35th World Interzonal Team Championships, Paris, France Saturday, 27 October 2001

China vs Japan

Venice Cup - Round 10

Only one pair remains from the Chinese Women's team we have been seeing at World Championships for the last few years. The new-look team is doing very nicely here in Paris and it is time that we took a look at them in their Round 10 match against Japan.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
  ª 4 3
© K J 9 7 4 2
¨ 10 9 8
§ 10 8
ª 9
© A 10 5
¨ A K 6 3 2
§ Q J 9 6
Bridge deal ª A K J 8 5 2
© 6
¨ Q 5
§ A K 7 2
  ª Q 10 7 6
© Q 8 3
¨ J 7 4
§ 5 4 3

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
    2¨ Pass
2ª Pass 2NT Pass
3¨ Pass 3ª Pass
4§ Pass 6§ All Pass

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
    1§ Pass
2¨ Pass 2ª Pass
3§ Pass 3ª Pass
3NT Pass 4§ Pass
4¨ Pass 4© Pass
4NT Pass 5¨ Pass
7§ All Pass    


Fukuda Shoko, Japan
 

Makiko Hayashi's 2¨ opening showed an eight plus playing trick hand in an unspecified suit and the response showed an unbalanced positive. Two No Trump showed spades, after which the bidding reverted to natural lines. Yuko Yamada won the heart lead, ruffed a heart and cashed the ace and king of clubs before playing queen then a low diamond to her hand. She ruffed her last heart then played three rounds of spades, ruffing. The even diamond break meant that she had thirteen tricks for +940.

Yanhui Sun's 1§ opening was strong and the 2¨ response a natural positive, after which the auction followed a natural path to the grand slam. Again the lead was a heart. Sun won the ace and played ace and ruffed a spade, two rounds of clubs and ruffed another spade. A diamond to the queen allowed Sun to draw the last trump and cash the spades; +1440 and 11 IMPs to China.


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

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
      Pass
1¨ 1ª 2§ 4ª
Dble All Pass    

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
      Pass
1NT Pass 2§ Pass
2¨ Pass 3§ All Pass

China missed a great chance for another big gain when Jian Wang and Zhi Zhen bounced the bidding and bought the contract in 4ª doubled for -500. Even getting to game in the other room would have been worth a modest game, while slam is on little more than one of two finesses on the East/West cards. Three clubs made all thirteen tricks for +190 but 7 IMPs to Japan. Was this a matter of judgement or a misunderstanding as to the nature of East's sequence opposite the 13-15 no trump?

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

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
  1§ Pass 1ª
Pass 1NT Pass 3§
Pass 3¨ Pass 3NT
All Pass      

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
  1¨ Pass 2¨
Pass 2© Pass 2NT
Pass 3NT All Pass  

Kyoko Shimamura and Shoko Fukuda reached 3NT via an inverted minor-suit raise, while the Chinese pair started with a strong club, a balanced positive response and an enquiry, to which the response showed 11-13 with 4-4 in the minors.

Fukuda was one down for -50 and it looked as though Wang might suffer the same fate. She received a spade lead of the jack to her king and played a diamond to the ace at trick two followed by a club to the king then a low diamond. Yamada won that and returned a diamond to the king and Wang exited with the last diamond. Yamada tried a low heart to Wang's queen and declarer now played a spade to the queen and a second heart, leaving the §A stranded on the dummy. Yamada won the heart, cashed his other heart winner and exited with the last heart. That should have led to one down because Wang was left with the ace and nine of spades in hand - but Hayashi had lost the plot and threw her spades to hang on to the club guard; +400 and 10 IMPs to China.

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

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
    1NT Pass
3NT All Pass    

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
    1§ Pass
2§ 2© 3§ Pass
3NT All Pass    

The straightforward Japanese auction gave Wang no opportunity to get involved in the auction and Zhen led the jack of spades. With spades breaking 3-3, there is a sure line from here of winning in hand and leading a spade to the eight, losing the trick to the safe hand. However, Hayashi actually ducked the spade completely and that proved to be just as effective. Wang erred by encouraging with the ª4, when the two would have at least given her partner a slightly better chance of getting it right, and of course Zhen continued with a second spade; +600.

The strong club auction allowed Shimamura to show her hearts in the other room. That meant that the Chinese pair were careful to play 3NT from the West seat and now a heart lead would have given away the ninth trick. But Shimamura led a safe diamond instead and careful defence from here on left Yanhong Wang with only eight tricks; -100 and 12 IMPs to Japan.

At the half-way point in the match China led by 22-19 but now they began take control.

Board 12. Dealer West. N/S Vul.
  ª K
© Q 10 4 3
¨ K Q 7 6 4
§ A K 8
ª A Q J 6 5
© A K 9
¨ J 10 9 5
§ 9
Bridge deal ª 10 9 4
© 7 6 5
¨ A 3
§ Q J 10 7 5
  ª 8 7 3 2
© J 8 2
¨ 8 2
§ 6 4 3 2

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
1ª Dble 2ª Pass
Pass Dble Pass 3§
3ª All Pass    

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
1ª Dble 1NT Pass
4ª All Pass    

Hayashi's simple raise did not encourage Yamada to do more than compete to 3ª, where she received the lead of the ace of clubs followed by a heart switch to the jack and king. Yamada played a diamond to the ace and a diamond back to Wang's queen. The ©Q lost to the ace and the ¨J was covered by the king, ruffed low and over-ruffed. A heart was led to Wang's ten and she could now see that a fourth diamond would expose the trump position when Zhen failed to over-ruff the dummy. Instead, she tried the thirteenth heart but to no avail. Yamada could see that a diamond was the obvious defence and that a competent defender had to have a good reason for not following that line. Accordingly, she ruffed the heart in hand, laid down the ªA to drop the king, and ruffed her winning diamond with the ª10; +140.

