Brazil - Netherlands (Bermuda Bowl Round 6)

by Brian Senior

Host nation Brazil and the Netherlands, two past winners of the Bermuda Bowl, met in Round 6. A fairly quiet but generally well played match saw the Dutch come out on top by 34-14 IMPs, 20-10 VPs. In a low-scoring match, nearly half the IMPs changed hands on the first two deals.

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

For Brazil, Diego Brenner opened 1♣, promising three cards, and Mauricio Figueiredo responded 3♣, weak. This is a stylistic thing, of course when I play pre-emptive raises I prefer to say that they will deliver a hand too weak to play game facing a balanced 18-19. Clearly the Brazilians have a different style because Brenner went on to the good no trump game. Ton Bakkeren led a spade, which Brenner won. He played the queen of diamonds. Huub Bertens won the king and returned a spade. Brenner won and played a second diamond to Bakkeren’s ace and back came a heart. Brenner won and played a club to the king and ace and had the rest for +430.

Bauke Muller also opened 1♣ but his was strong and artificial. Marcelo Branco overcalled 1NT, two suits without clubs, and the double showed around 5-7. Gabriel Chagas bid 2♦, pass or correct, and Muller doubled for take-out. While it is possible that N/S have even a slam in clubs, I would be strongly tempted to pass the double with that North hand it is not clear what will be the winning action on this particular board, but collecting a sizeable penalty might help to keep the opposition honest for the rest of the match. Simon de Wijs chose to bid 3♣ and now the spotlight was on Muller. Though he had 19 HCP facing 5-7, he knew that there was no eight-card major-suit fit and that clubs rated to break badly. With a dubious diamond holding, Muller judged to pass.

It was mildly embarrassing to miss a good game but even more disappointing to find that the ‘safe’ partscore had to one down as there were three trump losers; 50 and 10 IMPs to Brazil.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	♠ Q 8 5 2 ♥ 8 7 6 2 ♦ K 10 4 ♣ 8 6
♠ A 9 7 ♥ A K Q J 5 3 ♦ 8 3 ♣ 5 2		♠ J 6 3 ♥ 10 9 4 ♦ 9 6 5 ♣ A 10 9 7
	♠ K 10 4 ♥ ♦ A Q J 7 2 ♣ K Q J 4 3

Brenner opened 1♦, possibly only three cards, and Figueiredo was just short of what he needed to bid after the 1♥ overcall. Brenner doubled the 2♥ raise and Bakkeren made a game try with 3♦. Perhaps Figueiredo should have doubled this to show a little something in his partner’s suit. However, he preferred to pass and then gave only simple preference to 4♦ when Brenner came again with 4♣.

Bakkeren led a top heart against 4♦. Brenner ruffed and played the queen of clubs. Bertens won and forced Brenner to ruff again and now he led a spade to the queen and back to the ten and ace. Bakkeren led a third heart, which Brenner ruffed. He cashed the ♣K and ♦A then the king of spades, ruffed a club and ruffed the last heart, so had ten tricks for +130.

Muller opened a strong club and de Wijs had enough to double to show a semi-positive. Muller showed his diamonds at the three level but the methods had added momentum to the auction and, when de Wijs showed his diamond support, Muller went on to game.

Again, the lead was a top heart, ruffed, and Muller tooled a club at trick two, Chagas winning the ace. He, however, led a trump now. Muller won and led a spade to the queen then back to the ten and ace, won the trump return and ruffed out the clubs; 11 tricks for +600 and 10 IMPs to Netherlands.

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

It looks as though the Brazilians had a misunderstanding, with Figueiredo bidding 2♦ over 2♣ in search of a better resting place while Brenner’s leap to game suggests that he took it as FSF and showing a better hand.

Bertens led the ace of hearts and Figueiredo did not unblock dummy’s queen. Bertens switched to the ten of spades for the jack, queen and ace and Figueiredo led a diamond, the king being ducked, then the heart queen, which Bertens won. Now he cashed the ace of diamonds, collecting a spade pitch from dummy, then reverted to spades, leading the two. Figueiredo won the king of spades and exited with dummy’s last spade. Bertens won and cashed the fourth spade then led a club through to the queen and king. Bakkeren was endplayed but that was still two down for 100.

