Marc Smith visits the round robin stage of Alt Board-a-Match Invitational II

There is no such thing as a ‘big swing’ in a B-a-M event. Even so, some deals are still more exciting than others. With so many world-class players in action, there was plenty for those watching on BBO VuGraph to enjoy and, over the past two weeks, we have seen the best of the action from the first ten matches of the 13-match round robin. The standings at the top of the leaderboard were very close:

As it happens, the two teams tied at the top of the leaderboard are scheduled to meet head-on in Round 11. As usual, though, we begin with some problems for you to consider. We will find out later how your choices would have worked. Firstly, with both sides vulnerable, you are East holding:

What is your plan?

Next, with just your side vulnerable, you are South with this hand:

What action, if any, do you take?

Whilst you consider those, let’s go straight to that matchup between the leaders.

Although game in spades is almost exactly a 50-50 proposition (needing a 3-2 trump break and one of two finesses in clubs), the prospect of anyone bidding it is remote. The Italians bid quite reasonably to the normal spot. Everything worked for declarer, so Gabriele Zanasi emerged with eleven tricks: N/S +200. A boring flat board, one might expect, but events at the other table got rather out of hand.

The auction began in the normal way, but then Andrea Manno apparently took leave of his senses. I am all in favour of competing and pushing the opponents, but there have to be limits. With the ♣K-J under the opening bidder (even though 1♣ does not always deliver club length/strength) and not even four-card support for one of the two unbid suits, this takeout double is bordering on the *insert your own adjective here* (maybe your choices include genius or, perhaps, insane). I am guessing that his teammates probably suggested changing his name from Manno to Manic after this deal.

The double quite understandably prompted Massimiliano Di Franco to compete to 3♦, but David Bakhshi let the Italians off the hook by just bidding a third spade rather than doubling to suggest a penalty. When 3♠ came back to Di Franco, though, he decided that he was not done. Yes, you have a fifth diamond and, yes, you have a fitting heart card. Even so, with two probable losers in each black suit and a partner who failed to open the bidding, do you really want to compete to the four-level, vulnerable, when the opponents have stopped in a partscore? Is there really a hand that partner could hold where you expect to make 4♦? Perhaps x/AKJx/J10xx/xxxx, but remember the ‘Second Hamman Law of Bidding’ – if you need me to have an exact hand, assume I don’t have it.

Bakhshi did not ‘forget’ to double this time. He then cashed his high hearts, played a club to jack and queen, and received a heart ruff. Declarer was already one down and he still had the ♣A and the ♠A-K to lose. N/S +1100 and the Italians should be grateful that it wasn’t IMP scoring. Of course, the point on the board went to SELIGMAN, who won a close match 3-2 to take a 1-VP lead at the top of the table with two matches to play.

Sanity restored, the Italians conducted an eminently sensible auction in Round 12:

Many players were faced with the first of this week’s bidding problems, including both Easts in this match. Massimiliano Di Franco’s void-showing jump to 4♥ seem to be the ideal way forward if you have that particular arrow in your quiver. With half his hand wasted, Manno wasted no time signing off.

Slam is very poor, needing the club finesse at least, as well as the defenders not having a diamond ruff to take. A 4-1 trump split could also prove awkward with the diamonds blocked. E/W +650.

Oh, the exuberance of youth! After the same start, Finn Kolesnik started with 3♥, showing a slam try in spades with a heart shortage. Perhaps the news of a heart shortage alone should have started alarm bells ringing for Christian Lahrmann, although his heart holding is not totally wasted facing a singleton. Whether that West hand is worth a co-operating cue-bid of 4♦, though, is another matter. If West does not want to discourage partner by jumping to 4♠, he might at least temporize with 3♠ perhaps. Not that the 4♦ cue-bid should fill East with quite the enthusiasm that it evidently did. After all, you already know that the ♣K is missing, which means you probably want partner’s diamonds to be solid – ♦A-K doubleton, A-K-Q? Not to mention the missing spade honours and the hxA. Are we not back to partner holding the exact hand you want him to have again?

Marcel Verhaegen led the ♣4 and declarer had no choice but to finesse. When that lost, he was already down. The point goes to MIKADINHO, who win the match 5-1.

Meanwhile, in the other match involving a top team, the SELIGMAN East/West pair also make +650 after the same auction as the Italians above. Their opponents, though, are given a much tougher ride.

David Bakhshi braved the vulnerability to open the South hand with a weak two in hearts. Bill Pettis overcalled a natural 2NT, Martin Seligman raised to 3♥, and David Hoffner was left with a really tough decision. As the defensive cards lie, even game in diamonds fails. The only way to even tie the deal is to reach 4♠, which is not such an easy task after this start. Does a 4♥ cue-bid suggest four spades and a longer minor? Would partner bid spades if East makes a takeout double, or might he not convert for penalties? As the cards lie, you can just beat 3♥-X by one, and even that is a close-run thing.

Against 6♦, Bakhshi led his singleton spade. Declarer won and played a trump, but Seligman took the ♦A and gave his partner a ruff. Bakhshi let declarer out for one down by switching to clubs, but the board had already been won. E/W -100.

SELIGMAN won the match, but only 3-1, so they are once again tied with MIKADINHO. One match left in the round robin.

A well-judged auction to absolute par left the Norwegians playing in 3♥, and the diamond lead duly held declarer to nine tricks. E/W +140.

At the other table, though, CANTOR’s Scandinavian pair made life much harder for their opponents.

Henrick Petersen’s weak two opening added a whole different impetus to the auction. Bakhshi overcalled and Leif Nygaard pre-empted to game in hearts. When Seligman doubled, Bakhshi had one last chance to win the board by passing, but the lure of a vulnerable game bonus proved too much. His 4NT showed two places to play, presumably 6-4 in the minors (5♣ would probably show a fifth club). Seligman might have chosen either minor, but his choice was irrelevant as there was an unavoidable loser in each of the four suits no matter what was trumps. No one doubles, but that matters little as the damage has already been done: E/W +200 and the point on the deal goes to CANTOR.

The Danes’ weak notrump system meant that North/South had to start their auction at the three-level, but that impetus worked to their advantage. After Bakhshi’s overcall, Seligman would surely have bid game even if Nygaard had not competed to the four-level. The five-level would have proved far too expensive, so the Danes went quietly. With both black-suit kings onside for declarer, Bakhshi had no trouble making twelve tricks: N/S +420.

By contrast, the English pair got to start their auction at a much more comfortable level, and David Burn was able to show his limited values via a raise to the two-level in competition. Mike Graham made an all-purpose game try over East’s competitive 3♦, but Burn decided he had nothing extra and declined the invitation. Of course, it is the double-fit that produces so many tricks, but there was no way for either North or South to know. The play in 4♦ was irrelevant: declarer made eight tricks, N/S +100 and the point on the deal went to SELIGMAN, who won the match 4-1.

MIKADINHO lose their final match, 2-3 against GUPTA, so SELIGMAN ends the round robin on top of the leaderboard. The final standings, with eight teams to advance to the knockout stage, are:

The quarter-final line-up will be SELIGMAN vs QUARANTEAM with the round robin winners enjoying a 2.1-VP carryforward advantage, MIKADINHO vs HUANG and RIPPEY vs GUPTA, the higher seed each starting 1.1 VPs ahead, and DONNER vs SALVO (just a 0.1 VP lead for DONNER).

We will be back next week to see all the action from the knockout stage of this event.