Daily Bulletin
Daily Bulletin
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The normal spot on the first deal of the final round robin match was 4 , and the contract was made six of the nine times that it was declared, presumably with the aid of the diamond finesse. There are other ways to play the hand, however. If South has the  K and  Q, North the club ace, declarer might get home by playing ace and another diamond. If South ducks from length, declarer might be able to eliminate the red suits and play either loser-on-loser in the minors, or play a club and duck in both hands.We can't be certain about what happened at the table where Kenji Miyakuni went down in 4 , but we do know that Denny Sacul led the 9 against Natsuko Nishida (Taufik Asbi had opened 2 and West had splintered, so Denny saw no future in hearts), and soon gave his partner a third-round club ruff. We also know that Henky Lasut, after a trump lead, won in dummy, led a heart to the jack and ace, and received a low club switch from Etsuko Naito. He ducked, and went down. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| There was one final contract that was not 4, and it was a wild one -- 5 doubled by Takayama-Kobayashi of Japan Youth against China's Shi-HT Liu. Takayama took only five tricks for minus 1400. Not much of a save. At least Kaku-Mizuta made 4 at the other table. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Although you won't know it until play has been completed, the game you'd like to be in with the N/S cards is 3NT. Takayama-Kobayashi atoned for their disaster on Board 1 by bringing back plus 600 for the comparisons. Perhaps it's an inevitable part of growing up to go for some large numbers on the way to middle age, but I'm not sure that explains the 1100-point set conceded by Mizuta-Kaku at 4 doubled at the other table. An 11-imp loss for Japan Youth. Armstrong-Paul Hackett also reached 3NT (plus 630) against Hisatomi in their critical match, but the twins (like Hanayama-Hirata for Yamada and SR Wu-Tai for Chinese Taipei) allowed 4 to make when West did not play three rounds of spades to give East an overruff. In fact, only Kaz Yamada-Takahashi and Manoppo-Lasut defeated 4 . The other N/S pairs defended 4 doubled, Ino-Imakura collected 800, Sacul-Asbi 500. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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If you're going to play a marginal slam on this one, you'd better play 6, because that is the major suit that plays for no loser and because East needs to be declarer to protect the K (a long spade can be established for a diamond discard if South leads something other than a diamond). Kaku-Mizuta, atoning for their disaster on Board 15 (the symmetry of youth), bid and made 6 for plus 1430 and gained 13 imps for Japan Youth when Shi-HT Liu stopped at 3NT (yes, East was declarer) for China.The importance of choosing the correct strain was demonstrated graphically in Chinese Taipei vs Geller, where Kaz Yamada-Takahashi scored plus 1430 in 6 while SR Wu-Tai went minus 100 at 5 . A cool 17 imps to Geller, the key board in their 18-12 win.If success is the criterion, Nishida-E Naito outbid Lasut-Manoppo in Japan Women vs Indonesia, reaching 6 while their counterparts stopped at four.
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A different take on this deal was presented in Yamada vs Nakamura, where Miyakuni-Nakamura finished in 6NT, a contract that might make when 6 would not. They were punished severely when Imakura did not lead the A, losing 13 imps when Hanayama-Hirata stopped at 5. Yamada won 19-11. In Great Britain vs Hisatomi, both E/W pairs got the job done by reaching 6 for a most honourable "push." | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese Taipei started +5.6 by dint of a sound victory over Indonesia in the round robin. Let's round that up to 6 imps, shall we. Chinese Taipei struck first when the natural methods of Tai-Wu kept them safe and low while Polish Club got Sacul-Asbi too high. Well, sort of. |
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Tai got the lead of the K from Lasut. Manoppo discouraged and Henky switched to a heart, ruffed. A, diamond ruff, heart ruff, club ... but alas, that was all. Plus 80. Quite a result. Sacul's 3NT was not without hope, but after a low diamond to the queen and king, Kuo could see that powerful hand in dummy, so he switched to clubs, and the defenders got four clubs and two diamonds. Down 100. 5 imps to Chinese Taipei.
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The next swing of any substance came on Board 7, where both Souths declared 1NT ... CS Shen led a club and defeated the contract. Edddy Manoppo led a spade and did not (Wu made two), so Chinese Taipei gained 6 imps to lead 19-1. One board later, Indonesia got a lot closer when Lasut-Manoppo bid the E/W cards to 6 while Shen-Kuo stopped at four ... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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6 is not laydown, and declarer has some choices in the play if he is not "given" a trick on the lead, the most interesting occurring if North ducks the first trump. Declarer can play a second trump on this layout and ruff a diamond safely, but if someone started with ace-third of trumps, he could play a third trump and kill the diamond ruff. On the lie of the cards, declarer goes down if he ruffs a diamond before playing a second trump, because North plays the fourth diamond when he comes in with the A, and South gets an overruff with the 10. If declarer takes no diamond ruff, he can finesse the 10 or squeeze North in the minors, or transfer the heart menace and squeeze North in three suits. The bottom line is that Manoppo made it on the J. 11 imps to Indonesia, 12-19. The only other significant swing in this set went to Indonesia when Tai-Wu missed an easy vulnerable game duly bid by Asbi-Sacul. Indonesia won the quarter 29-15, and after 16 deals, led 29-21. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tai-Wu stopped in 3, but game was cold and Kokish-Colker bid it at the other table without much difficulty. 6 imps to Indonesia, 35-21.
