Daily Bulletin

----- Saturday, February 15, 1997 -----
Bulletin Number 7

When we last left our intrepid interlopers, they trailed 54-51, not including their additional 5.6 IMP deficit from the carryover.

Bd: 34 NORTH DLR: E 653 VUL: N/S A2 10952 A943 WEST EAST Q97 J842 QJ10 654 J3 A864 J10852 K6 SOUTH AK10 K9873 KQ7 Q7

SR Wu played 3NT from the South side and got the lead of the Q. Blessed with a tempo, he might have found a way home with a good guess or two, but he finished one down. Rich Colker declared from the North side and got a spade lead through the ace-king-ten. He was able to set up hearts and knock out the A to develop his eighth trick, but by then Kuo had a long spade to cash, forcing dummy to blank the Q. Kuo exited with the K and Colker had to guess the J for his ninth trick. He had not cashed his heart winners and had discarded a club, and so was in a position to make or go down a lot. He ran the 10 and went four down when Wu's hand was high. 7 imps to Chinese Taipei, ahead now by 10, 61-51.

Bd: 37 NORTH DLR: N J9732 VUL: N/S 6 KJ7 Q965 WEST EAST 4 KQ105 AKQ42 J93 Q93 864 AKJ4 873 SOUTH A86 10875 A1052 102

Lasut-Manoppo fetched up in 3NT from the West side after a fourth-seat strong club opening by Manoppo. Tai led a club around to the jack and Manoppo tried a spade to the king and ace. The defendewrs did not cash diamonds now, so Manoppo had nine winners; plus 400. Kuo-Wu reached 4 at the other table, bidding only hearts, and Colker led a low spade. Wu called for the ten, and when Kokish won the ace, he switched to the 5, ducked to the jack. Colker continued diamonds and Wu was quickly one down; minus 50. 10 imps to Indonesia, 65-61.

Bd: 38 NORTH DLR: E Q987 VUL: E/W AJ1094 --- AJ73 WEST EAST 6543 2 --- Q873 A984 KJ763 K9842 Q106 SOUTH AKJ10 K652 Q1052 5

Open Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH CH Wu Colker Kuo Kokish Pass 1 Pass 1 Pass 2(1) Pass 4 Pass 4 Pass 5 Pass 5 All Pass

This is a pretty good 6 for N/S, but I can't quite figure out who should have done more in our match. With a different set of methods in place, we might have revealed South's club shortage, but even then, it takes some doing to bid slam. Both N/S pairs bid it in the other semifinal and went down, and I'm betting that South raised the 1 response to 3. Colker made five, playing carefully, and so did Tai, who was in 4 without much of a sniff at six.

The next deal was a lively one too, but nothing much happened in this match, with both N/S pairs stopping at 4 ... Both Easts found the spade lead that would have beaten 6, but only Lasut cashed his spade winner when he won the K. 1 imp to Indonesia, 66-61.		Bd: 39 NORTH DLR: S A9 VUL: Both 65432 AQJ763 --- WEST EAST K5 QJ8732 J107 8 85 K109 QJ9876 A105 SOUTH 1064 AKQ9 42 K432
Bd: 43 NORTH DLR: S AQ4 VUL: None 85 J973 AK64 WEST EAST K8 J AQ3 KJ109742 AK10 Q542 98732 J SOUTH 10976532 6 86 Q105
	When Kokish did not open 3, he found himself having to guess at the four level after 1NT-Pass-4(Texas). He passed that, and passed 4 and went minus 480 (Wu set up the long club to throw dummy's singleton spade when Colker led a club and switched to a diamond). At the other table, Tai-Wu got into the auction and drove Lasut-Manoppo to 5, which they doubled. With the East hand concealed, Tai did not cash the A and here too, the long club was set up for a spade discard. Plus 750 for Lasut and 13 imps to Indonesia, ahead 73-62.

Bd: 44 NORTH DLR: W AJ109 VUL: N/S 964 863 J32 WEST EAST Q874 5 2 KQ10753 Q1074 J2 A1095 K874 SOUTH K632 AJ8 AK95 Q6 Bd: 45 NORTH DLR: N KQ VUL: Both 108752 1073 842 WEST EAST A 9532 AK4 J6 AKJ2 Q84 AJ953 Q1076 SOUTH J108764 Q93 965 K

Lasut opened a Multi 2 in third seat, which brought SR Wu in with 2NT. CH Kuo opened 3 with the East hand, foisting 3NT on Kokish. After a heart to the queen, ducked, Kuo switched to the 2, ducked to the ten. Wu had a safe exit in diamonds now and Kokish could not find a ninth trick. Neither did Wu, but he was plus 120, Kokish minus 50. 6 imps to Chinese Taipei, 68-73. The next deal brought the biggest swing of the set ... Open Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH CH Wu Colker Kuo Kokish Pass Pass Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 Pass 4 Pass 6 All Pass Closed Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Manoppo Tai Lasut SR Wu Pass Pass 2(1) DBL 2 Pass Pass DBL Pass 3 Pass 3 DBL Pass Pass 5 All Pass (1) weak 2 or weak 5+/5+m Both declarers took thirteen tricks, plus 1390 and plus 640. 13 imps to Chinese Taipei, 81-73. Indonesia made it 75-81 with a nonvulnerable undertrick, and then ...

