43rd GENERALI EUROPEAN BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
DAILY BULLETIN

Editor: J.-P. MeyerCo-Editor: M. HortonWeb Editor: Th. Matziaris
No.: 2 • Sunday, 15 June 1997

Letter from America | The U.S. Trials: The Main Final | Analysis Slow and Fast
Trump Management | Match of the day


Scandinavia on Top of Europe

Finland took an early lead by gaining 25 points in the first round, but they failed heavily against Belgium in the second match. So we find Sweden leading the field by taking 45 points out of a possible 50, though they had to face what seemed tough opposition against Poland on Rama. Norway and Iceland are already in contention just in front of Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain and Austria. All these teams are averaging 20 points a match.

To quote a player involved in a 'not so well-placed team', we have played only 5.55% of the boards so far, so everyone is still in high spirits and hopes to do well.

At the end of the first session of the Ladies Pairs Championship, these are the leading positions:

1

Aypen

Gul

70.97%

2

Cohen

Zuccarelli

62.92%

3

Rigney

Dowling

62.89%

4

Mirchewant

Allouche

62.89%

5

Rovera

Gianardi

62.53%

6

Contardi

Ricciarelli

61.78%

The favourites, Auken and von Arnim scored 59.31% and occupy 13th position.


Letter from America

Chief Bridgerama commentator Ron Andersen writes a regular column at all the major North American championships under his pseudonym of 'The Hog.' It features regular appearances by 'Mr S' a certain Paul Soloway and 'P.L.' Those initials stand for 'Pretty Lady'; a more than suitable title for one of Ron's regular partners, Mary Warden.

They were taking part in a heat of the 12th Worldwide Bridge Contest being staged in Mary's home town of Madison, Wisconsin when she had the chance to prove she was not just a pretty face.

Dealer North. Game All
A 3 2
Q 10 5
A K 8 6
10 6 4
K 6 J 10 8 7 5 4
K 7 6 2 J 9 4 3
Q 10 9 5 4 3 7
9 Q 5
Q 9
A 8
J 2
A K J 8 7 3 2

West North East South
Ron Mary

1 Pass 3
Pass 4 Pass 4
Pass 4 Pass 5
Pass 5 Pass 6
All Pass


Ron and Mary have adopted a British style of bidding, so although South's choice of a forcing Three Clubs was a little thin by normal American standards, it was an eminently sensible way to approach the hand.

After Ron's well-judged raise, a series of cue bids saw them reach the reasonable slam. After considerable thought West led the four of diamonds. It didn't figure to be a singleton, so Mary played low from dummy and was pleased to win the trick with the jack. She drew trumps, and recalling a trip to Austria, cashed the ace of spades. Now when she ran her remaining trumps West was squeezed in three suits. Making thirteen tricks was worth 88 of the instant match points that were available and helped Ron and Mary to a tremendous 69% session.


The U.S. Trials: The Main Final

Europe & Far East Represent U.S. in Bermuda Bowl From the Daily Bulletins edited by Henry Francis.
Abridged & with comments by Patrick Jourdain (GB)
)

The Deutsch team (Chip Martel, Lew Stansby, Michael Rosenberg, Zia Mahmood) is U.S. I in the Bermuda Bowl. There are five teams in Montecatini who will be in Tunisia with the aim of ensuring this team does not become Bermuda Bowl champions,... but should it do so, Seymon Deutsch will become the only man to have the Triple World Team Crown of Bermuda Bowl, Rosenblum, and Olympiad. This will have been achieved with the help of Michael Rosenberg of Scotland, and Zia Mahmood of Pakistan.

Yesterday we began the story of the disastrous start by Deutsch in the main final of the U.S. Trials against the reigning Bermuda Bowl champions led by Nick Nickell. We continue...

The other big swing in the first set occurred on Board 9.

