Going into the second of three sets, the Mixed Teams final match between USA’s Welland and Sweden’s Bertheau was close, with the Americans ahead 33-24. Welland blew the match open with a 56-4 second set, settling the issue for all practical purposes.

It got even worse for Sweden in the third segment, and the Americans were champions with a 139-42 triumph.
The winners are Roy Welland, Christal Henner-Welland, Michael Rosenberg, Debbie Rosenberg, Robert Levin and Jill Levin.

The silver medallists are Katherine Bertheau, Fredrik Nystrom, Magnus Magnusson and Katarina Midskog.
Bertheau gained an overtrick IMP on the first deal of the second set, and the teams pushed the second board. Things went bad for the Swedes on Board 3.

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

West	North	East	South
R. Levin	Nystrom	Henner-W.	Bertheau
			1¨
1©	1ª	4©	Pass
Pass	4ª	All Pass

Henner-Welland led a heart to the ace, as Nystrom pitched a club from hand. He ran the ª9 to East’s queen, and she defended well by playing the §A and another club. Nystrom won the §K and finessed again in spades. The ªJ held, but the 4-2 break was too much to overcome, and Nystrom had to lose another spade and another club for minus 50.

At the other table, Michael Rosenberg handled the competition much more nimbly.

West	North	East	South
Magnusson	Michael R.	Midskog	Debbie R.
			1¨
1©	1ª	4©	Pass
Pass	4NT	Pass	5¨
All Pass

With support for everything but hearts, Michael gave his partner a choice, and Debbie naturally picked her six-card suit. A heart went to the queen and ace and Debbie played a spade to dummy’s jack. In with the ªQ, Midskog played the §A and another club, but Debbie won the king and ran the ª9, she then played a diamond to the jack, claiming. She would ruff a low spade and pick up trumps ending in dummy, where the two good spades would take care of her losing heart and club. That was plus 400 and 10 IMPs to Welland.

Bertheau earned a 3-IMP swing on the next deal, but Debbie Rosenberg played expertly to land a notrump game that went down at the other table.

Board 21. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
	ª J 9 4 2 © 8 4 3 ¨ Q 3 § A K Q 7
ª 10 6 © K J 9 5 ¨ 10 7 5 2 § J 6 3		ª Q 7 5 3 © A Q 10 ¨ J 4 § 10 9 8 2
	ª A K 8 © 7 6 2 ¨ A K 9 8 6 § 5 4

West	North	East	South
R. Levin	Nystrom	Henner-W.	Bertheau
	1¨	Pass	2¨
Pass	2NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

North-South play a strong club system, so North had to open 1¨ on his doubleton.

Henner-Welland started with the §10, which went to Nystrom’s ace. He immediately went after diamonds, but when that suit didn’t break, he tried for some luck in spades, cashing dummy’s top spades. When the ªQ failed to drop, Nystrom cashed his clubs and conceded one down.

At the other table, Debbie Rosenberg was declarer as South.

West	North	East	South
Magnusson	Michael R.	Midskog	Debbie R.
	Pass	Pass	1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2¨
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Magnusson had a natural heart lead, and the defenders took the first four tricks in that suit, declarer pitching a spade from dummy and a diamond from her hand on the fourth round of hearts. East pitched the ª7. Magnusson got out with a low club to dummy’s ace, and Rosenberg executed a Vienna coup by cashing the ªA K before playing on diamonds. With the third round of diamonds to be played, East was down to ªQ and §10 9 8, dummy had the ªJ and the §K Q 7, Rosenberg the ª8, the §4 and the ¨K 9. When Debbie played the ¨K and discarded dummy’s ªJ, East had no answer. She played the ªQ and Debbie claimed with the good ª8 and dummy’s two clubs. Plus 600 was good for another 12 IMPs. The Americans’ lead had grown to 56-28.

On the next six deals, only 1 IMP changed hands (to Welland), but near the end, Bertheau lost 31 IMPs on three boards, starting with number 28.

Board 28. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
	ª A K Q 10 8 4 © A K 9 ¨ 2 § 7 4 3
ª J 6 3 © J 7 6 3 2 ¨ 7 5 § A J 8		ª 7 2 © 10 8 4 ¨ A Q J 9 6 § K 9 6
	ª 9 5 © Q 5 ¨ K 10 8 4 3 § Q 10 5 2

West	North	East	South
Magnusson	Michael R.	Midskog	Debbie R.
Pass	1ª	2¨	Pass
Pass	3¨	Pass	4ª
All Pass

Midskog started with a low spade, and Michael Rosenberg pulled trumps in three rounds before playing his singleton diamond toward dummy. Midskog rose with the ace, getting out with a heart, and Rosenberg was home. He discarded one of his losing clubs on the ¨K and finished with 10 tricks for plus 620.

West	North	East	South
R. Levin	Nystrom	Henner-W.	Bertheau
Pass	1ª	2¨	Pass
Pass	3ª	Pass	4ª
All Pass

Henner-Welland started with the ©4, to the 5, jack and ace. Nystrom immediately played his singleton diamond and Henner-Welland was in with the ace. She made no mistake on her return, putting the §6 on the table. The defenders quickly had three club tricks for plus 100 and another 12 IMPs for Welland.

