Bulgaria vs Poland

Open Round 10

Two of the stronger participants from Eastern Europe had to meet on Wednesday afternoon, so selecting their match for the Vugraph show was a logical move. Bulgaria were doing well, lying on or around the qualifying spots right from the start. Poland however had made a bad start and were standing at somewhere about average. Still, it would be a surprise if they did not qualify; we have seen them coming back strongly during the second week of earlier editions of these Championships.

On Vugraph, Jerry Stamatov and Ivo Karaivanov strated off with three quiet boards (18-20) against Balicki and Zmudzinski. On board 1, the Poles found a good save which netted 3 IMPs, board 2 was another push but then things began to happen.

Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	ª A J 8 2 © J 7 4 ¨ 10 9 7 § A J 8
ª Q 9 6 5 4 3 © Q 5 ¨ 6 4 2 § K 6		ª K 10 7 © 8 3 2 ¨ 8 3 § Q 10 9 7 2
	ª - © A K 10 9 6 ¨ A K Q J 5 § 5 4 3

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Stamatov	Balicki	Karaivanov
			1§
Pass	1NT	Pass	2©
Pass	2ª	Pass	3¨
Pass	3©	Pass	3ª
Pass	4§	Pass	4NT
Pass	5©	Pass	6©
All Pass

On this hand, the Bulgarians reached a perfectly playable slam, but strangely enough failed to make it. Ivo Karaivanov won the spade lead in dummy, shedding a club and cashed the ©A. Then he crossed to the §A to take the heart finesse….one down.

Declarer probably had a blind spot. Having escaped the club lead the best chance looks to play two rounds of trumps and then all the diamonds. This works if trumps are 3-2. It cost the Bulgarians dearly as the slam was not bid at the other table:

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lesniewski	Trendafilov	Martens
			1©
Pass	1ª	Pass	3¨
Pass	4©	All Pass

11 tricks on the lead of the §K (!) but still 11 IMPs to Poland who led 14-0 now.

A few boards later, a slight flaw in the Bulgarian bidding caused another swing to Poland:

Board 6. Dealer East. E/W Vul.
	ª K Q 10 8 6 © A J 9 6 ¨ 9 3 § K 7
ª - © 8 5 ¨ A K 8 7 5 § J 10 6 5 3 2		ª 9 7 5 4 2 © K Q 10 2 ¨ Q 2 § Q 8
	ª A J 3 © 7 4 3 ¨ J 10 6 4 § A 9 4

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Stamatov	Balicki	Karaivanov
		Pass	1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2¨
Pass	2ª	All Pass

Please note the remarkable silence of West who never bothered about showing his minor twosuiter. Bulgaria +110.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lesniewski	Trendafilov	Martens
		Pass	Pass
1¨	1ª	2§	2ª
3§	3ª	Dble	Pass
4§	Pass	4¨	All Pass

Trendafilov had an obvious-looking double of 3ª which looks like going one down. Understandably, Karaivanov did not want to sit it, but the Bulgarians were very lucky to escape the double themselves, as 4¨ went no less than four down, vulnerable. 4§ would have been much better as it needs a trump lead to beat it. Poland had scored another useful 7 IMPs to lead 24-0 now.

Bulgaria hit back on the very next board:

Board 7. Dealer South. All Vul.
	ª A 7 5 4 © J 6 ¨ A Q 5 § A K 10 5
ª Q 9 8 © K Q 9 8 ¨ 10 3 § J 9 7 4		ª J 10 3 2 © 5 3 2 ¨ K J 8 6 4 § 3
	ª K 6 © A 10 7 4 ¨ 9 7 2 § Q 8 6 2

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Stamatov	Balicki	Karaivanov
			Pass
Pass	1§	Pass	1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2©
Pass	2ª	Pass	3§
Pass	3NT	All Pass

When Zmudzinski led the ©K, Ivo Karaivanov had his anxious moments when Zmudzinski followed to the §A with the nine. When he continued with a low club, Adam paid tribute to his play by playing his jack, making the finesse impossible. Bulgaria +600.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lesniewski	Trendafilov	Martens
			Pass
Pass	1§	Pass	1©
Pass	1ª	Pass	1NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Here, Kalin Karaivanov found the fine passive lead of a low club. This exposed the finesse, but that did not matter. Left to his own resources, declarer could not come to nine tricks and Bulgaria had scored their first 12 IMPs.

Apart from one more accident in Bulgarian partscore bidding no further swings were recorded until we came to the last five boards. Yet, one beautiful play by Kalin Karaivanov should be reported here and nominated for the best played hand of the tournament too:

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	ª Q 7 © 7 2 ¨ K 10 9 7 2 § A Q 7 3
ª A 8 3 2 © A K 10 8 4 3 ¨ J 8 § K		ª J 5 © Q 9 ¨ A Q 4 3 § J 9 8 6 5
	ª K 10 9 6 4 © J 6 5 ¨ 6 5 § 10 4 2

This looks a routine game in 3NT, and indeed it was in the Open Room. Poland got +430 when Balicki set up a squeeze possibility first and then decided to take the diamond finesse after all for his 9th trick. As North really had been squeezed, he in fact made an overtrick.

