France vs Russia

Bermuda Bowl - Round 16

By Patrick Jourdain (Wales)

A curiosity from the VuGraph match in Round 16 was that the final contract on the first six boards was 4© at one table or the other. It was also notable for the number of 24 point fits which were flat boards in hopeless voluntarily-bid games failing by between one and three tricks. Conservative bidders would have had a chance to pick up a number of small swings.

Board 1 was the dullest of the Four Hearts, just making at both tables. Board 2 was one of the hopeless ones, but it provided one of the few swings, so here it is:

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Multon	Kholomeev	Quantin	Zlotov
		Pass	1¨
1©	Pass	2¨	Pass
3NT	Pass	4©	All Pass

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Abecassis	Gromov	Soulet
			2ª
All Pass

Multon, West, after South's 1¨, had an awkward call to make. His decision to overcall on a four card suit would, I believe, be the popular choice, but it led to a game that was short of tricks (3NT will also fail when the spades fail to break). On a spade lead Four Hearts went two off. Meanwhile Two Spades by Gromov collected nine tricks for 6 IMPs to Russia. Board 3 provided interest in both bidding and play. Suppose you hold as dealer: ª Q J 9 5 3 © 7 6 2 ¨ - § A K 9 7 6 You open One Spade and partner responds Two Hearts. What do you rebid?

Quantin Jean-Christophe, France

In the Closed Room Tim Zlotov raised to Three Hearts, whereas on VuGraph Soulet rebid Two Spades. That led to different final games:

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Multon	Kholomeev	Quantin	Zlotov
			1ª
Pass	2©	Pass	3©
Pass	4©	All Pass

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Abecassis	Gromov	Soulet
			1ª
Pass	2©	Pass	2ª
Pass	4ª	All Pass

In the Closed Room Kholomeev, with three card spade support, might have offered a choice of games, but instead raised to another hopeless Four Hearts, missing ace, king of spades and two certain trump tricks. 50 to France.

By contrast, on VuGraph, after Soulet rebid his spades, he found himself in a game that had chances because he could throw his heart losers on dummy's diamonds (something Zlotov could not do when hearts were trumps!)

Petrunin led a diamond. This was won in dummy, declarer throwing a heart. Soulet then led a club to the ace and went into long thought. He must have been waiting to see the signals in the club suit, but this provided nothing as both defenders contributed their smallest club. Soulet was trying to decide whether to cash his king of clubs before ruffing a club. In the end he started with a low club ruffed, a diamond ruff and another club ruff. He then led a trump off the table, East playing small.

At this point something curious happened. Soulet paused for thought, clearly trying to decide whether to finesse the nine. Eventually he did so, to groans from the French audience as it now looked as if he would lose trump control. However, Petrunin, West, also gave the trick long thought, before winning with the king! It was unclear what he had in mind (for lengthy analysis, see later!), but it certainly made declarer's life easier. He won the diamond continuation in dummy, throwing another heart, cashed his top heart, returned to hand with a diamond ruff, and led a high spade from his hand. When this was won by the hand with a third trump, the defence could not get a club ruff, and declarer claimed 11 tricks. 11 IMPs to France.

For the analysts, let us go back to the position where Petrunin won the first trump with the king and suppose he had simply won with the ten. If he cashes the king declarer still has two trumps left, and is in control, ruffing to get back to hand to play winning clubs. The defence makes only three trump tricks. If West after winning the ten of trumps, exits with a diamond, declarer can succeed with an elopement: win the diamond, ruff a diamond, ace of hearts, ruff a heart, exit with the high club. West has to ruff, and now South, left with the bare queen of trumps gets to make it for his game-going trick, even though East is down to two trumps! South actually makes four outside winners, and six trump tricks, four in his own hand and two in dummy.

Zlotov Dmitri, Russia

However, if West wins the ten of trumps and plays a heart, declarer is an entry short for the elopement. He will win the heart, cash the winning diamond, and return to hand with a ruff (for which suit, see later). Now if he plays a winning club West will ruff, force South with a red winner and South is on lead at trick 11 to concede two trumps to East. So South must instead play a trump when he is in. West is on lead, and whatever suit South returned to hand with (a heart ruff, or a ruff of the fourth diamond) West can play now the same suit. East throws his losing club and has a winner in the other red suit at the end.

So my conclusion is that Petrunin could beat the game provided he won the ten of trumps and played specifically a heart.

On Board 4 North held as dealer with Both Vulnerable:

ª A 2 © A K 10 9 7 6 4 ¨ A 3 § 10 7

Abecassis opened Two Clubs, heard this doubled to show clubs, and this was Passed back to him. What would you call?
He chose Four Hearts. Partner contributed the king of diamonds, but nothing else of use, so the contract was virtually hopeless again. It was a flat board, but at the other table South had shown some spade values in the auction (he held: ª J 10 9 8 7 6 5 3 © 8 ¨ K 6 5 § 6 4) and one has more sympathy with the Four Heart call.

