The Bermuda Bowl 2003 in Monaco
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45 44 The Bermuda Bowl 2003 in Monaco By Pietro Campanile he Bermuda Bowl is one of the quarter finals opponents, but had a much Then came board 120: oldest and most valued bridge tougher fight on their hands when they Dealer West – None vulnerable trophies, equivalent in status faced respectively the USA2 team with ♠ K74 to the World Cup in football. Bobby Wolff and Norway with Helgemo. ♥ J874 TIt was first played in Bermuda in 1950 They eventually both managed to win ♦ AJ965 and was such a success that it soon their semifinals and so it was that Italy ♣ Q became the most prestigious bridge and USA1 stood to battle it out in the 128 ♠ 105 ♠ A6 trophy. Over the last two decades the boards final to adjudicate the coveted ♥A96 ♥KQ32 World Bridge Federation increased the trophy. ♦ 107 ♦ Q32 teams participating in the event to allow The match opened with the Italians ♣AJ9732 ♣K1065 each part of the world to be represented. quickly making up ground and leading at ♠QJ9832 Twice Israel managed to win a medal, the end of the first 48 boards by 109-79 ♥ 105 both times bronze, in 1974 (Lev, Shaufel, and that included the -13 carry-over they ♦ K84 Frydrich, Hochzeit, Romik and Levit) and had started with. ♣ 84 in 1985 (Lev, Shaufel, Frydrich, Hochzeit, The Americans came back strong and led Closed Room Zeligman and Birman). by as much as 62 IMPs halfway through The 2003 edition took place at the start of the session before last, when it almost West North East South November in the fashionable settings of looked like we might witness a blow-out, Duboin Rodwell Bocchi Meckstroth the independent principality of Monaco, and finished 28 IMPs in front with 16 Pass 1♦ Pass 1♠ on the French Riviera. The only Israeli hands to go. 2♣ Dbl Rdbl 2♠ team participating was competing in On to the last session which will turn up Dbl Pass 3NT All Pass the Seniors event and included Nissan to be the most thrilling ever played at this In the closed room Bocchi-Duboin came in Rand, Shalom Zeligman, Adrian Schwarz, level. "This match will go down in history late in the auction after the usual feather- Shaya Levit and Pinkhas Romik. They as one of the most dramatic, exciting and light Meckwell opening and were allowed were in contention for a medal till their controversial bridge championships of all to play in 3NT, making 10 tricks for +430. last round loss to USA2. More about time," commented Fred Gitelman, a gold their performance in our next issue; the medalist with Canada's national bridge Open Room same goes for the Ladies event won by team for many years, who organized an West North East South the USA1 team of Sokolow, Molson, Wei- online video-stream that allowed a global Hamman Lauria Soloway Versace Sender, Kennedy, Picus and Levin. audience of up to 6000 to monitor the Pass Pass 1NT 2♦* In the Open Championship Italy won the action on bridgebase.com, helped by the 3NT 4♥ Dbl 4♠ round robin with a clear margin, but with expert commentary of Michael Rosenberg, Pass Pass Dbl All Pass a heavy loss in the match vs USA1 of 6- Larry Cohen and many others. 24 resulting in a negative “carry-over” of Italy pulled immediately back 11 on the * a long major 13 IMPs which will prove to be a decisive first board of the set (board 113) when Here Lauria made the great call of 4♥ factor later on. Hamman-Soloway had a complex auction asking Versace to pass/correct to his The tournament favorites, USA1 and Italy, to a no-play slam. The gap got even major, a decision which should save quite managed to dispose rather comfortably smaller when the Americans missed a cold a few imps since 4♠ is only one or two off. of Chinese Taipei and Australia, their slam in board 116: USA1 – Italy 272-266. However Hamman led the ♠5 to Soloway’s 45 44 ♠A and the whole VuGraph theatre went had always been the main characteristic had dropped further behind. Italy-USA1 up in a scream when they saw that he of their opponents, Meckstroth-Rodwell, 290-282. returned a small spade instead of trying whose style of pressure bridge is After board 125 turned to be a flat 3♥ to cash out. Now Versace had a chance exemplified by the efforts to always strain contract, well needed to allow tranquillizers to make if he guessed the diamonds. The to find game contracts with very light and blood pressure pills to be distributed Italian champion took the right inference values. to the audience, on we go to the explosive from the fact that Soloway had played The swings and the excitement were once last three boards of the Championship. back a trump, something he would not again in the open room: Board 126 - Dealer East - None vul. likely do if he thought the diamonds would West North East South ♠ QJ10754 run and, after a very long pause he called Hamman Lauria Soloway Versace ♥ KJ94 for the ♦J and let it run from dummy to ♦ AK6 2♣ 2♠ 3♣ Dbl the dismay of the USA supporters in the ♣- audience and the obvious delight of their 3♠ Pass 3NT Dbl ♠ AK983 ♠ - Italian counterparts. 