The final round: Sweden versus France Part 1

The twenty board set between Sweden and France in the final round was an important match for Sweden who needed to win to be sure of a spot in the top sixth and a Bermuda Bowl berth.  France who was out of the running was acting as a spoiler.  If you are interested in the details of the player’s systems you can find them at www.ecatsbridge.com.   Board 2 was a bidding competition.

Dealer: East Vul: N-S	North ♠ A1052 ♥ K1094 ♦ 63 ♣ J85
West ♠ K ♥ Q73 ♦ AKQ10874 ♣ 97		East ♠ 9876 ♥ A5 ♦ J ♣ AKQ1062
	South ♠ QJ43 ♥ J862 ♦ 952 ♣ 42

The diamond slam East-West is pretty good but getting there is the trick.  This was the start of the French auction:

Chemla	Fredin	Levy	Fallenius
		1♣	pas
1♦	pass	1♠	pass
3♦	pass	?

I suppose that East, perhaps concerned about spades and perhaps dreaming about bigger things might bid 3♥.  If that is forward-going West might take the push (perhaps using some kind of ace asking structure like 4♦ or 4♥).  That was a pipe dream in the Open Room and East bid the expected 3NT.  Could the Closed Room get it right?

Upmark	Mari	Cullin	Volcker
		2♣	pass
3♦	pass	3♣	pass
4♦	pass	4♥*	pass
4♠*	pass	5NT	pass
6♦	all pass

Here the Swedish East, Cullin, opened 2♣, Precision style, showing a limited hand with five or more clubs (and possibly a four-card major).  In this auction West’s 3♦ was game forcing showing at least six good diamonds.  When East emphasized his clubs and West his diamonds the pair cuebid their way to slam.  Cullin’s 5NT asked West to pick the slam.  Their system works well on this deal.  As a point of interest in the Russia-Iceland match both pairs got to the diamond slam but both were playing a strong club and the auctions were similar to the Cullin-Upmark auction while in the Italy-Israel match both pairs playing a more standard system open 1♣ and played in 3NT.  9 imps to Sweden.  By Board 6 Sweden was leading 18 imps to 2.

Dealer: E Vul: E-W	North ♠ 8 ♥ J103 ♦ Q9753 ♣ 6532
West ♠ AK6 ♥ K976542 ♦ 10 ♣ J7		East ♠ 1075432 ♥ A ♦ AJ862 ♣ 8
	South ♠ QJ9 ♥ Q8 ♦ K4 ♣ AKQ1094

I have noticed that the strong clubbers really open the bidding light.  Here Cullin in the Closed Room holding the East hand opened 1♠ .  My preference is to pass.  In the Open Room Levy did just that.  Strangely, the pair that opened light ended up selling out to a North-South partscore while the pair that did not open got to game.

Upmark	Mari	Cullin	Volcker
		1♠	1NT
2♣*	pass	2♠	3♣
3♠	4♣	all pass

Volcker overcalled 1NT and then bid clubs and West no doubt used to the light openings surprisingly sold out to 4♣ In the Closed Room South opened 1♣ .

Chemla	Fredin	Levy	Fallenius
		pass	1♣
1♥	pass	1♠	2♣
2♠	pass	4♠	pass
pass	5♣	DBL	all pass

Once East-West bid the game Sweden took the save and ended with -500.

Coming into Board 10 Sweden and France were in a virtual tie Sweden 18, France 19.  Board 10 showed that this match was not just about bidding.  Eddie Kantar wrote a book called Take All Your Chances and that is what this deal is all about

Dealer: E Vul: Both	North ♠ 6 ♥ A10754 ♦ KJ ♣ KQ954
West ♠ J43 ♥ 9863 ♦ Q10862 ♣ 10		East ♠ K85 ♥ Q ♦ A7543 ♣ J862
	South ♠ AQ10972 ♥ KJ2 ♦ 9 ♣ A73

Do you want to be in slam on this deal?  In the heart slam, you have to find the trump queen and you must be able to pick it up,  you need a club break or something else good to happen (as we will see).  So not good enough.  But when you look at all the hands it seems like 6♥ will have good chances while 6♣ will fail on the bad trump break.  The difference is holding that keycard, the trump 10.  (My bidding system does not allow me to check for that!)

In the Open Room Sweden did make a try but slam was not reached.

Chemla	Fredin	Levy	Fallenius
		pass	1♠
pass	2♥	pass	3♥
pass	3♠*	pass	4♦
pass	4♥	all pass

I think this is a decent auction and Sweden ended in the right place.  But would virtue be punished?  In the Closed Room this is what happened.

Upmark	Mari	Cullin	Volcker
		pass	1♠
pass	2♥	pass	3♥
pass	4♥	pass	4NT
pass	5♦	pass	6♥
all pass

So much for science.  After Volcker blasted 6♥, it was up to Mari to make it.  And as we will see he had a blind spot.  Oddly this blind spot also occurred in at least one other match, where Russia also in 6♥ followed the same line.  The opening lead was helpful the ♦A.  Cullin continued diamonds, Mari winning.  When Mari led a heart to dummy the queen appeared.  Another hurdle over.  He now drew 4 rounds of trump while Cullin shed diamonds.  This was the position.

Dealer: E Vul: Both	North ♠ 6 ♥ 7 ♦- ♣ KQ954
West ♠ J43 ♥ – ♦ Q82 ♣ 10		East ♠ K85 ♥ – ♦ – ♣ J862
	South ♠ AQ109 ♥ – ♦ – ♣ A73

Now Mari cashed the ♣K and the ♣10 dropped (a hint perhaps?).  If East has four clubs (and surely West can’t be the one with the long clubs or he would have kept his 10!) there is no way to pick up the suit and North will surely go down.  But there is a ray of hope in the spade suit.  North should cash the ♣Q (preserving dummy’s entry) if the suit splits he can cash the ♣A and ruff a spade back in hand to claim.  But when the suit doesn’t split as here he still can fallback on spades.  He finesses the ♠Q cashes the ♠A and ruffs a spade.  The ♣A still in dummy provides an entry to the now good spades and voila!  But Mari made the natural (but wrong play of a club to the ♣A rather than cashing the ♣Q and voila, one down.  13 imps to Sweden instead of 13 imps to France a big 26 imp swing.  At the halfway point Sweden led 31-19.

To be continued …