Sun's 1NT response showed a constructive three-card spade raise and Yanhong went straight to game. Shimamura led a top club and switched to the king of diamonds. Declarer won the diamond and ran the ten of spades to the bare king. Now Shimamura cashed the ¨Q but then, fatally, tried to cash the §A also and Yanhong could ruff and take a heart pitch on the established clubs; +420 and 7 IMPs to China.

Board 13. Dealer North. All Vul.
  ª -
© K 5
¨ A J 10 7 4
§ A K Q J 10 5
ª Q 10 9 6 2
© J 9 8 3
¨ Q 5
§ 8 3
Bridge deal ª K J 7 5 4 3
© 6 2
¨ K 6 3
§ 6 2
  ª A 8
© A Q 10 7 4
¨ 9 8 2
§ 9 7 4

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
  1§ 1ª 2©
3ª 4§ 4ª Dble
Pass 6§ All Pass  

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
  2¨ Pass 2©
Pass 3NT Pass 4©
Pass 5§ Pass 5ª
Pass 6§ All Pass  

Jian Wang opened a strong club then found that she had no room to show her two-suiter, being forced to show the first suit at the four level. If, as seems normal, Zhen's double of 4ª was a warning signal to try to discourage her partner, Wang did well to jump to the slam now - though she only really needs to find two entries in dummy for the double diamond hook.

Shimamura showed a strong hand then both minors and settled for the small slam when Fukuda could cuebid but not show a diamond card.

Both declarers made twelve tricks; +1370 and a flat board.

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

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
    Pass 1¨
Pass 1ª Pass 2§
Pass 2© Pass 2ª
Pass 3¨ Pass 3ª
Pass 4§ Pass 4¨
Pass 4NT Pass 5§
Pass 5NT Pass 7¨
All Pass      

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
    Pass 1§
Pass 1¨ Pass 2¨
Pass 4¨ Pass 4ª
Pass 5§ Pass 6§
Pass 6¨ All Pass  

The Japanese pair had the advantage of being able to start with a natural bid (well, better minor) where the Chinese had to start with a Precision 1¨, but it was China who reached the grand slam while Japan languished in six. Plus 1440 to China and +940 to Japan; 11 IMPs to China.

Board 19. Dealer South. E/W Vul.
  ª Q 6 5 4
© K 3
¨ 10 9 8 6
§ A 9 8
ª A
© J 9 6 2
¨ K 7 5 4 2
§ 6 4 3
Bridge deal ª K 10 8 3 2
© A Q 10 8 5 4
¨ A
§ J
  ª J 9 7
© 7
¨ Q J 3
§ K Q 10 7 5 2

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
      3§
Pass Pass 4§ Pass
5¨ All Pass    

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
      3§
Pass Pass 4§ Pass
4© All Pass    

Oh dear! Hayashi explained her 4§ cuebid as both majors and obviously assumed that her partner knew that this was what to expect. In a sense, it shows good discipline to trust partner's jump to 5¨. Unfortunately, Yamada was on a different page and presumably thought that any two suits were possible, in which case the jump to 5¨ would get converted to 5© if her partner actually had the majors. Who was at fault is a matter that they will no doubt have resolved by now. With China getting to the heart game, -400 in 5¨ cost 14 IMPs.

Board 20. Dealer West. All Vul.
  ª K 10 9 8
© A K Q 9
¨ J 7
§ Q 8 6
ª J 5 3
© J 6 5 4 2
¨ 6 5
§ 5 3 2
Bridge deal ª 7 4 2
© 10 8
¨ A Q 10 2
§ J 10 7 4
  ª A Q 6
© 7 3
¨ K 9 8 4 3
§ A K 9

West North East South
Yamada Jian W Hayashi Zhi Zhen
Pass 1NT Pass 2§
Pass 2© Pass 3¨
Pass 3ª Pass 3NT
All Pass      

West North East South
Yanhong W Shimamura Yanhui Fukuda
Pass 1NT Pass 2§
Pass 2© Pass 3¨
Pass 3ª Pass 4NT
Pass 5© Pass 6NT
All Pass      

Where Jian Wang was at the top end of her 13-15 range, Shimamura was minimum within her 15-17. Zhi Zhen was willing to make one try in case there was a diamond fit, then leave it up to her partner. Wang gave 3NT a good look but then settled for game. She did not take the best line in diamonds so held herself to ten tricks; +630.

Facing a strong no trump, Fukuda had to do more and she jumped to 4NT. Whatever that was intended to be, it looks as though it was taken as RKCB for spades, though I cannot be certain of that. Fukuda next jumped to the hopeless slam and lost 13 IMPs for her pains.

China had done well in the second half of the match and ran out winners by 75-20 IMPs, 25-4 VPs.


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