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Home , Michael Seamon, Preempt

The Second Semifinal

by Phillip Alder

At the Summer North American Championships last month in Chicago, the matchups in the 60- semifinals of the Spingold Knockout Teams, the premier event, were:

Jimmy Cayne and from the United States, and from Israel, and Lorenzo Lauria and Alfredo Versace from Italy against

Team Lavazza : Giorgio Duboin from Italy, Zia Mahmood, who represents the United States but lives in London, Norberto Bocchi who plays for Italy but lives in Barcelona, Spain, Agustin Madala and Alejandro Bianchedi from Argentina, and Massimiliano Di Franco from Italy and

Team Monaco : Pierre Zimmermann, Franck Multon, Fulvio Fantoni, Claudio Nunes, Geir Helgemo and Tor Helness versus

Pan China : Zhuang Ze Jun, Shi Hoajun, Ju Chuan Cheng, Shi Zheng Jun, Liu Haitao and Dong Lidang

Last time, we looked at Cayne defeating Lavazza . Now let's turn to the other match. Pan China started well, taking the first set by 36 international match points to 9, aided by the board on the next page. (Note that all boards except the last one have been rotated by 180 degrees to make South the declarer.)

1 North Dlr: East ‰ Q J 8 7 4 Vul: Both Š K Q 10 8 ‹ – Œ A K 10 4 West East ‰ A 10 9 ‰ K 3 Š 3 Š A J 9 5 ‹ K 6 5 4 3 2 ‹ J 10 9 8 Œ 6 3 2 Œ Q J 9 South ‰ 6 5 2 Š 7 6 4 2 ‹ A Q 7 Œ 8 7 5 Table 1 West North East South Nunes J. Shi Fantoni Zhuang 1NT (a) Pass 2NT (b) Pass 3Œ (c) Pass 3‹ (d) Dble Pass 3Š Pass 4Š All Pass (a) 12-14 points (b) Weak with a long minor, or clubs and a major game-invitational, or strong with clubs (c) Relay (d) Weak with diamonds

Table 2: West North East South Liu Multon Dong Zimmermann 1NT (a) Pass 3Œ (b) Pass 3‹ Pass Pass Dble Pass 3Š Pass 4Š Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) 12-14 points (b) Transfer to diamonds

Obviously, the auctions were effectively identical, with North bidding game in the hope that partner had a useful major-suit card or two. (Each North no doubt assumed that if his partner's hand had 3=3=4=3 distribution, he would have passed over the double and hoped for the best.) The difference was the decision by Liu, with an ace and a king opposite an opening bid, to double. Nunes was more cautious. Liu led his singleton . East took dummy's king with his ace and shifted to the club queen. Zimmermann won with dummy's ace and ducked a spade to West's nine. Back came a club. Declarer won with dummy's king and played a third round to East's jack. East cashed the spade king before shift- ing to the diamond jack, which was covered by the queen and king, and ruffed in the dummy. At this point, if declarer had read the 4-1 trump split, he would have continued with the 13th club. But understandably he first cashed the heart queen. Now he had to go down four, losing two spades, three hearts, one diamond and one club. The play was effectively the same at the other table, but plus 1100 versus minus 400 gave Pan

2 China 12 imps on the board. In a high-scoring second set, Team Monaco gained 6 imps, 51 to 45. There were two interest- ing boards that came back-to-back.

North Dlr: South ‰ A 8 7 5 Vul: N-S Š 10 ‹ 10 Œ A K 10 8 7 6 3 West East ‰ J 3 ‰ 10 6 4 2 Š J 7 6 3 2 Š A 9 5 ‹ A K 9 3 ‹ Q 8 7 5 4 2 Œ J 4 Œ -- South ‰ K Q 9 Š K Q 8 4 ‹ J 6 Œ Q 9 5 2 Table 1: West North East South Ju Multon Z. Shi Zimmermann 1Œ 1Š Dble 2Š Pass Pass 4Š (a) Dble 4‰ (b) Pass 5Œ 5‹ Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) with a big club fit (b) Three-card support

Table 2: West North East South Helness Liu Helgemo Dong 1NT (a) Pass 2NT (b) Pass 3Œ Pass 3‰ (c) Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass (a) 12-14 points (b) Transfer to clubs (c) Four spades and longer clubs

At the first table, Shi judged well to over the laydown five-club contract. In five diamonds doubled, he lost two spades and two hearts to go down two. In the other room, Dong's decision to bid three notrump looks highly debatable with four-card club support, concentrated spades and no diamond stopper. Helness then did well, leading the diamond ace, not his fourth-highest heart. Helgemo encouraged and the defenders took six diamonds and one heart for down three. Plus 300 and plus 300 hgave Team Monaco 12 imps on the board.

