In round ten, Denmark dispatched Italy's hopes of making it into the top three. The Netherlands had a slight hiccup, and Poland suffered a small defeat at the host's hands. Germany proved they were still in it. Tonight and tomorrow sees a clash between Poland and Germany to determine who will be the third dog that might get a chance to run away with the trophy when Denmark and the Netherlands fight it out in the ultimate match.
I am proud to announce that I solved the German puzzle. I was so happy that I nearly bought the whole place a drink. That would have been expensive, as it was 10 to midnight in the busiest night club in town. At that moment, Tom Cornelis started on it, saying it could not be that difficult. At 12:15, he asked for a beer mat and started scribbling. At 12:30 he asked for another beer mat and wrote down all 24 permutations. By 1:10 he had crossed out 17 of those 24 (incidentally including the correct one) and he threw the beer mat away. By 1:30 he left the place with a sad look on his face. I hope I will not be blamed for any poor performance from the Belgian Captain today.
In München, Colin Jackson has also won his fourth consecutive European title. (110 meters hurdles)
French cyclist Laurent Jalabert won the Clasica San Sebastian World Cup cycling race for the second consecutive year.
Belgium's Johan Museeuw maintained his overall lead in the World Cup series.
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Match of the DayGreat Britain - Germany |
 |
For our match of the day we selected one of the teams that are within shot of the leaders.
At half-time Germany had built up a small lead of 12 IMPs.
For the second half, the line-up was:
Open Room
N: Peter Stockdale
S: Tim Prior
E: Nils Bokholt
W:
Andreas Sauter
Closed Room
N: Falko Gleichmann
S: André Marx
E: Susan
Stockdale
W: Greg Moss
The first blow came on board 14.
| Deal 14 E/- |
 A Q J
10 5 K 10
3 Q 5 10 7 2 | |
| 9 8 6
2 Q 7 5 8 7 2 Q J 3 |
 |
7 4
3 6 4 2 A K 10 6 4 3 A |
| K A J 9
8 J 9 K 9 8 6 5
4 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Andreas | Peter | Nils | Tim |
| 1 |
2 | ||
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 3 |
| Pass | 3 |
Pass | 4 |
| Pass | 5 |
Pass | 5 |
| All pass |
When Peter went on after the discouraging 3, the British stranded in a hopeless contract, 3
down.
| West | North | East | South |
| Greg | Falko | Susan | André |
| 1NT | Pass | ||
| Pass | 2 |
Dble | 2 |
| 2 |
All Pass |
10 tricks when declarer found the Q and hearts 3-3. 8 IMPs to Germany.
| Deal 15 S/NS |
8
6 A 7 5 3
2 A 8 4 2 3 2 | |
| Q J 10
7 Q J 6 K 9 A 10 9 6 |
|
K 4 3
2 10 4 J 3 K J 8 7 4 |
| A 9 5 K
9 8 Q 10 7 6
5 Q
5 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Andreas | Peter | Nils | Tim |
| Pass | |||
| 1NT | All Pass |
Lead 3 to the King and
the 9 back with North
putting the two. On the next trick when in with the A Tim could have made life very difficult to
declarer by playing a diamond. Declarer then has to guess right to avoid going 4
down. But a heart came back and finally West ended up with 8 tricks.
| West | North | East | South |
| Greg | Falko | Susan | André |
| 1NT | |||
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 2 |
| All pass |
In the open room South's opening pass allowed West to open 1NT silencing the opponents. Here South opened and East/West kept quiet. André made the contract. 6 IMPs to Germany.
| Deal 16 W/EW |
K
7 J 5 4 A Q 10 6 5 2 7 5 | |
| A J 9
6 4 2 A 8
7 K J 9 4 |
|
- Q 9 7 6
2 K J 4 3 Q 8 6 3 |
| Q 10 8 5 3 K 10 3 9
8 A 10
2 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Andreas | Peter | Nils | Tim |
| 1 |
3 |
Pass | Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 3NT | All Pass |
West reopened with 3,
logical it seems, but this way he disappointed his partner who was waiting in
the bushes to catch North in 3 doubled. The defence played well until the end when they gave a trick
away, 1 down. In the closed room West played 2 going 2 down due to the awful trump opposition. 3
IMPs to Germany.
| Deal 18 E/NS |
Q J 8
5 J 8 4 A 9 7 4 Q 3 | |
| 9
K Q 9 5 K Q J 8 10 6 5 4 |
|
A 10
3 A 10 7 6
3 10 5 9 8 2 |
| K 7 6 4 2 2 6 3
2 A K J
7 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Andreas | Peter | Nils | Tim |
| Pass | 1 | ||
| Dble | 2NT | 3 |
3 |
| 4 |
4 |
All Pass |
2NT = raise to 3 or
better
K ducked, Q for the Ace. Clubs for 2 diamond discards
but East ruffed, A and the
trump ace sealed the fate of the contract. If declarer plays a spade instead of
clubs East has to underlead his A to reach partner for the fatal diamond trick.
