Canada - England (D'Orsi SENIORS BOWL Round 5)

Senior Service - by Mark Horton

The race for the D’Orsi Seniors Bowl is no less intense than in the other contests taking place here in Sao Paulo. In recent years the definition of a Senior has occasionally changed and whilst pursuing one of my other passions I noticed that one of our sister mind sports, Chess, has come up with a new idea.

Back in 1966 I became the youngest player ever to compete for the British Chess Championships, a record soon eclipsed by a certain Nigel Short who qualified for the Championships at the age of 12 and went on to become a superstar, contesting a World Championship final against Garry Kasparov.

Nigel was not even an IM, let alone a GM, but nowadays 12-year old GMs are commonplace. Most senior chess players are not too keen to play against juniors and the situation is not much different in bridge.

A baseball-cap head, just visible through the screen, quaffing litres of diet coke and guzzling crisps whilst effortlessly rattling of the bids of a complex relay system makes it easy to sympathize with W. C. Fields, who when asked how he liked children, replied ‘Boiled or fried!’

Now it happens that Dutch IT legend Joop van Oosterom has been generously sponsoring an annual chess match in Amsterdam between a team of youngsters, and a team of veterans, usually over 50, and sometimes older still. A great idea the best young GMs in the world against such legends of chess as Victor Korchnoi. The problem was that the older generation was no match for the youngsters and the sporting interest in the contest was almost non-existent.

To spice up the event the organisers decided that the so called ‘Experience’ team needs a little less experience So, out have gone most of the over-45s, and in have come such ‘veterans’ as Loek van Wely (aged 36), Peter Heine Nielsen (aged 36) and Peter Svidler (aged 33). Veterans? Peter Svidler, a veteran??

If these guys are veterans what hope is there for Senior bridge players? Has middle age vanished? Bob Hope remarked that ‘Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle’, and that’s a line that many a bridge player can relate to.

Strangely enough, the tournament website is silent on the subject of what the prize is for the top scorer of the Experience team, although there are rumours of a motorised wheelchair, an electric blanket and a year’s supply of denture-cleaning fluid. Maybe I should pass that on to the organizers of future senior bridge championships?

My plan had been to cover the Round 4 encounter between the two teams representing the USA in the D’Orsi Seniors Bowl, but the match was on BBO and Internet problems proved to be insurmountable, so with the help of Patrick Jourdain, who reports on the action in the Open Room, I present the highlights of the Round 5 encounter between two of the teams at the business end of the field, England and Canada.

Board 3 was not a good advertisement for the Canadians’ bidding methods:

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

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Holland	Hobart	Hallberg	Kirr
			1♠
Pass	2♣	Pass	2♦
Pass	2♥	Pass	3♦
Pass	3♠	Pass	4♠
Pass	5♦	All Pass

Kirr opened 1♠ on the South hand preparing to canapé into diamonds. Hobart responded with an artificial game force of 2♣. Kirr duly showed longer diamonds than spades and Hobart showed his hearts.

Kirr considered bidding 2NT which would have led to the popular game reached and made at most tables but after some thought, worrying about whether ♣ Qx would be a stop, he bid the nebulous 3♦. When Hobart showed delayed spade support, Kirr had another chance to bid 3NT, implying a half-stop as he had not bid it on the previous round. He chose instead to bid Four Spades which would also have succeeded, but Hobart corrected to 5♦.

This game was at risk and the England pair found the winning defence. Holland led his singleton heart to Hallberg’s king. A heart continuation or a club switch beats the game thanks to West’s four spades.

Hallberg actually chose to switch to clubs. Kirr tried the queen but it was beaten by the king. Declarer could draw trumps successfully but then he had to concede a heart and a club for one down, -50.

Closed Room

2♣ Game forcing

3NT was straightforward, declarer winning the club lead in hand with the queen, playing a spade to the jack and then playing on diamonds. He took four spades, five diamonds and two clubs, +460 and 11 IMPs to England.

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

Board 4 was an interesting contest in 3NT:

Open Room

1NT was 15-17 and 2♦ was game-forcing Stayman.

South, Kirr, was at the helm, and Hallberg led his fourth highest diamond. Kirr overtook the six with the seven to lead a second diamond. Hallberg won this and Holland discarded ♥7. West switched to hearts and the five was beaten by the nine and ace. A third diamond was won by West and this time East ditched the ♠3. Hallberg now tried ♠J which declarer allowed to hold. Hallberg exited with a diamond and both dummy and East discarded clubs, Holland smoothly baring his queen.

Declarer correctly cashed the ace of clubs, but then went adrift by taking the club finesse. Holland won and came to a heart later to defeat the game. If declarer had read the ending correctly he had to drop East’s queen.

Closed Room

Dble One major and a longer minor
Redble Strong
2♦ Asks for the major
Pass Shows diamonds

Having passed initially West made a dubious entry into the auction over South’s strong NT. From that point on it was simply a question of where East/West come to rest.

North found the standard lead of a trump and South played three rounds of the suit. West unblocked dummy’s queen so he could win the third round and draw the last trump and he then exited with a heart. North, who had discarded two hearts, went in with the king and switched to the jack of clubs. That was covered by the queen and ace and South returned a club, North winning with the king and accurately exiting with a club. Whatever declarer did he was booked for three down, -800 giving England 14 IMPs.

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

Board 5 was a solid slam reached by Hallberg & Holland:

Open Room

1NT was 15-17, 2♥ was a transfer doubled by North to show the suit. East’s Pass showed less than three spades. Holland bid his clubs and Hallberg raised to set the suit. The next three bids were alerted as cuebids and Hallberg had heard enough.

On the lead of ♥K Holland was able to claim all 13 tricks. He drew trumps and discarded all dummy’s diamonds on his spades for 940 to England

Closed Room

Perhaps unnerved by the previous deal West hardly did justice to his hand opposite his partner’s strong overcall and that cost his side another 10 IMPs.

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

This was Board 6:

Open Room

Of course, looking at the two hands one would want to reach 3NT. But it is very difficult to identify the spade stop (two halves do make a whole on this occasion) and one can hardly blame the Canadians for reaching 4♥. However this was quickly doomed when Holland led and continued diamonds. Hallberg ruffed the third and returned a spade. A fourth diamond was ruffed high, but declarer was already down.

Closed Room

4♣ Fit jump

South’s decision to bid on over Four Spades was poorly judged, as he was the first to admit. West cashed the ace of diamonds, then took the ace of spades before cashing a second diamond. East ruffed the next diamond so that was two down, -300 and 6 badly needed IMPs for Canada.

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

The most expensive decision of the bad run for Canada came on this deal:

Dble Lightner

Given the pre-empt the spades were sure to lie badly and it was certainly risky to bid the grand, not knowing how solid the suits were. Maybe South was influenced by knowing he was well behind in the match. On such occasions one rarely seems to meet with luck. Holland made a Lightner double and Hallberg duly led a spade for the grand to fail at once.

Closed Room

When South volunteered a bid over East’s double North felt his hand justified the use of the grand slam force. South’s trump holding was not god enough for him to accept that invitation, but he showed how to tackle Six Clubs, ruffing the heart lead and then advancing the jack of clubs. That gave him a rapid +1390 and added a massive 17 IMPs to England’s total.