DAILY BULLETIN 6 - e
Friday, February 13, 1998	Editors: Eric Kokish, Richard Colker Special thanks for Internet edition: Mr. N. W. Pedersen

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Bd: 45 North Dlr: North Q8 Vul: Both A965 AQ62 1092 West East A952 J73 KQJ2 10843 J8 10975 J85 A3 South K1064 7 K43 KQ764 OPEN ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Lesniewski Hisatomi Gawrys Teramoto 1 Pass 1 Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass CLOSED ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Hirata Lev Shimizu Polowan 1 Pass 1 Pass 2NT Pass 2 Pass 2 Pass 3 All Pass Even with the clubs lying nicely for declarer, 3NT isn't much of a contract for North/South on a heart lead, and Lev-Polowan deserved the 6 IMPs they won for their side by stopping in 3 for plus 130. Hisatomi was out for one down in 3NT, but minus 100 was not what he and Teramoto were hoping for at this stage of the match. POLAND-USA led now by 79 IMPs, 166-87.

Bd: 46 North Dlr: East J6 Vul: None 10963 J7652 A9 West East 107543 AQ98 AK52 QJ8 83 A4 83 7654 South K2 74 KQ109 KQJ102 OPEN ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Lesniewski Hisatomi Gawrys Teramoto 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 Pass 3 All Pass CLOSED ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Hirata Lev Shimizu Polowan 1 Pass 1 Pass 2 All Pass Perhaps Lesniewski was taking a two-way shot when he raised himself to 3, and he was right in a way, since his opponents could make 3 easily enough. Unfortunately for Lesniewski it was South and not North who could bid something, and he had already passed. At both tables, North found the best defense, leading ace and another club to score the J on a third round overruff. North's diamond switch set up a trick in that suit before declarer could draw trumps, so both declarers were held to eight tricks. HISATOMI won the board, plus 50 and plus 110, but that was just 4 IMPs, and they needed tons. POLAND-USA won the third quarter resoundingly, 60-17, and with just sixteen deals remaining, were sitting on a 76-IMP lead, 167-191. Too much for anyone to get back, no doubt, but HISATOMI sent in a new partnership of Ino-Teramoto to give it the old college try, matching them up with Shimizu-Hirata.

THE SEMIFINALS GREAT BRITAIN vs ICELAND FIRST QUARTER (Boards 1-16): Bd: 1 North Dlr: North A76 Vul: None AJ93 A9 10864 West East 102 Q83 Q542 107 652 Q10743 A952 KQJ South KJ954 K86 KJ8 73 OPEN ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Karl S Justin Bjorn E Jason 1 Pass 1 Pass 1NT Pass 2 Pass 2 All Pass CLOSED ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Paul Thorlakur J Armstrong Saevar T 1NT (1) Pass 2 (2) Pass 2 Pass 3NT Pass 4 All Pass (1) 13-15 HCP (2) Transfer to s Board 1 began with a non-vulnerable game swing to ICELAND when the Hackett twins, Justin and Jason, settled in 2 North/South. The game depends on a bit more than two of three finesses (which is 50% - plus there must be no bad trump position). When all three finesses worked, and the trumps split three-two, both North scrambled home with eleven tricks. Plus 450 and minus 200 was 6 IMPs to ICELAND, to take the early lead 6-0. ICELAND picked up another IMP on Board 2 when both sides scored an overtrick declaring a notrump partial. But while ICELAND played in 2NT, GREAT BRITAIN made the mistake of playing in only 1NT. ICELAND led, 7-0.