Both Easts declared 2 on the lead of a low diamond. Lasut made it with a winning guess, but Kuo should have had no chance at the other table after winning the A, playing ace and queen of spades, and getting a diamond continuation. He ruffed, cashed the J, and led a club to the queen and king. Colker had to discard a diamond on the third trump and had to play a heart now, leading the deuce (low from odd). Kokish should have ducked this, which would have defeated the contract outright, but he won the ace and cashed the master trump (another inferior play by a tired camper), forcing Colker to discard his "idle" diamond. Now a heart exit left Kuo in hand, but a club to the ten and ace forced Colker to exit with the 2. Kuo put up the jack and went down, but knew he was the wrong the moment he played that card. Minus 50. 4 imps to Indonesia, who won the third set 28-7. With sixteen boards to play, Chinese Taipei was ahead by 2 imps, 81-79.

Bd: 47 NORTH DLR: S K10 VUL: N/S J73 10864 AK92 WEST EAST 9 AQJ542 K1065 Q4 QJ973 A Q106 J873 SOUTH 8763 A982 K52 54

Bd: 49 NORTH DLR: N 10962 VUL: None AKJ64 KQ2 6 WEST EAST KJ87 54 3 Q1092 AJ76 985 A1098 K743 SOUTH AQ3 875 1043 QJ52

Open Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH SR Wu Lasut Tai Manoppo 2(1) Pass Pass DBL Pass 3 Pass Pass DBL All Pass Closed Room WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Sacul CH Wu Asbi Kuo 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 All Pass Wu went three down in 3, minus 150, and was lucky not to be doubled. Tai went two down in 3 doubled, minus 300. 10 imps to Indonesia, back in the lead, 89-81.

Each team scored two 1-imp swings over the next six deals, making it 91-83 for Indonesia going into Board 56 ...

Bd: 56 NORTH DLR: W A109762 VUL: None 8 A83 K102 WEST EAST J3 Q54 J1094 73 1095 KQJ6 8764 Q953 SOUTH K8 AKQ652 742 AJ

This deal merits more attention than we are able to give it with the information we have. We know that Lasut-Manoppo reached 6 while Tai-Wu stopped at 4, and we know that both declarers took twelve tricks. There are several ways to do this, including the simplest, which (after a diamond lead) is to take a club ruff in South, cash king of spades, and play three high hearts, hoping that they are three-three or that the hand that ruffs started with three trumps and not five clubs (else, there would be a trump promotion when that hand plays the fourth round of clubs). Plus 980 for Manoppo; plus 480 for Tai. 11 imps to Indonesia, 102-83. As it happened, this was the last deal to be played in the Open Room, and it was the one that won the match for Indonesia.

Board 58 was a deal that might well have won the match for Chinese Taipei.
Bd: 58 NORTH DLR: E 84 VUL: Both A97 QJ753 A104 WEST EAST 102 KQJ97653 8654 --- A1096 842 K97 J3 SOUTH A KQJ1032 K Q8652	Lasut-Manoppo were permitted to buy the auction at 4 when Tai took a limited role in the auction with all those spades. In the other room, Taufik Asbi opened 4 with the East hand, and when Kuo-Wu reached 5, Sacul doubled. We don't have an account of the play, but we know that botyh declarers managed twelve tricks (which seems like an impressive total to us). Chinese Taipei won the board plus 1050 vs minus 680, to gain 9 imps, 92-102.
		Bd: 60 NORTH DLR: W AK6432 VUL: N/S Q87 A52 3 WEST EAST Q107 J98 A64 K1093 KQJ3 1064 AKQ J106 SOUTH 5 J52 987 987542
It's hard to construct an auction that ends in 1NT and I'm sure that we'll hear about it from Denny and Taufik sometime soon, but all we can tell you at 11 pm on Thursday evening is that they scored plus 90 while Tai-Wu were down 100 in the perfectly normal contract of 3NT. 5 imps to Indonesia, 107-92. In retrospect, we believe that this is the board that REALLY won the match for Indonesia, the Lasut-Manoppo 6 notwithstanding. It must have gone: 1(Polish Club)-1-Pass-Pass-1NT (strong)-All Pass. West was maximum and so was East. Wow!

Bd: 63 NORTH DLR: S AK865 VUL: N/S AQJ87 6 AJ WEST EAST 2 QJ9743 106 K942 9743 K8 KQ9865 2 SOUTH 10 53 AQJ1052 10743

It looks as if both 3NT and 5 will make with that magical diamond position, but you've got to play for it. Lasut, in 3NT, took a losing view in the play to go one down, but Kuo made 5 on a spade lead. Chinese Taipei gained 12 imps, closing to within 3 imps at 104-107. On the last deal of the match, both Norths went down in 1NT and that was that. Indonesia won the final segment, 28-23 and won the low-scoring match 107-104. The two teams scored 115 less imps than Great Britain-Hisatomi. Today's final will feature a 1-imp carryover edge to Indonesia on the strength of a 45-40 (16-14 VP) win over Hisatomi in their round robin match.