39th World Team Championships Page 2 Bulletin 7 - Saturday 5 September 2009


Italy - Norway (Bermuda Bowl Round 10)

Preview of the final? - by Brent Manley

In round 10, Norway, defending champions in the Bermuda Bowl, faced the always-formidable Italian team in what could easily turn out to be the matchup for the final. After 16 boards, Norway had reason to hope that the set did not portend future results.

Norway drew first blood.

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
 ♠ Q 7 5
K Q 8
Q 6 3 2
♣ A 7 3

♠ 9 8 4
9 6
K J 9 5
♣ J 9 8 5
Bridge deal
♠ J 10 2
7 5 4 3
10 8
♣ Q 6 4 2
 ♠ A K 6 3
A J 10 2
A 7 4
♣ K 10

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
 1♣Pass1
Pass1Pass1♠
Pass1NTPass4NT
Pass6NTAll Pass  

Espen Lindqvist’s acceptance of the slam try may seem aggressive with the dull shape, but he was at the top of the range for a 1NT rebid. The Lindqvist 1NT opener is listed as (14) 15-17.

Fulvio Fantoni started with a low heart, taken by North, who wasted no time playing on diamonds. A low diamond to the ace and a diamond back produced the king from West. The 3-3 split in spades meant declarer had an easy 12 tricks for plus 990.

At the other table, Lorenzo Lauria and Alfredo Versace had essentially the same auction, but Lauria declined the invitation to slam. That was 11 IMPs to Norway.

Italy evened the score on the next board.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
 ♠ J 10
A 6 5 4
Q 9
♣ 9 7 6 3 2

♠ Q 8 7 5 2
K J 9
A 10 7 3 2
Bridge deal
♠ K 4 3
Q 7 3 2
6 5 4
♣ 10 8 4
 ♠ A 9 6
10 8
K J 8
♣ A K Q J 5

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
  Pass1♣
3♣ (1)Pass3♠3NT
PassPass4♠Dble
All Pass    

(1) Diamonds and spades.

North-South could have managed plus 300 from this layout with two trumps, two diamonds and a heart, but Boye Brogeland started with the ♠A and a spade to declarer’s king. Fantoni played a diamond, ducking when Brogeland put in the jack. Brogeland exited with his third spade, taken in dummy. Lindqvist ducked two rounds of hearts, so Fantoni simply cashed the A and played a third round. The defenders got one spade, one heart and two diamonds for plus 100.

WestNorthEastSouth
GrotheimLauriaTundalVersace
  Pass2 (1)
2♠Dble3♠Pass
PassDblePass3NT
All Pass    

(1) 18-20 balanced.

The 4♠ save was not taken in this room, and Versace had no difficulty taking 10 tricks for plus 630 and 11 IMPs to Italy.

Two boards later, Italy had another big swing.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
 ♠ 7 4 3 2
K 8 5 2

♣ 10 9 8 5 4

♠ A K 10 6
7
A K Q 4
♣ Q J 7 2
Bridge deal
♠ Q 5
Q J 6
J 10 9 8 6 3
♣ A 6
 ♠ J 9 8
A 10 9 4 3
7 5 2
♣ K 3

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
1♣Pass1♠ (1)Pass
2 (2)Pass2♠Pass
3♠Pass4Pass
4 (3)Pass5♣ (4)Pass
6All Pass   

(1) No major; up to 11 HCP or five clubs and four spades, 10+.
(2) 4-4 in the minors.
(3) Key card ask in diamonds.
(4) One or three key cards.

North led a spade to the 5, jack and ace, and Nunes was soon claiming plus 1370, not troubled at all by the 3-0 trump split because he needed only one heart ruff in hand with the spade suit producing four tricks.

At the other table, Glenn Grotheim and Tundal had a long relay auction that did not achieve the maximum result. Stopping at 5 cost them 13 IMPs.

On board 22, Italy lost 9 IMPs but they might have gained 7.

Board 22. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
 ♠ K J
7 3
A J 7 4 3
♣ J 8 6 2

♠ 10 5 4 3 2
A Q 8 5 2
K 6
♣ 3
Bridge deal
♠ Q 9 8 7
K
10 5 2
♣ A K 9 7 4
 ♠ A 6
J 10 9 6 4
Q 9 8
♣ Q 10 5

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
  2♣ (1)Pass
2 (2)Pass2♠ (3)All Pass

(1) Natural, 10-13, unbalanced.
(2) Asks.
(3) Possible three-card holding.

Had Claudio Nunes known his partner had the K, he might have taken a different view with his shapely hand.

Brogeland started with the ♠A and could have held Fantoni to nine tricks with a diamond shift, but he continued with spades. A club return allowed Fantoni to ruff the clubs good and discard both diamonds from dummy for plus 200.

WestNorthEastSouth
GrotheimLauriaTundalVersace
  11
DblePass2♠Pass
4♠All Pass   

Versace could have scuttled the contract with a diamond lead, but that’s strictly double dummy. On the normal heart lead, Tundal won in hand, cashed the ♣A and ruffed a club, then played the A, pitching a diamond, and the Q, overruffing with the ♠Q when Lorenzo Lauria ruffed with the jack. Now the ♣K was cashed, pitching a diamond, and a low club ruffed. When Tundal played a heart from dummy, Lauria ruffed with the ♠K. Tundal discarded a diamond. He still had to lose the A and ♠A, but he had plus 620 and a useful swing. Norway had moved to within 3 IMPs at 24-21.

