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Home , Bermuda Bowl, Lebensohl

The World Championship Trials (VII)

by Phillip Alder

The trials to select seven of the eight teams for this year's world championships were played in Schaumburg, IL, from May 10 to June 9. (USA 1 for the Bowl was decided last year.) First, here are three problems.

1a. With both sides vulnerable, you pick up:

‰ J 9 7 6 Š A Q 9 6 5 ‹ 4 Œ 8 6 2

Partner opens two notrump, 20-22— points. What would be your plan?

2. North (Dummy) Dlr: North ‰ 7 5 Vul: N-S Š 10 7 2 ‹ K Q 10 4 2 Œ J 10 9 East (You) ‰ A J 10 6 3 Š A 5 4 3 ‹ 9 Œ Q 8 5 West North East South Partner Dummy You Declarer Pass 1‰ 1NT 2‰ 2NT (a) Pass 3Œ (b) Pass 3‹ (c) Pass 3NT Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) (b) Forced (c) Competitive only – an immediate three-club response would have been game-invitational or stronger with long diamonds

Partner leads the heart queen. How would you plan the defense?

1b. If you respond three clubs (normal, not puppet, Stayman), partner rebids three spades. What now?

We are looking at the 120- final of the trial between -, - and -, and Jeffrey Wolfson-, John Hurd- and -. After seventeen boards, Fleisher led by 60 international match points to 20. The next two deals were flat, then Fleisher gained an overtrick imp. This was Board 21:

1 North Dlr: North ‰ 7 5 Vul: N-S Š 10 7 2 ‹ K Q 10 4 2 Œ J 10 9 West East ‰ 9 4 2 ‰ A J 10 6 3 Š Q J 8 6 Š A 5 4 3 ‹ 6 3 ‹ 9 Œ K 6 4 2 Œ Q 8 5 South ‰ K Q 8 Š K 9 ‹ A J 8 7 5 Œ A 7 3 Open Room: West North East South Greco Hurd Hampson Wooldridge Pass 1‰ 1NT Pass Pass Pass

Closed Room: West North East South Zia Martel Rosenberg Fleisher Pass 1‰ 1NT 2‰ 2NT (a) Pass 3Œ (b) Pass 3‹ (c) Pass 3NT Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) Lebensohl (b) Forced (c) Competitive only – an immediate three-club response would have been game-invitational or stronger with long diamonds

One notrump was an easy contract to make, declarer eventually taking ten tricks when the discarding on the diamonds was inaccurate. The real action was in the Closed Room. Two spades and three diamonds would have been made, but Fleisher liked his big diamond fit and well-placed spade honors. He judged that if three diamonds was makable, so might three notrump, and that came with a big vulnerable game bonus. Zia, though, knowing that his opponents did not have the normal values, doubled. Zia then found the winning : the heart queen. However, understandably, Rosen- berg did not find the killing continuation. He had to win with his ace and shift to a low club! If declarer won that trick, the defenders would have taken one heart, one spade and three clubs. Or, if South ducked, West could have won and returned a low heart to declarer's now-bare king. The defenders would have collected one spade, three hearts and one club. When East ducked the first trick to South's heart king, declarer played three rounds of diamonds ending on the board, led a spade to his king, took his last two diamond tricks ending in the dummy and played another spade. The defenders could take only one spade and three hearts. Minus 180 and plus 750 gave Fleisher 11 imps. Over the next four deals, Fleisher added another 6 imps. This was Board 26:

2 North Dlr: East ‰ K 8 Vul: Both Š 4 3 2 ‹ K Q 9 5 3 Œ 7 5 4 West East ‰ A Q 5 2 ‰ J 9 7 6 Š J 7 Š A Q 9 6 5 ‹ A J 7 ‹ 4 Œ A K Q J Œ 8 6 2 South ‰ 10 4 3 Š K 10 8 ‹ 10 8 6 2 Œ 10 9 3 Open Room: West North East South Greco Hurd Hampson Wooldridge Pass Pass 1Œ (a) 1‹ 1Š (b) 2‹ Pass Pass Dble Pass 2‰ Pass 4‰ Pass 5NT (c) Pass 6‰ All Pass (a) 16-plus points (b) Five or more hearts, game-forcing (c) Pick a slam

Closed Room: West North East South Zia Martel Rosenberg Fleisher Pass Pass 2NT Pass 3Œ Pass 3‰ Pass 4Š (a) Pass 5Œ Pass 5‰ Pass 6‰ Pass Pass Pass (a) Artificial slam-try in spades

In theory, six spades was the spade ten away from being a decent slam. At both tables, North led the diamond queen, Rusinow promising the king. Each declarer won and immediately ran the heart jack. In the Closed Room, Martel followed suit with the four, an upside-down showing an odd number of cards in the suit. Fleisher won with his king, and later Martel collected the spade king. At the other table, Hurd played the heart deuce, also using upside-down signals. So Wooldridge, thinking his partner had started with a doubleton, played low smoothly. However, Greco ruffed the diamond seven and ran the spade jack. North took the trick and returned his second . West won in his hand, ruffed the diamond jack, played a club to his ace, drew South's last trump and claimed. Greco took three spades, two hearts, one diamond, four clubs and two diamond ruffs. Plus 1430 and plus 100 gave Fleisher another 17 imps and the lead by 95 imps to 20. Even though there were 94 boards to go, Wolfson needed to start playing better.

To be continued

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