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A Day of Promise – Day 2 at the World Championships.

Although the results of the Open Team were a little disappointing, it was generally a good day for our teams in Marrakesh.

Open			imps		vps		position
India			37-37		10		10
Belgium			18-45		3.74		15
Egypt			31-23		12.29		11
Women
Canada			29-41		6.72		13
Hong Kong China			61-7		19.52		7
Germany			22-15		12.03		8
Mixed
Poland			62-43		14.80		13
India			33-24		12.55		10
Morocco			16-5		13.04		10

 

Highlighted by that huge win over Hong Kong China, our Women are now in the top 8, just, 2.47 vps ahead of one of Day 3’s opponents, Norway. Our Mixed team had three wins and are less than 4 vps off 8^th place. Our Open team had a 1-1-1 day and dropped to 11^th but are only 5.4 vps behind 8^th place Italy. These events are endurance tests and being there or thereabouts for now is fine.

We start with a nicely played hand played by Wayne Burrows in the Mixed Team’s large win over Tunisia on Day 1.

 

 

A little strangely at favourable vulnerability, West did not overcall though East did. West made up for their silence by doubling the final contract.

Wayne won the Q lead in his North hand and played a diamond towards dummy. Perhaps fearing this was a singleton, East took their ace and switched to the J. Wayne had anticipated that, for their overcall, East held A but re-evaluated and with 5 spades known to be in the East hand, played low, playing West for the A singleton.

West won and continued clubs. Wayne ruffed in dummy and cashed KQ and then played a 4^th round of diamonds, the high 10. When West ruffed, Wayne discarded his remaining spade, a kind of loser-on-loser play. These cards remained:

 

Again, West played a club, with Wayne ruffing again in dummy. That brought Wayne’s tally to 5 tricks. He played K which was ruffed and over-ruffed. He then ruffed a club with 9. He could cash A and still held KQ in his hand to make 10 tricks.

Wayne pointed out he would still have made had West discarded on K as like West he would discard a club and could then over-ruff whichever card West played next. West will have wished they had overcalled 1 to stop his opponents from reaching this game.

Kris Wooles described the Women’s team thrashing of Hong Kong China as “a combination of skill and good fortune.” We will sub-title Board 1 as:

Look Left, straight ahead …and right!

 

All was not quite as it seemed here. It was fairly routine until the double of 4. North’s jump was certainly pre-emptive though South was not bothered. They had a good hand and decided to double 4H for penalties…except no-one told Pam Livingston that the double was for penalties…or that the double was there at all when the bidding came back through the screen!

She liked her a hand a lot and thus bid to slam! South might have rethought her double of 4 at that point…but surely, she could beat 6!

North led a spade won in the East hand. A diamond towards dummy brought some good news for Pam. South won to exit a spade, again won in dummy. A trump finesse brought more good news for Pam and two more rounds of diamonds, ruffing, was followed by a second trump finesse and 12 tricks, +1210 and 13 imps in when a more routine 5 was made at the other table.

2 further 13 imp in scores (with Pam on the look-out for any stray doubles) saw the Kiwis record this excellent win.

The Open Team’s draw against India was live on BBO.

 

At the other table, Malcolm Mayer, East, overcalled 1. The Indian North-South then bid on to 4 where there were two inescapable heart losers after the defence had taken their two diamond tricks.

For Cornell-Bach, 1 showed 4+ hearts though they soon found their spade fit. East led two high diamonds and thought that a third round of diamonds would do no harm… but it saved Michael having to guess the lay of the heart honours as he discarded the 2 from hand as he ruffed in dummy.

Michael played a heart towards his king. West won with A to play 7 taken by Michael’s ace. Michael took this card to deny Q and placed 10 on the table, discarding from dummy when East did not cover. Michael could then ruff a club, draw trumps and claim.

            New Zealand Open Team at the Bermuda Bowl

 
npc Jonathan Westoby, Ashley Bach, Michael Whibley, Matt Brown, Michael Cornell, 
Malcolm Mayer and Michael Ware. 

Meanwhile, the match against Belgium was not happy for the Open Team and the score would have been worse but for this nicely bid slam by Whibley-Brown:

 

1 was unlimited in strength, denying a major and promised 5+ clubs. 3 was after the natural reverse, positive, natural and forcing. 3 showed slam interest and cue-bids and then 4NT key-card followed. Friendly breaks especially in trumps allowed the slam to make comfortably, 10 imps in with Belgium playing and making 10 tricks in no trumps.

Our Open Team hope to make progress on Day 3 against South Africa, Morocco and Singapore. Our Women’s team play Argentina, then have a tough assignment against the French and finish with Norway. Our Mixed Team play Denmark, USA1 and Egypt.

Richard Solomon

 

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