Vugraph Deals #149

We return to Salsomaggiore in northern Italy as the round robin stage of the first post-Pandemic World Championships comes to a close. This week we see two teams who seem to be headed for the knockout stage, jostling for position. Going into their match in the penultimate round of the qualifying stage, Switzerland were sitting comfortably atop the table. Their opponents, Norway, were lying fifth, and although not quite certain of qualifying, they were the leaders of a six-team bunch from which four would advance, so probably only two big losses would eliminate them.  

As usual, we start with a couple of problems. First, with both sides vulnerable, you are North holding: 

What action, if any, do you take? 

Next, with just your opponents vulnerable, you hold in the North seat: 

What action, if any, do you take? 

The match got underway with more than 2000 spectators watching at each table on BBO VuGraph. In contrast to last week’s heavyweight slugfest between the Dutch and the Americans, this felt more like the serenity of a sunny, Friday afternoon stroll up the first fairway at Augusta National on the second day of the Masters. There was an air of expectation, as always when great players strut their stuff. There was respectful silence as players contemplated their action, periodically interrupted by loud outbursts as putts were holed elsewhere on the course. No one could win a coveted green jacket today but, to have a chance of doing so, you have to still be playing when the weekend starts. Today is all about negotiating your way safely into the final rounds. 

After a couple of comfortable pars, the first birdie chance arrived on the Par 3 fourth, ‘Flowering Crab Apple’. The initial excitement from the packed galleries, though, centred on the strange club selection by the young Scandinavian North player. 

Christian Bakke’s decision to open 1NT with a six-card major might not have been everyone’s first choice, and he was undoubtedly surprised to hear his partner transferring to his long suit. Unlike the time this happened to me, he managed to resist breaking the transfer directly to 4♥, settling instead for 2♠, showing a maximum with four-card heart support and a weak doubleton in spades. When Boye Brogeland continued with a 3♦ re-transfer, Bakke bid a disciplined 3♥, but his partner raised to game anyway. Surprisingly, dummy was very unsuitable and, with the club finesse failing, he was one down: E/W -100. However, this looked like a normal contract, and thus unlikely to register on the scorecard.  

Bas Drijver selected a normal-looking six-iron off the tee, but this permitted Tor Helness into the auction cheaply and, thereafter, even Brink’s raise to game was insufficient to shut out Geir Helgemo. Brink closed the auction with a double and put the ♣7 on the green. As we all know, of course, you drive for show but putt for dough, and it was the short game that was to prove critical on this hole. Helness called for the ♣Q from dummy and everything intuitively tells you that it is routine for Drijver to withhold his king at this stage (but more on that later). 

Conveniently in dummy, Helness led a trump to his ten and South’s king, and Brink continued clubs. Again, Drijver ducked, and although declarer could have cashed the ♠A from hand it was easier when he was allowed to lead the second round of trumps from dummy. North’s ♠Q appeared, so Drijver drew the last trump, crossed back to his hand in clubs, and led a diamond towards dummy’s K-Q. North won with the ♦A and exited in hearts, which left declarer with no choice but to play a diamond to the queen and hope. Having finished in the semi-ruff off the tee, it was an almost impossible chip from twenty yards off the green, but it found the cup when North’s jack came tumbling down, giving declarer his tenth trick with the ♦10: E/W +790 and a spectacular 12 IMPs to NORWAY. 

Note that declarer has entry issues, and to defeat the contract Drijver has to cover with the ♣K at trick one. After winning with the ♣A, declarer then needs to cross to dummy somehow to play the first round of trumps. Crossing with a club sets up a club ruff for South. Playing a diamond to the king allows North to win and return a diamond, and he then gets a diamond ruff when South wins the first round of trumps. A tough gig indeed! 

On the scoreboard, players were jostling for position as the holes slipped past. Approaching the turn, they were confronted with the massive 570-yard Par-5 called ‘Yellow Jasmine’.  

Boye Brogeland opened a 2+♣ 1♣ and Michal Klukowski jumped to 2♦ showing majors. Piotr Gawrys offered a non-committal 2♥ on the East cards and Brogeland stepped back in with a natural 2NT, which Bakke raised to game.  

There was little in the play on a heart lead. Declarer won in hand, unblocked the diamonds, and crossed to dummy with a club. Gawrys won the third round of diamonds and switched to the ♠Q, enabling declarer to claim eleven tricks: N/S +660. 

Geir Helgemo demonstrated the truth of Marty Bergen’s old saying, “Colors are for Children”, when he stepped in to show both majors with 3♣ over Brink’s strong 2NT opening. Bas Drijver’s 4♣ was a transfer to diamonds and Brink thought for some time, presumably wondering whether to bid 5♣. He eventually settled for completing the transfer, over which Drijver continued with a ‘pick-a-slam’ 5NT. Now Brink bid his clubs and it was Drijver’s turn to pause for thought, faced with this week’s first problem. The Swiss contingent in the crowd was praying for a pass, as 6♣ would likely make for a 12-IMP gain. Sadly, for them, Drijver eventually opted for 6NT, which they could all see was destined to fail. 