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This could have been a tragedy for Indonesia in several ways, the most obvious being a low heart lead by Tai against Lasut's 3NT. But Tai led the king of spades (so says the record) and Lasut went plus 630 rather than minus 100. Your editors have strong but different opinions about the Closed Room result, where an atypical weak two-bid and preemptive raise jockeyed Wu-Kuo into a game that they were not going to make on accurate defense - three rounds of hearts. Colker, hoping that the opponents were right about their choice of contracts and hoping for a six-card suit, double-clutched the partnership into 5, duly doubled. The defenders lost their club ruff so Kokish was out for three down; minus 500. Not exactly a triumph to include in one's scrapbook, but a very lucky 4 imps to Indonesia, 39-21.
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Kuo-Wu stopped in 3 with these cards, and Kuo, playing safely, made only three; plus 140. Lasut-Manoppo were in 4, where the stakes were higher. There are two main lines of play, trying for one diamond loser, and trying for three-three clubs (win the heart lead, cash ace-king of clubs, cross to a trump, ruff a club, co to the other high trump, throw the 8 on a long club, lose two diamonds and a trump). Manoppo did not choose the winning line, so Chinese Taipei gained 5 imps instead of losing 7, 26-39. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There is no doubt in some of our minds that there is a bridge god; his name is The Great Shuffler and he makes his presence felt whenever the mood strikes him. TGS tends to show himself to those who believe in him. Eric Kokish is a believer. Consider that twice in the NEC Cup, he was dealt a blank ace of spades, four hearts headed by the queen, five-three in the minors, and exactly 14 HCP. On both occasions, he opened 1NT (weak) to spare himself an awkward rebid. On both occasions, partner transferred to hearts and fourth hand bid spades. Kokish bid his hearts and was raised to game and boith occasions, partner held ace-king-to five hearts and enough strength to make game easily. Was TGS nooding tacit approval of the eccentric weak notrump opening, or was he simply paying a social visit to the faithful? Even if you do not believe in TGS just yet, try to keep an open mind on the subject. There are still three days left in the NEC Festival! All of which is a harbinger of what was to come on Board 21 ... |
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It would be uncharitable to point a finger at Eddy Manoppo for failing to come in over 3 in the Open Room, but when he did not, he went minus 130.
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On the other hand, I believe that Kuo should be commended for his courageous takeout double. The auction got increasingly interesting after that start and it all ended at 5 when CH Wu, expecting a bit more perhaps (would Kuo not have passed the double of 3NT or overcalled 4 if he had a real hand, however?), refused to accept a penalty against 5. Had Colker led the A and shifted to a spade, there would be a shorter story, but Rich led a diamond. Wu ruffed, consulted the heavens, and led the Q from dummy! If you've been reading our little rag each day you will recall that in the round robin, MF Tai had to play the same trump combination (also hearts, also against Indonesia) and played it the same way. He too pinned the singleton jack. Do you believe in The Great Shuffler yet, dear reader. Well, back to Mr Wu. When the Q held, he played on spades, and when Kokish won the ace on the second round, he switched to a low club where a second trump might have been better. Wu had no further trouble (we suspect that he would have made it in any case, having come that far). Plus 650 and 13 imps to Chinese Taipei, 39-40.
Chinese Taipei reclaimed the lead on Board 23 ... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1 was a better contract than 3NT by a few hundred miles and Chinese Taipei scored plus 200 in the Closed Room and plus 140 in the Open Room to gain 8 imps; 47-40.
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| CH Kuo made a very good decision on Board 26, where he held: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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With both sides vulnerable, he saw a weak 2 on his right. He doubled for takeout and when the tray came back to him, it had gone 4 on his right, double from partner, pass. The partnership employs responsive doubles only through 3, so this double was "cards," whatever that means. Kuo passed, which was the right thing to do, since this was the full deal:
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4 doubled had to go one down; minus 200. At the other table, Lasut-Manoppo were permitted to play peacefully in 2, plus 140. 2 imps to Chinese Taipei, 49-41.
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At both tables, E/W reached 4. North led the ace of diamonds and switched to a spade. There are two ways to make the contract. One is to start clubs immediately, taking one ruff, then passing the Q. Ruff a diamond, ruff another club with the J, finesse the 10, draw the last trump, and claim. It doesn't help South to cover the first heart. Perhaps that's the attractive line, but in the Closed Room, where Kuo had raised spades on what appeared to be the doubleton queen, he was more or less marked with the Q and at least three clubs, so Kokish played one round of trumps, then took the club finesse, another route to 420. SR Wu went down at the other table and Indonesia gained 10 imps to reclaim the lead, 51-49.
Chinese Taipei went back in front on the next deal. Both E/W pairs competed to the three-level. Kokish-Colker played in spades, where they had to lose two hearts, two diamonds, and a club. Tai-Wu played more opportunely in diamonds, where Wu was able to keep South, Manoppo, off play after ace of clubs, king of hearts. He eventually discarded a heart on a long spade and so scored plus 110. 4 imps to Chinese Taipei, 53-51. Chinese Taipei won the second quarter 33-22, and at the half, led by 3 imps, 54-51. Would the carryover decide the match? We'll conclude the second half of the Chinese Taipei vs Indonesia/NA match tomorrow. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||