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Norway vs Belgium
Open Series - Round 19
At about the halfway stage of the Open event, Norway were among
the leading five, whereas Belgium were lying 10th, already 20 V.P.
behind 5th placed Italy. So the Belgians had to do well if they were
to continue their chances of earning a trip to Bali later this year,
whereas for Norway, consolidating their position would be all that
was required. Belgium, a team that proved to be one of the
revelations in Maastricht at the recent Olympiad, had lost some of
its momentum during the past days, but so had Norway. Still, an
interesting match could be expected, and so it turned out.
On board 1, a well-timed lead-directing double steered Norway
away from a slam they were well on their way to:
|
Session 19. Board 1. Dealer
North. None Vul. |
| |
ª 6 3
© A K 10 9 3
¨ A K Q 10 2
§ 2 |
ª Q J 10 8 4
© Q 8 2
¨ 9
§ K 8 7 5 |
 |
ª A 7 5
© J 7 6 4
¨ 8 7 6
§ 10 9 4 |
| |
ª K 9 2
© 5
¨ J 5 4 3
§ A Q J 6 3 |
| Open Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Engel |
Helness |
Van Middelem |
Helgemo |
| |
1© |
Pass |
2§ |
| Pass |
3¨ |
Pass |
4¨ |
| Pass |
4© |
Pass |
4ª |
| Dble |
Pass |
Pass |
5¨ |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
Would you bid slam when the opponents are kind enough to inform
you that the ªA is likely to
be wrong? Played from the North seat, it certainly does not look an
attractive proposition any more. Norway +420.
| Closed Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Brogeland |
Carcassonne |
Sælensminde |
Labaere |
| |
1© |
Pass |
2§ |
| Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
2ª |
| Dble |
4¨ |
Pass |
5¨ |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
Brogeland doubled spades at an earlier stage, and their opponents
quietened down too. No swing, but interesting to reconsider.
The lead-directing double made its reappearance shortly
afterwards:
|
Session 19. Board 4. Dealer
West. All Vul. |
| |
ª J 8 5
© Q 6 3
¨ J 6 4
§ K J 8 2 |
ª 7 4
© J 10 9 8
¨ Q 5 2
§ 9 5 4 3 |
|
ª 10 9 6 3 2
© 5 4
¨ 7 3
§ A Q 10 7 |
| |
ª A K Q
© A K 7 2
¨ A K 10 9 8
§
6 |
| Open Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Engel |
Helness |
Van Middelem |
Helgemo |
| Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
2§ |
| Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
3¨ |
| Pass |
4¨ |
Pass |
4NT |
| Pass |
5§ |
Pass |
6¨ |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
With nothing to guide them, Helness-Helgemo were committed to a
slam once Helness supported his partner´s principal suit holding
Jxx. As you can see, the slam is not odds-on. Would the Belgians be
able to avoid it?
| Closed Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Brogeland |
Carcassonne |
Sælensminde |
Labaere |
| Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
2¨ |
| Pass |
2© |
Pass |
3¨ |
| Pass |
4¨ |
Pass |
4© |
| Pass |
5§ |
Dble |
Pass |
| Pass |
5¨ |
All Pass |
|
 Alain Labaere, Belgium |
|
In the Belgian auction, South
started a cuebid sequence instead of asking for aces. This
worked out well when East could double the only possible
cuebid North could make. When 5§ doubled came back to North, she knew that
an ace was missing and she herself had nothing more to say.
Labaere respected her decision in full confidence, not having
very much to add to this himself either. |
|
Session 19. Board 7. Dealer
South. All Vul. |
| |
ª Q 7 2
© Q 9 7
¨ A K 5 2
§ K 10 3 |
ª K 8 5
© A J 2
¨ J 9 7
§ A 7 5 2 |
|
ª J 10 9 3
© 8 5 4
¨ 10 8 6 3
§ Q 6 |
| |
ª A 6 4
© K 10 6 3
¨ Q 4
§ J 9 8 4 |
| Open Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Engel |
Helness |
Van Middelem |
Helgemo |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1§ |
Dble |
Pass |
2© |
| Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
3NT |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
 Boye Brogeland, Norway |
|
Upon hearing the invitational
2©, Helness made one
more positive more where his Belgian counterpart at the other
table passed. The play hinged upon a good guess in hearts. The
ªJ was led by Guy Van
Middelem, Zvi ngel winning the king and returning the suit to
dummy´s ace. The §8
from dummy then went to East´s queen, and a low diamond came
back to the jack and king. Helness then led the §K from hand, which Engel
took with the ace to return another club on which East shed a
low heart., declarer´s §10 winning. A heart then went to the king
and ace, and a spade came back. All declarer had to do now was
to cross to the ¨Q,
cash the last club and play a heart to the nine. When this
held, Norway had chalked up +600. |
| Closed Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Brogeland |
Carcassonne |
Sælensminde |
Labaere |
| |
|
|
Pass |
| 1§ |
Dble |
Pass |
2© |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
No further action, Belgium +110 but 10 IMP´s to Norway.
