The partnership of Sabine Auken and Daniela Von Arnim has attracted considerable attention at the 1st European Open Championship because of their play in the Open Teams rather than the Women’s. Their team, led by Klaus Reps, made it to the quarterfinal round, where they faced a strong French squad captained by Paul Chemla. A hotly contested match was expected, but it didn’t work out that way.

Auken and Von Arnim were on vugraph against Chemla and Philippe Cronier. At the other table, Klaus Reps and Bernard Ludewig sat down against Michel Abecassis and Philippe Soulet.

The French team drew blood on the first board.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
	ª K © A K J 10 8 4 ¨ Q § K 10 9 8 3
ª J 8 7 4 3 © - ¨ J 10 8 2 § 7 5 4 2		ª A Q 10 9 2 © 7 6 ¨ A K 7 4 § Q J
	ª 6 5 © Q 9 5 3 2 ¨ 9 6 5 3 § A 6

West	North	East	South
Ludewig	Abecassis	Reps	Soulet
	1©	1ª	4©
4ª	5§	Dble	5©
Pass	Pass	Dble	All Pass

Reps has a great hand, but the auction warned him about the two-suiter to his right. Two tricks were the limit for East-West and 650 was duly recorded for the French.

West	North	East	South
Cronier	Auken	Chemla	Von Arnim
	1§	1ª	Pass
4ª	4NT	Dble	5¨
Pass	5©	Pass	6©
All Pass

Strong club systems can be very powerful and effective, but they are vulnerable on occasion to interference, and this deal is a good illustration. Auken has a terrific hand, but the bidding was at the four level before she got to mention either of her suits. She expressed a two-suiter with 4NT and described a heart-club hand with 5©. There was a lot of pressure on Von Arnim. If she passed and slam was cold, as it might well have been, it would be a loss. Of course, there was always the chance that even if the slam should go down that the defenders might err and let it make. After considerable thought, she bid the slam. Unfortuntately for her side, Chemla possessed both cashing aces and he did not make a mistake (slam was let through at a couple of other tables in the quarterfinal round). Plus 50 was worth 12 IMPs to Chemla.

Another big swing occurred two boards later when the French picked just the right time to play 3NT despite their eight-card heart fit.

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

West	North	East	South
Ludewig	Abecassis	Reps	Soulet
			1©
Pass	1ª	Pass	1NT
Pass	2§	Dble	Pass
2¨	3§	Pass	3NT
All Pass

Ludewig led the §6 and, thanks to the friendly lie of the major suits, Soulet finished with 12 tricks for plus 490.

West	North	East	South
Cronier	Auken	Chemla	Von Arnim
			1©
Pass	1ª	Pass	1NT
Pass	2¨	Pass	2©
Pass	3NT	Pass	4©
All Pass

The German women were briefly in the correct spot, but Von Arnim opted for the suit contract, providing a dramatic illustration of how good the judgment of Soulet and Abecassis was in the other room.

The defense was swift and deadly. Cronier led his singleton club, taken by Chemla with the ace. He played his singleton diamond and the crossruff was merciless. The French had six tricks before Von Arnim could get in. That was plus 150 and another 12 IMPs to Chemla.

The Germans struck back on the following board, earning their first swing of the match.

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

West	North	East	South
Ludewig	Abecassis	Reps	Soulet
	Pass	1§*	1¨*
2§	Pass	3§	3©
Pass	Pass	4©	Pass
4ª	Pass	5§	All Pass

1§ was strong and artificial, 1¨ a takeout describing a two-suiter. There were two possibilities for minor-suit games, and good guessing was required for success in either. The record of the play in the closed room was not available, but the Germans did manage plus 400 after the lead of the ©A by South.

West	North	East	South
Cronier	Auken	Chemla	Von Arnim
		1¨	2¨
Dble	Pass	Pass	3©
4§	4©	4ª	Dble
Pass	Pass	Redbl	Pass
4NT	Pass	5§	Pass
5¨	All Pass

After the given auction – Von Arnim indicated a hand with a lot of major-suit cards -- it was unlikely that Chemla would guess the winning play in diamonds, and indeed he did not.

Von Arnim boldly underled her ©A K, clearly looking for a club ruff, but Auken could see that if Von Arnim was void in clubs, the defense had a club trick coming anyway. After due consideration, Auken returned a heart. Chemla ruffed cashed his high spades, pitching dummy’s last heart, then played a diamond to the ace and another diamond, putting in the jack and losing to the queen. He still had a club to lose, so that was down one and 10 IMPs to Reps, now back in the match at 27-10.

Two boards later, the match began to get away from Reps.

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

West	North	East	South
Ludewig	Abecassis	Reps	Soulet
			Pass
1©	1ª	2NT	3ª
Pass	4ª	Dble	All Pass

The spade game could have been defeated any number of ways, including the lead of a trump. Ludewig could win and return a club to Reps’ ace for another spade play, and declarer would eventually have to let East in again in hearts or suffer a club ruff for down one. The Germans did not work out the correct defense, however, and Abecassis took 10 tricks for plus 790.

That was a poor result that was made worse by the open room events.

West	North	East	South
Cronier	Auken	Chemla	Von Arnim
			Pass
1©	1ª	Dble	2ª
3©	Dble	4©	All Pass

Von Arnim might have bid more, but, considering that her partner was making a game try and she had four trumps to the queen, she may have fancied her chances on defense. The ªQ went to the singleton ace, and Cronier led a heart from his hand to the 10, king and 5. He played a heart to the 8, then a diamond to the 10. Another heart finesse followed, and Cronier abandoned trumps, playing the ¨Q to Auken’s ace. She gave her partner a diamond ruff, but that was only two tricks and there was only one more to come. Plus 620 at one table and plus 790 at the other meant 16 IMPs to Chemla.

The French had a 54-25 lead at the halfway point, and the second set did not provide much ammunition for the Germans to make a comeback. Most of the deals were nondescript, and where there were swings, they went to the French. The following deal is a case in point.

Board 23. Dealer South. All Vul.
	ª 9 5 © 3 ¨ A K J 10 8 6 4 § Q 9 5
ª A Q 10 2 © J 5 4 ¨ 5 3 2 § A 4 2		ª J 7 © K 9 6 2 ¨ Q 9 7 § 10 8 6 3
	ª K 8 6 4 3 © A Q 10 8 7 ¨ - § K J 7

West	North	East	South
Ludewig	Abecassis	Reps	Soulet
			1ª
Pass	2¨	Pass	2©
Pass	3¨	All Pass

Excellent bidding by Soulet and Abecassis, putting on the brakes before matters got out of hand. The Germans slipped a trick on defense and Abecassis ended up with 10 tricks for plus 130. Tomasz Gotard and Josef Piekarek, subbing for Reps and Ludewig in the second half, did not do as well in the open room.

West	North	East	South
Cronier	Gotard	Chemla	Piekarek
			1ª
Pass	2¨	Pass	2©
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Piekarek didn’t want to pass, but more bidding would probably have resulted in a doubled contract. 3NT had no chance without a major foul-up in the defense – and that wasn’t going to occur with these two defenders. Chemla started with the §3, which went to the 7, 2 and 9. Gotard took his only chance – that the ¨Q was doubleton – but it was not to be. Chemla won the third round of diamonds and pushed the ªJ through dummy. Cronier could have stuck declarer in dummy with a fourth round of spades to collect a bigger penalty, but he didn’t want to take a chance that declarer had the ©K, so he simply cashed his §A for down one and more IMPs to Chemla, who won the second half 25-16 for a 79-41 victory and a berth in the semifinal round.