cards. The diamond lead is ruffed and dummy leads a club. What can the defenders do? If South goes up with the King and continues the ♠J, declarer has to read the position well. He should duck in hand, win the ace in dummy and continue clubs. North will have to win and he can do no harm.
So a better chance for South looks to win the ♣K and return a low spade. On this defence, declarer might be more tempted to play the ♠Q from hand…
A forcing defence looks the winner. Declarer can ruff all his three diamonds in dummy and cash the remaining top trump but after that, he will be stranded in dummy. If he leads a low spade and South splits, declarer looks doomed.
At the table, North won the first club and when she returned a trump rather than a diamond, declarer’s problems were soon over. Yilankiran +620.
In the Open Room, the Turkish NS soon entered the auction:
Open Room
West | North | East | South |
Van Leeuwen | Cerek | Buijtenhek | Kaya
|
| Pass | 1♣ | 1♦
|
1♥ | Dble | 2♥ | 3♦
|
Pass | 3♥ | Dbl | 3♠
|
Pass | 4♦ | All pass
| |
This went one down, +100 to NL Blue but 11 IMPs to Yilankiran.
On the next board, there was an accident in the other match:
Board: 14. Dlr: East/None |
| ♠ K 10 3 ♥ Q 4 ♦ 9 8 6 ♣ K J 6 5 2 | ♠ 8 7 6 5 4 ♥ K 6 5 3 ♦ Q 3 2 ♣ 4 | | ♠ 9 ♥ A J 8 7 2 ♦ A K J 7 4 ♣ 7 3 | | ♠ A Q J 2 ♥ 10 9 ♦ 10 5 ♣ A Q 10 9 8 |
Open Room
West | North | East | South |
Macura | Anastasatos | Kopecky | Sofios
|
| | 2♦ | Pass
|
4♥ | Pass | Pass | Dbl
|
All pass
| | | |
North must have been unsure about which of the minors East actually had. If East is known to hold diamonds, South’s double locates the double fit which makes the save obvious.
Anyway: the hands fitted perfectly well for EW too so two overtricks were quickly there when the defence did not cash out. Japan-Czech +790.
Closed Room
West | North | East | South |
Giannoulis | Miura | Oikonomopoulos | Koike
|
| | 1♥ | 2♣
|
3♥ | 4♣ | 4♥ | All pass
|
A more classic auction in the other room after which EW were allowed to play their game in peace. The same 12 tricks were made but they were worth only 480 to Greece Blue and thus 7 IMPs to Japan-Czech.
Not very much in the next boards but then came the decisive board in both our matches:
Board: 18. Dlr: East/NS |
| ♠ J 10 7 2 ♥ A Q 8 3 ♦ J 9 5 3 ♣ 3 | ♠ 9 8 ♥ K J 9 7 2 ♦ A 8 2 ♣ K Q 8 | | ♠ K 6 5 ♥ 10 6 4 ♦ K Q 6 ♣ 10 9 7 2 | | ♠ A Q 4 3 ♥ 5 ♦ 10 7 4 ♣ A J 6 5 4 |
Open Room
West | North | East | South |
Van Leeuwen | Cerek | Buijtenhek | Kaya
|
| | Pass | 1♣
|
1♥ | Dble | 2♥ | 2♠
|
3♥ | Dble | Pass | 3♠
|
All pass
| | | |
Closed Room
West | North | East | South |
Gundogdu | Leufkens | S.Ercan | Th.Verbeek
|
| | Pass | 1♣
|
1♥ | Dble | 2♥ | 2♠
|
3♥ | Dble | Pass | 4♠
|
All pass
| | | |
As you can see, the auctions were identical in both rooms until North’s second double. Now, Kaya for Yilankiran in the OR bids 3♠ and there it ends. Just made, +140 to Yilankiran.
In the Closed Room, Thijs Verbeek for NL Blue decides to jump straight to 4♠. The heart lead was won by dummy’s Queen and a diamond goes on the ♥A. Now ♣A, club ruff, heart ruff and club ruff (nice to see the ♣KQ coming down) followed by the ♠10 which holds the trick. One overtrick, NL Blue +650 and 11 IMPs to eventually win the match 21-16 or 16-14 V.P.
In the other match, the decision came in a completely different way:
Open Room
West | North | East | South |
Macura | Anastasatos | Kopecky | Sofios
|
| | Pass | 1♣
|
1♥* | Dble | 2♦< | 2♠
|
All pass
| | | |
* 12+
< xfer to 2♥ The Czechs sold out to 2♠ which proved an excellent idea. The hand lies very well for NS and their own 2♥ contract would already have gone down. Nine tricks, Greece Blue +140.
Closed Room
West | North | East | South |
Giannoulis | Miura | Oikonomopoulos | Koike
|
| | Pass | 1♣
|
1♥ | Dble | 2♥ | 2♠
|
4♥ | Dble | All pass
| |
Maybe, the Greeks trusted each other better than their opponents when West decided to jump on to 4♥. However, their opponents had the last word…
Down four, Japan-Czech +800, good for a further 12 IMPs and a win by 30-3 or 23-7 V.P.
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