Swiss Teams Round 7

by Jos Jacobs & Marjo Chorus

Poland v. Scotland

Team 42 v. Aotearoa

At about the halfway point of the Swiss, we are going to have a look at four teams in heavy contention for a qualifying berth. Poland 8th, Scotland and 42 joint 10th and Aotearoa 12th. The latter team bears a very instructive name: it’s Maori language for the country where most of them come from they have adopted one Argentinean player as well. USA Blue seem out of reach with 130 V.P. from 6 matches, 17 ahead of Japan-Czech who themselves are 6 V.P. clear from a whole group of crown pretenders…

Like we saw in previous matches, a big swing on the first board:

Board: 1. Dlr: North/None
	♠ A 10 ♥ Q 10 8 7 5 ♦ 8 6 3 ♣ Q 6 4
♠ Q 5 3 ♥ - ♦ Q 10 4 3 ♣ J 9 8 7 3 2		♠ J 9 6 2 ♥ K 4 3 2 ♦ A J 9 ♣ A 5
	♠ K 8 7 4 ♥ A J 9 6 ♦ K 7 5 ♣ K 10

In spite of East’s strong NT the Poles get to 4♥ easily enough once North reopens. East leads a revealing low trump, won by declarer who continues a club. East hops up with the ace and returns the suit to dummy’s King. After this, declarer can cross in spades and present the ♣Q. East ruffs but is overruffed, the ♠K cashed and a spade ruffed in hand. Whenever declarer leads a diamond from his hand, putting up the King if East plays low, this will give him his 10th trick. Nicely done: Poland +420.

Closed Room

No such aggression in the other room where the Poles are eventually allowed to quietly go down two in 4♣ for a loss of 100 points but 8 IMPs in the bag.

Two boards later, it was slam time:

Board: 3. Dlr: South/EW
	♠ J 2 ♥ Q 9 4 3 ♦ 9 8 2 ♣ Q J 6 5
♠ A K 10 9 4 ♥ - ♦ A 7 6 ♣ K 10 7 4 2		♠ Q 8 7 6 5 3 ♥ K 8 7 ♦ Q J ♣ 8 3
	♠ - ♥ A J 10 6 5 2 ♦ K 10 5 4 3 ♣ A 9

A risky action by South, this save against 5♠, as EW can even make 6♠. For Scotland, East decided to pass as well after his partner’s probable (hopefully?) forcing pass of 5♠. Down three but only +150 to Scotland.

Closed Room

Nearly the same auction in the other room, apart from East’s final double. Down three as well but Poland +500 and 8 IMPs more.

In the other match, they took the same save for -500 in the Open Room:

Open Room

Down three, +500 to Aotearoa.

In the Closed Room, Andy Hung had higher aspirations:

Closed Room

* cue

After a more informative auction, Hung decided to bid the vulnerable slam. When this proved the right decision, the 42’s had scored a fine +1430 for 14 IMPs. Then, a dramatic board for Scotland:

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

Open Room

Both NS pairs get to 4♠. For Poland, Jassem (South) is declarer. He receives a trump lead, ducks a heart, wins the trump return and has no further problems after conceding another heart. Poland +620.

For Scotland, North is declarer and East has an easy lead: the ♦K. Sinclair quite rightly ducks this but then, hoping to get rid of a diamond loser, calls for dummy’s queen when East returns a club. West wins and returns a diamond but the contract is already doomed, as there are two sure heart losers. North must have felt even unhappier when he found out that West had all three missing heart honours and only two diamonds…Anyway: down two and +200 or 13 IMPs to Poland. In the other match, the defence did very well at one table:

Open Room

West found the diamond lead which gave declarer a very nasty problem. Two losers in each red suit are staring him in the face but he, too, did not believe his luck and thus went down one, losing four tricks in the red suits. Aotearoa +100.

Closed Room

Though West was friendly enough not to double, his trump tricks would still assure the defeat of this contract. In fact it went three down so 42 had gained 5 IMPs where they might as well have lost a bushel.

