USA2 - Italy (Bermuda Bowl Final 2)

by Phillip Alder

The American team took a 35.33 IMP lead into the second session. The lineups were the same as the opening stanza, except that Giorgio Duboin and Antonio Sementa replaced Lorenzo Lauria and Alfredo Versace in the Open Room.

The first board looked like an overtrick battle, but it almost did not work out like that.

Board 17. Dealer North. None vul.
	♠ 10 3 ♥ 10 9 7 6 ♦ J 8 3 ♣ K J 8 5
♠ A 9 8 4 2 ♥ A 8 ♦ Q 10 6 ♣ 7 3 2		♠ K Q ♥ K J 4 2 ♦ A 9 7 4 2 ♣ A Q
	♠ J 7 6 5 ♥ Q 5 3 ♦ K 5 ♣ 10 9 6 4

(a) 19-20 points

(a) 14-plus points, 4-plus diamonds
(b) In theory 0-9 points with 4-plus spades
(c) 18-plus balanced
(d) Asking
(e) 4 hearts
(f) 2=4=5=2

When Claudio Nunes underbid his hand slightly on the first round, he felt that he had to make a try later in the auction, which got his side to four notrump.

At both tables, South led a club to the king and ace. Then the declarers cashed their top spades. (If they had wanted only four spade tricks, they would have overtaken the second honor with the ace, winning against all 3-3 breaks and against ten- or jack-doubleton. But they had other options and did not want to risk establishing two losers there.)

Jeff Meckstroth continued with the ace and a diamond, which worked well. South played another club, but was under pressure on the run of the diamonds. He threw a heart, so his queen dropped and Meckstroth took 12 tricks.

Fulvio Fantoni, playing the whole deal thinking he was in 3NT, led a low diamond at trick four, Nick Nickell playing low smoothly. Declarer misguessed, calling for dummy's ten. Ralph Katz won with his jack and returned a club. Now there was a distinct possibility that declarer would play a heart to dummy's ace, cash the spade ace (getting the bad news), and run the diamond queen to go down. But somehow Fantoni guessed the lie of the land, cashing his diamond ace to drop South's king. East crossed to dummy's diamond queen, cashed the spade ace and heart ace, played a heart to his king, and lost the last trick to South's heart queen.

That was 1 IMP to USA 2, but it was nearly many more.

Board 18. Dealer East. North-South vul.
	♠ 10 9 6 5 ♥ 5 ♦ A 5 3 ♣ K Q J 9 4
♠ 8 3 ♥ J 9 6 4 3 2 ♦ Q 9 ♣ A 8 7		♠ Q J 7 ♥ K Q 10 ♦ K 10 7 6 2 ♣ 10 3
	♠ A K 4 2 ♥ A 8 7 ♦ J 8 4 ♣ 6 5 2

(a) Precision: 11-15 with 2-plus diamonds
(b) Hearts
(c) Good hand
(d) Three hearts
(e) Takeout

(a) 12-14 balanced or quasibalanced (could even be 4-4-4-1)

There was no defense to four spades. Duboin won the heart lead, ruffed a heart, played a spade to his ace, trumped his other heart, led a spade to his king, and played a club. Eric Rodwell rose with his ace and shifted to the diamond queen, but South won in the dummy and led a diamond toward his jack. Duboin lost one spade, one diamond and one club.

The weak notrump made life very hard for North-South in the Closed Room. Maybe North should have acted on the first round and maybe South should have jumped to three spades, but their actual actions were rea-sonable.

Against three hearts, Nickell led the spade ace and accurately shifted to a club, giving the defense five tricks: two spades, one heart, one diamond and one club. But that was still 11 IMPs to Italy.

On the next two deals Italy gained an overtick IMP to close the margin to 24. Then:

Board 21. Dealer North. North-South vul.
	♠ J 10 4 ♥ A J 4 3 ♦ 8 6 4 ♣ J 8 3
♠ 7 ♥ 5 2 ♦ K Q 3 2 ♣ A Q 10 7 6 5		♠ K 9 5 3 2 ♥ Q 6 ♦ 10 9 7 ♣ K 4 2
	♠ A Q 8 6 ♥ K 10 9 8 7 ♦ A J 5 ♣ 9

As you can see, the auctions were identical up to North's decision over South's extra-value double of three clubs. Katz passed, whereas Sementa pulled to three diamonds (a Last Train showing a good single raise?).

Three hearts played beautifully. West led his singleton spade, of course. Declarer won with dummy's jack, drew trumps ending in the dummy, and called for the spade ten, covered by the king and ace. Back to dummy with a trump, South played a spade to his eight, discarded a diamond on the spade queen, and claimed 11 tricks.

Duboin and Sementa were perhaps worried that they had lost 10 IMPs, but ... against three clubs doubled, the defense began with two rounds of hearts and a third heart, declarer discarding his spade loser. Now declarer could have made four, but he cautiously drew trumps to lose two tricks in each red suit. However, plus 200 and plus 470 were worth 12 IMPs to Italy.

Two flat boards followed, and then the United States missed an opportunity.

Board 24. Dealer West. None vul.
	♠ A Q 10 9 5 3 ♥ A 4 3 ♦ 6 ♣ A J 6
♠ K J 6 4 ♥ Q 9 7 ♦ 10 8 3 ♣ Q 10 4		♠ 7 2 ♥ K J 2 ♦ A Q J 9 7 5 2 ♣ 3
	♠ 8 ♥ 10 8 6 5 ♦ K 4 ♣ K 9 8 7 5 2

Meckwell had a coup when Duboin didn't risk a negative double on the first round. Against three diamonds, the defense took two spades, one heart, one diamond and one club for down one.

