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England vs Israel
Ladies Series - Round 16
Six rounds to go and the English women were still in the lead,
though with Austria breathing down their necks. In Round 16 they
faced Israel, who were still very much in the hunt for a medal and a
trip to Bali. An important match then for both teams. The match
began very well for the English.
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Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
|
| |
ª A K 6 3
© J 9 8 7 4 3
¨ Q 8
§ 2 |
ª 9 8 5
© K
¨ A 5 3 2
§ A Q J 4 3 |
 |
ª Q
© A Q 10 6
¨ K 10 7 4
§ K 8 7 5 |
| |
ª J 10 7 4 2
© 5 2
¨ J 9 6
§ 10 9 6 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Dhondy |
Zur-C |
Smith |
Levit-P |
| |
|
1§ |
Pass |
| 2§ |
2© |
Dble |
All Pass |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Liberman |
Brunner |
Birman |
Goldenfield |
| |
|
1¨ |
Pass |
| 2§ |
2© |
3© |
Pass |
| 4¨ |
Pass |
5§ |
All Pass |
 Migri Zur-Campanile, Israel |
|
Daniela Birman opened 1¨ and heard her partner
respond in her other four-card minor. When Michelle Brunner
overcalled 2©. Birman
showed a good club raise by cuebidding 3©. Ruth Liberman showed her diamonds and
the partnership came to rest in 5§. Six Clubs is makeable on a spade lead if
you are in it but, of course, Liberman played safe for five;
+400.
Nicola Smith had opened 1§ and heard an inverted raise from Heather
Dhondy. When Migri Zur-Campanila also overcalled 2© and Smith doubled for
penalties. Dhondy passed that and Smith led off with a low
club. Dhondy won the ace and continued clubs, declarer
pitching a diamond, as she did again on the third club. Now
Smith switched to a diamond to the nine, ace and ruffed with
the four. Zur-Campanila led the seven of hearts and Smith
played low after some thought. Dhondy won her king and played
a diamond. |
Declarer does not know that the ªQ is coming down and, with the bidding and play
to date suggesting that the suit was more likely to be 3-1 than 2-2,
the odds were that it would not do so. If she ruffs the diamond and
plays off the top spades and the queen does not fall, East will
ruff, cash her remaining hearts and play a minor-suit winner.
Declarer has only one trump left so cannot come to a second spade
trick and is four down. So Zur-Campanila pitched a spade on the
diamond. Smith won the king and cashed a top heart before playing a
club. Declarer ruffed the club and played off the top spades,
smiling ruefully when the queen appeared. She was three down now for
-800 and 9 IMPs to England.
Had West held ªQxx, East could have ruffed the second one and
cashed her last heart but would then have had to give a trick to
dummy's ¨J, for three down,
saving a trick. Or if she discarded on the spade declarer could exit
with a trump and again come to a diamond trick.
|
Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
|
| |
ª K 10 8 3 2
© 10 4
¨ 8 2
§ 8 6 3 2 |
ª 9 7
© A Q 9 6 5 3
¨ A Q
§ Q 9 7 |
|
ª J 5 4
© J 8 7
¨ K J 9 5
§ A 5 4 |
| |
ª A Q 6
© K 2
¨ 10 7 6 4 3
§ K J 10 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Dhondy |
Zur-C |
Smith |
Levit-P |
| |
|
|
1¨ |
| 2© |
Pass |
3¨ |
Dble |
| 3NT |
Pass |
4© |
All Pass |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Liberman |
Brunner |
Birman |
Goldenfield |
| |
|
|
1NT |
| 2© |
All Pass |
|
|
Dhondy made an intermediate jump overcall and Smith showed a good
raise by cuebidding 3¨. Ruth
Levit-Porat's double told her partner not to lead diamonds, and now
Dhondy bid 3NT - as who would not? Smith did well now, working out
that there might be a serious weakness in a black suit if the
partnership had so much in diamonds. She went back to 4© and that made a comfortable +620.
The defence led a low spade and South won with the queen. Now,
had she returned her low spade and North played a club through,
declarer would have had to play hearts for no loss to make her
contract; maybe she would play South for K10x. In practice
Levit-Porat played ace and another spade and Dhondy was in no
danger.
In the other room, Liberman overcalled 2© over Rhona Goldenfield's weak no
trump and Birman could not scrape up a raise; +140 and 10 IMPs to
England.
The score remained at 19-0 to England through a series
of flat boards. Then things got even better for the leaders:
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Board 11. Dealer South. None
Vul. |
| |
ª J 6 5 4
© A J 2
¨ 10 2
§ K 9 6 2 |
ª A Q 10 9
© Q 9 8
¨ A 8 6
§ 10 5 4 |
|
ª K 8 7 3
© 10 7 6 5 4
¨ K Q 7 3
§ - |
| |
ª 2
© K 3
¨ J 9 5 4
§ A Q J 8 7 3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Dhondy |
Zur-C |
Smith |
Levit-P |
| |
|
|
1§ |
| 1ª |
1NT |
4ª |
All Pass |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Liberman |
Brunner |
Birman |
Goldenfield |
| |
|
|
1§ |
| 1ª |
2ª |
4ª |
5§ |
| Pass |
Pass |
5¨ |
Pass |
| 5ª |
Dble |
All Pass |
|
Five Spades is, of course, a phantom sacrifice, on the assumption
that the defence to 5§ takes
its spade trick before declarer can get her singleton away courtesy
of the heart finesse. But Birman liked her shape and, expecting her
partner to have a fifth spade, went on to the five level as a
two-way shot. Five Spades was doubled and drifted two down for
-300.
