England vs USA I

Venice Cup - Round 13

A match between two teams high in the standings will usually generate some interest. So it was with the 13th-round Venice Cup match between England and USA I. The former team was second in the standings and playing well and the Americans were among the pre-tournament favorites. On paper, it promised to be a tight, well-played match. Unfortunately, paper doesn't play bridge, and the players didn't produce what was expected. USA I routed England 53-9 to improve their position in the standings.

A series of dull boards early on left the Vugraph panel groping for commentary. The only mildly interesting deal was the following.

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

At both tables, South went off one trick in Two Spades, and it was of interest to determine if any of the East-West pairs bid the makeable Three Notrump. Apparently none did.

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

This deal feature Jill Meyers and Randi Montin taking advantage of an error by declarer to defeat a cold contract.

At both tables, West passed and North opened Three Diamonds, followed by three passes.

Against Michelle Brunner, Montin led the heart king, ducked by Brunner. Montin switched to the club eight, and Meyers made the deceptive play of the king. Brunner won the ace, played a diamond to dummy and continued with a club to the queen. Montin ruffed, underled her spade ace-queen to partner's king and got a second club ruff. Although declarer now has a major-suit squeeze on West, she went one down for minus 50.

When Karen McCallum played Three Diamonds, she won the opening lead of the heart king at trick one, played two top diamonds, a club to the queen and a third round of diamonds. That gave her nine tricks, and she ended up with a 10th when Nicola Smith cashed the heart queen when in with the trump queen. That was plus 130 and 5 IMPs to USA I, leading at that point 10-1.

The Americans' lead increased by 5 IMPs when Heather Dhondy and Smith got much too high on this deal.

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

West	North	East	South
Meyers	Brunner	Montin	Goldenfield
	Pass	Pass	1¨
1NT	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	All Pass

West	North	East	South
Dhondy	McCallum	Smith	Sanborn
	Pass	Pass	1¨
1NT	Pass	2¨	Pass
2©	Pass	2NT	Pass
4©	All Pass

With the bad trump split, seven tricks was the limit in hearts - and Dhondy had to play well to go down three. Several pairs brought home Three Notrump with the East-West cards, but that contract needed a favourable lead.

Against the ambitious Four Heart contract by Dhondy, McCallum started the diamond eight, which went to the nine queen and ace. Dhondy cashed the heart ace and played the jack to the queen and king, getting the bad news in trumps. She then played a spade to the king and a diamond to dummy for another spade play. Sanborn went up with the ace and returned a spade. Dhondy inserted the nine, which was ruffed by McCallum. Two more trumps and two more club tricks were coming, leaving Dhondy with seven tricks and England trailing by 14 IMPs.

On the following deal, Dhondy and Smith did well to push the Americans to an unmakeable spot, but Smith made one bid too many. The result was another loss.

Board 11. Dealer South. None Vul.
	ª 4 3 © 7 ¨ A K J 8 5 4 § K 10 7 6
ª K 7 6 © Q 10 9 8 5 ¨ Q 10 7 § 9 4		ª A 10 9 5 © A J 4 3 2 ¨ 9 § J 8 2
	ª Q J 8 2 © K 6 ¨ 6 3 2 § A Q 5 3

West	North	East	South
Meyers	Brunner	Montin	Goldenfield
			1NT
Pass	3NT	All Pass

Meyers led the heart ten to Montin's ace, and Montin cleared the suit. Had Rhona Goldenfield taken the right view in diamonds, she would have scored up plus 460. She did not, however, and the Americans had the plus score for two down. The Vugraph audience was treated to a vastly different auction.

West	North	East	South
Dhondy	McCallum	Smith	Sanborn
			1§
1©	3¨ (1)	4©	Pass
Pass	4NT	Dble	5§
Pass	Pass	5©	Dble
All Pass

(1) Described as showing a fit in clubs.

