Girls – The Final Countdown With only one match to play this was the standing in the Girls Series: 1. Netherlands 154 2. Austria 153 3. Sweden 140 4. Poland 138 5. Russia 137 Poland could only hope for miracles since Sweden was playing Ireland, who had won only an average of 5 VPs per match to this point, and the Netherlands was expected to achieve, as a minimum, a draw against England. Facing the reigning champions, Austria in the final match was not an easy mission for the Poles, particularly not when they had to take 23, the number of VPs seemingly required just to win the bronze medal. In this article we will follow these three top matches and leave Russia/Germany and Denmark/Italy without any coverage since these teams were not involved in the medal fight. The space in this bulletin is limited, so we apologise if the explanation of some of the auctions is too reduced for your taste. Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.   ♠ 10 6 ♥ 10 4 3 2 ♦ A K Q J 9 7 ♣ Q ♠ 8 7 5 4 2 ♥ 9 8 5 ♦ 6 5 3 ♣ 7 3 ♠ A K J 3 ♥ A K 6 ♦ 8 4 2 ♣ 10 9 6   ♠ Q 9 ♥ Q J 7 ♦ 10 ♣ A K J 8 5 4 2 England v Netherlands West North East South Dekker Roberts Barendregt Morton   1♦ Dble 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣ All Pass       West North East South Macdougall Gelder Whitehead Salm   1♦ Dble 2♣ Pass 2♦ Pass 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♦ Pass 5♣ Pass 5♦ All Pass   Roberts/Morton in the Open Room reached their maximum, three in any minor, and lost just the four obvious tricks; N/S +110. Well done! In the Closed Room van Gelder/Salm had higher views. Sarah Whitehead simply cashed four winners for –100 and 5 IMPs to her team – what a shocking start for the Dutch. Austria v Poland West North East South Ferrer-Lopez Grumm Krawczyk Ad Gogoman   1♥ Dble Rdble Pass 2♦ Pass 3♣ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♠* Pass 4♣* Pass 5♣ Pass 5♦ All Pass   West North East South Assmann Maj An Gogoman Szczepanska   1♦ 1♠ 3♣ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass 5♣ All Pass   Neither the Austrian pair, after a canapé opening, nor the Polish, ditto, had the methods or judgement to stop under game and this match opened with a push. The Irish pair Nicholls/Lomas was our fourth pair out of six to reach the minor game with four easy losers. In fact the Irish won 2 IMPs on this board as the Swedes at the other table were practising in 3NT with three undertricks Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.   ♠ Q ♥ K J 9 8 3 ♦ 9 8 5 ♣ A 6 5 2 ♠ A K 9 4 2 ♥ A 10 7 5 4 ♦ 7 3 ♣ 3 ♠ J 10 8 7 5 3 ♥ Q 6 ♦ A 2 ♣ J 7 4   ♠ 6 ♥ 2 ♦ K Q J 10 6 4 ♣ K Q 10 9 8 England v Netherlands West North East South Dekker Roberts Barendregt Morton       1♦ 1♠ Dble 3♠ 4♣ All Pass       4♠ is cold for E/W. Here Roberts/Morton again did well to steal the contract from a too passive Dutch pair. If my partner could raise me to 3♠, even in a pre-emptive style, sitting West what could possibly stop me from bidding game? England +130 West North East South Macdougall Gelder Whitehead Salm       1♦ 1♠ 2♥ 4♠ Pass Pass Dble All Pass   Marleen van Gelder doubled 4♠ on general values but there were 10 easy tricks and 790 to England. The score was a noteworthy 19-0 to England after three boards. Austria v Poland West North East South Ferrer-Lopez Grumm Krawczyk Ad Gogoman       2NT* 3♣ 5♣ 5♠ All Pass West North East South Assmann Maj An Gogoman Szczepanska       1♣ 1♠ 2♥ 3♠ 4♣ Pass 5♣ All Pass   2NT was for the minors 5-12 HCPs. Iris Grumm put some pressure on East by bidding 5♣. West doesn’t need much for 5♠ to make, so that became Krawczyk’s sensible choice but down one for –100. When the Polish pair in the Closed Room was left to play in 5♣ Austria saw a potential swing coming. West led the ace of spades but when she continued with the king Austria’s hope for a swing was shattered; Poland 7 IMPs. On this board Ireland won their only big swing against Sweden. 5♣ was played at both tables and the Swedish declarer was one down as the Irish cashed their aces in the majors immediately. The defence had to win the ace of diamonds as well for one down and –50. At the other table the Swedish West led the ace of spades and she got the three from her partner, a Lavinthal signal for diamonds. West didn’t want to help the declarer by opening up a new suit, so she continued with another spade, as it was not very likely for South to hold a singleton. That was the case, however, and the spade was for a ruff and a heart discard in hand; Ireland +400 and that was 10 IMPs out of the 17 Ireland gained altogether in the match. Board 4. Dealer West. All Vul.   ♠ J 5 ♥ 6 5 ♦ J 9 8 7 5 4 3 ♣ K 2 ♠ A 10 8 6 4 2 ♥ Q 9 8 ♦ 6 ♣ J 10 5 ♠ Q 9 3 ♥ A K 7 4 3 ♦ K ♣ Q 8 4 3   ♠ K 7 ♥ J 10 2 ♦ A Q 10 2 ♣ A 9 7 6 Austria v Poland West North East South Ferrer-Lopez Grumm Krawczyk Ad Gogoman 2♦* Pass 4♣* Pass 4♥* Pass 4♠ All Pass Seeing these auctions one could expect Austria to strike back here. After a Multi at both tables Anna Gogoman was left to play in 2♠. 3♦ makes for N/S but all vulnerable neither of the Polish players wanted to take any action. Krawczyk’s 4♣ asked her partner to transfer to the major she held. In theory South can lead a low club to the king, win the club continuation and give her partner a club ruff. On a diamond switch South can win to play another club for an uppercut in trumps, which gives the defence five tricks in all. In practise a heart was led and declarer could win to play the ace of spades and a spade to South’s king. Now South amazingly could not find anything more attractive than a heart, thus declarer was able to pitch a diamond from dummy; +620 and a big swing of 10 IMPs to Poland, now in the lead by 17-0. A medal came closer for the Poles! Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.   ♠ Q J 10 3 ♥ K 10 6 ♦ A Q 5 4 ♣ 10 7 ♠ 9 8 6 4 2 ♥ 4 3 2 ♦ K 7 ♣ Q 4 2 ♠ A K 5 ♥ J 5 ♦ 10 9 6 ♣ A J 8 6 5   ♠ 7 ♥ A Q 9 8 7 ♦ J 8 3 2 ♣ K 9 3 England v Netherlands West North East South Dekker Roberts Barendregt Morton   1NT Dble Rdble 2♠ Dble All Pass   West North East South Macdougall Gelder Whitehead Salm   1♦ Pass 1♥ 1♠ Pass 2♣ Pass 2♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass all. That’s an interesting idea. ‘How strong is 1NT?’. ‘2 to 37 HCP’s…’. However, from this board we can tell that they presumably use weak no trump openings. Be that as it may, Miss Rose Barendregt roughly doubled, a move that fell onto solid ground this time. Astrid Dekker flew to her suit. North doubled but two off for –300 was cheap for the Dutch as 4♥ was made in the Closed Room; +620 and the first 7 IMPs for the Netherlands in the match. On Board 9 Austria had their only big swing in the match against Poland. In fact it came due to an immense mistake from one of the Polish players. Otherwise Austria would almost score nothing. They nearly did anyway… Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.   ♠ 10 8 5 3 ♥ 7 5 3 ♦ 10 8 5 2 ♣ Q 2 ♠ 7 2 ♥ 9 ♦ J 7 6 3 ♣ A 10 9 8 6 3 ♠ K Q J 9 ♥ Q 8 6 4 ♦ Q 9 ♣ K 7 5   ♠ A 6 4 ♥ A K J 10 2 ♦ A K 4 ♣ J 4 1♥ is not too high nor too low for N/S. Though, we could expect our girls to have difficulty to stop in time considering the fact that South is holding 20 HCPs. England v Netherlands West North East South Dekker Roberts Barendregt Morton     1NT Dble 3♣ Pass Pass Dble All Pass       West North East South Macdougall Gelder Whitehead Salm     1NT Dble Rdbl Pass 2♣ 2♥ All Pass       Suzanna Morton reopened with a double rather than 3♥, and she had to defeat 3♣ doubled in its place. When the trump suit was split evenly there was no defence; E/W +470. In 2♥, Claudia Salm got a little help from the defence and collected eight tricks; N/S +110 and that was another 11 IMPs to the Dutch. Every swing since Board 3 had gone to the Netherlands, now leading by 52-14, and the gold medals were close by now. Ireland v Sweden West North East South Ireland Sjoberg Ireland S. Rimstedt     1NT Dble 2♠* Pass 3♣ 3♥ All Pass       West North East South C.Rimstedt Nicholls Sivelind Lomas     1♣ Dble 3♣ Pass Pass 3♥ 4♣ Pass Pass 4♥ Pass Pass Dble All Pass The Swedish declarer went two down in 3♥ for –100. At the other table Katarina Lomas all by herself bid up to game and the Swedes were not afraid to double. Out came a spade to the nine and ace. Declarer took her two tops in hearts then exited with a spade. There were only seven tricks for declarer; -500 and that was 9 IMPs to Sweden. As suspected, the Irish girls didn’t have a chance in this match. With six boards to play the match was already over, Sweden leading by 68-12. Would it be silver or bronze for Sweden? Austria v Poland West North East South Ferrer-Lopez Grumm Krawczyk Ad Gogoman     1♣* Dble Pass 1♠ Pass 2♥ All Pass       West North East South Assmann Maj An Gogoman Szczepanska     1♦ Dble Pass 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass       Here we had the second largest swing in the match for Austria – 3 IMPs – as 2♥ went one down and 4♥ three off. Board 17. Dealer North. None Vul.   ♠ K J 9 6 4 3 ♥ Q 8 5 ♦ 6 5 3 2 ♣ - ♠ Q 10 8 ♥ 10 7 4 ♦ A J 9 4 ♣ A K 10 ♠ A 7 2 ♥ K 6 3 2 ♦ K Q 10 ♣ 4 3 2   ♠ 5 ♥ A J 9 ♦ 8 7 ♣ Q J 9 8 7 6 5 England v Netherlands West North East South Dekker Roberts Barendregt Morton   2♠ All Pass   West North East South Macdougall Gelder Whitehead Salm   2♠ Dble 3♣ 3NT All Pass     Elizabeth Roberts opened 2♠, weak, and was left to play there. Losing an extra trick to the defence she was two down for -100. Laura Macdougall won the diamond lead in dummy and started to establish the heart suit by playing a heart to the ten and queen. Back came a diamond and declarer played another heart to South. A spade switch came and North was allowed to win the trick with the nine. Declarer won the diamond switch and cleared the suit. A heart to South’s ace followed and declarer read the position well when she put in the ten on the club the club switch; +400 and 7 IMPs to England. In the match between Sweden and Ireland both declarers went down in 3NT. As the cards lay the game is cold. The Irish declarer got lost somewhere and that was 50 to Sweden. The Swedish declarer got the eight of clubs lead and lost control at trick one when she took the ace instead of the ten. South had contributed with a 3♣ bid in the auction and clearly the Swede expected either the jack or queen to drop from North at trick one, as a consequence of South’s reluctance to lead a top club – but North discarded a diamond. Declarer tried a heart to the king but South won the ace and then played the queen of clubs. The club suit was now established and declarer had to go two down for -100 and that was 2 IMPs to Ireland. Both declarers made 3NT in the match Austria v Poland. A spade was led at both tables and the declarers could win the first trick with the eight in hand. From there they were on the track for +400 and a flat board. The final board was certainly exciting. A lot of IMPs could be exchanged here. For the Netherlands and Sweden the outcome of the last board in their own matches were not especially interesting. The attention therefore was drawn to the match between Austria and Poland. Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.   ♠ 3 ♥ K J 10 5 2 ♦ K Q 8 6 4 ♣ K J ♠ A 9 7 6 ♥ A 8 7 4 ♦ 10 3 ♣ 10 8 2 ♠ K J 10 5 4 ♥ Q 3 ♦ J 9 ♣ Q 9 4 3   ♠ Q 8 2 ♥ 9 6 ♦ A 7 5 2 ♣ A 7 6 5 England v Netherlands West North East South Dekker Roberts Barendregt Morton Pass 1♥ 1♠ Dble 3♠ 4♦ All Pass   West North East South Macdougall Gelder Whitehead Salm Pass 1♥ 1♠ 1NT 2♠ 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♦ Pass 5♦ All Pass       Marleen van Gelder finessed the jack of hearts and so she went down in 5♦. At the other table Elizabeth Roberts made 4♦; +130 and that was 6 inconsiderable IMPs to England. This match had come to its end and the final score was 72-34 IMPs; 23-7 VPs. The gold medals thus went to the talented Dutch girls by a wide margin. Ireland v Sweden West North East South Ireland Sjoberg Ireland S. Rimstedt Pass 1♥ 1♠ 1NT Pass 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 3NT All Pass   West North East South C.Rimstedt Nicholls Sivelind Lomas Pass 1♥ Pass 2NT All Pass       Neither no trump contract was successful since the defence began by cashing five spade tricks. Sweden had achieved an expected win by 82-17 IMPs, or 25-3 converted to VPs. In the match between Austria and Poland the score had moved on to 34-17 in favour of Poland with only one board to go. Austria needed to score 1 IMP(!) on this deal to finish equally with Sweden or 5 IMPs to be sure to finish as the runners-up. Austria v Poland West North East South Ferrer-Lopez Grumm Krawczyk Ad Gogoman Pass 1♥ Pass 1NT Pass 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 5♦ All Pass   West North East South Assmann Maj An Gogoman Szczepanska Pass 1♥ Pass 1NT Pass 2♦ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass       In the Open Room East led a spade, which held the trick. Then came a spade to the queen, ace and Grumm ruffed. She drew the trumps and made her game by playing a heart to the king. Very well done! When Marta Maj got a raise in diamonds from South, it was not likely for her partner to have more than two hearts, nevertheless she was hoping for a heart honour and tried 3♥. Kamila Szczepanska expected a more solid heart suit than was actually the case, so she raised to game. Anna Gogoman led the jack of spades and Ursula Assmann looked at this for a long time then put up the ace. To continue with another spade didn’t seem very attractive, so Assmann switched to a club. Declarer now could give away two heart tricks and make the game; +620 and I IMP to Poland. The defence needed to play on spades instead of the club switch, since declarer now will become short in trumps and go down. That club switch was the tiny difference between silver and bronze for the Austrian girls – but I am sure any of the players will find 5 IMPs they lost on some of the other 179 played boards.

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