The Women's Venice Cup Trial (XVI) by Phillip Alder The trials to select seven of the eight United States teams for this year's world championships were played in Schaumburg, IL, from May 10 to June 9. (USA 1 for the Bermuda Bowl was decided last year.) First today, here are two bidding questions. 1. With only your side vulnerable, you pick up: ‰ 5 4 Š A Q 10 7 ‹ K Q 6 5 4 Œ Q 8 West North East South You Partner Pass 1‹ Pass 2Œ (a) Pass 2Š (b) Pass 3Œ Pass ?? (a) Natural and game-forcing (b) Do you agree with this rebid? What would you do now? 2. With both sides vulnerable, you are dealt: ‰ A J 9 Š A Q ‹ Q J 10 9 6 5 Œ K 10 West North East South You Intervenor Partner Advancer Pass 1‹ Dble Redble 1Š ?? What would you do? The 120-board match in the women's Venice Cup trial to select USA 2 was between Hjordis “Disa” Eythorsdottir-Linda Lewis, Cindy Bernstein-Sally Wheeler and Lynn Deas-Janice Seamon-Molson; and Cheri Bjerkan-Rozanne Pollack and Peggy Sutherlin-Pam Wittes. Disa took a big lead, but Bjerkan slowly got back into the match. With fourteen boards left to be played, Disa 's lead was down to 16 international match points (224-208). Bjerkan gained another 4 imps on the next deal. Then came: 1 North Dlr: South ‰ J 8 7 Vul: E-W Š J 8 6 4 3 ‹ J 10 8 7 Œ 7 West East ‰ 5 4 ‰ A 9 2 Š A Q 10 7 Š 2 ‹ K Q 6 5 4 ‹ A 9 Œ Q 8 Œ A K J 9 6 4 2 South ‰ K Q 10 6 3 Š K 9 5 ‹ 3 2 Œ 10 5 3 Open Room: West North East South Sutherlin Bernstein Wittes Wheeler Pass 1‹ Pass 2Œ Pass 2Š Pass 3Œ Pass 3‰ Pass 6Œ All Pass Closed Room: West North East South Deas Bjerkan Molson Pollack Pass 1‹ Pass 2Œ Pass 2‹ (a) Pass 3Œ Pass 3Š Pass 3‰ Dble 4Œ Pass 4‹ Pass 4NT Pass 7Œ All Pass (a) Five-plus diamonds Discuss West's rebid over two clubs with your partner. The present style is to rebid two diamonds with five or more cards in the suit, and to do anything else with fewer diamonds. But any agreement is bet- ter than none. In the Open Room, Sutherlin would have done better to raise three clubs to four. At the other table, Seamon-Molson intended four diamonds to be Roman Key Card Blackwood in clubs. However, West's four notrump was an impossible reply, because it showed two key cards without the club queen. East, thinking that with six key cards – five aces and the club king! – they would not need the club queen, shot out seven clubs. At both tables, South understandably led the spade king. It was then easy for the declarers to draw trumps and establish dummy's diamonds. They took one spade, one heart, four diamonds and seven clubs. A heart lead, removing the dummy entry (given that trumps were 3-1, not 2-2), would have made life much harder. Declarer would have had to guess well. Minus 1390 and plus 2140 gave Disa 13 imps and a little more breathing room. Bjerkan recouped 6 imps on the next three deals. Then: 2 North Dlr: South ‰ K 10 5 4 Vul: Both Š J 10 8 7 ‹ K Œ Q J 6 2 West East ‰ A J 9 ‰ Q 6 Š A Q Š K 5 ‹ Q J 10 9 6 5 ‹ A 8 4 3 2 Œ K 10 Œ A 9 8 7 South ‰ 8 7 3 2 Š 9 6 4 3 2 ‹ 7 Œ 5 4 3 Open Room: West North East South Sutherlin Bernstein Wittes Wheeler Pass 1‹ Dble Redble 1Š 2NT Pass 4NT All Pass Closed Room: West North East South Deas Bjerkan Molson Pollack Pass 1‹ Pass 2‹ (a) Pass 4Š (b) Pass 5Œ (c) Pass 6‹ Pass Pass Pass (a) Inverted minor-suit raise (b) Roman Key Card Blackwood (c) Two key cards but no diamond queen If I had been West in the Open Room, I would have passed over one heart to see what partner wanted to do. Given East's redouble, that pass would have been forcing. Also, I have never been fond of calling a hand with a six-card suit as balanced. Which would you prefer, 6-3-2-2 or 4-3-3-3? Then, Wittes might have shown her diamond support, and Sutherlin might have accepted the slam-try because of her extra playing-tricks. Note that six notrump was cold, declarer being able to take two spades, two hearts, six diamonds and two clubs. In the Closed Room, Deas and Seamon-Molson had sorted out their methods. Minus 690 and plus 1370 gave Disa a further 12 imps and the lead by 23 imps (249-226) with seven boards to be played. To be continued 3 .