The 44th World Team Championships (XXX)

by Phillip Alder

These took place in Wuhan, China, from September 14 to 28 last year. To start, here are two questions, the declarer-play problem being rotated to make South the declarer.

1. With only the opponents vulnerable, you pick up:

‰ A K J 10 9 7 5 Š 6 ‹ K 8 2 Œ 5 3

The bidding begins like this:

West North East South Responder Advancer You Intervenor 1‰ 2‰ (a) Pass 4Š ?? (a) Michaels Cue-Bid: at least 5-5 in hearts and either minor

What would you do?

2. Dummy Dlr: East ‰ 7 2 Vul: N-S Š A 9 7 6 5 4 3 ‹ A 10 Œ 9 4

Declarer (You) ‰ J 9 Š 10 ‹ K 7 5 Œ A K J 10 7 6 2 West North East South Dummy You Pass 1Œ 1‰ 2Š 3Š (a) 3‰ (b) Pass 4Œ 4‰ Pass Pass 4NT (c) Pass 5Œ Pass Pass Pass (a) Game-invitational spade raise (b) Asking for a spade stopper for three notrump (c) Pick a game

West leads the spade ace: deuce, king, nine. West continues with the spade six: seven, queen, jack. East shifts to the club five. What would you do?

1 In the 96- semifinals, USA-1 (Nick Nickell-Ralph Katz, Bobby Levin-Steve Weinstein and Jeff Meckstroth-Eric Rodwell) played against Poland (Krzysztof Buras-Grzegorz Narkiewicz, Bartosz Chmurski-Piotr Tuczynski and Jacek Kalita-Michal Nowosadzki). With one 16-board session to go, Poland led by 153 international match points to 115. USA-1 needed to gain points steadily, but after a flat game, Poland padded its lead.

North Dlr: East ‰ Q 6 4 2 Vul: N-S Š A J 3 ‹ A Q J 9 Œ 10 7 West East ‰ 3 ‰ A K J 10 9 7 5 Š Q 10 7 5 Š 6 ‹ 10 7 5 3 ‹ K 8 2 Œ A J 6 4 Œ 5 3 South ‰ 8 Š K 9 8 4 2 ‹ 6 4 Œ K Q 9 8 2 Open Room: West North East South Kalita Rodwell Nowosadzki Meckstroth 1‰ Pass 1NT Pass 2‰ All Pass

Closed Room: West North East South Weinstein Buras Levin Narkiewicz 1‰ 2‰ (a) Pass 4Š 4‰ Pass Pass Dble All Pass (a) Michaels Cue-Bid: at least 5-5 in hearts and either minor

It isn't often that a player takes a more aggressive action than Meckstroth. Here, despite the adverse vulnerability, Narkiewicz used Michaels, getting his side into a four-heart contract that would surely have failed by a trick. However, it was near-impossible for Levin to pass. After Buras doubled four spades, Narkiewicz led the club king, which declarer ducked. After a low-heart shift to North's jack, a club came back, taken by dummy's jack. To get out for down two, declarer had to play a diamond now, but he continued with the club ace, ruffed and overruffed. East cashed his top trumps and played a spade to North's queen. But Norh led the heart ace, forcing declarer to play diamonds from his hand. The defenders took one spade, one heart, three diamonds and one club for down three, plus 500. In the Open Room, South led the diamond six. Now declarer cruised to eight tricks: six spades, one diamond and one club. Plus 110 and plus 500 gave Poland 12 imps. This was the next deal:

2 North Dlr: South ‰ A 10 8 6 4 Vul: E-W Š K 8 2 ‹ J 9 8 Œ Q 3 West East ‰ J 9 ‰ 7 2 Š 10 Š A 9 7 6 5 4 3 ‹ K 7 5 ‹ A 10 Œ A K J 10 7 6 2 Œ 9 4 South ‰ K Q 5 3 Š Q J ‹ Q 6 4 3 2 Œ 8 5 Open Room: West North East South Kalita Rodwell Nowosadzki Meckstroth Pass 1Œ 1‰ 2‹ (a) 2NT (b) 3Œ Pass 3Š All Pass (a) Hearts (b) Game-invitational spade raise

Closed Room: West North East South Weinstein Buras Levin Narkiewicz Pass 1Œ 1‰ 2Š 3Š (a) 3‰ (b) Pass 4Œ 4‰ Pass Pass 4NT (c) Pass 5Œ Pass Pass Pass (a) Game-invitational spade raise (b) Asking for a spade stopper for three notrump (c) Pick a game

Again the players in the Closed Room bid more ambitiously than those at the other table. Four spades doubled could have cost 800 nonvulnerable. Against five clubs, North led the spade ace (South signaled with the king) and played a second spade. South then shifted to a low club. If declarer had won, ruffed his diamond loser on the board, cashed the heart ace, ruffed a heart and drawn trumps, he would have made his contract. But West guessed to the club jack. North took the trick and returned a to kill the and take the contract down two. In the Open Room, Nowosadzki lost the obvious two spades and two hearts. Plus 140 and plus 200 gave Poland 8 imps. But if Weinstein had made five clubs, it would have been 10 the other way – a difference of 18 imps. With only 13 boards to go, Poland led by 173 imps to 115. It looked dire.

To be continued

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