We have reached the ‘Final Four’ in the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams here at the 2024 North American Spring Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. In each of the semi-finals, one of the original top 2 seeds will take on a team who were seeded outside the top 8.

In one semi-final, it is #1 NICKELL (Nick Nickell, Ralph Katz, Steve Weinstein, Bobby Levin, Eric Greco and Geoff Hampson) against #12 GOODMAN (Andy Goodman, Mike Passell, Simon de Wijs, Bauke Muller, Giacomo Percario and Giovanni Donati). In the other it is #2 SWITZERLAND (Pierre Zimmermann, Franck Multon, Michal Klukowski, Jacek Kalita, Sjoert Brink and Bas Drijver) against #14 BATHURST (Kevin Bathurst, John Hurd, Ron Smith, Chris Compton, Jing Liu and Hongji Wei).

The format for all matches is 60 boards divided into four 15-board stanzas.

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

What action, if any, do you take?

Next, with only your opponents vulnerable, you are sitting in the North seat with:

What do you bid?

While you consider those, we start in the opening stanza of the match between SWITZERLAND and BATHURST. Early in the set, both South players had to decide what to do in variations on the first of the problems above.

Franck Multon responded with 2NT, showing a limit raise or better in hearts. Jing Liu came in with a 3♦ overcall. Zimmermann’s double was a game try in hearts, and Multon duly accepted.

Hongji Wei led a spade, the ten winning in dummy. A heart to the queen and ace was followed by a second heart, taken by North with the king. Liu won the club switch with the ace and returned a diamond. Declarer played low from his hand and Wei ruffed with his last trump, but declarer had the rest now. E/W +620.

At this table, East’s response was 3♣, showing a limit raise in hearts. Sjoert Brink decided that a simple overcall was not enough on his eight-card suit, so he jumped to 4♦. John Hurd (left) doubled for penalties, and no one else had anything to say.

Dummy was not exactly what declarer was hoping for, providing absolutely nothing of any value. The defence got everything they could – two clubs, a trick in each major and three trumps added up to seven: E/W +1100 and 10 IMPs to BATHURST.

Later in the set, it was déjà vu all over again. This time, it was a collaborative effort and a case of what appears to be a case of crossed wires.

Pierre Zimmerman opened 2NT and then broke his partner’s transfer to hearts to show a big fit. Multon attempted to retransfer with 4♦ but, when South made a lead-directing double, Zimmermann redoubled to show his first-round control, just in case his partner had higher ambitions. He didn’t, so Multon had to bid hearts from his side.

That was okay. The defence started with three rounds of spades, but Multon ruffed the third round high with the ♥J. After drawing trumps, declarer claimed ten tricks, just conceding a diamond. What looks like a dull E/W +420.

The auction began the same way, but John Hurd broke the transfer to 3♠ to agree hearts. That allowed Bas Drijver to make a lead-directional double. When Kevin Bathurst (right) then advanced with a 4♦ retransfer, Sjoert Brink decided he could also make a lead-directing double, or so he thought.

However, it seems clear from his subsequent 4♠ bid that Drijver interpreted Brink’s double as inviting him to save in spades over the opponents’ 4♥. One can certainly understand the logic of Drijver’s thinking: How else could partner suggest a save? The result was 4♠-Doubled down five: E/W +1100 and another 12 IMPs to BATHURST.

Two four-figure penalties from the double Bermuda Bowl winning Dutchmen, certainly did not help the Swiss cause, and BATHURST opened a 35-IMP lead, 61-26, by the end of the opening stanza. The margin was 40 IMPs at the midway point of the match, and 55 IMPs going into the final set. The underdogs added another 3 IMPs to their advantage in the final set, and eliminated the #2 seeds with a momentous 147-89 win.

The favourites were not having things all their own way in the other semi-final either. GOODMAN led 33-30 at the end of the first set. This deal was a battle of the respective Strong Club methods.

Bauke Muller (left) opened a Tarzan Strong Club in third seat and heard that his partner held a balanced 9-11. When he asked about shape, De Wijs showed his clubs. Muller bid a natural 3♦ and De Wijs showed something in hearts. Is there any reason for Muller to think his hand is worth anything more than 3NT at this point? He decided not.

The lucky club position, with the queen falling doubleton, meant that declarer had an easy twelve tricks, but 6NT is certainly not a contract you would want to reach. N/S +690.

Eric Greco (right) opened a Strong Club, and Geoff Hampson’s 1♥ response was game-forcing with less than five spades. 2♦ was natural and Hampson’s 3♣ was a diamond raise without a four-card Major. Having found a fit, Greco jumped to 4♥, asking for key cards, and bid slam when his partner admitted to holding one.

Greco won the trump lead in dummy and advanced the ♥K. Mike Passell won with the ♥A and continued the trump attack, but declarer had enough tricks now. He pitched a spade from dummy on the third round of hearts and unblocked the clubs. One spade loser was ruffed with dummy’s last trump and the other went on the ♣A. Declarer was left with ♦A-K-Q at the end. An impressive N/S +1370 and 12 IMPs to NICKELL.

NICKELL won the second stanza 39-26, so they had edged into a 10-IMP lead by the midway point of the match. The third set was a low-scoring affair, and GOODMAN cut the deficit to just 2 IMPs, 86-88 with 15 boards left. All to play for,

Bauke Muller opened 1♦ and rebid 1NT, leaving Simon de Wijs with the last of this week’s problems. De Wijs’ jump to 4♠ is perhaps a tad too much, and the resulting contract is certainly a poor one. There are three top losers in the minors and, even if the defence do not have a diamond ruff available, you will still need to find a doubleton ♠K onside with six trumps missing. Not great odds!

The defence began with the ♥6, declarer winning in dummy and immediately taking a losing trump finesse. Next came the ♦A, a diamond to the king, and the ♣A. No risk of any accidents taken: N/S -50.

Eric Greco preferred to rebid 2♣ on the South hand. Geoff Hampson (left) now crated a game-force with a fourth-suit 2♥, and Greco’s subsequent sequence then described a 1-4-4-4 shape. Hampson decided his hand was still worth a game bid, but he opted for the nine-trick option.

Giovanni Donati opened the ♣10, which kept defensive chances alive. Hampson covered with the ♣J and Giacomo Percario won with the ace. Does a club return into that holding look particularly attractive? Percario didn’t think so, but that is the only continuation that gives the defence a chance, as the defenders need a second club winner to go with two diamonds and a spade.

When Percario switched to the ♠6 at trick two, declarer was in control. The ♠Q lost to East’s king and Donati switched back to the ♣Q, but it was too late. Declarer now had five spade tricks to go with four hearts and a club. N/S +430 and 10 IMPs to NICKELL.

NICKELL edged the final stanza 28-17, and thus advanced to the final with a 13-IMP victory, 116-103.

For the first time in a number of years, despite the huge number of international stars in the field when 60 teams sat down five days earlier, the final of the 2024 Vanderbilt Knockout Teams will be an all-American affair. It is #1 NICKELL v #14 BATHURST.

We will be back soon with the best of the action from that final.