Having witnessed one of the most spectacular comebacks in Gold Cup history in the semi-final, we now turn our attention to the final of Britain’s most prestigious team event. The two teams that have survived eight knockout rounds to reach this stage are DE BOTTON (Janet de Botton, Artur Malinowski, David Bakhshi, Tom Townsend, Thomas Charlsen and Thor Erik Hoftaniska) and ALLFREY (Alexander Allfrey, Andrew Robson, Peter Crouch, Simon Cope, Richard Plackett and Espen Erichsen). The format is a 64-board match divided into eight 8-board stanzas.

Only one problem this week. With neither side vulnerable, you are West holding:

What action, if any, do you take?

The match began with a wild deal, on which both West players had to answer a variation on the problem posed above. The best policy turned out to be ‘slowly, slowly, catchee monkey’…

Peter Crouch raised his partner’s hearts with a 3♣ cue-bid, which left Thomas Charlsen with a decision on the weak spade/diamond hand. Despite the void in his partner’s suit, the Norwegian tried to set the cat amongst the pigeons with a jump to 4♠. On this layout, Simon Cope was not hard-pressed to compete to 5♥ with the North cards, which returned the spotlight to Charlsen.

Most competitive bidding principles surely scream ‘Pass’ – no sure fit, the five-level belongs to the opponents, don’t take the last guess, don’t bid five-over-five, etc. Charlsen followed the conventional wisdom and passed, but that was not the winning decision on this extreme deal. Hoftaniska cashed the ♠A at trick one and then gave his partner a club ruff. However, the ruff was only another way for the defenders to score their natural club trick. N/S +450.

Tom Townsend raised hearts with 2NT here, which was effectively the same thing, but BBO expert bidding panel member Andrew Robson (left) bid only 3♠ on the 7-5 hand. The effect of this was that Robson had heard his partner compete to game in spades by the time he had to make a decision over 5♥.

Robson correctly pressed on to 5♠, a contract in which he would have made ten tricks, so it was a very cheap save. It became even cheaper when David Bakhshi bid a sixth heart. Robson doubled on the way out and the defenders duplicated the play at the other table to take their two tricks. N/S -100 and 11 IMPs to ALLFREY to open the scoring.

Our next offering suggests that fortune does, indeed, favour the brave.

This deal looks innocuous enough. Hoftaniska opened 1♦ in third seat, and Simon Cope advanced with 1NT after his partner’s 1♠ overcall.

Looking at just the N/S cards, declarer seems to have one spade, three hearts, two diamonds, and he can probably set up a slow club trick too. That all adds up to seven, and you surely wouldn’t want to play any higher on this combination.

The favourable spade position enabled declarer to score a second trick in that suit, so Cope ended with an overtrick: N/S +120.

Once David Bakhshi (right) had opened his flat 11-count, Tom Townsend was never likely to stop short of game. “Where there are eight, there are always nine,” seems like an excuse for bidding too much, but let’s see…

Alexander Allfrey did well to find a heart lead, which had the advantage of giving declarer absolutely nothing. Bakhshi won with the ♥K and immediately started clubs, leading the ten from dummy. Robson rose with the ♣K and, recalling his partner’s 1♦ overcall, switched to the ♦10. That was exactly the sort of treatment ordered by declarer’s doctor. Bakhshi covered with the ♦J and the king and ace completed the trick. The ♦9 would now provide declarer with a third trick in that suit.

Bakhshi continued with the ♣3 to the seven, nine and jack. The ♣Q and ♣8 were now equals against the ace. Allfrey speeded up play by cashing the ♣A and exiting with the ♠K, but that was only a case of rendering unto Caesar what is already Caesar’s. Bakhshi simply had to untangle the entries now, and the diamond suit provided communication for him to cash his nine tricks. An unexpected N/S +600 and 10 IMPs to DE BOTTON.

DE BOTTON won the opening stanza 25-20. After a quiet start to the second stanza, the DE BOTTON lead had increased to 14 IMPs when the last board of the set arrived at the tables.

Richard Plackett won the opening club lead and ruffed a club in dummy. After cashing the ♠A, Plackett then played three rounds of diamond, ruffing high, before advancing the ♠Q. When Townsend won with the ♠K, it was not the most testing of defences to play the ♥K and a second heart. Bakhshi won with the ♥A and duly delivered his partner’s heart ruff to defeat the contract. E/W -100.

Some contracts are destined to fail, but that doesn’t mean that you should simply accept your fate as declarer. Plackett’s line of play made the winning defence obvious at the first table, but Thomas Charlsen (left) set the defenders a much sterner test.

He also won the opening club lead and ruffed his club loser in dummy. However, at trick three, he then led a low heart from dummy. When Pater Crouch did not rise with the king, the contract could no longer be beaten. Simon Cope captured the ♥Q with the ace and exited with a trump to dummy’s bare ace. Charlsen crossed to his hand with the ♦A and advanced the ♠Q. Crouch won with the ♠K and could cash the ♥K, but there was no longer an entry to the North hand for the defenders to score their ruff. Nicely played: E/W +620 and a well-deserved 12 IMPs to DE BOTTON.

DE BOTTON won the stanza 23-2 and thus led by 26 IMPs (48-22) after two segments.

In the NFL, it is an accepted mantra that good defence usually beats good offense. On the first board of the third set, the defence was equally good at both tables, but superior quarterback play won the day.

Allfrey led the ♦K and, when that won, he exited with a trump. Declarer has nine tricks via five spades, two red aces, and two clubs that he can build by force. The tenth can come either from scoring a trick with the ♣9 or by taking a heart ruff in the short trump hand.

Malinowski won the trump switch in dummy and played a club to the king, which won. He then continued with the ♣J, Allfrey taking the ace and playing a second spade. Again, Malinowski won in dummy, and he now led a low heart to the ten. Allfrey won with the ♥Q and played his remaining trump. When the ♣10 failed to appear beneath the queen, declarer was a trick short. N/S -50.

An alternative route carried Espen Erichsen (right) to the same 4♠ contract played from the short side. Bakhshi also led the ♦K and then switched to a trump at trick two. Erichsen won in dummy and played a club, Bakhshi winning with the ace and continuing trumps.

Now the play diverged. Rather than winning the second round of spades in dummy, Erichsen took the trick in his hand with the ♠A and continued with a heart to the jack and king. What can Townsend do? He exited with a diamond, but Erichsen won with the ace, crossed to the ♥A and took a heart ruff. A diamond ruff returned the lead to his hand to draw the last trump, and he could now claim ten tricks. N/S +420 and 10 IMPs to ALLFREY.

DE BOTTON won a very low-scoring third stanza 13-11, and thus led by 28 IMPs (61-33) with three of the eight stanzas played.

We will be back soon with the best of the action as the final approaches its conclusion.