USA1 - USA2 (BERMUDA BOWL Round 3)

Familiar faces - by Brent Manley

The U.S. Bridge Championships earlier this year in White Plains NY produced two fine teams for the 2009 World Bridge Championships in Sao Paulo. As is the norm, the two American squads met early in the round robin qualifying for the Bermuda Bowl.

USA1 is Peter Boyd Steve Robinson, Doug Doub Adam Wildavsky and Fred Stewart Kit Woolsey. Boyd, Robinson and Woolsey were members of the winning Rosenblum Cup team in 1986, and Doub and Wildavsky were on the bronze medal team in the Bermuda Bowl in 2005.

USA2 is the formidable Nick Nickell squad, who made it to Sao Paulo via a repechage after they lost in the semifinal round of the USBC in New York. Nickell is playing with Ralph Katz, who took the place of the late Dick Freeman. The rest of the team is Jeff Meckstroth Eric Rodwell and Bob Hamman Zia Mahmood.

USA2 started fast, earning a big swing on the first deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Rodwell	Robinson	Meckstroth	Boyd
	1♥	Pass	2NT
Pass	3♣	Pass	3♦
Pass	3♥	Pass	4♣
Pass	4♠	Pass	4NT
Pass	5♣	Pass	6♥
All Pass

The wheels came off somewhere in the auction, but the bad slam was going to make without a spade lead. Unfortunately for Peter Boyd and Steve Robinson, Meckstroth put a spade on the track and the defenders quickly had two tricks for plus 50.

Hamman and Zia didn’t come close to slam. Hamman lost two spade tricks, but plus 450 was good for an 11-IMP gain.

There was more bad news for USA1 on the next deal.

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

Meckstroth had no difficulty making 3♣, losing two hearts, a spade and a diamond for plus 110. Hamman and Zia did much better in the auction.

Hamman liked his hand well enough to double twice, which was impetus enough for Zia to cuebid, forcing to game. Doub started with the ♣A, ruffed by Hamman in dummy. He played a diamond to his king and Doub’s ace. Doub was looking at two trump tricks, and so he tried to take the second defensive trick with the ♦Q. Hamman ruffed, however, cashed the ♠A and ruffed a club, then discarded his ♣Q on the ♦J. He still had to lose two trump tricks, but that was plus 620 and 12 more IMPs to USA2, now leading 23-0.

Another 4 IMPs went to USA2 on board 3 when Zia was allowed to play 1♠, making one for plus 80, while Boyd landed in 3♣, one down for minus 100. Board 4 produced only a 1-IMP swing, but it had an interesting aspect.

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

At both tables, East played 3NT after North had shown hearts. When Doub played 3NT, he won the opening lead of the ♠K with the ace, played the ♦K and took the correct view in diamonds, finessing against South’s queen. With the ♠10 having fallen from North, Doub simply played a spade to his 9 and Zia’s queen, claiming 12 tricks for plus 690.

At the other table, Jeff Meckstroth played low from dummy on the opening lead of the ♠5. He took the ♠10 with the ace, cashed the ♦K and played a diamond to the 10. At that point, there were two ways to make all the tricks: a simple squeeze against North (note that Meckstroth’s ♣6 is a threat) or a double squeeze.

After the ♦10 held, Meckstroth played the ♥A, a heart to the jack and the ♥K. He could now run the diamonds, pitching his ♥7 if North discarded down to a doubleton club to guard hearts. That, of course, would subject South to a black-suit squeeze even if he had been dealt a club higher than the 6. Plus 720 upped the score to 28-0 for USA2.

The IMPs just kept on coming for USA2 when a tricky opening lead by Boyd backfired.

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

Wildavsky started with the ♥5 to the 2, 6 and 9. Zia tried the ♣K to Doub’s ace, and Zia won the heart return with the queen. The ♦K was next, and Doub won to clear the heart suit. Now the ♣J put Wildavsky in, and he played a spade to Doub’s king. The defenders took two hearts, two spades, two clubs and a diamond for plus 100 not nearly enough considering what happened at the other table.

Boyd had a horrible hand to lead from, and he knew whatever he selected might blow a trick, so he started with the ♠8, the kind of lead that often pays dividends. Not this time, however.

Meckstroth called for dummy’s ♠10, and Robinson played low, hoping to deny Meckstroth a later entry. At trick two, Meckstroth played a heart to his jack and Boyd’s queen, and the ♠Q was returned. Meckstroth won in hand and put the ♥K on the table. Boyd won and played a third round of hearts, ruffed in dummy. Meckstroth then played a diamond to his jack and Boyd’s king. Boyd, no doubt sick of being endplayed (more or less starting a trick one) got out with another diamond. Meckstroth could claim at that point, picking up the last trump and discarding two clubs from dummy on good hearts. That was another 8 IMPs to USA2, now leading 36-0. USA1 finally broke through on the next deal.

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

Robinson started with the ♥A, ruffed by Rodwell. Already, he was reduced to the same number of trumps as Boyd. Rodwell played the ♣Q at trick two. Robinson won and continued the tap with another heart. Rodwell ruffed again and played the ♦10 to Boyd’s queen. A third round of hearts reduced Rodwell to a doubleton spade. He played the ♠J and let it ride to Boyd’s king, Rodwell finished with seven tricks for minus 300.

The phantom save cost 300, giving USA1 their first score of the match and cutting the margin to 36-12.

Board 11 was a killer for USA1

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

Meckstroth led the ♠8 to the king and ace. The ♠Q picked up Meckstroth’s other trump. Declarer then led the ♦10. Meckstroth went up with the ace and cashed the ♥A. There was nowhere for declarer’s club loser to go, so it was plus 50 for East-West.

Wildavsky led the ♥10 to Doub’s ace. Doub didn’t know his partner had the ♣A, so he thought he needed a club ruff to defeat the contract. Playing his partner for the ♦K, Doub boldly underled his ♦A. Zia no doubt was surprised when his ♦K held the trick, but he quickly picked up trumps and conceded a club for an unexpected plus 650 and another 12 IMPs to USA2.