3 North Dlr: West ‰ 5 2 Vul: E-W Š K 9 2 ‹ 9 8 7 2 Œ K 10 8 6 West East ‰ K 8 ‰ J 10 7 4 3 Š A J 6 3 Š 10 8 ‹ A Q J ‹ K 10 5 4 3 Œ J 7 3 2 Œ A South ‰ A Q 9 6 Š Q 7 5 4 ‹ 6 Œ Q 9 5 4 Table 1: West North East South Ju Multon Z. Shi Zimmermann 1NT (a) Pass 2Œ Pass 2Š Pass 2‰ (b) Pass 3NT Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) 14-16 points (b) Game-invitational with five spades

Table 2: West North East South Helness Liu Helgemo Dong 1NT (a) Pass 2Š (b) Pass 2‰ Pass 3‹ Pass 3NT Pass Pass Pass (a) 15-17 points (b) Transfer

Zimmermann, knowing that his opponents did not have values to spare and so were most unlikely to redouble, chanced a speculative double, with his strong spades sitting over the dummy. Multon led the spade five. South won with his ace and shifted to a low club. Now declarer cashed out, taking one spade, one heart, five diamonds and one club, for down one. In the other room, where Helgemo did not limit his hand, Liu led the club six. Helness immediately ran the spade jack, which held the trick. Then declarer played another spade, to the ace and king. South returned a low club, and when West put up his jack, he won the trick! Did North pull the wrong card (my guess) or did he think declarer had started with ΠQ-J-9-2? Whatever, that was declarer's ninth trick. Plus 100 and plus 600 was a very lucky 13 imps for Team Monaco .

The third set was very low-scoring, 21-8 to Team Monaco , which left Monaco 21 imps ahead with 15 boards to go. Here are the two most decisive deals from the last session.

4 North Dlr: East ‰ K 7 6 4 Vul: Both Š – ‹ A Q J 7 2 Œ A Q 10 8 West East ‰ 5 2 ‰ A J Š A K J 9 7 2 Š Q 6 5 4 ‹ 9 4 ‹ K 8 6 3 Œ 6 4 3 Œ K 9 2 South ‰ Q 10 9 8 3 Š 10 8 3 ‹ 10 5 Œ J 7 5 Table 1: West North East South Zhuang Nunes J. Shi Fantoni 1Œ (a) Pass 1‹ (b) 1Š (c) 2Š (d) 2‰ 3Œ 3Š Pass 3‰ Pass 4‰ All Pass (a) Natural or a outside the range for a one-notrump opening (b) Hearts (c) of hearts (d) Four-card support

West led the diamond nine, and declarer had no trouble taking eleven tricks: four spades, four diamonds, one club and two heart ruffs in the dummy.

Table 2: West North East South Helness Z. Shi Helgemo Ju 1‹ Pass 1Š Dble 2Š (a) Pass Pass Dble Pass 2‰ 3Š Pass Pass 3‰ 4Š Dble All Pass (a) Four-card support

Typically, if you are willing to bid to the four-level, the quicker you do it, the better. Inching up like Hel- ness gives the opponents a fielder's choice: double or bid higher. But sometimes if you immediately, you push your opponents into bidding higher than they might otherwise. Here, though, when South bid spades for the second time, it is surprising that North chose to double in preference to raising to four spades. Four hearts doubled went down one, declarer losing one spade, one diamond and two clubs. But plus 650 and minus 200 gave Team Monaco 10 imps and the lead by 43.

5 North Dlr: North ‰ Q 10 8 Vul: Both Š 6 5 3 ‹ A K Q 8 5 4 Œ 2 West East ‰ K 9 6 ‰ J 7 5 3 Š Q 4 Š A 7 2 ‹ 3 ‹ J 10 7 2 Œ A K Q 10 7 6 5 Œ J 4 South ‰ A 4 2 Š K J 10 9 8 ‹ 9 6 Œ 9 8 3 Table 1: West North East South J. Shi Fantoni Zhuang Nunes 2‹ (a) Pass Pass 3‹ Pass 4‰ Pass 5Œ Pass 5Š Dble 6Œ Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) 10-13 points, six-plus diamonds, or five diamonds and a second suit

The Chinese pair had an unfortunate misunderstanding. Shi intended three diamonds to ask for a diamond stopper for three notrump, but Zhuang interpreted it as a Michaels Cue-Bid, showing at least 5-5 in the majors. When the dust had settled, Shi had lost two spades, one heart and one diamond to go down three.

Table 2: West North East South Helgemo Ju Helness Z. Shi 1‹ Pass 1Š 2Œ Dble (a) Pass 2Š 3Œ 3‹ 3NT 4Š Dble Pass Pass Pass (a) Three-card heart support

Three notrump would have been defeated if South had led a diamond, and North had immediately shifted to a heart – a not-unlikely defense. Against four hearts doubled, West started with two rounds of clubs. South ruffed in the dummy and played a heart to his eight. West won with the queen and played another high club, East overruff- ing dummy with his heart seven. Then a spade went to West's king, and later East scored the heart ace for down two. Plus 800 and plus 500 gave Team Monaco 16 imps and a lead of 54. Yes, Z. Shi could have saved one trick if he had risen with his heart king at trick three, but even then Team Monaco would have gained 14 imps. The final score was Team Monaco 122 Pan China 64. Team Monaco would play Cayne for the Spingold title – see my next article.

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