The margin increased significantly on the next deal.

Board 23. Dealer South. All Vul.
 ♠ K 9 5 4
A 10 9
6 2
♣ J 9 7 2

♠ J 8 3
6 5 4
K J 3
♣ 8 6 5 3
Bridge deal
♠ A Q 6
J 8 3
A 9 8 7 4
♣ 10 4
 ♠ 10 7 2
K Q 7 2
Q 10 5
♣ A K Q

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
   1NT
Pass2♣Pass2
Pass2NTPass3NT
All Pass    

Nunes led a low club to the 10 and king, and Brogeland assessed the situation. Even if hearts produced four tricks, he was still one trick short, so he took the reasonable shot of playing a spade to dummy’s king. It was trick 10 before Brogeland had the lead again. Fantoni won the ♠A and played a low diamond. Brogeland stuck in the 10, taken by Nunes with the jack. The K was next, and a third diamond to Fantoni’s ace picked up Brogeland’s queen. Two more diamonds and two more spades left Brogeland with five tricks for minus 400. He had a reasonable hope that the result would be duplicated at the other table, but it did not work out that way.

On an identical auction, Grotheim (West) started with the J not a success. Tundal won the ace and returned the suit. Versace put up the queen, taken by Grotheim with the king. Versace gratefully won the third diamond trick with the 10 and was soon claiming plus 600 for a 14-IMP swing.

Italy earned another big swing on this deal.

Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul.
 ♠ K Q
K Q 9
9 7
♣ J 9 8 6 5 3

♠ A 10 8 3 2
10
A J 10 2
♣ A K 2
Bridge deal
♠ J 6 4
A J 8 6 5 2
4
♣ Q 7 4
 ♠ 9 7 5
7 4 3
K Q 8 6 5 3
♣ 10

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
  PassPass
1♠Pass2NT (1)Pass
3♣Pass3Dble
4♠All Pass   

(1) Three spades with 7-9, four spades with 5-9 or four spades with any 8-11.

Lindqvist started with the 9 to the 4, queen and ace. Nunes ruffed a diamond at trick two and played a club to the ace. On the play of the 10 from West, Lindqvist ruffed in with the ♠Q and gave Brogeland a club ruff. When Brogeland exited with a spade, Nunes went up with the ace, dropping the king. He was able to ruff his last diamond with dummy’s ♠J, return to hand with a heart ruff and claim plus 650.

WestNorthEastSouth
GrotheimLauriaTundalVersace
  2Pass
2♠Pass4Pass
4♠All Pass   

Lauria started with the ♠K, taken by Grotheim with the ace. Declarer cashed the A and ruffed a diamond, returned to hand with a club to the ace, ruffed another diamond, then played the A and ruffed a heart to hand. Had Grotheim simply played a spade at that point, he would have survived, but he tried to cash the ♣A. Versace ruffed, cashed the K and played the Q. Grotheim desperately ruffed with the ♠10, but Lauria overruffed and gave his partner a second club ruff. One off meant 13 more IMPs to Italy, now leading 52-27.

It was 55-27 with one deal to play before Norway scored again.

Board 32. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
 ♠ Q 3
Q 8 7 6
Q 9 7 2
♣ Q 3 2

♠ A K 9 6 2
K J 5 3
6 5
♣ J 4
Bridge deal
♠ 5 4
A 10 9 2
A 4 3
♣ K 9 8 6
 ♠ J 10 8 7
4
K J 10 8
♣ A 10 7 5

WestNorthEastSouth
NunesLindqvistFantoniBrogeland
1♠Pass2♣ (1)Pass
2 (2)Pass2NTPass
3NT (3)Pass4
All Pass    

(1) Game forcing.
(2) Five spades and four hearts.
(3) 5=4=2=2 minimum.

Brogeland started with the ♠8, taken in dummy. Fantoni played a club to his king and Brogeland’s ace at trick two, and Brogeland continued with a spade to dummy’s king. A club went to Lindqvist’s queen, and Fantoni won the diamond switch with the ace. Fantoni ruffed out Brogeland’s ♣10 and played a spade, ruffing low as Lindqvist discarded a diamond. Fantoni then played the A and a heart to the king. He was able to ruff another spade in hand, but that was his last trick, and he was two off for minus 200.

WestNorthEastSouth
GrotheimLauriaTundalVersace
1♠Pass2♣Pass
2Pass3All Pass

Against the part score, Lauria led the 7, ducked to Versace’s king. Grotheim won the diamond continuation with the ace, cashed two high spades and ruffed a spade, then ruffed a diamond and led a club to the king and ace. Versace returned a trump and played a second round when he got in with the ♣Q, but Grotheim already had seven tricks and could separate the top two trumps with ruffs for plus 140 and 8 IMPs.

It was one of the few positive notes in an otherwise disappointing session for Norway, who fell to Italy 55-35.



Page 2

  Return to top of page
<<Previous Next>>
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6
To the Bulletins List