The defending Bermuda Bowl champions may have started slowly, but it would be a mistake to underestimate the Nick Nickell squad, particularly when Bob Hamman and Paul Soloway, the newest partnership on the team, seem to have hit their stride. With the exception of one deal in round 11, they were outstanding in the match against the young team from Norway.

Things didn't start so well for the holders, however.

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

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Saelensminde	Soloway	Brogeland
		Pass	1¨
Pass	1©	1ª	Dble
Redbl	2§	All Pass

It's handy to be able to play Two Clubs as non-forcing in this sequence, as Erik Saelensminde and Boye Brogeland were able to stop on a dime. The contract just made for plus 90. At the other table, Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell got overboard with the North-South cards.

West	North	East	South
Aa	Meckstroth	Grotheim	Rodwell
		Pass	1¨
Pass	1©	1ª	Dble
2ª	3§	Pass	3NT
All Pass

A quick glance at the North-South cards would not give you a clue to how dire a 3NT contract is - until West leads a diamond. Rodwell scored the diamond queen on the go, but he wanted to do it later - after the clubs were set up. As it was, dummy took the diamond queen and a club - period. That left Rodwell the three top tricks he started with, and he was soon writing the score in the opponents' column he had hoped to put in his own: 400. That was 10 IMPs to Norway.

The Scandinavians were up 10-7 when they lost the lead for good on a deal which could have produced another gain for them.

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

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Saelensminde	Soloway	Brogeland
		1§	1©
Pass	3¨ (1)	4¨	Pass
5¨	Dble	All Pass

That was fine bidding on both sides: Hamman and Soloway found the vul-against-not save at the five level - and Saelensminde and Brogeland didn't go past Four Hearts, their last making spot. Brogeland led the heart king, overtaken by Saelensminde, who tried to cash a couple of spades. Soloway ruffed the second spade and cashed the diamond ace, conceding minus 200 when the king didn't drop. At the other table, Meckstroth and Rodwell got too high, but it worked out.

West	North	East	South
Aa	Meckstroth	Grotheim	Rodwell
		1§ (1)	1©
Dble	4©	5¨	Pass
Pass	5©	Dble	All Pass

(1) Viking Club: artificial.

Glenn Grotheim, forced to introduce his suit at the five level, judged accurately to double when the opponents got to Five Hearts. The problem was that he and Terje Aa neglected to beat it. Aa started with a trump - just what Rodwell ordered. He pulled the hearts and, when the spade queen dropped on the first round, he had a choice of discarding both diamonds or two clubs. Either way, he lost only two tricks and scored up plus 650. That was good for 10 IMPs to USA I.

The Americans earned another swing when Saelensminde took an unusual - and wrong - view in a vulnerable game.

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

The auction was the same at both tables:

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Saelensminde	Soloway	Brogeland
Aa	Meckstroth	Grotheim	Rodwell
			Pass
1©	1ª	4©	4ª
All Pass

Both East's started with the heart king. The difference was that Meckstroth came home with 10 tricks. Saelensminde did not.

Hamman overtook Soloway's heart king with the ace and switched to the diamond jack. Declarer took the ace and played two rounds of trumps, ending in his hand. The Vugraph commentators were predicting he would enter dummy with a trump and make the normal play of a club to the queen and a club back to the 10. Instead, he played a club from his hand to dummy's king - and the game could not longer be made. That was 12 more IMPs to USA I, now leading 29-10.

Hamman and Soloway had an accident on Board 11 when Hamman apparently misunderstood the auction and launched himself into Four Spades on a 5-1 fit, down three for minus 150. At the other table, 3NT was bid and made and Norway gained 11 IMPs.

On the following deal, the Norwegians on Vugraph reached the right spot in the bidding (at least for the opening lead they got), but Hamman and Soloway exploited a small error by Brogeland to defeat a close game.

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

West	North	East	South
Aa	Meckstroth	Grotheim	Rodwell
		Pass	1©
Pass	1NT	Pass	2¨
Pass	3§	All Pass

Meckstroth scrambled home with nine tricks for plus 110. The Norwegians took a different view of the North-South cards, and Brogeland nearly brought the shaky contract in.

Hamman could have defeated the game by starting with the trump ace and continuing the suit, but he began with a low spade. Brogeland took the spade jack with the ace, cashed the king and ruffed a spade low. He returned to hand with the diamond queen and ruffed his last spade. At that point, he was cold for the contract if he had gotten off dummy with the club jack. That would have served to disrupt communications between the East-West hands, an important consideration as it turned out.

Brogeland's error was cashing the diamond ace before playing the club. Soloway took full advantage, giving Hamman a diamond ruff. Hamman played the club ace, ruffed by declarer. When Hamman came in again with the heart ace, he played a third round of clubs - and Soloway's trump nine was sufficient to promote Hamman's eight to the setting trick.

Hamman and Soloway engineered another major swing on this deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Hamman	Saelensminde	Soloway	Brogeland
			1§
3¨	3NT	All Pass

Saelensminde's 3NT bid is very aggressive, especially considering the pair's light opening style, but Hamman didn't leave him much room to maneuver, and in fact he would have sailed home with nine tricks if Soloway had led his partner's suit. Hamman forgave his partner, however, for simply taking the first six tricks in hearts to put the contract two down.

The heart suit also came into play at the other table, but not to the Norwegians' liking.

West	North	East	South
Aa	Meckstroth	Grotheim	Rodwell
			1NT
Pass	Pass	3©	All Pass

Rodwell upgraded his 13-point hand to qualify for their 14-16 range for a 1NT opener. Grotheim balanced at the three level. Six heart tricks was his limit, however., and he finished three down for minus 150 and an 8-IMP gain for USA I. The final score was 47-27 in favor of the Americans, who moved into first place in the round-robin standings with the victory.