Bd: 3 North Dlr: South Q5 Vul: E/W 9543 KQ85 K43 West East A1098 KJ63 K1076 AQJ8 J74 2 Q2 10765 South 742 2 A10963 AJ98 OPEN ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Karl S Justin Bjorn E Jason Pass Pass 1 Pass 2NT (1) Pass 3 Pass Pass Dbl. (2) Pass 3 Pass Pass 4 All Pass (1) Poor L/R (2) Takeout CLOSED ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Paul Thorlakur J Armstrong Saevar T Pass 1 Pass 4 All Pass Board 3 witnessed another swing to ICELAND when P Hackett-Armstrong bid to a makeable 4 with the E/W cards while the twins played in 4 N/S. Bjorn Eysteinsson led the A against 4, shifting to his trump at trick two. Justin won cheaply and lost the club finesse to the queen. Karl Sigurhjartarson played ace and another spade, Eysteinsson winning and returning a heart, ruffed in dummy. Justin drew trumps, played a club to his king and finessed Eysteinsson's 10 for down one, minus 50. Saevar Thorbjornsson led a trump against 4, won by dummy's queen. When a diamond was led from dummy Thorbjornsson hopped with the ace and underled his A to Thorlakur Jonsson's king, who played a second trump won by dummy's eight. When Hackett exited with a club, Thorbjornsson won and played a second diamond, ruffed with the A. Needing the extra entry to his hand to ruff his last diamond and then return to draw trumps, Hackett finessed the 10 and finished two down, minus 200. That was 6 more IMPs to ICELAND, who now led GREAT BRITAIN 13-0. GREAT BRITAIN picked up an overtrick IMP in 1NT on Board 4, while ICELAND returned the favor with an extra overtrick of their own in a heart game on Board 5. The differential remained at 13, ICELAND leading 14-1.

Bd: 6 North Dlr: East 865 Vul: E/W KJ7 K1052 Q93 West East J109 A432 Q63 10842 J986 Q4 J107 AK5 South KQ7 A95 A73 8642 OPEN ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Karl S Justin Bjorn E Jason 1 (1) All Pass (1) Precision CLOSED ROOM Auction not available; final contract: 1-E GREAT BRITAIN began a comeback on Board 6. In the When Eysteinsson opened the East hand with a Precision diamond, he found himself playing there. The defense was relentless. Jason led a low trump to Justin's king, who returned a trump to the ace followed by a third trump. Eysteinsson finessed dummy's nine, but Justin won the ten and returned his middle spade to Jason's queen. A low heart went to the jack and another spade went to Jason's king. Jason cashed the A and played a third heart to Justin's king, who exited with his third spade. Eysteinsson could have saved a trick by winning dummy's jack, drawing the last trump, and then taking the club finesse. Perhaps he was still reeling from the earlier play, but he won the A and played the thirteenth heart, pitching a club from dummy. Justin then scored his fourth trump trick for down three, plus 300 to GREAT BRITAIN. At the other table the British declarer was allowed to scramble home with seven tricks in 1. That was 9 IMPs to GREAT BRITAIN, now trailing by 14-10.

Bd: 7 North Dlr: South K32 Vul: Both Q1082 53 AQ95 West East Q1075 J6 64 A J2 AK9876 107642 KJ83 South A984 KJ9753 Q104 - OPEN ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Karl S Justin Bjorn E Jason 1 Pass 2NT (1) 3 4 All Pass (1) L/R or 16+ HCP CLOSED ROOM WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH Paul Thorlakur J Armstrong Saevar T Auction not available; final contract: 4-N GREAT BRITAIN gained a vulnerable game swing on Board 7 when Jason scored ten tricks in 4. On the J lead Eysteinsson won his king, cashed the A, and then cashed his second high diamond honor. When Jason followed with the Q, Eysteinsson could not know that his partner did not hold the 10, so he switched to the J and Jason had no trouble scoring the rest of the tricks. That was plus 620 to GREAT BRITAIN. At the other table 4 was declared from the North seat, so Armstrong could get a proper length signal from Paul Hackett on the lead of a high diamond honor. Although no play record was available from this room, it seems likely that Armstrong cashed his A and other high diamond before exiting with a third diamond to kill the pitch. Jonsson ended up down one, for minus 100. That was 12 IMPs to GREAT BRITAIN, who now led ICELAND, 22-14.