With 32 boards to play in the final of the Open Teams, the French squad led by Paul Chemla trailed the Kalish team of Israel by 23 IMPs. That is not an especially large margin with so many boards to be played. In fact, the French had their opportunities to gain ground, but it was not to be. When the second set was over, Kalish had extended their lead.

This deal early in the match was typical of the missed opportunities by the French, who played Michel Abecassis and Philippe Soulet in the open room against Ilan and Ophir Herbst, while Chemla and Philippe Cronier opposed Doron and Israel Yadlin at the other table.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
	ª K Q 10 © K 10 4 3 ¨ 7 6 5 § K Q 3
ª 2 © J 7 6 5 ¨ K 9 8 3 § J 9 7 6		ª 9 6 4 3 © A 9 8 ¨ A 10 4 2 § A 5
	ª A J 8 7 5 © Q 2 ¨ Q J § 10 8 4 2

West	North	East	South
D. Yadlin	Cronier	I. Yadlin	Chemla
Pass	1§	Dble	2ª
All Pass

The Israelis had no chance to defeat 2ª, and they let a trick get away to allow declarer to make nine tricks for plus 140. In the other room, Abecassis and Soulet put themselves in a position for a gain.

West	North	East	South
Abecassis	O. Herbst	Soulet	I. Herbst
Pass	1§	Dble	1ª
2©	2ª	Pass	Pass
3¨	Pass	Pass	3ª
All Pass

Abescassis started with the ª2, taken in dummy. South led a low heart from the dummy at trick two, and Soulet rose with the ace to play the ¨A and a diamond to his partner’s king. Declarer ruffed the third round of diamonds, cashed the ©Q and played a club to dummy’s queen. At this point, Soulet needed to win the §A and return the suit, breaking up the impending heart-club squeeze against his partner. Instead, Soulet ducked. Herbst cashed the ©K, pitching a club, then cashed a high spade in dummy. When West discarded, Herbst took another look at the contract.

East’s hand could easily be counted to a 4-3-4-2 pattern, and Herbst was not fooled at all by Soutlet’s duck. Soulet would hardly have made a takeout double with only two aces. Declarer’s next move, therefore, was to call the §3 from dummy. Soulet’s §A beat air and Herbst was home with his contract and a well-earned push.

France finally earned a small swing thanks to an accident by the Yadlins in the closed room.

Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul.
	ª K 7 5 © A 6 5 ¨ Q 9 4 § K J 5 4
ª A Q J 8 © 8 7 4 2 ¨ 8 § 10 8 6 2		ª 10 6 4 3 © K J 10 ¨ A K 7 5 3 § 9
	ª 9 2 © Q 9 3 ¨ J 10 6 2 § A Q 7 3

West	North	East	South
D. Yadlin	Cronier	I. Yadlin	Chemla
Pass	1§	1¨	1NT
Pass	Pass	2§	All Pass

Clearly East meant his cuebid as a takeout. West did not see it that way and a silly contract was reached. The result was plus 150 for the French, who bid expertly in the open room to reach just the right spot.

West	North	East	South
Abecassis	O. Herbst	Soulet	I. Herbst
Pass	1§	1¨	1NT
Pass	Pass	Dble	Pass
2§	Pass	2ª	All Pass

Abecassis and Soulet did very well to locate their eight-card fit. The Herbsts did their best to defeat this contract, but they could not. Ilan led a low spade to the jack and king, and a spade was returned to the queen. Soulet played a heart to his jack and South’s queen, and South underled his §A Q to his partner’s king so he could play another trump. A club was returned, however, ruffed by Soulet. Now the ©10 went to the ace and the third trump was played by North. East finished with plus 110 for a 6-IMP gain for Chemla.

The Israelis had a chance for a huge gain two boards later, but they let the opportunity slip away.