On Board 5 the Four Hearts was cold, but there was still a big swing:

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Multon	Kholomeev	Quantin	Zlotov
	Pass	Pass	1§
1ª	Pass	2ª	Dble
3¨	Pass	3ª	4©
Pass	Pass	4ª	Dble
All Pass

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Abecassis	Gromov	Soulet
	Pass	Pass	2¨
Pass	2©	Pass	3©
Pass	4©	All Pass

In the Closed Room the one level opening made it easy for the French to locate the sacrifice. Four Spades doubled went only one down for 100 to Russia. Perhaps West should have entered the auction over the artificial Two Diamonds, but when he did not, France had a clear run for +620 and a further 11 IMPs.

Board 6 was the familiar Four Hearts at both tables, the cards did not lie as favourably as they needed to, and it was a flat board in two off. Board 7 broke the mould: the contract reached at both tables was Four Spades. This included the following decision by Gromov, holding:

ª Q 10 5 4 3 2 © K 5 ¨ K 6 3 2 § K

Last to speak with Both Vulnerable he opened One Spade and partner responded with a Drury Two Clubs showing a good raise to Two Spades. What do you call? Gromov bid an immediate Four Spades! Partner held ten points, but the defence meanly cashed four aces, for another flat board in a failing game.

Board 8 repeated the story except that this game, 3NT on 24 points, was three off at both tables. These results where the more cautious bidders pick up IMPs rarely get a mention, but in this match they would have some had useful gains.
Board 9 was played in Two Hearts at both tables with Russia picking up a couple of IMPs in overtricks.

The last board of the first half of the match was flat, but it proved fascinating, with a great display by Petrunin as declarer:

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

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Multon	Kholomeev	Quantin	Zlotov
		Pass	Pass
1NT	Pass	2§	Pass
2¨	Pass	3§	Pass
3¨	Pass	3NT	All Pass

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Petrunin	Abecassis	Gromov	Soulet
		Pass	Pass
1NT	Pass	2¨	Pass
2¨	Pass	3¨	Pass
3©	Pass	3ª	Pass
3NT	All Pass

After Stayman Quantin, East for France, bid a natural Three Clubs, whereas Gromov had an artificial seuqence in which he implied one four-card major with a long minor. West asked which, and on discovering the minor was clubs ended in Three Notrumps.

Both Norths led a spade, won by West's jack. How do you think declarer should play? I don't like Multon's choice. He led the nine of clubs, and ducked when North played the king. He won the next spade in dummy, finessed the queen of diamonds, and then played ace and another. When neither minor came in, he looked to be two down but gained a trick at the end for 100 to Russia. Petrunin's play looks superior to me. After a spade lead best defence will prevent you making use of dummy's clubs except in the very unlikely lay-out of doubleton king-queen. So Petrunin decided to maximise his chances of bringing in the diamonds. At trick two he crossed to dummy with a spade and finessed the nine of diamonds. This brings home the game whenever South has three or four diamonds including the ten (Note that declarer has avoided giving the defence the chance to knock-out the ace of hearts entry.)

Soulet Philippe, France

When the nine held, declarer continued with the ace and queen of diamonds. North discarded a heart, dummy threw a second club, and South won the king. A third spade cleared the suit for North, dummy releasing a heart. This was the ending with West on lead:

	ª Q 10 © Q 9 8 ¨ - ¨ K 5
ª - © A 4 2 § J 6 § 9 2		ª - © J 7 6 ¨ - § A J 7 6
	ª - © K 10 ¨ 10 5 § Q 10 8

The winning play, very difficult to spot, is for West to cash the ace of hearts. This puts South in a Morton's Fork. If he does not unblock the king of hearts, he gets thrown in with it to lead a club. Then later he is thrown in with a club to give declarer two diamond tricks at the end. Alternatively, if South does unblock his heart king, West can simply cash his winning diamond, and lead a heart. North can only make two spades and dummy has the jack of hearts and the ace of clubs for the game.

Petrunin, who had done very well so far, at this point led a low club, putting in the jack when North played small. South, Soulet, won and exited with a low club to dummy's ace. Now, when Petrunin led a low heart off the dummy, Soulet spectacularly played his heart KING! That finished declarer. If he ducked Soulet could cash a club and exit with a heart. When he won, North could claim three winners to go with the diamond and club the defence had already made. So, one off, and a flat board, but a fascinating duel.

The half -time score was 22-8 to France. In the second half (not seen by your reporter) France held on for an 18-12 win in Victory Points.