Board 9. Dealer North. E/W Game
Q 9 4 3
A Q 2
A J 7
8 6 5
A 8 6 5 K 7 2
10 8 7 4 9
10 8 3 2 9 5
7 A Q J 10 9 4 3
J 10
K J 6 5 3
K Q 6 4
K 2

Closed Room
West North East South
Rosenberg Meckstroth Deutsch Rodwell

1(1) 2 2(2)
Pass 3 Pass 4
All Pass
(1) Nebulous diamond - could be as few as two.
(2) Shows five hearts.

Open Room
West North East South
Nickell Martel Freeman Stansby

1NT(1) 3 4
All Pass
(1) Weak

The contract at both tables was Four Hearts, but Meckwell's auction was such that Jeff Meckstroth wound up as declarer, even though Rodwell had the hearts.

Deutsch led 9, missing the club ruff. Meckstroth drew trumps and went after spades. Deutsch won the king and cashed the ace of clubs. Finis. Four Hearts making 4.

Nickell of course had no problem finding the club lead and he happily ruffed the club return. There was no way Lew Stansby could avoid losing two spades, so the contract was down one - another 10 IMPs to NICKELL.

But, at the half way point, Deutsch led 120-94. Rosenberg found all the defensive answers on this deal.

Board 68. Dealer West. Game All
J 6 5 4 3
A 3
10
A J 8 5 3
A K Q 7 2
K J 9 8 7 6 5 4
A 9 7 5 J 8 3
K 4 Q 10 7 2
10 9 8
Q 10 2
K Q 6 4 2
9 6

West North East South
Stansby Nickell Martel Freeman

1 1 Pass 2
3 Pass 3NT Pass
4 All Pass

Nick Nickell started with his singleton diamond, taken by Lew Stansby with the ace. He tried the club king, but Nickell resisted the temptation to win it. He won the next club lead, however, but made the wrong switch. He tried the ace of trumps and a second trump, and Stansby had his game.

At the other table, the first round of bidding was the same, but Meckstroth jumped to Four Hearts at his turn and bought the contract. Michael Rosenberg also led his singleton diamond... jack, queen, ace. Meckstroth also led the club king, and Rosenberg went into deep thought - if the king was singleton he should take it, but if it was doubleton, then declarer would have an entry to all those good spades. On the bidding, Rosenberg could be certain that Meckstroth was void in spades.

Finally he got it right - he ducked. But he won the next club, and it appeared that he was endplayed. He decided a third club was probably his best bet - he led the 5, covered by the 10. Zia ruffed with the queen, and Meckstroth overruffed with the king. Now Jeff led the diabolical 9 of hearts.

Consider Rosenberg's problem. If he ducked and partner couldn't beat the 9, Rosenberg would be thrown in with the heart ace and be forced to put declarer in dummy to get his necessary diamond pitches. After another long tank, Rosenberg played low. That enabled Zia to win his 10 and cash the diamond queen. The trump ace was the setting trick. That was 12 IMPs to the Seymon Deutsch team.

NICKELL got 13 back on Board 70.

Board 70. Dealer East. E/W Game
J 9 4
A K 8 7
8 7 6 5 2
5
10 8 5 A Q 7 6 3
J Q 6 2
Q 10 9 4 A 3
A K 10 8 6 Q J 7
K 2
10 9 5 4 3
K J
9 4 3 2

West North East South
Stansby Nickell Martel Freeman

1 Pass
3 Pass 4 All Pass

Freeman led the 10 to partner's king, and Nickell found the killing return - a diamond. Not quite, if declarer rises with A and ducks a trump. At first glance it seems that the singleton club would be a better choice - but it wasn't. Declarer ducked to the king, and Freeman unerringly shot back the 4! Now declarer had a hopeless task.

The spade finesse was going to fail, and when Freeman won his trump king he would return a club for partner to ruff for the setting trick. And that's exactly what happened - down one.

