Sweden - Egypt (Venice Cup Round 14)

The Sands of Time - by Mark Horton

The Sands of Time is a 1988 action novel by Sidney Sheldon. A best-seller, it follows the adventures of four women who are forced to leave their Spanish convent for the outside world of threat, violence and passions. The eight players in this important match between two of the teams trying to stay within reach of a place in the quarter-finals found themselves embroiled in a set of deals that featured some of the most testing hands of the tournament.

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

Open Room

Holding four trumps, East was in no hurry to lead her singleton and she started out with the jack of clubs. Declarer won with the ace and played a spade to the queen, a diamond to the ten, and the king of spades. East does best to duck this, intending to win the next spade and play two rounds of diamonds, after which declarer cannot arrive at more than nine tricks. However, East took the ace of spades, West discarding the six of hearts and exited with the jack of hearts. Declarer won with dummy’s ace and played the king of diamonds to East’s ace. Now East fatally exited with the eight of clubs, allowing declarer to score a trick with the ten (a diamond would keep the defenders ahead of the game). The hand was over now, declarer being able to cross to dummy to pick up East’s trumps, +620.

If we go back to the point where East erroneously took the ace of spades declarer can make the contract by unblocking the nine of spades from dummy! Now declarer wins the heart exit and plays the king of diamonds. She wins the diamond exit and plays a heart. It does not help East to ruff, so say she will discard a diamond. Declarer wins and now runs the ten of clubs. East wins, but that is the last trick for the defence.

The unblock is needed because otherwise in the four-card ending envisaged above East can exit with the four of spades locking declarer in dummy. (And you thought it was only the players who had problems analysing the hands!)

Closed Room

This time East led the queen of clubs and declarer won, cashed another club and ruffed a club. She played the queen of spades and when that held she played the jack of diamonds to the queen and ace. She won the heart switch in dummy and played a diamond to the nine. Now the winning line is to ruff the last club with the nine of spades, cash the master diamond and then play the jack of spades. However, declarer ruffed the club with the jack of spades and the 4-1 trump break spelled defeat. When she played the nine of spades East took the ten and played a diamond. Declarer could win and but East had to take two more tricks, +100 and 12 IMPs.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	♠ 10 9 8 ♥ 10 4 ♦ K 10 5 3 2 ♣ A 4 3
♠ Q 6 ♥ Q 8 6 2 ♦ Q 8 7 6 ♣ 9 8 6		♠ A 7 4 3 ♥ J 5 ♦ J 9 ♣ Q J 7 5 2
	♠ K J 5 2 ♥ A K 9 7 3 ♦ A 4 ♣ K 10

Open Room

2♣ 15+

East led an unlucky two of clubs and when dummy’s ten held declarer could simply play on spades, giving up tricks to the queen and ace to arrive at nine tricks, +400.

Closed Room

Once again East led the two of clubs. Declarer put up dummy’s king, played a club to the ace and ruffed a club. She cashed the ace of diamonds and then played three rounds of hearts, ruffed and overuffed. When East switched to a spade declarer did not guess to put up the king so the defenders played three rounds, West ruffing and exiting with a heart forcing declarer to ruff and present West with a trump trick, -50 and 10 IMPs for Sweden.

Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	♠ K Q 10 9 ♥ A Q J 6 ♦ 3 ♣ 9 7 6 4
♠ J 8 6 4 3 ♥ 10 9 8 2 ♦ 6 4 2 ♣ 8		♠ 5 ♥ 5 3 ♦ K Q 10 8 ♣ K J 10 5 3 2
	♠ A 7 2 ♥ K 7 4 ♦ A J 9 7 5 ♣ A Q

Open Room

As you can see there are exactly eleven tricks available in 6NT and as declarer conceded 100 she was left to reflect on dummy’s lack of a second diamond.

Closed Room

South was not in the least bit interested in looking for more than game and her +660 gave Egypt 13 IMPs.

Board 25. Dealer North. E/W Vul.
	♠ K 9 4 ♥ A K ♦ A J 9 3 ♣ A Q 6 3
♠ A J 10 8 7 6 ♥ 2 ♦ K 4 2 ♣ K 9 8		♠ 3 ♥ 10 9 8 4 3 ♦ Q 10 7 6 ♣ J 7 5
	♠ Q 5 2 ♥ Q J 7 6 5 ♦ 8 5 ♣ 10 4 2

Open Room

East led the three of hearts and declarer won in hand and cashed her other top heart on which West discarded a seemingly innocuous nine of clubs. Declarer now tried a low club and when East went in with the jack the defence was in a precarious position. East exited with her spade and declarer won with the queen. She can hardly blamed for ignoring the possibility that she was being made a present of the contract so she continued with the queen of clubs and a relieved West won with the king and switched to a diamond leaving declarer with only eight tricks, -50.

Closed Room

Play started in an identical fashion, but this time West discarded the six of spades on the second round of hearts. When declarer played a club East went in with the jack and now had to find a switch to a spade or a low diamond. When she played a second club declarer won in hand with the queen, cashed the ace and the thirteenth club.

With five tricks in the bag declarer needs four more. She exited with the three of diamonds and West won with the king and returned the suit, East winning with the ten. This was the position:

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

Declarer can prevent this by exiting with the nine of diamonds rather than the three. Then she covers West’s diamond return with the jack and East cannot avoid the endplay after West has been forced to duck the king of spades.

However, declarer won the diamond exit with the jack, cashed the ace and had to lose two spade tricks for a flat board.

Board 30. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	♠ J 7 ♥ A J 10 7 5 ♦ K 10 6 ♣ 9 7 4
♠ A 10 2 ♥ K 9 8 4 3 2 ♦ Q 7 ♣ 8 2		♠ K Q 8 5 4 3 ♥ ♦ A J 8 5 3 2 ♣ 10
	♠ 9 6 ♥ Q 6 ♦ 9 4 ♣ A K Q J 6 5 3

Open Room

South’s intervention, promising a solid minor and looking for 3NT led to an exciting auction. Six Clubs rated to go three down, but East led the ace of diamonds and then continued the suit. Luckily for the defence declarer still had only eleven tricks, -100.

Closed Room

South started with two rounds of clubs and declarer ruffed, drew trumps and played a diamond to the ace and a diamond, +450 delivering 8 IMPs.

Sweden had won 41-15 IMPs, 21-9 VP, but with time running out both teams were still a long way from a qualifying spot.