On board 8, another big swing to Poland:

Board: 8. Dlr: West/None
	♠ A 9 8 5 4 ♥ 2 ♦ 10 3 ♣ Q 10 9 8 6
♠ - ♥ K J 10 9 4 ♦ K Q J 9 5 ♣ 4 3 2		♠ K Q 10 3 2 ♥ A 5 ♦ 8 6 4 2 ♣ J 7
	♠ J 7 6 ♥ Q 8 7 6 3 ♦ A 7 ♣ A K 5

Open Room

After the Polish weak twosuiter, East happily converted partner’s double but he was soon to regret it. East led the ♥A and continued the suit, declarer ruffing. A low spade was ducked by East and won by dummy’s Jack and next came three rounds of clubs, East ruffing the 3rd round. He returned the ♠K but it was too late. Tuczynski won and simply played on clubs through East who could make two more trumps and his diamond trick but no more. Just made; Poland a useful +470.

Closed Room

In the Closed Room, it was West who opened a Polish twosuiter. He was left to play there and quietly went one down, +50 to Scotland but 9 IMPs to Poland who were leading by 40-6 at this point.

In the 42 v. Aotearoa match, it looks from the auctions as if they were playing a different board:

Open Room

Well, apart from the fact that there are three top losers, 5♦ is quite a decent contract, as compared to what the Poles and Scots showed us… The save, however, was a little exaggerated, we think and we are sure East will agree. Down four, +800 to Aotearoa.

Closed Room

Board: 9. Dlr: North/EW
	♠ A Q 4 2 ♥ 10 2 ♦ K Q 4 3 2 ♣ J 3
♠ 10 ♥ K J 9 8 6 4 ♦ 7 5 ♣ A K Q 6		♠ K J 7 6 ♥ A 7 5 ♦ J 9 8 6 ♣ 10 4
	♠ 9 8 5 3 ♥ Q 3 ♦ A 10 ♣ 9 8 7 5 2

One overtrick, Aotearoa +170.

Closed Room

One undertrick, Aotearoa +200 and 9 more IMPs.

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

In the 42-Aotearoa match, 3NT by North became the final contract at both tables. Both Easts led a low heart so declarer’s ♥Q became an undeserved overtrick. No swing, the final score being 31-21 or 18-12 to 42. In the Poland v. Scotland match, there was a swing, and a big one too:

Open Room

When East did not lead a low heart, he had overcome the first hurdle. However, his diamond lead gave Tuczynski a second life if he would take the right view in clubs. When he duly played the ♣A (having no alternative, in fact), nine tricks were his. Poland +600.

Closed Room

With 3♣ already a mild slam try, the Scots manage to avoid the hopeless (?) 3NT but they land in 5♣ which is off three top losers if the defence are willing to cash them. No problem for Jochymski who put the ♥4 on the table…a heavy blow for Scotland.

One off, Poland another +100 to score 12 IMPs more and win the match 53-6 or 25-2 V.P. They move into second place by this great result.

Swiss Teams Round 8

By far the most spectacular board of the round was #16, certainly from the way Italy Red and the Austria Lions dealt with it.

Board: 16. Dlr: West/EW
	♠ A 5 2 ♥ 10 7 6 ♦ J ♣ Q 10 8 7 5 2
♠ - ♥ K J 2 ♦ A K Q 10 7 ♣ K J 9 4 3		♠ K 9 8 6 ♥ A Q 9 8 4 3 ♦ 8 3 ♣ A
	♠ Q J 10 7 4 3 ♥ 5 ♦ 9 6 5 4 2 ♣ 6

Open Room

An interesting auction here. Weak jump, preemptive raise, RKC, a closing bid of 6♥ raised to 7 which can only be based on a spade void and, as an apotheosis, the weak jumper believing his opponents and taking the save against the grand. Very well done all round for down six and +1400 to the Austrians.

Closed Room