West North East South
Meckstroth Rosenberg Rodwell Zia

1NT(1) Pass
2NT(2) Pass 3 Pass
4 All Pass
(1) 14 - 16
(2) Asks partner to bid a five-card major if he has one.

Zia also led a heart to partner's king, but Rosenberg returned his singleton club instead of a diamond. Zia thought a long time before finally playing the deuce to this trick - he had already pictured the likely series of events. Meckstroth led the trump ten, covered by the jack and queen and won with the king.

At this point Zia knew he could give partner a ruff, but that would be only the third defensive trick - where was the fourth going to come from? So he tried a different tack - he led a heart, forcing Meckstroth to trump. Meckstroth carefully ruffed with the 8 and led the 5. When Rosenberg played the 4, Meckstroth finessed the 6! Successfully! Making 5 for a 13-IMP pickup.

Despite this setback, Deutsch had much the better of the subsequent exchanges, and Nickell conceded after 105 deals. Deutsch would be the USA I team. Nickell would have to play the team led by Ralph Katz, who had won the repecharge, to determine USA II.

The Play-Off

Early in the playoff for the second United States berth in the Bermuda Bowl, Ralph Katz and Nick Nickell, captains of their respective teams, picked up one of the biggest hands they have ever held - a 28-pointer. This was the deal and bidding in the Open Room:

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Game
A K Q 10
A K Q 2
A
K Q J 10
J 9 8 7 6 5
J 10 9 8 6 4
7 6 5 3 K Q 10 9 8
A 6 2 5 3
4 3 2
7 5 3
J 4 2
9 8 7 4

West North East South
Hamman Katz Wolff Jacobs

2 2 Dble (1)
3 4 Pass 4
Pass 4NT Pass 5
Pass 6 All Pass
(1) No values

When Katz bid Four Diamonds, George Jacobs thought he was showing the majors, not just the other three suits. So Jacobs bid his three-card hearts. There was no way Katz was going to stop in game - he Blackwooded, then jumped to slam when Jacobs announced he had no aces.

Bob Hamman got off to a devastating lead - a diamond. This took away the only protection in that suit, and it turned out that protection was sorely needed. With nothing better to try, Jacobs cashed three rounds of trumps. He wasn't happy when Hamman showed out, but now he tried spades. These too failed to break - Bobby Wolff ruffed the third round of the suit. Wolff led a high diamond which Jacobs ruffed with dummy's last trump. He tried the club king, but Hamman won with the ace and led a diamond.

Wolff showed his hand - he had the rest of the tricks. Down five vulnerable tricks! And in the closed room:

West North East South
Lev Nickell Glubok Freeman

2 2 Dble (1)
2NT 3 Pass 3NT
Pass 4 Pass 4
Pass 6 All Pass
(1) No values

Nickell also used cuebids, and Richard Freeman, with no real suit to show, bid notrumps the first time. But Nickell insisted on a suit, so Freeman, like Jacobs, bid his three-card heart suit. Nickell didn't bother with Blackwood - he leapt directly to the slam. Sam Lev didn't have the same inspiration about leading a diamond - he tried the trump jack. Freeman won this and cashed two more trumps. When they didn't split, he too tried spades. Brian Glubok ruffed the third round and led a diamond to the ace. Freeman spread his hand, announcing down two, losing a club, a spade and a trump. Nickell and Freeman weren't too happy about this - they had no idea they had gained 8 IMPs.

Glubok wasn't at all happy about his contract on Board 9. He was doubled in Four Spades, a suit that wasn't even mentioned at the other table. First let's see what happened in the Open Room.

