China Long Zhu - USA1 (Venice Cup Final 2)

The Goldfish Bowl - by Mark Horton

We take for granted the magnificent VuGraph presentations we enjoy today, but things were very different in the early days of bridge.

Our Coordinator Jean-Paul Meyer recalls that in 1963 in the European Championships in Baden Baden he played in what was called the Goldfish Bowl against the legendary Reese and Schapiro (who were playing the Little Major). The players sat inside a soundproof glass room, watched by spectators on the outside. It was hot and you could feel the pressure of the spectator’s eyes upon you. One had to resist any temptation to play to the gallery. One certainly felt under pressure and even today the players can get nervous and make unexpected mistakes.

Keep that in mind as we follow the action from the second session of the Venice Cup Final:

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S 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

Open Room

1♦* Precision

The American pair had a major misunderstanding about the meaning of Two Hearts. What I can tell you is that it is a common treatment for it to be natural, showing a five-card heart suit, the idea being to expose a possible psych.

East led the queen of spades and declarer won in dummy, played a club to the queen and played the ten of spades, covered by the jack and taken in dummy. West won the club exit and switched to a trump for the ten and ace. She ruffed declarer’s spade exit and played another heart. East won with the queen and had only to switch to a diamond to ensure three down. However, she cashed the king of hearts, so now declarer was able to score a second club trick, and finished two down, -200.

Closed Room

It’s worth noticing that here North’s double was pure take out (another treatment is to play it as showing four hearts). That quickly led to the spade game.

West led the six of hearts and declarer won with the ace, cashed the ace of spades and played on clubs, West taking the second round with the ace and switching to the queen of diamonds. Declarer won with dummy’s ace, crossed to the king of spades and played a club. East could ruff and cash the king of diamonds, but declarer had the rest, +620 and 13 IMPs to China.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ A 7 5 3 ♥ K 6 ♦ A 5 3 ♣ A K 3 2
♠ 8 ♥ Q J 10 9 4 ♦ 4 ♣ Q J 10 8 7 4		♠ Q J 9 6 ♥ 8 5 2 ♦ K 10 9 8 7 6 ♣
	♠ K 10 4 2 ♥ A 7 3 ♦ Q J 2 ♣ 9 6 5

Open Room

Spades were never in the picture and this was not a bad time to miss the 4-4 fit. West led the queen of hearts and when that held continued with the four to dummy’s king.

This is the type of hand you might find in an elementary textbook on card play. Declarer needs three spade tricks and the right line in the suit is to cash the ace, then play a second spade, intending to insert the ten if East does not play an honour. If West can win and plays a third heart declarer will win and can then take a diamond finesse into the ‘safe’ hand.

When declarer played a low diamond from dummy at trick three East went in with the king and cleared the hearts, declarer discarding a club from dummy. With the safety play in spades now looking decidedly unsafe, declarer tried the king of spades and followed that with a low spade. When West discarded a club she knew her fate, down one, -100.

Closed Room

1♣ Precision
1NT 8-13 GF

Four Spades can be made, but only if North is declarer. However, it was hardly obvious for West to lead a top club and she naturally preferred to attack by starting with her partner’s suit.

Declarer went up with dummy’s ace, cashed the ace of spades and played a second spade. When East followed with the nine declarer rejected the safety play and went up with the king, West discarding a club. She could play three rounds of hearts, ruffing in dummy, but East ruffed the ace of clubs, cashed her other trump trick and the king of diamonds for one down, +100 and a missed opportunity for both sides.

Board 22. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	♠ 8 3 ♥ A Q 6 5 3 ♦ J 8 6 3 ♣ Q 5
♠ A 4 ♥ 9 4 ♦ A Q 10 7 4 ♣ K J 8 4		♠ K 7 2 ♥ 8 7 2 ♦ K 9 5 ♣ 10 9 3 2
	♠ Q J 10 9 6 5 ♥ K J 10 ♦ 2 ♣ A 7 6

Open Room

West led the nine of hearts and declarer won in hand with the ten (East playing an upside down eight) and played a spade to the eight and East’s king. She took the next heart with the king and played the queen of spades. West took the ace and played a low diamond to her partner’s king, no doubt assisted by the suit preference heart return of the seven at trick two. East won with the king and played a third heart to dummy’s queen. Declarer continued with the ace of hearts and when East ruffed declarer somewhat surprisingly discarded a club, giving up on what would have been an easy overtrick, +110.

Closed Room

Once again West led the nine of hearts and declarer won in hand and played a club. West went in with the king and played a second heart, getting a suit preference seven from East (who had played the eight on the first round). Declarer won in hand and played the five of spades but West went up with the ace and underled her diamonds, East winning with the king and returning a heart for West to ruff. That excellent defence held declarer to her contract, +110 and another flat board.