Dhondy and Smith had three top tricks and could have scored a fourth if Sanborn misguessed diamonds. She didn't have that problem, however, and the Americans were quickly ringing up plus 500 and 12 more IMPs. The margin had grown to 27-1.

England made their only significant gain of the day when Meyers and Montin went down in Five Clubs that might have been made while Dhondy and Smith collected plus 300 against Four Hearts doubled.

The following board might have been a gain for England, but Smith badly mismanaged her contract for down four.

Board 18. Dealer East. N/S Vul.
	ª Q 9 8 7 4 © 4 ¨ J 7 6 5 4 § 10 8
ª 6 5 3 2 © A K 9 3 ¨ - § K Q 9 6 2		ª A J 10 © 10 7 6 2 ¨ A 8 2 § J 7 3
	ª K © Q J 8 5 ¨ K Q 10 9 3 § A 5 4

West	North	East	South
Meyers	Brunner	Montin	Goldenfield
		1NT	Dble
Redbl	2¨	Pass	Pass
3¨	Pass	3©	Pass
4©	All Pass

It is not clear how Montin played the heart game, but she finished two down for minus 100, but she still took two more tricks than Smith

West	North	East	South
Dhondy	McCallum	Smith	Sanborn
		Pass	1¨
Dble	1ª	1NT	Pass
Pass	2¨	2©	Pass
Pass	3¨	Pass	Pass
3©	Pass	4©	All Pass

Sanborn led the diamond king, and Smith pitched a spade from dummy, winning the ace in hand. She played a heart to the ace, thought about her next play for a time, then cashed the other top heart. Looking at all the cards, it's easy to see that the contract can be made, and in practice perhaps it's no great sin to go down on the bad trump split, but cashing the second heart before playing on clubs seems like an avoidable error. There was nothing for Smith to do but play on clubs and hope the ace was not with the long trumps. It was not to be. Sanborn won the club ace, picked up all the trumps, and the defenders ran diamonds for down four.

Matters actually got worse for England on the next two boards.

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

West	North	East	South
Meyers	Brunner	Montin	Goldenfield
1¨	1ª	2©	Pass
3©	Pass	4©	All Pass

Goldenfield led the spade ten to her partner's king. Brunner cashed the ace and then played the diamond ace - the right play if she was attempting to promote a trump trick for South by a third round of spades. If East held the club ace, for example, and a singleton diamond, she would simply discard her losing diamond on the third round of spades. At any rate, diamond play allowed Montin to make the contract.

West	North	East	South
Dhondy	McCallum	Smith	Sanborn
			3§
3¨	3ª	4©	Pass
Pass	Dble	All Pass

McCallum defended the same way Brunner had - taking the top two spades and attempting to cash the diamond ace. The Vugraph commentators predicted, however, that Smith would not get the trumps right after McCallum's double, and they were correct. Smith ruffed the diamond and played the heart jack to the ace, following with the nine, playing the eight when McCallum followed low. This would have catered to 3-1 trumps with McCallum holding the queen: from there, Smith could simply play top diamonds and the spade jack if necessary, discarding her clubs and overruffing McCallum at any point with a trump to return to dummy's winners. Unfortunately for Smith, trumps were 2-2. Sanborn won the trump queen and cashed the club ace for one down.

The icing on the cake for the Americans occurred on the final board.

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

Meyers and Montin played Three Notrump with the North-South cards, easily taking 11 tricks for plus 660. McCallum and Sanborn took only nine tricks, but they had the pleasure of doing so on defense against a doubled contract.

West	North	East	South
Dhondy	McCallum	Smith	Sanborn
2¨ (1)	Dble (2)	2ª	Dble
All Pass

(1) Both majors, at least 5-4, with 5-9 high-card points.
(2) A penalty double in both majors.

Sanborn led a trump, restricting Smith to four winners - a trump in each hand, the diamond nine and the club king. That was down four and minus 1100 - 10 IMPs to USA I and a resounding 53-9 victory.