Well bid! by Jos Jacobs On the first day of these Championships, my attention was twice drawn to good and successful bidding sequences. This was the first: Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.   ♠ 8 7 4 3 ♥ 7 6 5 ♦ 10 7 2 ♣ 10 8 6 ♠ A K J 2 ♥ Q 4 ♦ K 9 8 4 ♣ A 9 2 ♠ Q 9 5 ♥ A J 9 8 3 2 ♦ A 5 3 ♣ K   ♠ 10 6 ♥ K 10 ♦ Q J 6 ♣ Q J 7 5 4 3 West North East South Duboin Goldenfield Lavazza Goldenfield   Pass 1♥ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass 2NT Pass 3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass 4♠ Pass 4NT Pass 5♦ Pass 6NT All Pass     The bidding was mostly natural, with 2NT being a game-forcing relay. When the spade fit came into the picture, Duboin knew what to do. He checked key-cards with 4♣, Lavazza showing two of them, and then kings with 4NT, Lavazza this time showing one. The final contract was very good of course: once the hearts behave better than K10xx behind the AJ, all is well. At the other table, it came to an end in 4♥… The other one occurred in Round 3: Board 24. Dealer West. None Vul.   ♠ 5 4 ♥ A K Q 9 ♦ K ♣ A J 6 5 4 2 ♠ A 8 2 ♥ 8 4 3 ♦ J 9 6 5 4 ♣ 9 7 ♠ K J 9 ♥ J 6 2 ♦ Q 10 7 3 ♣ K Q 3   ♠ Q 10 7 6 3 ♥ 10 7 5 ♦ A 8 2 ♣ 10 8 West North East South Jansma Cima Arnolds Gianardi Pass 1♣ Pass 1♠ Pass 2♥ Pass 3♣ Pass 3♥ Pass 4♥ All Pass       When the trumps behaved, this contract could not be beaten. At the other table, Armstrong and Smith ended up in the more normal 3NT which had no play on the marked diamond lead. This board thus cost them 10 IMPs, which was about the whole margin of their defeat by the Italians (team Palma). In between, I spotted matchpoint tactics in the play of a hand: Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.   ♠ 9 8 ♥ 9 6 5 3 ♦ 7 6 5 4 2 ♣ Q 4 ♠ K ♥ A K 8 4 ♦ 10 ♣ A 10 9 8 7 3 2 ♠ A 10 6 3 2 ♥ Q J 7 ♦ K J 8 3 ♣ K   ♠ Q J 7 5 4 ♥ 10 2 ♦ A Q 9 ♣ J 6 5 How would you play 3NT as East on a spade lead, playing IMPs? No problem, of course: try to establish a diamond trick first by running the ♦10. Matchpoint players would of course prefer to use the hearts as entries to set up the clubs. They will come to 11 tricks if the clubs break, but are in serious danger of going down when the suit does not behave. The funny thing about this matchpoint play was that the 2 IMPs this declarer won changed the result of a very low-scoring match from 6-6 into 8-6, worth one full V.P.

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