Italy - USA2 (Bermuda Bowl Round 15)

A prelude? - by Philip Adler

The final Vu-Graph match on Thursday was the match that some believe could be the final: Italy against USA2.

This was the most interesting problem in the set:

♠ A 2 ♥ J 6 5 ♦ A K 9 3 ♣ A K 9 7

♠ J 9 ♥ A K 10 9 4 3 ♦ 10 7 5 ♣ 10 3

You get to six hearts by East after an uncontested auction. How would you plan the play after either a trump lead or a spade lead?

Board 1 was a flat partscore, and on Board 2 both Souths found a winning lead against four spades. Then came ...

Board 3. Dealer South. East-West vul.
	♠ Q 9 4 ♥ ♦ K Q J 9 8 6 5 2 ♣ 6 3
♠ K 8 3 ♥ A J 10 8 6 3 2 ♦ 3 ♣ 8 7		♠ J 6 ♥ K 9 5 ♦ A 7 ♣ K J 10 9 5 2
	♠ A 10 7 5 2 ♥ Q 7 4 ♦ 10 4 ♣ A Q 4

(a) Shows a minimum because pass would be forcing

On Vu-Graph, Bob Hamman (North) just closed his eyes and blasted five diamonds. Never put an eight-card suit down in the dummy. Lorenzo Lauria (East) doubled to show cards, but at the unfavorable vulnerability Alfredo Versace (West) chose not to bid five hearts. (Note that it is down only one.)

With the club finesse working, declarer must play to avoid losing two spade tricks. However, if the club finesse is failing, declarer needs to get dummy's spade suit established.

East led the heart five, queen, ace, ruff. (Hamman played the queen to find out more about the heart layout.) Then declarer surprisingly attacked spades immediately, leading his nine. When East covered with his jack, declarer won with dummy's ace and played a trump to his queen. Lauria won with his ace and thought for some time. We could see that if he returned his remaining spade, West would win with the king and give him a spade ruff. But eventually Lauria shifted to the club jack. Declarer called for dummy's queen, drew the missing trump and claimed.

When Lauria saw Hamman's hand, he was clearly not a happy camper.

In the Closed Room, Antonio Sementa (North) chose to go for the ten-trick game in spades. Don't worry about putting an eight-card suit down in the dummy.

Eric Rodwell (West) led his singleton diamond and received a diamond ruff. Then he shifted to a club. Giorgio Duboin (South) won in his hand, cashed the spade ace and played another spade, claiming when both opponents followed.

Plus 550 and minus 420 gave 4 international match points to USA2.

Did you notice that the defense could have also done better against four spades? A club lead can defeat the contract by two tricks. And after ruffing the second diamond, a heart shift to tap the dummy would have been fatal. Don't put an eight-card suit down in the dummy ... unless it does not cost!

On Board 4 North opened two notrump and South had a 2=4=3=4 11-count. Zia used Stayman, then signed off in three notrump. Hamman tried for an endplay that did not work, so he took only nine tricks when he could have taken an overtrick.

Duboin tried for a slam and got his side into an uncomfortable five-club contract on a 4-4 fit. But he guessed everything correctly and brought home an overtrick to give Italy its first IMP.

Italy gained two IMPs for a higher-scoring partscore, then came two flat boards. USA2 won 6 IMPs by making three hearts in the Open Room and three diamonds in the Closed Room. Next came...

Board 9. Dealer North. East-West vul.
	♠ 5 3 ♥ J 5 4 ♦ 9 7 6 5 3 ♣ Q J 7
♠ 10 6 2 ♥ A 10 9 8 6 ♦ K 2 ♣ A 9 3		♠ A Q 9 8 4 ♥ K Q 2 ♦ 4 ♣ K 8 4 2
	♠ K J 7 ♥ 7 3 ♦ A Q J 10 8 ♣ 10 6 5

Hamman pressed the pedal to the metal, which accelerated Lauria into bidding five hearts. (Notice that five diamonds doubled goes down four, minus 800.)

Hamman led the club queen. Versace won with dummy's king, drew trumps ending in his hand, and played a spade to dummy's nine. Zia took the trick and returned a low club. After winning, declarer took another losing spade finesse. Now Zia cashed his diamond ace and his partner's club jack for down two.

In the Closed Room, first Duboin did not overcall, then Rodwell jumped straight to four spades, "protected" by knowing that his partner had at most 15 points.

Duboin found the killing lead: a club. Now declarer had to lose two spades, one diamond and one club.

Plus 200 and minus 100 gave 3 IMPs to USA2.

Three games followed, on which USA2 gained 1 overtrick IMP. Then came the deal of the session.

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

(a) Inquiry
(b) Two top heart honors
(c) A further relay
(d) Minimum
(e) "I wasn't kidding!"

(a) Inquiry
(b) Six hearts, a maximum and fewer than three spades
(c) An artificial slam-try
(d) Last Train
(e) Roman Key Card Blackwood
(f) Three key cards
(g) Asking for the heart queen
(h) "I've not got her, but I wish to be in slam."

Against four hearts, Zia led the diamond six! Declarer won with dummy's ace, drew trumps, then played a diamond to dummy's nine to bring home two overtricks.

Against six hearts, Duboin led a trump. Now declarer was thinking of taking these 12 tricks: one spade, six hearts, three diamonds and two clubs. But there were many other considerations, with definite squeeze possibilities, especially if North had the king and queen of spades.

Taking the diamond suit in isolation, what is the percentage play for three tricks or four tricks?

If you need four tricks, you should play a diamond to the nine. But for three tricks, the best play is to cash dummy's ace, then to cross to hand and play a diamond to the nine. However, here, communications are not great. After drawing trumps, if declarer plays a diamond to the ace, how does he come back to his hand? He could ruff the third club, but that would cost some squeeze chances.

What did Jeff Meckstroth do? After two rounds of hearts, he immediately played a diamond to dummy's nine!

Here, this worked perfectly, but it was also a sensible play because if at the other table South found the spade lead, declarer would have to make the same play.

Also, if the nine had lost and a spade had come back, declarer would have won in the dummy and tried for diamonds 3-3 or the other honor being doubleton. If they were, he was home. If not, he could run trumps, hoping for a simple or double squeeze.

Regardless, USA2 gained 13 IMPs to lead by 24.

Only three IMPs changed hands on the remaining deals, leaving the match score at USA2 ahead by 29 IMPs to 4 or 21-9 in victory points. Round 1 to USA2.