15th World Bridge Series (II)

by Phillip Alder

Before we get to the action, here is one bidding situation to discuss with your partner: With both sides vulnerable, you pick up:

‰ 2 Š A K 10 9 7 2 ‹ A 10 6 5 4 Œ Q

The auction begins like this:

West North East South Responder Partner Opener You Pass Pass 1‰ 2‰ (a) 4Š (b) Pass 4‰: ?? (a) Michaels Cue-Bid: at least 5-5 in hearts and either minor (b) : four-plus spades, game-going values, singleton or in hearts

Do you agree with your Michaels, or would you have overcalled two hearts? What would you do now?

We are looking at one of the 56- semifinals of the Rosenblum Cup world team championship played in Orlando, Florida, a month ago. The two teams were:

Monaco: Pierre Zimmermann-, Piotr Gawrys-Michal Klukowski and -

United States: Warren Spector-, Vincent Demuy-John Kranyak and John Hurd-

At halftime, Spector led by 72 international match points to 43. Spector gained 6 imps on the first board of the third set when Demuy and Kranyak found their club to defeat four hearts. At the other table, Hurd had made three hearts with an overtrick. Then came a bidding challenge for the East-West pairs.

1 North Dlr: East ‰ 8 7 6 5 Vul: N-S Š 10 7 5 4 ‹ 7 6 Œ 9 6 2 West East ‰ A Q 10 ‰ K J 9 2 Š Q J Š A 9 ‹ A K Q J 3 ‹ 10 9 8 5 2 Œ A K 7 Œ J 5 South ‰ 4 3 Š K 8 6 3 2 ‹ 4 Œ Q 10 8 4 3 Open Room: West North East South Wooldridge Gawrys Hurd Klukowski Pass Pass 2Œ Pass 2Š (a) Pass 2NT Pass 3Œ (b) Pass 3‹ (c) Pass 3Š (d) Dble Pass Pass 4‹ Pass 4Š (e) Pass 4NT (f) Pass 5Š (g) Pass 5‰ Pass 6Œ Pass 6‹ All Pass (a) Three or more controls (ace = 2; king = 1) (b) Puppet Stayman (c) No five-card major (d) Four spades (e) Roman Key Card Blackwood in diamonds (f) One key card (g) Announcing all six key cards are held and asking for side-suit kings

Closed Room: West North East South Helgemo Kranyak Helness Demuy Pass Pass 2Œ Pass 2‹ Pass 3NT Pass 6NT All Pass

Hurd and Wooldridge got so close to seven diamonds, where a club ruff provides the thirteenth trick. Their sequence shows how powerful and how difficult Roman Key Card Blackwood can be. I am guessing that Wooldridge hoped six clubs would be read as asking for a third-round control in the suit, but Hurd thought it was requesting that king. (But maybe five notrump over five spades should ask for another king. It would have been clear if two hearts had shown exactly three controls, but the Americans prefer to use the higher responses as natural and promising good suits.) In the Closed Room, the characteristically unscientific bidding by the pair born in Norway actually gained 2 imps. After 3 imps to Zimmermann when Gawrys and Klukowski found a 500 save against a vul- nerable game, came:

2 North Dlr: West ‰ A 10 8 Vul: Both Š J 6 5 4 ‹ K 2 Œ J 10 9 7 West East ‰ 7 6 5 4 ‰ K Q J 9 3 Š – Š Q 8 3 ‹ J 9 7 3 ‹ Q 8 Œ A K 8 5 4 Œ 6 3 2 South ‰ 2 Š A K 10 9 7 2 ‹ A 10 6 5 4 Œ Q Open Room: West North East South Wooldridge Gawrys Hurd Klukowski Pass Pass 1‰ 2‰ (a) 4Š (b) Pass 4‰ 4NT (c) Pass 5Š Pass Pass 5‰ 6Š All Pass (a) Michaels Cue-Bid: at least 5-5 in hearts and either minor (b) Splinter bid: four-plus spades, game-going values, singleton or void in hearts (c) Strong hand, hearts longer than the minor

Closed Room: West North East South Helgemo Kranyak Helness Demuy Pass Pass 1‰ 2Š 4Š (a) 5Š Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) Splinter

It is fun to bid and make a slam when the opponents could have passed you out in game. But here, though, Gawrys could not handle the bad breaks in both red suits. He lost a club and an overruff on the third round of diamonds. Five hearts doubled made six when West tried to cash both of his high clubs. Then Demuy took one spade, six hearts, two diamonds, one diamond ruff in the dummy (after drawing East's trumps) and two clubs. Plus 100 and plus 850 gave Spector 15 imps and the lead by 93 to 48 with 23 boards to go.

To be continued

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