35th World Interzonal Team Championships, Paris, France Friday, 3 November 2001

Norway vs USA II

Bermuda Bowl - Final 3

Leading by 94-47 after 32 boards, Norway pitched s hut out for 15 deals of the third segment, only conceding IMPs on the very last deal of the set. But, for all that, anyone who was in the vugraph theatre on Thursday evening would surely vote for Alan Sontag as being the star of the show. The man cannot sit still for a second. If his body is not moving then the head will be doing so, and if the head is stationary the face will be constantly changing expression. Getting up from the table at every available opportunity - including while declarer and waiting for the defenders to come up with their next play - grinning, frowning, playing with his scorecard, his played cards, his lucky gold piece, anything that came to hand; Alan had the audience in fits of laughter throughout the session. He also played some pretty decent bridge, as one would expect from a previous World Champion.

Board 1. Dealer North. None Vul.
  ª 8 2
© 4
¨ A K 10 6 5
§ K J 9 8 7
ª A J 3
© J 9 6 3
¨ J 9 8 2
§ 6 5
Bridge deal ª K Q 6
© A Q 7 5
¨ Q 7 3
§ Q 4 2
  ª 10 9 7 5 4
© K 10 8 2
¨ 4
§ A 10 3

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
  1¨ 1NT 2§
All Pass      

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
  1¨ 1NT 2§
2NT All Pass    


Stansby Lew, USA
 

Both Souths were able to bid 2§ to show the majors. Brogeland competed to 2NT with the West cards while Sontag went quietly, and now Terje Aa passes out the misfit and found that 2§ was just the right spot for North/South.

On atrump lead, Glenn Groetheim played 2§ by putting in dummy's jack to tempt a cover and winning Peter Weichsel's queen with his ace. He crossed to a top diamond to lead a heart up and Weichsel won the ace, then played queen then a low spade. Sontag won and returned a trump and Groetheim just took a diamond ruff and pitched a diamond on the ©K, making nine tricks when ten were actually available had he ruffed out the spades; +110.

Two No Trump was too much for Erik Saelensminde at the other table. He won the spade lead in hand and played ace then queen and a third heart to the king. There were only three tricks in each major, however, for down two; -100 and a flat board.

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

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
    1NT Pass
2© Dble Pass Pass
3NT Pass 4© Pass
4ª All Pass    

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
    1NT Pass
2§ Pass 2¨ Pass
3ª Pass 3NT All Pass

Have you ever seen a deal on which two partners both transferred to the same suit? That is what happened on vugraph. Sontag transferred to spades and that gave Aa an opportunity to double to show his hearts. When that came back to him, Sontag jumped to 3NT. On the other side of the screen, Weichsel described this as 'If he has remembered, that denies a heart stopper', with the emphasis on the If. Weichsel could see that even if his partner did have a heart stopper the lead through it would be very threatening in either 3NT or 4ª. Accordingly, he in turn made a transfer bid to get Sontag to play the spade game. Aa led out the ace then queen of hearts but it mattered not; +420.

In the Closed Room, Boye Brogeland's sequence showed five spades and three hearts and quite by chance avoided the lead-directing double. After a club lead, the contract was secure for +430 and a flat board.

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

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
Pass Pass Pass 1NT
All Pass      

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
Pass Pass 1¨ 1NT
Dble Pass 2§ Pass
2¨ All Pass    

After Weichsel's third-seat pass, Groetheim opened 1Nt and played there. Sontag, of course, led from his four-card heart suit and Groetheim put up the ten. He continued by running the ª10 and Sontag promptly switched to a low diamond to the ace. Groetheim won the diamond return and claimed eight tricks for +120.

Saelensminde is of the school that believes in opening light in third seat when there is a sensible reason to do so, and this East hand was not that far short of a normal Norwegian opening bid in any case. Brogeland doubled the 1NT overcall and gave preference to 2¨ when Saelensminde ran from his partner's double. The contract was never in jeopardy and the defence actually dropped a trick to let Saelensminde score +110; 6 IMPs to Norway.

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

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
    Pass 2ª
2NT 3ª All Pass  

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
    Pass 2ª
2NT Pass 3¨ Pass
3© All Pass    

The two auctions began in identical fashion but then Aa made a surprising competitive bid of 3ª to buy the contract. Sontag led a low club and there was some percentage in running that in because even if it lost there would then be a pitch for declarer's losing heart. However, Groetheim went up with the ace and played a spade. Sontag won the queen and played the §Q to dummy's king. Groetheim played a second spade to the ace and Sontag played the §J, ruffed. Now Groetheim played the ªK and Sontag dropped the §5 instead of the ª3. We will never know whether he would have noticed his error but Weichsel asked him 'No spades, partner', as is permitted in North American tournaments. But this is an area of the laws where the ACBL is out of step with the rest of the world and under WBF regulations the question established the revoke. Sontag was obliged to play the club and the resulting one-trick penalty made the difference between one down and just making; +140.