Board 9. Dealer North; E/W Game
J 8
A 7 3
K J 9 4
K Q J 8
A K 10 3 Q 6 2
K J 10 6 2
A 7 6 10 8 2
A 9 7 4 3 2 10 6
9 7 5 4
Q 9 8 5 4
Q 5 3
5

West North East South
Hamman Katz Wolff Jacobs

1NT Pass 2
Dble Redble Pass 2
All Pass

Hamman decided to defend and Wolff agreed. Hamman led away from his diamond ace to Jacobs' queen, but he rose with the ace when Jacobs led a club. Reasonably sure the hearts were under control, Hamman cashed the top spades and switched back to clubs, Jacobs discarding a spade. On the next high club, Wolff ruffed with the jack and Jacobs overruffed. He led a heart to the ace and got the bad news. He wound up with seven tricks - down one, minus 100. In the Closed Room:

West North East South
Lev Nickell Glubok Freeman

1NT Pass 2
Pass 2 Pass Pass
Dble Pass 2 Pass
3 Pass 3NT Dble
4 Pass Pass Dble
All Pass

Nickell and Freeman also stopped in Two Hearts, but Lev wasn't content to defend. Glubok replied in spades to Lev's takeout double, then bid 3NT over Lev's cuebid. Lev, not knowing that partner's spade bid was on a three-card suit, carried back to the spade game.

As might be expected, this hand took a LONG time to play. Freeman led his singleton club, ducked to the jack. Nickell of course saw the danger in returning a club, even though he knew his partner could ruff. But the return he actually did make, a low heart, worked out just as badly. Glubok resignedly rose with the king and was happy to have won the trick.

Now Glubok went after clubs himself. Freeman could see no point in ruffing, so he pitched a diamond. Glubok won with the ace and ruffed a club with his queen. He got back to dummy with a trump to the ace and ruffed another club with the 6. Freeman had no intention of making things easy for Glubok - he discarded a heart. Now Glubok ruffed a heart and led the spade king. Exactly what he hoped for happened - Nickell had to follow with the jack. So Glubok called for the spade 10, then led a club. Freeman was able to ruff and cash a heart (Nickell had discarded the ace), but then had to lead a diamond. Glubok had the final two tricks with the diamond ace and the good club. Plus 790 for 13-IMPs.

Nickell - Freeman did extremely well on Board 12.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Game
10 4
A K Q J 8 7
K J 6
K 3
A K Q J 8 6 7 5 3 2
10 3
Q 9 8 2 3
A 6 4 J 10 8 7 5 2
9
9 6 5 4 2
A 10 7 5 4
Q 9

West North East South
Lev Nickell Glubok Freeman

1 Dble 4 4NT
Dble 5 Pass Pass
5 Pass Pass 6
6 Dble All Pass

Glubok did his best to block his opponents, but Freeman refused to be bullied. That made it easy for Nickell to bid Five Hearts, but, not surprisingly, Lev bid on. When Nickell passed, it was all up to Freeman. With five trumps he decided to take the save - he figured it was good insurance. But Lev wasn't about to let his opponents play this hand - he went on to Six Spades. And he was one trick too high - he had to lose the diamond ace and a club. And in the other room:

West North East South
Hamman Katz Wolff Jacobs

1(1) 1 Pass 4
4 5 5 Pass
Pass Dble All Pass
(1) Forcing

Of course Hamman lost the same two tricks to rack up plus 650 and 13 IMPs. But Lev's Six Spade bid cost very little. Nickell would have lost only the two black aces in Six Hearts, in which case the loss would have been 11 IMPs.

The auctions were identical on Board 13, but the defenses were totally different.

Board 13. Dealer North. Game All
K J 8 2
A 9
K 6 5 2
10 9 6
A 9 4 3 Q 10 5
K 7 8 6 2
Q 10 3 J 9 7 4
K 4 3 2 J 8 5
7 6
Q J 10 5 4 3
A 8
A Q 7

West North East South
Hamman Katz Wolff Jacobs

Pass Pass 1
Dble Redble Pass Pass
1 Dble All Pass

Hamman knew he was in trouble when the redouble came back to him, but he had no choice - he had to bid one spade. Katz was quick to double, but he got off to the unfortunate opening lead of the heart ace. His heart continuation went to the king, and Hamman led the diamond queen, taken by the king.

