Austria vs Bulgaria

Open Series - Round 23

It was an interesting match, Monday evening on Rama. Two young and motivated teams, who had been doing well and were still doing well high up in the standings, both with a good chance of qualification, had to play each other. In fact, Bulgaria were tipped by many before the tournament started as one of the five who might get a ticket for Bali, whereas Austria were considered a fully respectable outsider. Everyone was expecting scintillating bridge, and they were not to be disappointed.

The first hand of interest was a push, but should not be neglected because of this, as it showed how the weak notrump opening can silence the opponents:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Stamatov	Gloyer	Karaivanov I.	Schifko
			1NT
Pass	Pass	Pass

According to his system, Schifko opened 1NT with his string of three kings reinforced by one queen and thus quickly won the auction. As we have to admit that direct action by West with this hand looks a little hazardous, the full responsibility for winning the board thus seemed to rest on East´s shoulders. With his string of slow tricks he did not feel like reopening the bidding. This resulted in the heart game available to E/W remaining in the bidding box. Against 1NT West led 4th best of his longest suit and Schifko won the queen from Karaivanov with his king and led the ªK. Stamatov took the ªA immediately and…stop: watch out, there are eight defensive tricks for the taking now (four hearts, three clubs and a spade) but it is necessary to play a rounded suit now (§©) to cash them. Stamatov, on the contrary, returned a pointed suit, putting the ¨7 on the table. Declarer won dummy´s ace and led a spade, sighing with relief when he saw the jack appearing. He went on to take his six tricks for one down.

Bernd Saurer, Austria

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Saurer	Karaivanov K.	Lindermann	Trendafilov
			1NT
Pass	2§	Pass	2ª
All Pass

On the same weak notrump opening by partner, Karaivanov introduced a weak Stayman which turned out to be a good bet when Trendafilov mentioned his four-card spades. One might say that Karaivanov took an extra security measure to keep the opponents out. When 2ª came back to East, Lindermann knew very well that something fishy was going on, but with his not encouraging hand it was difficult to imagine that game was on for them, though they both had passed already.

Saurer led the ©A and another. South won the king and crossed to dummy´s ¨A to play a spade towards his king. Saurer took the ace and the defenders continued to play four rounds of clubs, South ruffing the fourth round with the ª8. There still was a diamond to lose, the setting trick.

The running score stayed at about level for three more boards .Then arrived board 7:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Stamatov	Gloyer	Karaivanov I.	Schifko
			1ª
2§	2©	3§	3ª
Pass	5§	Pass	5NT
Pass	6ª	All Pass

Gloyer/Schifko, the World Junior Pairs champions, arrived in 6ª with a very clean and efficient auction in which they used Exclusion Blackwood. Stamatov, on lead, could do whatever he liked, as declarer has a winning line of play against any opening lead. But one should never say always. Stamatov led a low spade and Schifko, in dummy with the ª9, played a heart to the ace and a heart to the king. The fall of the ©Q seemed good news, but was not because the communications are seriously destroyed now. After a diamond to the ace, Schifko played a spade hoping for a defensive mistake, but Stamatov was fully prepared to take his ªA and return a club, to be exact the §10. The slam was down two, Bulgaria +200.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Saurer	Karaivanov K.	Lindermann	Trendafilov
			1ª
2§	3©	4§	4ª
All Pass

A more quiet auction had seen the Bulgarians into a peaceful game contract, which was made with two overtricks on the lead of the §A by West. Trendafilov adopted the line of ruffing three clubs in dummy and discarding one on the ¨K, thus losing only to the ªA. The running score now stood at Austria 6, Bulgaria 17.

On the next board too, a certain amount of points went in Bulgarian direction:

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Stamatov	Gloyer	Karaivanov I.	Schifko
Pass	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	Pass	Pass	Dble
Pass	2ª	All Pass

Karaivanov, in third position, presented his business card with a Multi, launched to unexpectedly raise the level of the auction. The torpedo reached its target when the Austrians, trying to get back into the bidding, did not get any higher than a partscore in spades. On the lead of the ¨6, Gloyer made 9 tricks, Austria +140.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Saurer	Karaivanov K.	Lindermann	Trendafilov
Pass	1NT	Pass	3NT
All Pass

