GERMANY - SWEDEN (Venice CUP Round 1)

by Brian Senior

Two strong European teams met in the first round of the Venice Cup round robin. Germany features perhaps the leading pair in Women’s bridge in Sabine Auken and Daniela von Arnim and has, of course, been world champion in the past. Sweden features a mix of experience and youthful promise and would be most people’s tip to have a bright future in international bridge.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	♠ J 9 ♥ K Q 9 ♦ A 9 2 ♣ A J 10 9 4
♠ A 6 ♥ J 10 7 6 2 ♦ Q 10 8 7 5 ♣ 7		♠ Q 10 4 2 ♥ A 8 5 ♦ K 6 4 ♣ K 6 2
	♠ K 8 7 5 3 ♥ 4 3 ♦ J 3 ♣ Q 8 5 3

The tournament began well for Germany when they bought the contract at both tables on Board 1, and both declarers brought home their partscore contracts.

Sabine Auken opened a strong club and Daniela von Arnim made a negative response then transferred to spades. Catarina Midskog led a low club. Auken rose with dummy’s queen, dropping the nine from hand, and led a low spade to the jack and queen. Midskog misread the club position and continued with the club king, one which Kathrine Bertheau ditched a diamond. Auken led the ♠9 to the king and ace and back came the jack of hearts to the king and ace. Midskog returned a heart to declarer’s nine and Auken now cashed a club winner, threw a diamond on the queen of hearts and played ace then ruffed a diamond. The ♠8 lost to the ten and a diamond back ensured a fourth defensive trump trick; +110. Sandra Rimstedt opened 1♦, Precision style but not promising any diamonds. Emma Sjoberg’s 1♥ response was a transfer to spades and Annaig Della Monta bid a natural 2♥, ending the auction. Rimstedt led the jack of spades, covered all around, and Della Monta led the jack of hearts to the queen and ace and a heart back, ducked to the nine. Rimstedt cashed the heart king then exited with the nine of spades to dummy’s ten. Della Monta led a diamond to the ten and ace and had just to lose to the club ace; nine tricks for +140 and 6 IMPs to Germany.

Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ K Q 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 ♥ 10 ♦ 3 2 ♣ 2
♠ J ♥ A J 7 4 ♦ A 9 8 4 ♣ 9 6 5 4		♠ A ♥ K 8 6 2 ♦ K J ♣ A K Q J 8 7
	♠ 9 2 ♥ Q 9 5 3 ♦ Q 10 7 6 5 ♣ 10 3

Both Norths opened 4♠. Barbara Hackett made a simple 5♣ overcall and, looking at excellent controls and four-card club support, Della Monta raised her to six. Six Spades would have been cheap, at 800, but Rimstedt did the normal thing, passing and hoping that her opponents had misguessed. Not this time 13 tricks are possible as South can be squeezed in the red suits. Hackett actually made 12, winning the spade lead, drawing trumps and playing heart king and a heart to the jack then a diamond to the jack and queen; +1370.

Midskog chose to double the opening bid and Bertheau responded 4NT, two or more places to play. Midskog bid 5♣ and Bertheau passed so that the slam had been missed. But Auken saw that she had extra spade length and, thinking that 5♠ would be pretty cheap, broke discipline by bidding again. Midskog promptly bid a sixth club and the chance for a major swing had gone. Midskog won the spade lead, drew trumps and played three rounds of diamonds, ruffing, then a heart to the ace; twelve tricks for +1370 and a flat board.

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

The Swedish North/South pair bid to 5♣ and made a painless +620 after a spade lead. There was rather more action in the other room.

Auken opened 2♣. Precision style, and von Arnim’s 3♣ should have been a transfer to diamonds. Auken chose to play the club game because of her extra club length plus diamond fit but, when Midskog made a somewhat odd looking double, Auken assumed that clubs were breaking badly and ran to 5♦. When Midskog doubled that as well, von Arnim corrected to 6♣ and this time Bertheau doubled. If the Swedes were expecting a handy penalty, as this auction surely merited, they were to be sadly disappointed. Midskog led the king of spades. Auken won and cashed the top clubs then led a third club to dummy’s seven to lead a diamond to her eight. Midskog won and returned a heart but Auken ran the clubs and had 12 tricks for +1540 and 14 IMPs to Germany. That was very lucky for the Germans. At first glance, a heart lead would have defeated the slam but that is not actually the case. Declarer can concede a heart and then run the clubs. Dummy’s ♠9 is a menace against East, who is squeezed into submission.

Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ 10 7 2 ♥ 9 ♦ A J 10 6 2 ♣ A 7 3 2
♠ K 9 3 ♥ A Q 8 ♦ 9 8 7 4 ♣ 9 8 4		♠ Q 5 ♥ K 10 6 3 ♦ K 5 ♣ K Q J 6 5
	♠ A J 8 6 4 ♥ J 7 5 4 2 ♦ Q 3 ♣ 10

Auken/von Arnim had another bidding mix up and this time justice was done. The problem came with Auken’s jump to 3♦. By a non-passed hand this would have just been strong and natural, and von Arnim did not notice that her partner had already passed, which made 3♦ into a fit-jump, showing diamonds plus a spade fit. Five Diamonds drifted three off for 300.

After the same start to the auction, Rimstedt contented herself with a 2♣ cuebid to show a good spade raise and Sjoberg signed off in 2♠. Sjoberg won the club lead and gave up a heart. Della Monta won that and switched to a low spade for the queen and ace. Now Sjoberg ran the queen of diamonds to the king, ruffed the heart return and ruffed a club then a second heart before playing winning diamonds. Hackett could ruff the second of these but Sjoberg could over-ruff and exit with a heart. Della Monta had to get rid of her diamond loser on this trick or would be obliged to give the last trick to dummy, but now she was unable to over-ruff Hackett’s club lead so Sjoberg had her ninth trick anyway for +140 and 10 IMPs to Sweden.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	♠ A K 9 6 5 ♥ Q 3 ♦ 6 5 ♣ K 8 7 3
♠ 7 2 ♥ K J 4 2 ♦ K 8 ♣ A 9 6 5 4		♠ 10 3 ♥ 9 8 7 5 ♦ A 9 7 3 2 ♣ J 2
	♠ Q J 8 4 ♥ A 10 6 ♦ Q J 10 4 ♣ Q 10

Sjoberg opened 1NT, 9-12, and Rimstedt simply bid 2♠, to play. Hackett led the jack of clubs to the queen and ace and Rimstedt soon had ten tricks for +170. Of course, it is possible to hold a spade contract to nine tricks, and that would be rather more important at the other table.

Von Arnim opened 1NT, 10-12 and Auken transferred. When von Arnim liked her maximum enough to break the transfer despite the soft values, Auken went on to game. To defeat 4♠, East has to win the first round of diamonds to push a heart through before a discard has been established for the heart loser. Alas for Sweden, Bertheau did not like any of her possible leads so decided to attack with the king of diamonds. After that it didn’t matter what she did. In practice, Bertheau switched to ace and another club but von Arnim could set up the diamonds and had ten tricks for +420 and 6 IMPs to Germany.

Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.
	♠ Q ♥ 10 7 6 4 3 ♦ K J 8 6 5 ♣ A J
♠ A 7 4 3 2 ♥ K 2 ♦ Q 10 3 ♣ 8 5 3		♠ K 10 8 5 ♥ Q 9 8 ♦ 9 2 ♣ 10 9 7 4
	♠ J 9 4 ♥ A J 5 ♦ A 7 4 ♣ K Q 6 2

Rimstedt did not have a weak two-suited opening in her bag so passed. Sjoberg opened 1NT, 14-16, so Rimstedt transferred then jumped to 3NT, not wishing to offer diamonds as an alternative contract. Sjoberg went back to 4♥, against which Della Monta led the three of diamonds to the nine and ace. Sjoberg cashed three rounds of clubs for a spade switch then played ace and jack of hearts to the king. Della Monta returned the ♦10 so Sjoberg finessed and had 11 tricks for +650.