Italy defeats China after a precarious start

Coming into the final 16 boards of the 96 board quarterfinal Italy led China by a mere 6 imps, 171 to 165.  The first board Board 17 was a declarer play challenge.

Dealer: North Vul: None
Duboin/Lian ♠ 102 ♥ 532 ♦ A1043 ♣ KQJ7		Dummy ♠ AQJ86 ♥ KJ86 ♦ 75 ♣ A2

Auction in the Open Room

Duboin got the lead of the ♥ Q.  He played the ♥ K which held the trick as South Hou play the ♥ 4. This gave him a fairly easy road to nine tricks. At trick two Duboin led a spade to the ♠ 10 which held the trick and he was well on his way.  He played another spade and South won the♠ K and declarer now has enough tricks.

Dealer: North Vul: None North ♠ 973 ♥ AQ1097 ♦ J92 ♣ 54 West ♠ 102 ♥ 532 ♦ A1043 ♣ KQJ7 East ♠ AQJ86 ♥ KJ86 ♦ 75 ♣ A2 South ♠ K54 ♥ 4 ♦ KQ86 ♣ 109863

Auction in Closed Room

In the Closed Room Bocchi hearing Shi bid both majors decided to try a minor and pick his shorter one clubs.  This was an awkward lead for declarer because it was a start on disrupting communications.  Lian made the reasonable decision of winning the ♣ A and needed to attack spades.  It is true that if North has three spades to the king then crossing to dummy on a club allows declarer to make ten easy tricks: 4 clubs, 1 diamond and 5 spades.  But declarer can afford a spade loser.  It seems right to me to try to play spades for one loser and to keep communications going.  Declarer could try a spade to the ♠ 10.  If both follow to the spade and either player wins the trick then declarer can make nine tricks as long as spades are 4-2 (or 5-1 with a singleton 9.  In fact 5-0 is okay too if North has the five.  I can’t think of a lie of the cards where declarer has an easier time of making nine tricks by crossing to dummy and leading the ♠ 10 from dummy.  Maybe I am missing something.  Anyway Lian crossed on a club which “seemed” safe enough and ran the ♠ 10 which held.  He played another spade to the ♠ J but this time South Madala took the ♠K.  This was the end position:

Dealer: North Vul: None Bocchi ♠ 3 ♥ AQ1097 ♦ J92 ♣ – Lian ♠ ♥ 532 ♦ A1043 ♣ QJ Shi ♠ AQ8 ♥ KJ86 ♦ 75 ♣ – Madala ♠ 5 ♥ 4 ♦ KQ86 ♣ 986

Do you see what happens when Madala found the great shift of a small diamond?  Lian now sort of has nine tricks, 4 spades, 4 clubs and a diamond.  But he has no quick entry to dummy.  He ducked the first diamond and Bocchi persisted with the ♦ J.  Lian cannot duck the thrid diamond since he will be locked in dummy on a spade return.  He must win the second diamond.  Now Lian can take one or two clubs but eventually has to play a heart.  Bocchi wins and still has a diamond to return to Madala who can cash the setting tricks.

There are other ways to make the hand double dummy.  Playing on hearts earlier for example.  But by playing a club early declarer destroyed communications to dummy.  He could therefore only duck diamonds twice and in the end that proved to be the problem.  So the combination of finding a disruptive lead and a choice made by declarer, perhaps an inferior one, led to an 11 imp lose.  Italy never looked back.