15 IMPs to Italy which 4♣ Pass Pass Pass ♥- ♥107532 was now leading 281-278. The bidding in this hand resembled the ♦ Q84 ♦ 973 A few imps changed hands in the next scene from one of those sixties movies ♣AKQ103 ♣96542 three boards and the score was now Italy- where the brat-pack organizes a crash ♠62 USA1 283-282 with five boards to go. race, with two cars driving towards each ♥ AQ86 other at break-neck speed to see who is ♦ J1052 the bravest driver, the one who doesn’t ♣ J87 blink and waits till the last moment before Closed Room turning away from the collision. Here after Hamman’s 2♣ opening showing long West North East South clubs and opening values, Lauria came Duboin Rodwell Bocchi Meckstroth in at adverse vulnerability with a good Pass Pass contender for the prize of “the most 1♠ Pass Pass Dbl disgusting overcall of the year”, Soloway Rdbl 2♠ Pass 3♦ bid a competitive 3♣ and Versace 4♣ 4♥ 5♣ Pass doubled to show values. Hamman Pass 5♦ Pass Pass Norberto Bocchi continued by showing his spade control, towards 3NT, an invitation promptly taken Dbl Pass Pass Pass Board 124 next, dealer W and N/S vul up by Soloway. Versace who, despite The closed room had finished by now ♠ J10942 being the youngest at the table, was not and the players joined the audience in ♥ 653 born yesterday, must have felt that the the VuGraph theatre, for them it will be a ♦ AQJ8 Americans were trying to gamble on 3NT grueling experience to witness what will ♣ 5 making and given his top heart honors, unfold shortly in the open room in the last ♠ A73 ♠ K85 the Qx in partner’s suit and the fact that three boards. The result here would seem ♥2 ♥Q10987 Lauria made a vulnerable 2♠ overcall, to be another potential plus to Italy, since ♦ 742 ♦ K109 quite naturally doubled the contract. The 5♣ does not make and the Italians got 500 ♣AKQJ107 ♣82 VuGraph audience was once again in an for 5♦ -3 doubled. ♠Q6 uproar: what was deemed to be a huge Open Room: AKJ4 ♥ board for the Italians was now turning into West North East South ♦ 653 a surprising loss, since declarer could not Hamman Lauria Soloway Versace ♣ 9643 be stopped from taking 9 tricks. At the Pass Pass table however Versace’s double created a Closed Room 1♣* 1♠ Pass Pass West North East South big problem for Hamman, who had heard his Italian opponents show values and 2♣ Dbl 5♣ Dbl Duboin Rodwell Bocchi Meckstroth strength during every round of the bidding. Pass 5♥ Pass Pass 1♣ 1♠ Dbl Rdbl To the astonishment of the spectators the 6♣ Dbl All Pass 3♣ Pass 3NT Pass great American champion, the most titled Once again the Italians run to the edge of a Pass Pass player in activity, “blinked” and pulled precipice, only to be rescued by the most In the closed room Italy found the 3NTX to 4♣. The contract made after unlikely of saviors: Bob Hamman. After unbeatable 3NT spot with 22 points on Versace “misclicked” and failed to cover Hamman’s strong club opening and rebid the line, thanks to a daring action of the second round of hearts from dummy of 2♣, Soloway jumped immediately to Bocchi-Duboin who did something which but the +130 score still meant that USA1 game on his zero count, due to his strong 43 42 distributional values. Versace doubled board. down and Italy would again take home the and Lauria bid 5♥, offering a choice of Board 128 - Dealer West - EW vul. cup after 28 years. But Lauria, perhaps games. Soloway, happy about the spot ♠ 2 continuing with the pressure bidding which the Italians reached and unsure as to how ♥ AJ93 had worked so well in the earlier part of the 5♠ would fare, passed to avoid alerting ♦ KQ109865 set and confident that he would find some Italians about the bad split. Hamman’s ♣ 5 good cards in Versace’s hand because of turn to bid and a double here would fetch ♠ J10 ♠ A6543 his earlier double, surprised everyone by the USA at least 300. ♥542 ♥KQ1086 bidding 5♦ , quickly doubled by Soloway.