Monday, August 31, 2009

NZ vs Italy

The following is a report of the NZ vs Italy match from the Bermuda Bowl round robin. I don't have much experience in formatting bridge hands in HTML so let me know if it doesn't look good in your browser. The relevant system cards can be located here.

The first board was a cold 3NT at both tables - no swing.

Bd: 18J3
Dlr: EAKJ984
Vul: N/SQ
A1043
K85421097
106253
J52A643
Q59872
AQ6
Q7
K10987
KJ6

NT
W14131
N118111011
E14131
S129121012
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
P1NTP
2P2P
3P3NTP
5P6P
PP

239Q
75QA
7A4J
8283
A372
45Q6
9JJ

A 13 IMP swing to NZ from a combination of judgment and systemic differences, where the systemic differences were more luck than superior methods.

6H is a good contract by South, but not by North, so the strong notrump worked better. 4H by Cornell would have been a mild slam try, as with just game values he would bid 4H over 2H. Bach would probably have passed this, but was happy to go on to slam over the more strongly invitational 5H with help in partner's long suits along with primary cards in his short suits.

Bd: 19K543
Dlr: SQ86
Vul: E/WAK105
KJ
J10976A82
K4A102
7J64
AQ63210854
Q
J9753
Q9832
97

NT
W694410
N64883
E694410
S64883
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
22
44PP
DblPPP

K487
A696
732Q
Q95J
AJ47
2KT9
Q23K
T485
Q887
655
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
P1
1NTDbl2P
2233
4DblPP
P

57AJ
7TJQ
34QA
62KK
2K49
8256
6TJ

New Zealand is probably the most aggressive preempting team in the competition and Italy the most conservative.

On this hand Bach's threadbare 2H opening led everyone to stretch and Dubion/Sementa ended up too high in 4S, though both their actions are understandable. The contract is not bad just looking at the E/W cards, but the bidding made bad breaks likely and a forcing defence meant the contract was unmakeable. Dubion might have escaped for one down with good guessing but ended up two down for -500.

At the other table, Nunes passed and N/S took a while to find their heart fit allowing E/W to communicate their (lack of) values at a lower level. Fantoni's final 4H bid is clearly too much, though without knowing their style it's possible that Nunes's 3D was the main culprit. On a club lead and diamond switch, this might also have gone two down but Ware failed to rise with KH on the trump lead from dummy so could only ruff with the winning trump. KH would be wrong if East might double with Jxx of hearts plus AS and KC.

12 IMPS to NZ. NZ 25, Italy 0.

Bd: 20J84
Dlr: WQ1082
Vul: AllQ852
109
K1076AQ93
764J5
J1093
8432KQJ75
52
AK93
AK764
A6

NT
W38238
N9511105
E38238
S9511105
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
P
P11NTP
PP

3TJA
4TQ3
29AJ
665
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
P
P1!DblP
1P2P
2P4P
PP

KA29
A425
36QJ
87K7
4JQ3
29AT
K65

Another combined system/judgment swing, this time to Italy. Over East's 1C opening, Bach chose a 1NT overcall which ended the auction while Nunes doubled and reached a successful 4H game.

My view is that South is both too strong and too suit-oriented for a 1NT overcall. Bids with one flaw often succeed, but with two flaws you are better off trying something else. Here the options are 1D or dbl. Heavy overcalls are not my style so I would double, though 1D is possible and would be the choice of many experts.

After the double I prefer a 3H raise to Nunes's cue bid followed by 4H. South has a good hand but with loads of space available there is no need for him to essentially bid game on his own. North's two working queens are enough continue if invited and both are needed to make game good.

10 IMPS to Italy. NZ 25, Italy 10.

Bd: 21AKJ762
Dlr: N96
Vul: N/SQJ5
Q8
83
KJ52Q8743
AK108632
J943K765
Q10954
A10
974
A102

NT
W441089
N89353
E441089
S89353
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
1P4Dbl
P5DblP
PP

4268
A534
KJ27
6Q79
3TK6
38KA
5523
4Q72
A59J
J9
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
2!P4P
PP

3A26
T6A3
7898
TK98
K524
AJ37
TQ59
87A3
24QK

NZ gained 9 IMPS when Ware judged a high level competitive auction better than Dubion. The 2S opening by Fantoni was intermediate so both Wests were in a similar position. Ware passed and collected 100 against 4S (though 200 was possible). Dubion doubled and Sementa in 5HX chose to play 'safely' for -300 rather than hope for 2-2 trumps and risk losing control. Bach also helped to create the swing with his heavy 4S jump. Unlike Nunes, he was facing an unlimited opener.