| West | North | East | South |
| Greg | Falko | Susan | André |
| Pass | 1 | ||
| Dbl | 3 |
4 |
4 |
| Pass | Pass | Dble | All Pass |
The same lead was taken by the Ace. To duck as in the open room seems better
but look what happened: trump queen to the ace, diamond to the jack, K and … hearts. Just made. Yet
another 13 IMPs to Germany.
| Deal 22 E/EW |
10 8 7
4 K J 6 2 J 10 8 7 10 | |
| A K 9
10 A Q 6 5 3 Q 9 8 7 |
|
Q
2 Q 5 3 9 4 A K J 6 3 2 |
| J 6 5 3
A 9 8 7 4 K
2 5
4 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Andreas | Peter | Nils | Tim |
| 1 |
1 | ||
| Dbl | 3 |
Pass | Pass |
| 4 |
Dbl | 5 |
Pass |
| 6 |
All Pass |
In the open room West took the initiative himself, knowing by the bidding
that his partner had few values in hearts and long clubs. Well bid and 12 tricks
in spite of the nice 2 lead.
Nils took the Ace and discarded his second diamond on spades. Tim shook his head
with a smile, no headlines for him.
2 
| West | North | East | South |
| Greg | Falko | Susan | André |
| 1NT | Pass | ||
| 2NT | Pass | 3 |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 4 |
Pass |
| 4 |
Pass | 4 |
Pass |
| 4 |
Pass | 5 |
All Pass |
In the other room West tried to show his big force. 2NT = minors, 3 = singleton, 4 and 4 being cues. But Susan did not go on. Another
deserved 13 IMPs to Germany.
| Deal 24 W/- |
K 9 8 6
5 2 A 6 5 Q 8 7 6 | |
| Q 10
9 5 4 K Q 10 6 4 J 10 4 |
|
J K 10 8 7
2 J 3 2 A K 5 3 |
| A 7 4 3
Q J 3 A 9 8
7 9
2 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Andreas | Peter | Nils | Tim |
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 2NT |
| Pass | 3 |
Pass | 4 |
| All Pass |
3 meant that the opening
suit was of bad quality. Declarer lost the obvious 3 tricks, just made.
| West | North | East | South |
| Greg | Falko | Susan | André |
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 2 |
| Pass | 2 |
Dbl | 3 |
| Pass | 4 |
All Pass |
North/South let East/West in and did not insist after the 4 bid. 4 down. So Great Britain scored a
well deserved 6 IMPs to save the teams' honour.
The result of the second half was 6-45 and the final result 6-24 so Germany keep their place in the race for gold.
See how Milan Deljanin solved a tricky problem yesterday:
| Deal 20 W/= |
A 10 9
6 3 Q J 5
2 A 5 3 Q | |
| Q 8 4
10 8 3 Q 7 4 J 10 5 3 |
|
K J 7
5 A K 9 J 8 6 8 4 2 |
| 2 7 6
4 K 10 9 2 A K 9 7
6 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | 1(11+) |
Pass | 1NT(9-11) |
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 3 |
| Pass | 3 |
Pass | 3NT |
| All Pass |
Milan received the welcome lead of the 4. Still, that left him with a maximum of 8
tricks. So he tried the following. He did not cash the fourth diamond, which
would enable defenders to signal, and deliberately killed his communication by
playing a club to the queen at trick four. Next he played the 3 from dummy.
Can we blame East for going in with the King and returning a spade?
Maybe we can, but then again:
Lauri (nicknamed "Lavrenti Bedereria" after the infamous KGB boss) proved his other nickname "Vitt" by licking bubbling Witt whenever possible.
Leo lost his confidence and all playing skills with it, when at the beginning of the tournament he met an opponent at the bridge table, who farted louder and much more often than he. At the moment he is thinking about quitting at bridge and starting his career as a basketball professional. Only some training needed.
Aivar´s main problem is drinking before, during and after the match, and much more than he could possibly carry. One tournament director here tried to stop it during a match and took his bottle away - he just went and took another 1.5 liter container. Hopeless case.
As Jaanus is already almost dead due to his high age, everybody can hear how he and Aivar are shouting at each other between matches. Currently he is occupied as basketball trainer of Leo.
Finally, we naturally thank the same general sponsor of our team as the last year.