When Nickell signed off in five clubs, surely Katz should have passed. But Nickell had a chance to make six clubs. West led a diamond, East winning with his ace and playing a second round. Now declarer led his spade and if he had finessed in that suit, then finessed in trumps, he would have got home. But Nickell called for dummy's spade ace and then, although he got the trumps right, he had to go down.

Plus 50 and plus 50 gave Italy 3 IMPs. Note that if Katz had passed out five clubs, USA 2 would have gained 8 IMPs. And if Nickell had made the slam, USA 2 would have scored 13 IMPs.

Then North-South had another tough bidding problem.

Board 25. Dealer North. East-West vul.
	♠ 10 8 ♥ K J 3 2 ♦ A K Q J 9 6 3 ♣
♠ Q J 7 5 ♥ 10 ♦ 10 8 2 ♣ A 10 6 4 3		♠ A 4 3 ♥ 8 5 4 ♦ 7 ♣ K Q J 8 7 5
	♠ K 9 6 2 ♥ A Q 9 7 6 ♦ 5 4 ♣ 9 2

Rodwell allowed the vulnerability to affect his decision to jump only to four clubs. Then Sementa doubled for takeout, planning to correct four spades to five diamonds.

Four hearts made six, of course.

Nunes' full-blooded jump to five clubs handcuffed his opponents and the slam was again missed.

Plus 480 and minus 420 gave Italy another 3 IMPs, closing the deficit to 6.33.

After a flat board came...

Board 27. Dealer South. None vul.
	♠ A Q 5 ♥ J 8 7 6 4 ♦ A Q 8 2 ♣ 9
♠ K J 7 6 4 ♥ 9 5 2 ♦ 6 ♣ A J 6 5		♠ 8 3 ♥ A Q 3 ♦ 10 7 3 ♣ K Q 8 7 4
	♠ 10 9 2 ♥ K 10 ♦ K J 9 5 4 ♣ 10 3 2

(a) Non-forcing
(b) 5 diamonds and top-honor-doubleton in hearts

(a) Forcing

Duboin and Nickell evaluated their hands differently, partly because Duboin knew of at least a nine-card diamond fit, whereas Nickell had the slight worry that his partner had 3=5=3=2 distribution. (Nickell could have rebid two spades to show a good diamond raise, but took the lower road.)

Of course, having said that, the United States were unlucky here. Five diamonds is no great shakes, having two top losers and needing a favorable lie. And what a favorable lie the Italians got. All roads led to an 11-trick Roman gain of 6 IMPs, bringing Italy within 0.33 IMPs.

There were more bidding decisions on the next deal.

Board 28. Dealer West. North-South vul.
	♠ K 7 5 4 ♥ 9 ♦ Q J 6 5 3 ♣ A 9 3
♠ 6 ♥ K Q J 8 5 2 ♦ 10 9 ♣ K 8 7 2		♠ 10 8 3 2 ♥ 10 7 ♦ A K 8 4 ♣ J 10 6
	♠ A Q J 9 ♥ A 6 4 3 ♦ 7 2 ♣ Q 5 4

(a) 10-13 points and 5-plus hearts, or, as here, a very good 9 points

Meckstroth raised defensively, thinking the opponents might have a vulnerable game available. Here, though, four spades cannot be handled.

The defense kept tapping Rodwell in spades, taking him down two.

Against two hearts, Katz led the diamond queen. Now declarer could take nine tricks, losing one spade, one heart and two clubs.

Plus 100 and plus 140 gave Italy 6 IMPs and the lead for the first time in the match.

Both North-South pairs got too high on Board 29, reaching five diamonds with these hands:

	♠ A Q 10 8 5 ♥ Q 4 ♦ K 10 7 6 ♣ 10 9
	♠ 6 3 ♥ K 8 5 ♦ Q 8 4 3 2 ♣ A Q 7

On a good day this would have made, and the club finesse was winning, but the spades were unfavorable and the trumps 4-0. Italy gained 3 IMPs for one fewer undertrick.

After a flat game, Italy won another 5 IMPs, beating Nickell three tricks vulnerable in one notrump while Meckstroth made two hearts in the Open Room.

Then Board 32 arrived, another bidding-competition deal:

Board 32. Dealer West. East-West vul.
	♠ A J ♥ Q J 5 4 ♦ 2 ♣ K Q J 8 7 3
♠ 10 ♥ A 8 3 ♦ K 10 9 8 6 5 4 ♣ 10 4		♠ K 9 6 5 4 3 ♥ K 7 6 ♦ A J ♣ A 6
	♠ Q 8 7 2 ♥ 10 9 2 ♦ Q 7 3 ♣ 9 5 2

Meckstroth chose unluckily over four clubs. Double would have netted 300, and four notrump, assuming he played North for a singleton diamond, would have been worth 630. In four spades, though, he lost four spades and one club for down two. (He traded his heart lsoer for an extra trump loser.)

Nunes made an overtrick in four diamonds, getting the trumps right and discarding his heart loser on the spade king.

Plus 200 and plus 150 gave Italy another 8 IMPs.

The session had been one-way traffic, Italy outscoring USA 2 by 57 IMPs to 1. Italy now led by 20.67.