Helgemo led the ♠A and a second spade. Declarer tried first to drop a doubleton ♦Q and then to pin a doubleton ♥10 by leading the jack. It was not to be: N/S -100 and another 13 IMPs to NORWAY. 

Everyone safely negotiated their way around ‘Amen Corner’, and the players headed for home with the Scandinavians still holding a handy advantage. It was not until they hit the last Par 5 on the course, ‘Firethorn’, just four from home, that they ran into trouble.

My fellow commentator on BBO VuGraph suggested that a jump to 3♥ by East over 1♠ might have made things more difficult for South. I countered that so might opening the ‘obvious’ weak two to start with, but more of that later. 

Helness led his singleton diamond, covered by the queen, king and ace. Drijver played a club to dummy and a trump to his king, then a second club and another trump, Helgemo winning with the ace. There was no winning option for the Norwegian. If he plays two rounds of hearts, declarer ruffs in dummy, ruffs a club, draws the last trump, and concedes a diamond. If he exits with a trump, declarer crosses to the ♦J, pitches a heart on the remaining high club, and concedes a diamond. The defenders can only ever make one heart, one diamond, and one spade: N/S +620. 

At the other table, the Norwegians found themselves in the water off the tee when the dreaded Multi put in an appearance. 

Gawrys started with 2♦, showing a weak two in one of the majors, and Klukowski inquired with 2NT. 3♣ showed a minimum with hearts, so Klukowski signed off, the Norwegians making no positive contribution at all to the auction. They did manage to hold declarer to eight tricks, but that was small recompense for a vulnerable game: N/S +100 and 11 IMPs to SWITZERLAND. 

The players finally reached the tee at one end of one of the most famous fairways in the world. Known as ‘Holly’, this 465-yard Par 4 would lead the players right up to The Big Oak Tree adjacent to the clubhouse. The score stood at 32-27 in favour of the Norwegians, which was a perfectly acceptable result for all concerned. No drama required with qualification just one match away! 

Regular readers of this column will have heard me point out the benefits of natural weak twos over the Multi on numerous occasions, so is only fair to redress the balance. The final hand of this match was certainly one on which the Multi was to prove significantly more effective. 

This was an auction duplicated at many tables around the room. Declarers managed between five and seven tricks. Helgemo misread the end position and ended up with five: N/S +300. 

Michal Klukowski’s Multi 2♦ opening showed a weak two in one of the majors and, of course, Piotr Gawrys knew exactly what his partner had. Can you blame him for choosing to take the chance that diamonds would be a better trump suit than spades? Gawrys’ unusual action persuaded Boye Brogeland that perhaps his side was being talked out of something, so he backed in with 3♣, which as of itself was fine. When Klukowski then compounded his partner’s good work by competing to 3♦, Christian Bakke was tasked with answering the last of this week’s problems.  

Taking action now proved to be the fatal indiscretion. Once Bakke made a takeout double of 3♦, the Norwegians were in water up to their knees.  

Brogeland didn’t really care what the double meant: he had an obvious 4♣ bid. On commentary, I predicted that Gawrys would wield the axe, and I am sure he would have done so. However, Bakke now started thinking, and thinking, and thinking some more, before finally trying his luck in 4♠. At this point, even my dog would have known it was time to start doubling. Brogeland retreated once more into the relative safety of his seven-card suit, but it probably made little difference.  

Klukowski’s defense was deadly: the ♦A followed by the ♥10. After cashing four red-suit tricks, Gawrys then led a third round of hearts through declarer. Brogeland did well, ruffing with the ♣Q and then playing the ace and another club to hold the defenders to six tricks. Even so, that was still N/S -800 and 15 IMPs to SWITZERLAND. 

The final score was 42-32 to the Swiss, who retained their place at the top of the leaderboard. The loss dropped the Norwegians from fifth place down to seventh, heaping that much more pressure on their final match to ensure their place in the knockout stages.  

Just like those players in the Masters, you cannot win the Bermuda Bowl on the final day of the round robin but, to have any chance of doing so, you need to ensure you are still playing when the next day’s action starts, and I am glad to report that we will be seeing both of these teams in the knockout stages. As the winners of the round robin, the Swiss selected England as their quarter-final opponents, whilst Norway finished seventh and were chosen by USA-2. Perhaps they will meet again, later in the week. 

When we come back next week, the tournament will have moved into the knockout phase, and we will bring you the best of the action from the quarter-finals.