Board 26. Dealer East. All Vul.
	ª A 9 8 5 4 © 9 7 6 ¨ 8 7 2 § Q J
ª Q 7 6 3 © A Q 4 3 2 ¨ K 5 § 7 2		ª 10 2 © 10 5 ¨ Q 10 9 4 3 § A 9 5 3
	ª K J © K J 8 ¨ A J 6 § K 10 8 6 4

West	North	East	South
D. Yadlin	Cronier	I. Yadlin	Chemla
		Pass	1NT
Pass	2©*	Pass	2ª
All Pass

This was a miserable contract. Spades broke badly, East could get a heart ruff with the short spade holding. Chemla could not manage more than six tricks for minus 200.

West	North	East	South
Abecassis	O. Herbst	Soulet	I. Herbst
		Pass	1NT
2§*	Dble	Redbl	Pass
2©	Pass	Pass	3NT
All Pass

2§ showed the majors. Soulet’s redouble told his partner to pick the suit. Abecassis would not have enjoyed playing 2© – he was probably going to be limited to six tricks himself for another plus 200 for the Israelis. Ilan Herbst, however, apparently misinterpreted his partner’s double of 2§, thinking it showed more strength than he actually had.

There was no chance to make the contract on a heart lead, which is what Herbst got. Minus 100 turned out to be a 3-IMP gain.

Near the end of the set, the French had two chances for gains, but their normally flawless declarer play was not in evidence and they lost IMPs instead of gaining them.

Board 29. Dealer North. All Vul.
	ª 10 9 7 © 10 9 7 ¨ K J 8 3 § K 10 6
ª J 8 © A 8 5 3 ¨ Q 6 4 § J 8 7 2		ª A K 6 © K 6 4 ¨ A 9 7 2 § A 9 5
	ª Q 5 4 3 2 © Q J 2 ¨ 10 5 § Q 4 3

West	North	East	South
D. Yadlin	Cronier	I. Yadlin	Chemla
	Pass	1NT	Pass
Pass	Pass

Israel Yadlin did not strain himself after the lead of a low spade to the jack, and he finished with seven tricks for plus 90. The vugraph commentators predicted that Abecassis and Soulet would be in game – and they were correct.

West	North	East	South
Abecassis	O. Herbst	Soulet	I. Herbst
	Pass	1¨	Pass
1©	Pass	2NT	Pass
3NT	All Pass

South also started with a low spade, and Soulet was encouraged to see that the ªJ held at trick one (North played the 10). The problem was which suit to tackle, and how to go about it. You can see that there are possibilities in three suits outside of spades.

Soulet started well by ducking a heart. He won the spade return and played a low diamond to the queen and North’s king. A third round of spades cleared the suit, and Soulet could have made his game by cashing the ¨A, followed by the ©K and a heart to dummy’s ace. After the 13th heart was cashed, declare could lead up to the ¨9. He would have his game with three hearts, three spades, two diamonds and a club.

Instead of cashing the ¨A, however, Soulet played a low diamond from his hand, apparently in the belief that spades were 4-4. South gratefully won the ¨10 and cashed two spade tricks for down one and a 5-IMP gain for Kalish instead of an 11-IMP loss.

The next deal could only be described as an aberration by a top-flight player.

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

West	North	East	South
D. Yadlin	Cronier	I. Yadlin	Chemla
		Pass	Pass
1©	Pass	2©	2ª
4©	4ª	Dble	All Pass

Cronier and Chemla did well to find the profitable 4ª save. Chemla was down only two for minus 300.
The Herbst brothers were not as aggressive in the other room, and Chemla was going to have another small swing. Instead it was a surprising loss.

West	North	East	South
Abecassis	O. Herbst	Soulet	I. Herbst
		Pass	Pass
1©	Pass	2©	2ª
3§	3ª	4¨	Pass
4©	All Pass

North started with the ªA and continued with a spade to South’s queen. South played the §7 through declarer’s hand, and North took the queen with the king to shoot the §10 back to declarer’s ace. As you can see, the contract is unbreakable – as long as declarer can ruff his losing club in dummy, and you can see that he must take care not to ruff with anything but the queen.

Vugraph commentators were calmly predicting plus 420 – until trick four. It was at that moment that Abecassis played a low heart to the queen! Now the contract could not be made. He delayed the inevitable by trying to figure out so way to come up with 10 tricks, but there was no hope. A 3-IMP gain had turned into an 8-IMP loss as the Kalish team moved closer to the championship.