Board 23. Dealer South. All Vul.
	♠ A Q 5 2 ♥ K Q 5 ♦ K 8 4 ♣ K 10 2
♠ K 8 3 ♥ 10 9 8 7 6 4 2 ♦ 9 ♣ A 7		♠ 6 4 ♥ J ♦ A 10 6 5 2 ♣ 9 8 6 5 4
	♠ J 10 9 7 ♥ A 3 ♦ Q J 7 3 ♣ Q J 3

Open Room

With West not fancying a preemptive opening with such a miserable suit North/South were given a free run. East led the jack of hearts and declarer won in hand and decided to play ace of spades and a spade. West won and made the thoughtful play of the ace of clubs. When her partner discouraged with the nine she switched to her singleton diamond and East won with the ace and returned… a club.

(The play record is missing, so I can’t tell you if there were any side issues arising from the heart West played at trick one.) That was a lucky escape for the USA, +620.

Closed Room

Declarer won the jack of hearts lead with dummy’s ace and ran the jack of spades, quickly claiming +650 and an IMP.

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

Open Room

With South adopting a Mafia style response to her partner’s reopening double (majors always first in answering) the nine card fit in clubs (a suit where you can make a slam, as did England’s Ross Harper in the Seniors Bowl) was lost.

West led the three of diamonds and East took the ace and returned the queen, declarer winning and discarding a spade from dummy. She played a club to the ace and then the jack of clubs, putting up the king when East discarded the two of spades. She continued with a third club, West winning with the queen as East got rid of her remaining spade. West exited with the four of spades and when declarer went up with the ace East ruffed and switched to the jack of diamonds, forcing dummy to ruff. Declarer had not made the best of things so far and when she now played a spade from dummy she gave up an extra under trick, -100.

Closed Room

Some effective pressure bidding by East/West gave North/South no chance to locate the club fit. Four Spades was hopeless but declarer escaped for one down when she was allowed to get rid of a losing heart on the king of diamonds, -50 giving China 2 IMPs.

Board 25. Dealer North. E/W 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

Open Room

Science played no part in this auction, but it was very effective. Dummy may have had an anxious moment or two when West led the queen of spades rather than the hoped for club, but all was well, +980.

Closed Room

It was surprising to see North simply jump to game rather than try something like Four Clubs. East led the king of clubs so declarer made all the tricks, +510 but lost 10 IMPs.

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

Open Room

2♦ 0-10 usually a five card suit
3♦ Preemptive

The hyper aggressive style of weak two bid used by North/South saw them reach a comfortable spot indeed you would have to go seriously wrong to make less than eleven tricks in diamonds. Four Clubs was hopeless South led a diamond to North’s ace, won the heart switch with the king over declarer’s queen and returned the suit to ensure two down, +100.

Closed Room

I have no idea why South passed One Heart.

After that it was hardly obvious for North to take any further action although I suppose if South is allowed to pass with a hand as good as this then a double of Three Clubs might be in the frame.

North led her trump and declarer won in dummy and played the three of spades for the ten, jack and queen. When North switched to the four of hearts declarer wisely went up with the ace and drew trumps ending in dummy in order to play the eight of spades for the nine, king and ace. When North continued with two rounds of diamonds declarer had an overtrick, +130 and 6 IMPs.

Board 28. Dealer West. N/S 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

Open Room

2♦ Multi
2♥ Pass or correct
Dble Hearts or take out

Having just penned a book on the Multi I fear I cannot recommend the double that South used here. It is better to pass and let partner double when West passes. Still, it would have survived if North had bid Two Spades. East led the ten of hearts and declarer won and played a diamond to the jack and king. She ruffed the heart continuation, crossed to dummy with a spade and played another diamond. East won and returned a spade and in the fullness of time the defenders collected another trump trick and two clubs for one down, +100.

Closed Room

3NT was hopeless on the lead of the king of hearts but declarer was a little careless in the play, discarding a club from dummy on a winning spade and she finshed three down instead of one, -300 costing China 5 IMPs.

Board 32. Dealer West. E/W 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

Open Room

North really gave the game away here, the combination of her double and Four Clubs telling declarer how to play the trump suit. She won the club lead with the ace, cashed the ace of diamonds, ran the jack, crossed to hand with the ace of hearts, drew the last trump and played a spade for a splendid +600.

Closed Room

With rather less to go on declarer also got the diamonds right here but that was only good for +150 and China closed out the set with a 10 IMP pickup.

They sneaked the set 33-32 IMPs, but more important, they led 101-59 IMPs.