North/ South did not compete so vigorously in the other
room, where Zur-Campanila's 1NT bid dampened her partner's
enthusiasm. The lead was a trump, and North must have been
pleasantly surprised to find her partner following to the trick.
Dhondy won in hand and crossed to a diamond to play a heart up,
hoping to find South with AJ or KJ doubleton. Levit-Porat went in
with the king and switched to the queen of clubs. That was ruffed in
dummy and Dhondy played a second heart to the jack. Back came a
diamond, attacking declarer's communications. Dhondy won in hand and
played the ©Q and now
Zur-Campanila did something very strange when she won and returned a
trump. What she though was going on is unclear - presumably she had
seen a count card from partner that made this defence appear to be
safe. Dhondy could simply draw trumps, throwing the fourth diamond
on the last trump, and cross to the diamond to cash the hearts; +420
and 12 IMPs to England, who led by 31-0.
Israel got on the board
with a 6 IMP partscore swing on the next deal but the next big swing
again went the way of England.
|
Board 13. Dealer North. All
Vul. |
| |
ª A K 2
© J 8 4
¨ A 10
§ 10 9 7 6 5 |
ª Q 10 8
© K Q 5 3
¨ K 7
§ Q J 4 2 |
|
ª 9 7 6 4
© 9 7 6
¨ 8 6 4 3 2
§ K |
| |
ª J 5 3
© A 10 2
¨ Q J 9 5
§ A 8
3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Dhondy |
Zur-C |
Smith |
Levit-P |
| |
1§ |
Pass |
1¨ |
| Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2NT |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Liberman |
Brunner |
Birman |
Goldenfield |
| |
1NT |
Pass |
3NT |
| All Pass |
|
|
|
Three No Trump is not the greatest contract in the world, but as
the cards lie it will normally make. Where Goldenfield simply raised
the weak no trump to game, Levit-Porat, who was also facing a weak
no trump type, merely invited.
Brunner won the spade lead and
played ace and another club. Not wishing to lead any other suit,
Liberman simply played two more rounds of clubs to get off play.
Brunner made an overtrick now for +630. That was worth 10 IMPs when
Zur-Campanila scored +150 in the other room.
England led by 41-6
and looked to be on the way to a big win, however, Israel hit back
with two big swings in the last quarter.
|
Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
|
| |
ª A J 10 3 2
© A Q 6
¨ A 7 6
§ 10 6 |
ª Q 7 5 4
© K 4 2
¨ 4
§ Q 9 8 7 4 |
|
ª -
© 8 7 5
¨ K Q 10 9 8
§ A K J 5 2 |
| |
ª K 9 8 6
© J 10 9 3
¨ J 5 3 2
§
3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Dhondy |
Zur-C |
Smith |
Levit-P |
| Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2§ |
| Pass |
2ª |
All Pass |
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Liberman |
Brunner |
Birman |
Goldenfield |
| Pass |
1ª |
2NT |
3ª |
| 4§ |
4ª |
5§ |
Pass |
| Pass |
Dble |
All Pass |
|
When Smith was unwilling to come in with her minor two-suiter,
Zur-Campanila was left to play in 2ª. Smith cashed a top club and switched to the
queen of diamonds, which declarer ducked. Having had no clue from
the auction, declarer was a little surprised when the diamond
continuation got ruffed. Dhondy switched to a heart and declarer
went up with the ace. She continued by cashing the ace of spades,
leaving herself with a loser in each major. However, the contract
was still safe for +110.
Birman came in immediately in the other
room and went on to game when Liberman bid only a slightly cautious
4§. To defeat 5§ doubled, North has to find a
heart lead. Not altogether surprisingly, Brunner was not up to that
one, preferring a trump. Declarer won and played a diamond up,
ducked, then cross-ruffed diamonds and spades to establish the
diamonds. She came to eleven tricks easily enough for +750 and 13
badly needed IMPs to Israel.
|
Board 19. Dealer South. E/W
Vul. |
| |
ª A J
© A Q J 5 3
¨ A 8 7
§ A Q 8 |
ª Q 8 6 5 3 2
© K 4
¨ 9 4
§ 9 7 3 |
|
ª K 7
© 8 7 6 2
¨ 10 2
§ K J 10 5 2 |
| |
ª 10 9 4
© 10 9
¨ K Q J 6 5 3
§ 6 4 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Dhondy |
Zur-C |
Smith |
Levit-P |
| |
|
|
3¨ |
| Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
5¨ |
| Pass |
5NT |
Pass |
6§ |
| Pass |
6¨ |
All Pass |
|
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| Liberman |
Brunner |
Birman |
Goldenfield |
| |
|
|
2¨ |
| Pass |
3NT |
All Pass |
|
Brunner did not consider a slam when Goldenfield opened with a
weak 2¨ bid. After a club
lead into her tenace, she made all 13 tricks for
+520.
Levit-Portat opened with a weak 3¨, which looks pretty middle-of-the-road to me.
Zur-Campanila asked for key cards then just in case, for kings,
settling in the small slam when the response denied a king.
Levit-Porat ducked the spade lead, trying to minimise the
undertricks should the heart finesse fail. She won the spade return,
crossed to hand with a diamond and ruffed the remaining spade high.
Now she drew trumps and took the heart finesse; +920 and 9 IMPs to
Israel.
England won by 44-29 IMPs, or 18-12 VPs - not as good as
it had looked earlier, but they still extended their lead by 2 VPs
thanks to Austria's only just pipping Spain by 16-14. Israel also
were still very much alive. |