Muller opened a Precision-style 2♣ and the 2♥ response was natural and non-forcing. Two Spades was natural and showed a maximum and de Wijs gave preference to clubs because 2NT would have sounded more forward-going. Muller completed the picture of his hand with 3♥ and de Wijs quickly passed.

Chagas led the two of spades to the five, queen and ace, a good start for declarer. De Wijs led a diamond towards the bare king and Chagas won the ace then cashed the ace and king of hearts to prevent diamond ruffs. De Wijs did not need to ruff diamonds, however, and all that achieved was to speed the play up. De Wijs had the rest, ten tricks for +170 and 7 IMPs to Netherlands.

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

Both Norths opened 1♠ in third seat and both Souths showed a mixed raise, around 7-9 HCP with four-card trump support. Of course, both Norths quickly signed off in 3♠ with their bare minimum openings.

Bertens led the eight of hearts to Figueiredo’s ace. He ran the nine of spades to the bare queen and Bakkeren returned the seven of diamonds. That was ducked to the ten and Bertens could not read the diamond position so switched back to hearts. Figueiredo won the queen and played a spade. Bertens rose with the ace and switched to ace and another club, hoping for a heart ruff. However, Figueiredo could ruff high and still had a diamond discard on the fourth heart after drawing trumps; down one for 100.

Chagas led a revealing low spade and de Wijs correctly put up the king, felling the bare queen. He unblocked the ace and queen of hearts before playing a second round of trumps. Chagas won that and switched to diamonds and there were ten tricks for +170 and another 7 IMPs to Netherlands.

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

What would be your choice with the North hand after a 1♥ opening on your right? I have always hated to start with a double when holding a genuine two-suiter so my vote is firmly with de Wijs’ choice of the Michaels Cuebid.

The cuebid shut Chagas out of the auction as he did not feel that he had sufficient for a competitive raise to 3♥, so Muller got to show his spade tolerance. Branco continued with 3♥ and de Wijs doubled to show a strong hand and invite Muller to consider game. Muller bid the obvious 3♠ and de Wijs trusted him by passing. Muller played the hand quickly, winning the heart lead and cashing the ace and king of spades then playing ace and another diamond. With the diamonds behaving as required but the spade not dropping there were four losers; +140.

Figueiredo preferred to start with a double and Bertens had sufficient for a raise to 2♥. Bakkeren produced a game try of 2♠ and Figueiredo doubled that and doubled again when Bertens’ 3♥ sign-off came back to him. Brenner responded 3♠, the one suit he could be sure to find his partner with, and Figueiredo guessed to raise to game.

With no entry to hand, Brennerhad little option but to follow the same line of play as had Muller, with the same result nine tricks but here that meant down one for 50 and 5 IMPs to Netherlands.

Board 31. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	♠ A 10 8 5 ♥ 9 5 2 ♦ Q 10 5 4 ♣ 9 8
♠ J 9 7 6 2 ♥ 10 ♦ A 9 7 6 3 ♣ J 5		♠ K Q 4 3 ♥ 7 4 ♦ 8 ♣ A Q 7 6 4 2
	♠ ♥ A K Q J 8 6 3 ♦ K J 2 ♣ K 10 3

Brenner’s natural opening bid attracted a Michaels Cuebid from Bakkeren and a jump to 4♠ from Bertens. With so much extra playing strength and no idea who could make what, Brenner went on to 5♥ and, when that came back to Bertens, he took the push to 5♠, doubled by Figueiredo.

Brenner cashed the king of hearts and Figueiredo followed with the two. Brenner seems to have taken that as suit preference, a popular approach to this situation, and switched to the king of clubs. There was no way to avoid two trump losers but that was it. Bertens won the club and played the queen of spades, ducked, then a club to the jack and a second spade. Figueiredo had to duck that to get his two trump tricks and now Bertens just played winning clubs; one down for 100.

Muller opened a strong club and 1NT was two suits without clubs. Double showed 5-7 and Chagas showed long clubs by bidding a suit his partner had denied. Muller jumped in his solid suit and de Wijs raised to game. Now Chagas assumed that his partner must have spades and diamonds so bid 4♠ and Muller ended the auction by doubling well judged as a diamond ruff would beat 5♥.

Muller led a top heart and de Wijs played the nine. There was no temptation now to switch to a club and Muller just played a second heart, ruffed in dummy. Chagas led a spade to the king then a low club towards the jack. Muller went in with the king and nine tricks were claimed for down one; 100 and a flat board.