In the other room, Chip Martel led the king of clubs against 3© but didn't like the look of Lew Stansby's nine, which looked to be discouraging. He switched to a diamond and continued that suit when in with the ace of hearts. Brogeland made ten tricks for +170 and 7 IMPs to Norway.

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

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
      1¨
Pass 1ª Pass 1NT
All Pass      

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
      1NT
Pass 2§ Pass 2©
Pass 2NT All Pass  

The Closed Room auction to 2NT looks entirely normal within the context of a weak no trump opening bid, but 2NT was uncomfortably high on two hands that did not fit together particularly well. Stansby won the heart lead with dummy's queen and led a diamond to the queen, which was ducked smoothly by Brogeland. Stansby continued with the queen of clubs, covered by king and ace, and now tried the ¨J to pin a doubleton ten offside. When that lost to the king and a heart was returned, dummy's last entry had gone and there was no way to get to the long diamond. Stansby ended up down three for -300.

Groetheim's 11-13 rebid kept his side at a much safer level. He too won the heart lead and took a diamond finesse but Sontag won to lead a second heart, on which Weichsel unblocked the ten - not that this mattered. Groetheim tried the effect of a spade to the ten and ace now, not knowing how favourably the minor suits were lying. The effect was that Sontag whistled back a spade and Weichsel cashed three more tricks in the suit. Groetheim had to pitch two clubs from hand but he was OK. Weichsel switched to a club and Groetheim took his seven tricks for +90 and 9 IMPs to Norway.

 

Brogeland Boye, Norway

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

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
Pass 1§ 1© Dble
2ª Dble 3© Pass
4© Pass Pass Dble
All Pass      

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
2© Dble 3¨ Pass
Pass 4ª 5© 5ª
All Pass      

Sontag's 2ª was described as 'Probably a fit bid' at the other side of the screen. After Aa had judged to make a take-out double, there was no chance that the Norwegians would get to the spade game. Indeed, Groetheim did well to find the double of 4© to increase the penalty for two down to -300.

That looked to be a good result for Sontag's imaginative effort but all it achieved was to hold the American loss on the board to 8 IMPs. When Martel was willing to bid to 4ª on his own, it wasn't easy for Stansby, with his five-card support, to avoid bidding on to the doomed 5ª. There was no way to avoid the loss of two diamonds and one heart; -50.

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

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
  3§ 3© 3ª
4© Pass Pass 4ª
5© All Pass    

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
  3§ 3© 4ª
Dble All Pass    

It may appear that both Norths made the same opening bid, but in reality Aa was showing a bad pre-empt in either minor, while Martel's bid was natural. Despite having support for partner's minor, both Groetheim and Stansby focused exclusively on spades. While Sontag took the push to 5©, Brogeland made a tremendous decision when he judged to double 4ª. Apparently it just felt right at the time and Boye had the courage to follow his instincts - when you're hot…

Both contracts failed by a trick for two +100s to Norway and 5 IMPs.

Board 16. Dealer West. E/W Vul.
  ª A Q J 9 5 2
© 2
¨ A J 9 6 2
§ 2
ª 10 8 6 3
© 9 6
¨ 10 8 5
§ A 10 6 3
Bridge deal ª -
© K J 5 4 3
¨ Q 7 4 3
§ K 8 5 4
  ª K 7 4
© A Q 10 8 7
¨ K
§ Q J 9 7

West North East South
Sontag Aa Weichsel Groetheim
Pass 1ª Pass 1NT
Pass 2§ Pass 2¨
Pass 3ª Pass 4§
Pass 4¨ Pass 4©
Pass 5© Pass 6ª
All Pass      

West North East South
Brogeland Martel Saelensminde Stansby
Pass 1ª Pass 2©
Pass 2ª Pass 3ª
Pass 4§ Pass 4¨
Pass 4NT Pass 5©
Pass 6ª All Pass  

Up to this point the set score was 40-0 in favour of Norway, but finally there was some joy for the beleaguered Americans. Both the natural American auction and the Norwegian relays reached the good spade slam, but the opening leads differed, as did declarer's chosen lines of play.

Aa received a club lead to the seven and ace, and back came a second club, which he ruffed. He played a diamond to the king then ace of hearts and ruffed one. Ace and another diamond, ruffed, left declarer a trick short because of the 4-0 trump split; down one for -50.

Martel got a diamond lead to dummy's king. He played the §Q and Brogeland won the ace and switched to the eight of spades. Martel won in hand and played ace of diamonds and ruffed a diamond low, ruffed a club and played a heart to the queen, cashed the ace and ruffed another club. A diamond, ruffed with the king, and one more ruff in hand allowed Martel to make his nine of spades; +980 and 14 IMPs to USA2.

Aa was unlucky, of course, but might he have played a spade to hand after unblocking the diamond? Now he sees the 4-0 break in time and recognises the need to take the heart finesse.

After 48 boards, Norway were looking good, leading USA2 by 132-59 IMPs.


Page 3

 
Previous Page Next Page
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5