Katz tried the 10, but Jacobs went up with the ace - he would have been better positioned if he had played low. He then cashed the diamond ace and led the 10, and both Hamman and Katz discarded diamonds. Another heart was ruffed as Katz and dummy both sluffed clubs.

Declarer now cashed the club king and ruffed a club as Katz threw another diamond. A diamond was led off dummy, ruffed with the nine by declarer and overruffed with the jack. The defense still had to get the king of trumps for a one-trick set - 200.

At the other table, Nickell started with 10, ducked to the king. A second club went to Freeman's queen, and he quickly shifted to the 10. Lev put up the king, but Nickell won and cashed the nine. He played a diamond to partner's ace and won the diamond return. Freeman ruffed the third diamond and took his club ace. Next came the heart queen, ruffed with the nine and overruffed.

Freeman ruffed the diamond return with the seven, forcing the ace from declarer. Now Lev had to make the correct guess in trumps to hold his losses to 800. He accurately finessed the 5, but that still was a 12-IMP loss.

At the end of the first of eight 15-board segments, NICKELL led KATZ by 15 IMPs, and he went on to win by 252-218. NICKELL (Freeman, Meckstroth, Rodwell, Hamman, Wolff), the reigning Bermuda Bowl champions would be USA II in Tunisia.


Analysis Slow and Fast

(The Editor, sometimes known as the 'Mozart' of bridge on account of how he used to analyse problems at his mother's knee, presented this problem to the readers of 'Bridge Magazine' in 1956. Of course he claims it was written by his Grand-Father)

Below is a hand which was published in Le Figaro and also in the American Bridge World. It occurred in a match which consisted of only one deal (!), the players being Samuel Stayman, Stephen A. Lynch, J.T. Reese and Boris Schapiro.

Dealer North
7 3
10 5 3
A 10 9 4
9 7 5 2
A J 6 4 10 9 5
Q J 7 2 A 9 4
J 8 3 7 2
Q 3 A K J 10 8
K Q 8 2
K 8 6
K Q 6 5
6 4

Closed Room
West North East South
Lynch Reese Stayman Schapiro

Pass 1 1
1 3 Pass Pass
Dble All Pass

One of the terms of this one-deal match was that at least a game contract had to be reached otherwise the deal would not count. With West's double a game contract had been reached.

East-West took the first four tricks:

East took two clubs and led the ten of spades, the ace killing South's king. West led the queen of hearts to East's ace. Reese now led the jack of clubs, which he might have led at trick three, instead of a spade.

Stayman ruffed high, West discarding a heart. He led the five of diamonds and finessed dummy's nine. Dummy's last club was ruffed with South's remaining honour, this play (according to the analysts) producing a trump squeeze. Here is the position:

7
10 5
A 10 4
J 6 4 9 5
J 7 9 4
J 8 7
8
Q 8 2
K 8
6

South, remember, is winning the trick with the king of diamonds and West has to discard. If he throws a spade South takes two more trumps, discarding the eight of hearts from his own hand, then makes the queen of spades and ruffs a spade. He takes the last two tricks with the king of hearts and eight of spades.

If, instead of discarding a spade, West discards a heart, the play is similar except that South discards a spade on dummy's penultimate diamond and ends up by making the king and ten of hearts.

What the analysts did not spot was that West is not trump-squeezed at all; he merely discards a trump and cannot be prevented from making one more trick to defeat the contract.

Trump Management

Ron ANDERSEN reports that the winners of the VANDERBILT, Schwartz's team were beaten in a quarter - final of the American trials when Paul Soloway went down in a slam with a trump suit of

A 9 8 7 6 5 opposite Q 10 4

He played, according to ROUDINESCO's dictionary of suit combinations: play the QUEEN and finesse, then reenter dummy and finesse the jack.

