Italy - Bulgaria (Bermuda Bowl Round 13)

Slugfest - by Brent Manley

Europe has many fine teams in Sao Paulo. The standings in the Bermuda Bowl, for example, reflect the strength of the European squads. Entering play on Friday, the top four teams in the round robin phase were from the continent.

Two of them Bulgaria and Italy provided an entertaining, high-scoring match in round 14 on Thursday.

Italy was up 7-5 early on, stretching the lead on this deal:

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

Kalin Karaivanov started with a low diamond, taken in dummy with the ace. When Alfredo Versace called for a low club from dummy, Roumen Trendafilov rose with the king, crashing into his partner’s queen, to switch to a trump. Versace put in the ♠9, won by West with the jack. He exited with the ♥10 to Versace’s king. With the club position marked, Versace simply cashed the ♠A and put West in with the trump king, claiming nine tricks for the loss of only one more club.

The system notes for the Bulgarian pair indicate that 1NT is a one-round force and that a 1♠ response is natural, making the bidding sequence somewhat curious. In any event, the hopeless game was reached. Claudio Nunes started with the ♦J, and Diyan Danailov put in the queen, losing to the king. A club return allowed the defenders to collect two tricks in that suit. With two trump tricks to come, that was two down for minus 200 and 8 IMPs to Italy, now leading 15-5.

That was when Bulgaria started their run.

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

Versace led the ♥K to dummy’s ace, and Trendafilov played a diamond to his ace at trick two, followed by a second diamond. Lorenzo Lauria continued with a heart, ruffed by declarer. When Trendafilov played a third round of diamonds, Versace ruffed with the ♠9, forcing dummy’s jack. There was no defense to defeat the contract, however. Plus 1430 to Bulgaria.

Danailov also led the ♥K and declarer also played two rounds of diamonds. When he won the second round of diamonds, Karakolev switched to a trump. Had Fulvio Fantoni been in slam, he would have had to abandon ideas of ruffing a diamond in dummy, instead running trumps, squeezing North in clubs and diamonds. As it was, Fantoni won the spade switch in hand and ruffed a diamond with the ♠J, promoting a trump trick for South. It didn’t matter that he made only 11 tricks, though. It was 13 IMPs to Bulgaria either way.

Another 13 IMPs went to Bulgaria on the next deal when Karaivanov and Trendafilov bid to a cold 6♥ for plus 1430 while Versace and Lauria stopped in 4♥ on the same cards.

Then came:

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

Lauria led the ♥Q to his partner’s king and declarer’s ace. Karaivanov, looking to discard his losing heart, played a club to the ace, followed by the ♣K. Lauria ruffed, however, and the contract was quickly one down for minus 50.

Danilov took a more aggressive view in the closed room with his balancing takeout double, and the game was duly reached. Plus 450 was good for a 9-IMP pickup for Bulgaria, who had scored 35 unanswered IMPs to lead 40-15.

Italy had their own run in the offing, and it started on the next deal.

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

West led his singleton diamond and Versace was soon scoring up the overtrick for plus 1310. It was a short auction at the other table.

A seven-level save on the East-West cards costs only minus 800, but looking at the West hand it could just as easily be minus 1400 or 1700. Plus 1010 meant a 7-IMP loss.

The score was 40-23 for Bulgaria when the players took their cards out for board 12.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	♠ A 8 5 2 ♥ A K 10 4 2 ♦ 9 2 ♣ 9 7
♠ K 7 4 ♥ Q J 6 ♦ K Q 10 8 ♣ K Q 2		♠ Q J 10 9 6 3 ♥ 7 ♦ 5 ♣ J 10 8 4 3
	♠ ♥ 9 8 5 3 ♦ A J 7 6 4 3 ♣ A 6 5

Lauria’s version of a Michaels cuebid with 4-5 in the majors (they play 2♦ to show 5-5 in the majors) worked out very well, and he was not taxed to take 10 tricks in hearts for plus 620. Trendafilov led his singleton diamond, ducked by Lauria to West’s 10. The ♦Q was ruffed by East, who exited with a club to dummy’s ace. Now a heart to the ace was followed by a spade ruff. The ♦A provided a place for declarer’s losing club, and he could now ruff the diamonds good, ruff a spade to get back to dummy, then play a good diamond and pitch his last spade when West ruffed in from his ♥Q J.

Karakolev led the ♥K, then forced dummy with another high heart. Karakolev ducked when declarer played the ♠Q from dummy, and he ducked again on the play of a spade to declarer’s king. The ♥Q was cashed for a diamond pitch, and Nunes played the ♣K to North’s ace. The defense had only the trump ace to come. One down was good for an 11-IMP swing to Italy, now behind by only 6 IMPs.

They took the lead on the next board.

Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.
	♠ J 8 ♥ Q 10 5 ♦ Q 6 4 ♣ Q 6 5 4 3
♠ A K Q 9 4 ♥ J ♦ A J 8 5 ♣ 10 9 8		♠ 5 ♥ K 9 8 4 3 2 ♦ 10 9 3 ♣ A J 2
	♠ 10 7 6 3 2 ♥ A 7 6 ♦ K 7 2 ♣ K 7

Versace hit on the spectacular opening lead of the ♣K. Trendafilov ducked, then took the ♣Q with his ace on the continuation. A spade to the ace was followed by the ♥J: queen, king ace. The diamond exit was won in dummy by the ace. Declarer cashed the ♠K, pitching a diamond from hand, but North ruffed the ♠Q with the 5. Declarer overruffed with the 8 and exited with a low heart to North’s 10. After getting his club ruff, Versace cashed the ♦K for two down.

Karakolev led a low club, ducked in dummy to South’s king. A diamond went to the 5, queen and 3. South did not play the king on the diamond return, but declarer took two more tricks in that suit before playing a club to dummy’s jack. He cashed the ♣A, then played three rounds of spades, putting South in with a spade at the end to surrender trick number nine to the ♥K. Plus 600 meant 13 IMPs to Italy, now ahead 47-40. The margin grew to 58-40 with a slam swing on the next deal. The final score was 58-48 for Italy, an average of 6.6 IMPs per board.