In the Closed Room, Kalin Karaivanov had to cope with a nasty trump lead in 4©. We could see in the Vugraph Auditorium that several declarers had gone down in 4©, but Kalin showed the way. The first trump went to the jack and ace, and the §K was won by North's ace. Another trump came back, won in dummy, and the §J (!) was played, declarer shedding a spade. North won the queen and shifted to the ªQ, ducked all round. Declarer won the spade continuation, drew the last trump and advanced the ¨J. Had North covered this, declarer's next move would have been to play the §9 and thus establish the clubs, but when North did not cover the jack won the trick and the hand was over immediately for a well-earned +420 and…no more than a push. The score stood at 36-16 to Poland when this slam hand arrived:

STAMATOV Jerry, Bulgaria

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
	ª K 7 5 © J 8 5 ¨ 9 8 6 2 § 9 8 7
ª A © A Q 7 ¨ K Q J 10 4 3 § A J 6		ª J 10 9 8 6 © K 9 3 ¨ A 7 5 § 4 3
	ª Q 4 3 2 © 10 6 4 2 ¨ - § K Q 10 5 2

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Stamatov	Balicki	Karaivanov
1§	Pass	1ª	2§
2¨	Pass	3¨	Pass
3©	Pass	3ª	Pass
3NT	All Pass

Here it looks as if there was no way for East to convey the possession of two red key cards to his partner. West, for that matter, might have made one more try as well. With both players holding something inn reserve, it was no wonder that the slam was missed. Poland +690.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lesniewski	Trendafilov	Martens
1§	Pass	1©	Pass
3¨	Pass	3©	Pass
3NT	Pass	4¨	Pass
4©	Pass	5¨	Pass
6¨	All Pass

Strong Club and jump rebid made things easy. East could cuebid straight away and when he did, the problems were over. Well done, +1370 to Bulgaria and 12 IMPs back.

And:

Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª 8 7 6 5 2 © 2 ¨ 10 5 2 § K Q 10 7
ª A 10 4 3 © Q 9 6 4 3 ¨ Q 8 7 § 4		ª Q J © A K 7 5 ¨ A J 6 § A 6 5 3
	ª K 9 © J 10 8 ¨ K 9 4 3 § J 9 8 2

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Stamatov	Balicki	Karaivanov
	Pass	1§	Pass
1©	Pass	2¨	Pass
2NT	Pass	3©	Pass
3ª	Pass	4§	Pass
4©	All Pass

It was difficult for Zmudzinski to find any forward-going action over 4§, even more so in view of his previous bid of 3ª, but the singleton club made the slam a good proposition from the West hand. Please note that played from the East position the slam is over 90%. Poland +480.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lesniewski	Trendafilov	Martens
	Pass	1§	Pass
1¨	Pass	1©	Pass
2NT	Pass	6©	All Pass

Here, the Bulgarians chose a less scientific road when West could show a limit hand with good trumps. As a result, they managed to reach the top spot: 6© by East. Well done had it been a bidding contest and quite effective here to gain another 11 IMPs and take the lead in the match: 39-36.

On the penultimate board we saw another misplay, this time by a Polish declarer.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
	ª 7 © 9 8 ¨ A 10 9 8 § A Q 10 9 7 4
ª K Q 8 4 © 5 4 ¨ Q J 7 5 3 § 5 3		ª A 10 9 © A 10 7 6 3 ¨ K 4 2 § J 2
	ª J 6 5 3 2 © K Q J 2 ¨ 6 § K 8 6

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Zmudzinski	Stamatov	Balicki	Karaivanov
			Pass
Pass	3§	All Pass

This time, the 3rd seat preempt was mistimed as it hit partner with a passed, but very well-fitting hand. Eleven easy tricks, Bulgaria +150.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Karaivanov	Lesniewski	Trendafilov	Martens
			Pass
Pass	2§	Pass	2¨
Pass	3§	Pass	3¨
Dble	3ª	Pass	5§
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

The Polish approach of treating the North hand as a serious opening bid worked much better on this layout and game was duly reached and doubled. West led a heart to the ace and East cashed the ªA before switching to the ¨K. Lesniewski won and cashed the ©K. He now played on hearts, but West ruffed and was overruffed. Had Lesniewski drawn one round of trumps now the position would have been clarified, but he ruffed a diamond instead and led another top heart, ruffed and overruffed. Another diamond was ruffed and a spade ruffed in hand, followed by the last diamond ruffed with the king in dummy. At this point, declarer could only get back to his hand by means of a spade ruff, so he could no longer avoid the promotion of the §J into the setting trick.

This hand is a perfect example of how difficult it is to find a winning line of play in doubled contracts when you first of all have to find out why you got doubled. Full marks to Trendafilov who conjured up this swing out of very thin air to salvage his team. The final score now became 46-36 or 17-13 V.P. to Bulgaria, whereas Poland would have won 16-14 had Lesniewski made his contract, undoubled or doubled.