Next day Paul commented 'I was wrong, the percentage play is the Ace and then small from hand, about 2% better.' It appears that he was right! Michel Perron, interviewed on the matter, makes an interesting point, 'I would play a small card from hand towards the ten and if it loses to the Jack I would finesse the Queen. The advantage cannot be calculated, but some left hand opponents blink with the King second!' It looks to us that his line of play is also better mathematically but we are not going to put our savings on it!

Match of the day
Poland vs Sweden

Today's featured match involves two of the teams who are sure to be at the business end of the table in two weeks time. Although the hands were not particularly exciting, there was plenty for the connoisseur to savour. The first swing came on the opening board:

Board1. Dealer North. Love All
A 10 9 2
K J 8 5
5 4 3
Q 9
J 8 K 5 4
Q 7 3 10 9 2
A Q J 9 7 10 8 6
K 5 3 J 10 7 6
Q 6 4 3
A 6 4
K 2
A 8 4 2

Open Room
West North East South
Gothe Pszozola Andersson Kwiecen

Pass Pass 1
1 Dble Pass 1
Pass 2 All Pass

When declarer received the friendly lead of the three of clubs he played safely for his contract. He won with the queen of clubs, took the ace of clubs and ruffed a club with the nine of spades. He then tried a diamond to the king and West won and cashed the queen, after which he switched to a heart.

Declarer went up with the king, ruffed a diamond and cashed the ace of hearts. He then played his remaining club and was certain of eight tricks. +110

Closed Room
West North East South
Romanski Nilsland Kowalski Fallenius

Pass Pass 1
Pass 1 Pass 1
Pass 2 Pass 2
Pass 2 Pass 3
Pass 4 Pass
(1) Weak

North-South's system meant they were not warned off by the diamond overcall but even so they were surely out of order to persue a non-vulnerable game on sub-minimum values. Declarer went two down to give Poland the lead, 6-0.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Game
A 3
A Q 9 8 2
A 7 4 3 2
K
K Q 10 9 4 J 8 6
6 5 K 7
9 Q 10 8 5
Q J 10 5 2 A 9 7 4
7 5 2
J 10 4 3
K J 6
8 6 3

Open Room
West North East South
Gothe Pszozola Andersson Kwiecen

Pass Pass
3 Dble Pass 4
All Pass


Closed Room
West North East South
Romanski Nilsland Kowalski Fallenius

Pass Pass
2 4 Pass 4
All Pass

With both North-South pairs making Four Hearts this was just a dull push, but neither East-West pair really got to grips with the hand.

In the Open Room, if the East-West system permits such preemptive openings then East should surely raise to Four Spades, a contract that was made on several occassions at other tables.

In the matches between Belgium-Finland and Austria-Bulgaria, the former teams recorded +1210 and +15 IMPs when they recorded a double game swing by making Four Hearts and Four Spades doubled.

Full marks to Chemla-Perron, who found the defence to defeat Four Spades, a heart lead by South, a club switch by North and a subsequent underlead of the ace of diamonds by North.

It cost only 11 IMPs as the contract in the other room was Four Hearts making.

Board 10. Dealer East. Game All
8 6 3
9 8 5 4
7 4
10 6 3 2
Q J 9 5 7
7 3 K Q 6 2
K J 8 Q 10 9 6 2
K Q 9 8 A J 7
A K 10 4 2
A J 10
A 5 3
5 4

Open Room
West North East South
Gothe Pszozola Andersson Kwiecen

1 Dble
Rdble Pass 1 1
2 Pass 3 Pass
3NT Pass Pass Dble
All Pass


Closed Room
West North East South
Romanski Nilsland Kowalski Fallenius

1 1
2NT All Pass

If you subscribe to the theory that an opening bid opposite an opening bid equals game then you won't agree with West's bid. That was 12 IMPs to Sweden who led 32-13 at half time. They continued to have the better of the exchanges in the second half and ended up winning 69-28 IMPs, 23-7 VP.


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