2nd European Open Bridge Championships Page 5 Bulletin 3 - Monrday, 20June 2005

Day Two - the Swiss

The table I chose to watch for round 1 was where Meckstroth and Disa Eythorsdottir (Disa from now on, to save margins and trees) were taking on the Gromovs. IMP swings were few and far between – one swing to Gromov on a slam bid by Disa down on a finesse, and one game made by Meckstroth not bid in the other room. This was the other swing in the match:

Deal 1

Dealer North, Love all.
  Q 10 9 8 3
3
J 8 7
8 6 5 2
7 2
A 9 8 7 5 2
A
A J 10 7
Bridge deal 5
K Q 10 4
K Q 10 6 4 3
Q 3
  A K J 6 4
J 6
9 5 2
K 9 4

West North East South
Meckstroth Gromov Disa Gromova
  2 3 4
Dbl All Pass    

West North East South
Zmudzinski Jacobus Szczepanska O'Rourke
    1 1
Dbl. 4 Pass Pass
bl. Pass 5 Pass
All Pass    

Zmudzinski’s double of 1 was based on the fact that they play negative free bids so a call of 2 would not have been forcing. After his second double, Szczepanska’s 5 call marked her with short spades and 6-4 hand pattern so Adam awarded her a sixth heart.
In the other room Disa’s decision to pass 4 might have worked if the minors had been slightly differently divided but not today (I fancy a call of 4NT, planning to correct 5 to 5, myself, to show the 6-4 pattern. That would have also got her side to 6. She led the K and Meckstroth won and switched to the A and another heart. Now Gromov ruffed and drew trumps, then in this ending led a low club up:

  Q 9
---
J 8
8 6 5 2
---
8 7 5 2
---
A J 10 7
Bridge deal ---
K Q
Q 10 6 4
Q 3
  K J 6
---
9 5
K 9 4

When Disa played low, Gromov put in the nine. Meckstroth won his ten and cashed the A to return a club. Gromov now conceded down three; but had he won the K and crossed to hand with a trump to exit with the fourth club, he could have achieved a second endplay to limit his losses to down two. No matter; it was still a 10IMP gain, to give his team a victory by 9IMPs.
Curiously, in the next match that I watched, exactly the same decision came up, namely as to whether to remove a double of 4. Again , the winning action was to bid – and, again, the rewards would have been even great.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
  -
K 5 4 3 2
K 6 3
K 10 8 7 5
K 8 7 5 2
Q 10
J 10 7 5 2
3
Bridge deal A Q 9 4 3
9 8 7 6
9 4
A J
  J 10 6
A J
A Q 8
Q 9 6 4 2

West North East South
Levy Holland Levy Brunner
Pass Pass 1 Pass
Pass 4 Dble All Pass

Anne-Frederique Levy’s decision to pass out 4x meant she only collected +100 with 620 or 1370 available in clubs. It certainly did not meet with her husband’s approval (but when did any action by a wife meet with her husband’s approval?)
Naturally, though, this was actually worth 2 IMPs, since in the other room Bernard Goldenfield let 4 go, rather than doubling. An opportunity missed but Levy still won the match comfortably enough.
In another match Bobby Levin as East for Welland had an even more dangerous position, in a way. He heard the auction go 2 (two-suited) – Pass- 4 - Pass- Pass back to him. He doubled, and now heard his opponents sacrifice in 5 -- doubled and down 300 for a 6 IMP gain against 4 down one in the other room.
The third match saw leaders Popova eke out a narrow victory against Brigada.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
  10 6 3
K 8 4 2
8 7 5 4
5 2
K Q J 9 5 4
-
K 9 6
K Q J 6
Bridge deal A
J 10 9 7 6
A 3 2
A 10 9 7
  8 7 2
A Q 5 3
Q J 10
8 4 3 Khazanov Gunev Lebedeva Popova

West North East South
1 Pass 2 Pass
3 Pass 3NT All Pass

Khazanov was constrained by systemic issues (2 over 2 would not have been forcing – how quaint!) into taking stronger action. But his choice of 3 as opposed to 3 did not thrill his partner. When she signed off in 3NT Khazanov had nothing to add, and Lebedeva chalked up a mournful +690.
In the other room perfection was not attained either but at least reaching a slam with 12 top tricks was managed.

West North East South
Aronov Rubins Zobu Romanovska
1 Pass 2 Pass
Pass 3 Pass
Pass 4 Pass
Pass 5 Pass
All Pass    

Aronov doubtless did not want to bid 5 over 5 having cuebid a second round spade control on the previous round, since that might lead to a Grand Slam off the A. So he settled for the small slam and +1390.
Others, however, did better still, and it was to the credit of the Austrian pair that they managed to reach the Grand Slam after preempting themselves on the first round f their auction.

Wernle Smederevac
1 2
3 3NT 
4 5 
5 5 
7 Pass 

(1) Six controls
The initial control-response marked East with three aces, but t was not immediately clear which they were. However, Jovanka Smederevac made the first good decision for her side when she concealed her hearts over 3 to save space. When Sascha Wernle heard his partner deny a heart control by bidding 5 over 5 he did not stand upon the order of his going, but went at once to the Grand Slam. Nicely done!



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