I think double is the percentage action with West, but it can obviously be wrong as it is here. East's 5H is also reasonable though passing the double is an option as well.

9 more IMPS to NZ. NZ 34, Italy 10.

Bd: 22KJ976
Dlr: EJ643
Vul: E/W84
86
104AQ53
Q1092K
Q32AJ105
10975AQJ3
82
A875
K976
K42

NT
W977910
N46633
E9771010
S46633
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
11P
1P2P
2DblP3
PPP

8TJQ
KA23
6Q45
56A2
34T8
78QK
246A
3
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
1!PP
P

249Q
KA23
59J3
A256
J478
A8T7
3796
Q45K
KT4Q

This is a pretty good 3NT that might have been reached after an offshape 2NT opening. Both Easts, however, opened 1C and played a club partscore. I agree with the 1C opening which makes it much easier to reach a minor suit game or slam (or partscore) and the risk of missing a game is small.

Italy gained 1 IMP for an extra overtrick. NZ 34, Italy 11.

Board 23 was a routine 3NT and Italy gained another overtrick IMP. NZ 34, Italy 12.

Bd: 24Q652
Dlr: WJ1065
Vul: NoneK984
Q
K9743J10
AQ2K983
2AQJ103
984263
A8
74
765
AKJ1075

NT
W68886
N75457
E68886
S75457
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
P
P122
PP3P
PP

24T6
352Q
537Q
A684
4267
A853
K98J
T7T9
J4JJ
A36T
8KQQ
29K5
A79K
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
P
P12Dbl
P2P2
PPP

Q3K2
83QT
5JA4
A466
T8T3
J953
7KJT

Both West's, oddly I think, chose to commit their side to 2S on what could easily have been a singleton opposite their K9xxx. I prefer either to pass 2C or make a negative double and pass partner's 2H.

As it happens, 2S is makeable though Ware went down after Nunes found the excellent small trump switch from Ax at trick two. The defence then took the first six tricks. For South's overcall, he could easily have KD and QS instead of AS but whether he would have found the same switch from Qx is open to question of course.

Bach chose to bid 3C over 2S though I prefer pass. With the wide range of hands partner may hold, it's better to let him decide rather than go on just because I have a bit extra. I would expect either 2S or 3C (and possibly both) to usually fail if partner cannot raise my overcall or make a negative double.

4 IMPS to Italy. NZ 34, Italy 16.

Bd: 25AJ
Dlr: NAQ7
Vul: E/WJ942
J653
542K86
9654K1082
AK8Q1076
A10498
Q10973
J3
53
KQ72

NT
W75875
N67468
E75875
S67458
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
1P1P
1NTP2P
PDbl2P
PP

A263
K475
89T3
74JK
Q36J
692A
38QA
4A2J
59K4
Q
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
1NT!P2!P
2PPP

9QA5
468K
34QK
73K2
TJ62
65A4
572J
32A8
JK74

Another partscore swing. Fantoni/Nunes, playing a weak notrump, declared 2S by North after a transfer sequence. Cornell/Bach, playing a strong notrump, ended in 2S by South. Since East had a doubleton club and a trump entry, the Italians were one down while NZ just made.

4 IMPS to NZ. NZ 38, Italy 16.

Bd: 26AQJ85
Dlr: EAQ43
Vul: AllJ
Q73
9762K103
5J109876
A75294
AJ105K4
4
K2
KQ10863
9862

NT
W46645
N85678
E46645
S85678
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
P3P
3P3NTP
PP

JQK2
48T3
A7J6
6QK4
T25Q
J4QA
2A33
JT67
36K
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
2PP
2P3P
3NTPPP

J25Q
J4K2
QA39
53K2
46A7
7A34
46K5

Style again helped create a swing as NZ opened with a preempt at both tables.