Leo Lasota - Known for his (insane) judgement and (suicidal) creativity at the bridge table, Leo specialises in creating action and manufacturing swings at the table. He is also the person to talk to if you want to ask "who bid 3 diamonds?" as so many people already have. Leo majors in economics at the University of Maryland, and is coming off a very successful North American Bridge Championship, in which he won an event which seems designed just for him: the fast pairs
Sam Hirschman - Sam, also known as Mr Clean, 
gets everyone's sympathy for having to
figure out what Leo is up to at the table. He is planning on becoming an
expatriate given how much time he spends with the British team. Sam recently
graduated from the University of Michigan, and is now a science teacher. As the
USA's most experienced player in international competition, we all look up to
him for guidance and advice (or at least when Eugene can't figure out the answer
to something and we can't find Bob.)
Joshua Donn - Josh, also known as the Brad Pitt of junior bridge in America, has fast become known around Belgium for his stunning good looks, intelligence, superior basketball skills, and large muscular build. In case any gorgeous rich girls are reading this, my phone number is (315) 445-2324, and I enjoy long walks on the beach and romantic candlelight dinners. Josh majors in math and economics at the University of Rochester, and has shown that he is not scared to do whatever he thinks is right at the bridge table, no matter how foolish it may end up making him look (as proven by the recent article "Attempted Brilliance costs 7 tricks.") I still contend it was only 2 tricks.
Eugene Hung - Eugene is our team's requisite genius on everything. We included him on the team so that we wouldn't have to bring a dictionary, encyclopaedia, atlas, almanac, recipe book, or mosquito swatter. There is a rumour going around that he even knows more than our beloved coach, although personally I don't believe it (are you reading this Bob??). Eugene is nearly finished pursuing his doctorate in computer science at the University of California at San Diego.
Marc Glickman - Marc, of lucky hat fame, is our youngest player. This is the first time his father has let him leave the house alone, so he is taking full advantage of the experience by staying in his room and reading (when not being included in the daily bulletin for his stellar declarer play). Through a fluke in the admissions office Marc got into Yale University, and he is fast becoming an excellent player.
Jason Feldman - The US team´s best looking player (behind me of course), Jason has already sampled many of the finer delights of Bruges, through going out with one of the cute front desk employees. Their third date is planned during the USA team's bye and our team is taking bets on when she will be taking her first vacation to the United States. Jason recently graduated from the Claremont Colleges in California specialising in math and economics, and doesn't know what he will be doing next.
Bob Rosen (and Andy O'Grady) - Bob Rosen is the glue that holds the US team together. Without him we would all be whining at each other on a regular basis. His most famous accomplishment is having been George Washington's regular bridge partner for nearly a decade. He is usually seen with his sidekick and current bridge partner, Andy O'Grady. His vast experience as a coach for US teams in international tournaments has been on display as he even got me to admit that I was wrong on at least 2 separate occasions. He claims to have invented the most popular version of the drury convention, and we feel that he may also have invented the cotton gin.
That same evening, the Germans were discussing another problem. I must say that I was able to solve that one at the spot, and I have just found proof that my solution is right.
You are hanging a cube from one of its corners and you dunk this into a liquid. When half the cube's volume is submerged, what is the shape on the liquid's surface?
(this hand is also featured in the match of the day)
| Deal 22 E/EW |
10 8 7
4 K J 6 2 J 10 8 7 10 | |
| A K 9
10 A Q 6 5 3 Q 9 8 7 |
|
Q
2 Q 5 3 9 4 A K J 6 3 2 |
| J 6 5 3
A 9 8 7 4 K
2 5
4 | ||
| West | North | East | South |
| Anders | - | Kasper | - |
| 2 |
Pass | ||
| 2 |
Pass | 3 |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 3 |
Pass |
| 3 |
Pass | 4 |
Pass |
| 4 |
Pass | 4 |
Pass |
| 4 |
Pass | 4NT | Pass |
| 5 |
All Pass |
Your editor is meanwhile becoming somewhat of a beginner at explaining Anders' and Kasper's bidding.
I believe Anders was asking questions, and Kasper replied, in succession: 6 cards in clubs; a 322 residue; 3 cards in hearts; 1 ace; and 1 king. (it's easy if you are looking at the hand, actually)
Now look at it from Anders's side: If partner has the ace and king of clubs, there is one certain loser (hearts) and six clubs is made on the diamond finesse. If the ace is in hearts, or the king in diamonds, the same is true, but if the king is in hearts, there are potentially two finesses to take, so this brings the average chance for the contract under 50%. I don't know if it is possible for East to be missing both top club honours, in which case the slam is impossible.
Partner must also have a few more queens and/or jacks, but I cannot really
calculate the odds of this being the Q and consequently how much this brings the average over 50%.
Anyway, Anders followed a rule I have frequently stated:
Anders knows the probability of making six clubs are at best slightly above 50%, other players will have to guess at this.
I believe he was correct in not bidding the slam.
in Niort, France
(2 hrs from Paris by TGV)
Triathlon (individual, pairs, teams)
45 EUR per person, including room and board
Numerous prizes and gifts to all participants.
Contacts :