Another 9 IMPs went to Welland when Nystrom went one off in 2ª while Magnusson was three down for minus 300 in 2©. The next deal provided more evidence that it just wasn’t the Bertheau team’s day.

Board 30. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª 7 6 5 2 © J ¨ Q J 10 9 6 § K 9 8
ª A J 10 8 4 © 9 5 4 ¨ 7 3 2 § A 4		ª - © Q 7 6 3 2 ¨ A K 4 § Q 7 5 3 2
	ª K Q 9 3 © A K 10 8 ¨ 8 5 § J 10 6

West	North	East	South
Magnusson	Michael R.	Midskog	Debbie R.
		1©	Pass
2©	Pass	4©	All Pass

The 2© bid was described as 8-11. Midskog no doubt was hoping for some of those high cards to be in the heart suit instead of wasted in the spade suit. The only positive aspect of this deal for Midskog was that she wasn’t doubled. As it was, she was three down for minus 150.
It wasn’t pretty at the other table either.

West	North	East	South
R. Levin	Nystrom	Henner-W.	Bertheau
		1©	1ª
2©	3ª	Pass	Pass
Dble	All Pass

Robert Levin’s dreams came true on this one as Nystrom made a weak jump raise after his partner’s four-card overcall. Levin applied the hammer and led the ©9. Henner-Welland covered the ©J with the queen, and Bertheau had four heart winners. She was able to cash two more of them, discarding clubs from dummy. On the ©8, Levin ruffed in with the ª8, getting out with a low diamond. Henner-Welland took her two winners in that suit and played the 13th heart. Bertheau pitched a club, Levin a diamond and dummy ruffed. Levin ducked when declarer played a spade to the king, and South ruffed a club, but there was no way to prevent Levin from making three more trump tricks. That was plus 300 and another 10 IMPs to Welland.
One of the more interesting deals of the set turned out to be a push.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª A Q 7 6 © Q 7 3 ¨ K 4 § A K 3 2
ª 5 4 © A 10 9 8 ¨ A 10 6 3 § Q 10 6		ª J 10 9 8 3 © 6 5 ¨ Q 9 7 § J 9 4
	ª K 2 © K J 4 2 ¨ J 8 5 2 § 8 7 5

West	North	East	South
R. Levin	Nystrom	Henner-W.	Bertheau
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1§	Pass	1©
Pass	1NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

East started with the ªJ, which ran to declarer’s queen. Nystrom played a heart to the dummy’s jack, ducked by Levin. From this point, Nystrom could always make the contract by simply playing a heart to his queen and three rounds of clubs. No matter which opponent won, declarer would be able to enter dummy and lead up to the ¨K for trick number nine.

As it was, Nystrom played a heart from dummy at trick three, winning the queen, and played a third round. Levin won the ©10 and ©A as Henner-Welland discarded two clubs. At this point, Levin could have defeated the contract by switching to a diamond, the ace or a low one would have done. Instead, he played a spade to the king, and declarer ducked a club to East’s now-singleton jack. Henner-Welland exited with a spade to declarer’s ace and, when Nystrom cashed three rounds of clubs, Henner-Welland discarded down to the singleton ¨Q. Nystrom then played the ¨K, making the jack for his ninth trick.

West	North	East	South
Magnusson	Michael R.	Midskog	Debbie R.
		Pass	Pass
Pass	1§	Pass	1©
Pass	2NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

The opening lead was the same, and Michael Rosenberg won with the ace in hand. He played a heart to dummy’s jack at trick two. Magnusson won the ©A and continued with a low diamond, keeping the defense on track to defeat the contract. Rosenberg played low and Midskog won the queen, but there was only one card in her hand at that point that would assure the defeat of 3NT – the ©6. Rosenberg could win in hand, but if he played the ¨K to establish a trick in that suit. West could win and establish a second heart trick to go with two diamond tricks, with a club trick to come. If he ducked a club, West could win and get the second heart trick going while still holding the ¨A.

Playing on the suit that declarer has attacked right away is a tough one, and Midskog made the seemingly normal return of the ¨9, ducked by Magnusson to Rosenberg’s king. Reading the layout accurately, Rosenberg then played a spade to dummy’s king, a club to his ace and the ªQ. This was the end position:

	ª Q 7 © Q 7 ¨ --- § K 3 2
ª -- © 10 9 8 ¨ A 10 § Q 10		ª 10 9 8 © 6 ¨ 7 § J 9
	ª --- © K 4 2 ¨ J 8 § 8 7

On the play of the ªQ, Rosenberg discarded a low club from dummy – and West was in trouble. If Magnusson discarded a club, Rosenberg could cash the §K then follow with the ©Q and a heart to the king, getting off dummy with a heart to West, who would have to surrender the ninth trick to dummy’s ¨J. A heart discard, of course, was out of the question because it would give Rosenberg three tricks in that suit.

After some thought, Magnusson pitched his ¨10. Rosenberg played a heart to dummy’s king and a low club, planning to duck if Magnusson put up the queen. When Magnusson followed low, Rosenberg played the §K and a third round. Magnusson was in and could cash the ¨A, but Rosenberg had the rest.

It was a well-played deal in a well-played set by a team clearly in championship form.