After opening 3D, Bach ended in 3NT by South and was down fairly quickly after the JC lead and later spade switch established five tricks for the defence. Fantoni declared 3NT by North. He won the heart lead in hand then overtook the JD and continued diamonds, knocking out the ace and happily noting the fall of the 9. Though there are now 9 tricks on top, the blockage in hearts means a spade switch followed by a heart back would beat the contract. Ware instead tried a low club but Fantoni guessed correctly to play low and had no further problems.

4 IMPS to Italy. NZ 38, Italy 28.

Bd: 27A85
Dlr: SAQ63
Vul: None1085
A96
7642Q9
72KJ54
94AKQ7
KJ1085Q72
KJ103
1098
J632
43

NT
W76669
N67774
E76668
S67764
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
PP
11NTPP
P

T2A5
3K97
73J6
T924
25QK
856J
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
PP
1NT!DblP!P
P

K245
5823
39TQ
73K6
7A49
8A67
Q459
2TJA
A932
5Q

Whibley doubled Fantoni's weak notrump and Ware chose a characteristically aggressive pass, rather than 2C. Double dummy this can be defeated if East leads clubs which declarer must duck twice allowing West two entries to push hearts through. In practice though, it was always going to be a question of overtricks and Fantoni managed eight tricks for +280.

Cornell/Bach play a strong notrump so East overcalled Cornell's 1C with 1NT. He appears to have misread the heart position after the 10H lead but the defence failed to take their tricks so another +90 to Italy and 9 IMPS.

NEW ZEALAND: 38, ITALY: 37.

Bd: 28Q972
Dlr: WQ65
Vul: N/S8
J6432
JAK108653
K10984J72
A942K5
Q985
4
A3
QJ10763
AK107

NT
W69953
N64479
E79963
S64479
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
P
P122
P23P
4P5P
PP

JQK4
23K5
T67A
TA85
9QJ3
25A8
623K
J3
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
P
P4PP
P

A8J5
QA85
J234
968T
A647
K329
52A8
39Q7

Preempting style again caused a swing here. Whibley opened 4S in third seat on the East cards and Nunes chose to which was correct on this hand as 4S failed by one trick with the bad trump break and QH offside. Meanwhile Sementa was content to open 1S and Cornell/Bach reached an optimistic 5C which had some play single dummy but no chance on the actual hand with Qxx of trumps offside and KH also badly placed. This failed by two tricks for a 6 IMP swing to Italy.

NEW ZEALAND: 38, ITALY: 43.

Bd: 29AK1064
Dlr: NAK4
Vul: AllQ102
K2
J975Q832
9J10
AJ7385
AJ6498753
Q876532
K964
Q10

NT
W24136
N1071195
E25137
S10711105
NESW
CornellSementaBachDuboin
2NTP3P
3P5P
5P6Dbl
6PPP

84AT
A2
NESW
FantoniWhibleyNunesWare
1!P1NT!P
2!P2!P
2!P3!P
4!P4!P
4P4NT!P
5!P6P
PP

J29A
42Q5
84KT
A3T7
K8Q9
25KA
3T84

A flagrant violation of Burn's law with both tables reaching a slam off two aces. However Italy made the slam and New Zealand did not.

I don't claim to fully understand the Fantoni-Nunes auction but if Nunes intended his 4NT as RKCB, he would have been disappointed to find himself too high after North showed two key cards and the heart queen!

Cornell chose to upgrade his 19 to a 2NT opening and Bach was understandably very interested in slam. I don't know whether they have a way to agree hearts and initiate cue bidding, but once the auction took a quantitative route it was always going to end too high as the hands fit poorly and have considerable wastage.

Obviously a lead of either minor suit defeats the contract. There is some justification for Whibley's trump lead as North will have short trumps plus a ruffing value and East has some useful spade cards that will limit the discards from South on good spades. However declarer will still usually get the ruffs they need and North's fifth spade at least will be established eventually. There's probably not enough of a reason to depart from the usual practice against a slam of making an aggressive lead to try and set up a trick.

Quite a lot of luck was involved in this swing, not only on the lead but also in finding the jack of diamonds and the fact that Fantoni/Nunes were able to declare from North without the benefit of a transfer sequence.

17 IMPs to Italy anyway. NEW ZEALAND: 38, ITALY: 60.

The last three boards were more or less flat with NZ gaining another 2 IMPS and Italy 3 IMPS for extra undertricks. So the final score was New Zealand 40 and Italy 63, or 20-10 in VPs.

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