|
Session 19. Board 8. Dealer
West. None Vul. |
| |
ª Q 10
© A Q J 4 3 2
¨ J 2
§ J 9 4 |
ª A 8 6 4
© K 9
¨ A K Q 8
§ K 10 2 |
|
ª K J 9 7 5
© 8 6
¨ 10 7 6 5 4
§ A |
| |
ª 3 2
© 10 7 5
¨ 9 3
§ Q 8 7 6 5 3 |
| Open Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Engel |
Helness |
Van Middelem |
Helgemo |
| 2NT |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
| 4ª |
Pass |
5§ |
Pass |
| 6ª |
All Pass |
|
|
When Zvi Engel heard his partner´s cuebid after showing his
four-card support by jumping to 4ª, he had no good cuebid available. He knew that
partner would have to sign-off in 5ª without a heart control, so he might as well
jump so slam immediately. When the spades behaved, all was well.
Belgium +980.
| Closed Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Brogeland |
Carcassonne |
Sælensminde |
Labaere |
| 2NT |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
| 4ª |
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
| 5© |
Pass |
5ª |
All Pass |
The disadvantage of 4NT was that from the reply, Sælensminde knew
that an ace as well as the trump queen were missing. So he had to
settle for the lower level, a statistically correct-looking decision
that cost his side 11 IMP´s, however.
Belgium were leading by 10 IMP´s now, when two successive boards
sealed their victory at an early stage of the match:
|
Session 19. Board 10. Dealer
East. All Vul. |
| |
ª A 7 4 2
© 5 3
¨ 9 4 3
§ A Q 7 3 |
ª K 9 8
© 6
¨ Q 10 8 7 6
§ 10 9 4 2 |
|
ª J 10
© Q J 8 7
¨ K 5
§ K J 8 6 5 |
| |
ª Q 6 5 3
© A K 10 9 4 2
¨ A J 2
§
- |
| Open Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Engel |
Helness |
Van Middelem |
Helgemo |
| |
|
Pass |
1© |
| Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
4§ |
| Pass |
4ª |
All Pass |
|
With both majors not breaking favourably for the declaring side,
eight tricks was the maximum Helness could scramble here. Belgium
+200.
| Closed Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Brogeland |
Carcassonne |
Sælensminde |
Labaere |
| |
|
1§ |
1© |
| 3§ |
Pass |
Pass |
Dble |
| Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
Pass |
| Dble |
All Pass |
|
|
 Erik Saelensminde, Norway |
|
At the other table, Sælensminde found an opening bid where
Van Middelem had passed, so the momentum of the auction turned
from N/S to E/W. Brogeland, thinking the hand belonged to E/W,
quite rightly doubled 3NT, but much depended on the lead and
subsequent defence now. A spade lead by East works, the lead
of the ¨K stands out,
but who can find that? On a club lead, Carcassonne won her
queen and led a heart to the ten in dummy. When this held, she
had five hearts, two clubs and two aces for another +750 to
Belgium or 14 IMP´s.
And the next board: |
|
Session 19. Board 11. Dealer
South. None Vul. |
| |
ª K 9 8 7
© A Q 8
¨ 10 9 5
§ A 6 4 |
ª J 5 4 3
© 10 7
¨ J 8 3
§ K J 10 5 |
|
ª A 6 2
© 5 3
¨ A 7 4 2
§ Q 8 7 2 |
| |
ª Q 10
© K J 9 6 4 2
¨ K Q 6
§ 9 3 |
| Open Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Engel |
Helness |
Van Middelem |
Helgemo |
| |
|
|
1© |
| Pass |
1ª |
Pass |
2© |
| Pass |
3§ |
Pass |
3NT |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
Helness, by not supporting partner´s hearts, took a bit of a
gamble by passing 3NT, and he would have got away with it had not
Van Middelem led a club, the second suit bid on his right. Suddenly,
declarer could not come to nine tricks in time any longer, because
the defence had three clubs and two aces ready for the taking.
Belgium +50.
| Closed Room |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Brogeland |
Carcassonne |
Sælensminde |
Labaere |
| |
|
|
1© |
| Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
3© |
| Pass |
4© |
All Pass |
|
2NT showed heart support and the contract was very, very
straightforward. With only a club, a spade and a diamond to lose as
the cards lay, the outcome of it all was very, very satisfactory. In
fact, an overtrick was made when the defence did not cash their
established club trick first, but instead underled the ¨A hoping to give declarer a nasty
guess. Belgium another +450 and 11 IMP´s.
The final score was 57-16 or 23-7 V.P. to Belgium. They had
managed to stay on course. |