England - Egypt (D'Orsi Seniors Bowl Quarterfinal 6)

by Mark Horton

It seemed somehow appropriate that after watching the thrilling D’Orsi Senior Bowl semi-final between England and Egypt that when I turned on the TV the movie showing was The Return of the Mummy.

The modern Mummy franchise was based on the classic 1932 horror film from Universal Studios directed by Karl Freund and starring Boris Karloff as a revived ancient Egyptian priest. The three new films ressurect several characters from the original movie, including an Ancient Egyptian priest called Imhotep, his lover, Princess Ankh-es-en-amon and Ardath Bey, a leader of the Medjai.

Imhotep engages an affair with Anck-su-Namun, the mistress of Pharaoh Seti I. Imhotep himself is forced to endure the curse of Hom Dai: his tongue is cut out and he is buried alive with a swarm of flesh-eating scarabs. The ritual grants eternal life, forcing Imhotep to endure the agony of his wounds for all time (not much of a deal in my opinion). He is buried under high security, sealed away in a sarcophagus below a statue of the Egyptian god Anubis, and kept under strict surveillance by the Medjai, descendants of Seti's palace guards.

In the movie, the mummy makes a comeback, only to be thwarted by the three heroes. As Egypt gradually turned the match in their favour, the question was could England find a way to continue their quest for the title?

Egypt made a move on the very first deal:

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

Open Room

North led the ten of diamonds and South won with the king and tried to cash the ace. Declarer ruffed and played a low club. North went in otherwise his honours could be ruffed out, setting up declarer’s eight and switched to a trump, but declarer was in command and quickly claimed ten tricks, ruffing one club and discarding the other on the jack of diamonds, +170.

Closed Room

North led the queen of clubs and when that held he switched to the ten of diamonds, South winning with the king and returning the nine of hearts. When declarer played low North won with the king and returned a heart and now with the spades 4-2 and no squeeze developing declarer had to go one down, -50.

Declarer did have a winning line, albeit a difficult one. He must rise with the ace of hearts, then play to ruff both his losing clubs in dummy. Finally he can pin South’s ten of hearts by playing the queen from hand.

Still, unbiased spectators wanting to see a close match would be happy to see Egypt pick up 6 IMPs.

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

Open Room

3NT was simply too high indeed it would not have been ridiculous for North to have doubled. Declarer ducked the heart lead, won the next one and played a spade to the queen. North won the next trick with the ace of diamonds and set up his heart tricks. Declarer cashed out for two down, -200.

Closed Room

Tell it not in Gath, but South blotted his copy book by failing to lead his partner’s suit. On a low club declarer could take North’s ten with the jack and play on diamonds. The contract was secure indeed declarer might have taken an overtrick, but he was happy enough with +120 and 8 IMPs.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	♠ A 9 4 ♥ 10 5 ♦ K 10 9 8 ♣ 8 6 4 3
♠ Q J 8 3 ♥ A 9 7 ♦ A Q J 4 ♣ 9 7		♠ K 10 7 6 ♥ K J 8 4 3 2 ♦ 6 ♣ A 2
	♠ 5 2 ♥ Q 6 ♦ 7 5 3 2 ♣ K Q J 10 5

Open Room

If you were looking for points then it would not be absurd to stretch to a slam on the East/West cards, and Six Hearts can be made (not Six Spades, provided the defenders lead a club and North covers the queen of diamonds when it is played for a ruffing finesse and then does not take the ace of spades prematurely). However, the four level proved to be problem enough for the Egyptian declarer.

North led the six of clubs and declarer won with dummy’s ace, played a diamond to the ace and ran the queen of diamonds, discarding the losing club from dummy. He is now cold for twelve tricks, but…

He played the jack of spades and when that held continued with a low spade. North went in with the ace and played a club, forcing dummy to ruff. Declarer played a heart to the ace and now played a heart to the jack and queen. Suddenly he was down! South played a diamond and although dummy could ruff that one declarer had to lose a trick to the nine of spades and another to the king of diamonds, -100.

Closed Room

Here North led the ten of hearts and that gave an easy twelve tricks, +680 and 13 English IMPs.

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

Open Room

East led the queen of clubs and West overtook and continued the suit. Declarer ruffed, played a heart to the ten and ruffed another club. Not wanting to play trumps lest East had a stack he played another heart, but now it was possible for West to get a heart ruff, so that was two down, -500.

Closed Room

Once declarer got in he cashed the ace of spades and followed it with the queen, so there was no ruff for the defence. He was one down, -100, but Egypt picked up 9 IMPs.

Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul.
	♠ K J 10 2 ♥ 10 5 2 ♦ K 7 2 ♣ A K Q
♠ 9 6 4 3 ♥ Q ♦ 10 8 6 5 ♣ 10 9 6 2		♠ 8 ♥ A K 8 7 ♦ A Q 9 4 3 ♣ J 7 4
	♠ A Q 7 5 ♥ J 9 6 4 3 ♦ J ♣ 8 5 3

Open Room

2♥ Hearts and a minor
3♣ Pass or correct

South led the jack of diamonds, which served to speed up the play. Declarer won in hand with the queen, crossed to dummy with the queen of hearts and played a diamond to the nine, claiming nine tricks, +110.

Closed Room

2♥ Hearts and a minor

East/West had an accident about the meaning of the Three Club bid. North cashed his top clubs and then the defenders took four spade tricks for three down, -500 and 12 IMPs.

Egypt was very close now and they struck again on the next deal:

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

Open Room

North’s opening bid picked off the suit that East/West could make a game in, but they collected some compensation by doubling One Spade. The defenders started with four rounds of clubs, East pitching his diamonds, ruffing the fourth round and exiting with the eight of spades. Declarer could do nothing and was two down, -300.

Closed Room

When the English pair failed to locate their heart fit they finished in the second best game. North led the three of hearts and declarer won in hand with the queen and played a diamond, North putting up the queen and returning a diamond to the jack.

When declarer came off dummy with a heart South discarded an encouraging three of spades so North took the ace of hearts and continued with the ace of spades and a spade, one down, -100 and 9 lead changing IMPs for Egypt, ahead by 4 IMPs.

Board 28. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	♠ A J 9 8 ♥ A K 10 7 4 3 ♦ 6 ♣ K 9
♠ Q 6 3 ♥ Q J 9 8 ♦ A 10 3 2 ♣ J 6		♠ K 10 7 ♥ 6 5 2 ♦ J 9 7 5 ♣ A 10 8
	♠ 5 4 2 ♥ ♦ K Q 8 4 ♣ Q 7 5 4 3 2

Open Room

1NT Forcing

The North hand is awkward to express, especially after South’s 1NT response.

East led the five of diamonds and West took dummy’s queen with the ace and returned the suit, declarer discarding the nine of spades on dummy’s king. He played a spade to the eight and East’s ten, ruffed the diamond return and played the king of clubs. East does best to duck this, but he won and returned a club. Declarer won with dummy’s queen, ruffed a diamond and played ace of spades and a spade. East won and played a club, ruffed by West with the jack and overruffed by declarer, who exited with the seven of hearts to endplay West. That was one down, -100.

Closed Room

Here too East led a diamond, but after winning West switched to a spade, East winning with the ten and returning the king. With no way to shorten his trumps declarer had to go two down, -200 giving England 3 useful IMPs.

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

Open Room

Although the queen of clubs was kindly disposed, the king of diamonds was not and 2NT had to go two down on the lead of the jack of diamonds, -100.

Closed Room

Two Clubs was a picnic, declarer recording +130 for 6 IMPs that gave England the lead once more, if only by 5 IMPs.

Board 31. Dealer South. None Vul.
	♠ 9 2 ♥ A Q 8 7 5 ♦ 10 8 7 ♣ 10 5 3
♠ A 6 5 ♥ K 6 3 2 ♦ K J 3 2 ♣ 8 4		♠ K Q 10 8 3 ♥ J 10 ♦ Q 5 ♣ A 9 7 2
	♠ J 7 4 ♥ 9 4 ♦ A 9 6 4 ♣ K Q J 6

Open Room

Once West had doubled East was full weight for his jump to game. However, the contract was doomed. Declarer ducked the club lead, won the next round and played a low diamond. South went in with the ace and switched to the nine of hearts, North winning with the queen, cashing the ace and playing a third heart. Declarer ruffed with the queen of spades, but did not divine the trump position by running the ten, so finished two down, -100.

Closed Room

When North led the nine of spades this strange contract on a 4-2 fit was unbeatable. (It takes an initial club lead to hold declarer to seven tricks.) That was +90 and 5 vital IMPs.

On the final deal, England suffered a disaster in the Closed Room, allowing their opponents to play in Two Hearts down five, -250 when they had a stone cold vulnerable game available their way. The Egyptians duly bid that, but +660 was only worth 9 of the 10 IMPs they needed to force extra time.