In this room, East did not get the chance to launch a Multi because Karaivanov opened a weak NT in front of him and Trendafilov quickly raised this to game. Lindermann led the ©3 to his partner´s jack and declarer´s king. Karaivanov now cashed the ¨AK and exited with a heart. East cashed out in the suit, Saurer choosing the ª8 as his first discard and thus virtually ending the proceedings, but his fate would have been a matter of time anyway as declarer would no doubt make the contract on any discard, provided he would guess correctly. The interesting thing is if 3NT can also be made if South is declarer and West leads the ©J. The defenders can play three rounds of the suit now, which makes the throw-in impossible. One of the winning lines, apart from finessing the ªQ and the ª8 later on, is to establish the clubs by leading the queen from dummy. As West has to discard a club on the third round of hearts, the nature of West´s holding in the suit is such that it will get established with the loss of only one trick to the not dangerous opponent. 6 IMP´s for Bulgaria. On the very next board, there was another Bulgarian preempt:

Jerry Stamatov, Bulgaria

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

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Stamatov	Gloyer	Karaivanov	Schifko
	Pass	1¨	3§
3©	3ª	4©	All Pass

Nothing to say about what happened in this room. After a club lead from North, declarer lost three spade tricks in the end. The only curiosity might be that, in this world of transfer bids, if by any chance East plays a heart contract and South leads the ªA, there will be 12 tricks due to the spade/diamond squeeze against North.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Saurer	Karaivanov	Lindermann	Trendafilov
	2ª	Dble	Pass
3©	All Pass

Karaivanov lit the fuse teher with a really meagre 2ª after which the opponents had a bad misunderstanding and stopped too early. 3©+1, 10 IMP´s to Bulgaria.

Not all the points went in the same direction, however:

Board 14. Dealer East. None Vul.
	ª A K Q J 9 © 5 4 ¨ 4 § K Q J 9 7
ª - © K J 10 6 3 ¨ A K Q 8 7 5 § 3 2		ª 8 7 3 © A 9 8 ¨ 10 § A 10 8 6 5 4
	ª 10 6 5 4 2 © Q 7 2 ¨ J 9 6 3 2 § -

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Stamatov	Gloyer	Karaivanov I.	Schifko
		Pass	Pass
1¨	Dble	2§	2ª
3©	4ª	Dble	All Pass

The Bulgarians quickly ended the bidding hoping for a penalty that was not to come and thus giving up a possible save that might, on a favourable lead, well turn into a plus score. Fortunately for the Bulgarians, Karaivanov led the ¨10 and not the §A as had happened at many other tables. In fact, this hand brought a wide range of scores and swings all over the room, up to 20 IMP´s when a slam in a major suit was bid and made in both directions!
4ª doubled just made, Austria +590.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Saurer	Karaivanov K.	Lindermann	Trendafilov
		Pass	Pass
1¨	2¨	3§	4ª
4NT	Dble	5§	Pass
5¨	Pass	Pass	Dble
All Pass

Saurer, in West, did not give up so easily and showed his big red twosuiter in two steps after 4ª when he corrected 5§ to 5¨. His partner might have given preference for hearts but decided to pass. Saurer ruffed the opening lead of the ªA, drew two rounds of trumps getting the bad news and then played a heart to the ace and a heart to the jack. He lost two diamonds and a club. 5¨x-1, 100 points to Bulgaria but 10 IMP´s to Austria.

Session 23. Board 15. Dealer South. N/S Vul.
	ª 10 2 © K 10 4 ¨ J 9 8 6 5 § 6 4 3
ª Q 9 8 6 5 © J 9 8 5 2 ¨ - § A Q 8		ª A J 7 © A Q ¨ A K 7 4 3 § 7 5 2
	ª K 4 3 © 7 6 3 ¨ Q 10 2 § K J 10 9

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Stamatov	Gloyer	Karaivanov I.	Schifko
			Pass
1ª	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	Pass	3§	Dble
3©	Pass	3ª	Pass
3NT	Pass	4¨	Pass
4ª	All Pass

It is very difficult to stop in game with the East cards when partner opens the bidding. Karaivanov, as we could all see clearly on Rama, did so very much against his liking. And his desire not to stop was fully justified when the spade slam turned out to be cold. Would the opponents bid it?

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Saurer	Karaivanov K.	Lindermann	Trendafilov
			Pass
1ª	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	Pass	3ª	Pass
4ª	Pass	5¨	Pass
6ª	All Pass

Without any hesitation. It is one of those slams you are pushed into. It´s earier to get there and make it than stop and …regret it. 11 IMP´s to Austria.

With a few more small swings in Bulgarian favour the match ended with a 21-9 win for them.