Vugraph Deals #158 

In a brief break from the Alt, this week we turn our attention to the final of the 2022 Vanderbilt. Held in Reno NV, this was one of the first major knockout team events to be played face-to-face following the COVID pandemic. As usual, the field was packed with stars from both around the U.S. and overseas, so perhaps it was not such a surprise to find that the last two teams standing had originally been seeded #8 and #30. 

The original #8 seeds, ROSENTHAL, featured three Americans, Andrew Rosenthal, Aaron Silverstein and Chris Willenken, two Norwegians, Boye Brogeland and Christian Bakke, and a Dutchman, Jan Jansma. In the Round of 16, they eked out a 101-98 victory over #9 AMOILS. That earned them a quarter-final meeting with the original #19 seeds, TEAM HILL, who had beaten #16 HAMMAN and #1 WOLFSON to reach this stage. Victory by 137-118 carried them to the semi-final against #5 SPECTOR, who in their quarter-final had beaten the ZIMMERMANN sextet that would win the Bermuda Bowl for Switzerland a few weeks later. ROSENTHAL advanced into the final with a 125-93 win. 

GUPTA, Vinita Gupta from the USA, Simon Cope from England, and a trio of Danes, Morten Bilde, Emil Jepsen and Andreas Meister, began as the #30 seeds. Having only survived the first-round foursome by winning one of their two matches, they then knocked off the #3 seeds, LEVINE, by a score of 92-79 in the Round of 32. Consecutive 3-IMP victories, against #14 WILDAVSKY and #6 LEBOWITZ then set up a semi-final against #7 MOSS, who had seen off #2 NICKELL in their quarter-final. Their most comfortable win to date, by 138-102, earned them their place in the final. 

As usual, we start with some problems. Firstly, with both sides vulnerable, you are North holding: 

What do you bid?  

Next, with only your side vulnerable, you are North with: 

What do you bid? 

After a wild hand on which both teams went down in high heart contracts when trump split 5-0, the appearance of our first deal prompted one of the BBO VuGraph commentators to observe, “Good grief, every hand’s a Goulash”. The fate of the North/South pairs seemed to hinge, at least in part, on which red-suit North chose to bid in response to this week’s first bidding problem. 

After the obvious start, Morten Bilde chose to bid hearts at his second turn. When Vinita Gupta rebid the six-card spade suit rather than showing her club support, Bilde was able to bid a natural 2NT. Gupta’s raise then ended the auction and East led the ♠A. A second round of spades went to the ten and queen, and now West switched to a heart, to the queen and king. East’s heart return then speeded up play, enabling declarer to claim the nine tricks that he was always destined to make with the ♦Q onside. N/S +600. 

When Andrew Rosenthal preferred to bid his stronger red-suit, the stage was set for a high club contract. Aaron Silverstein agreed clubs at the three-level then splintered in hearts at his next turn. Rosenthal decided that was all he needed to hear and jumped to slam.  

Simon Cope’s lead of the ♠A may look disastrous at first glance, but it began the process of wresting control from declarer. Rosenthal ruffed and played the ♥Q, taken by East, who continued with a second heart, forcing dummy to ruff. Aiming for a crossruff, declarer now tried to cash his winners, first the ♠K and then the top diamonds, but the problem with that plan soon became apparent when East ruffed the ♦K. Cope could have held declarer to ten tricks by playing a trump now, but his spade exit enabled Rosenthal to scramble the rest. That was still N/S -100 and 12 IMPs to GUPTA.  

Most of those IMPs went straight back on the very next deal: 

Simon Cope opened a potentially-short 1♣ and then limited his hand with a single diamond raise at his second turn. Emil Jepsen advanced with 2♠, heard Cope rebid his clubs, and then continued with a fourth-suit 3♥. Cope’s 3NT closed the auction when game in either minor is potentially better. However, there was no reason for Aaron Silvertein to find a spade lead (which would have left declarer needing to find the ♣Q).  

Rosenthal won his partner’s heart lead with the ace and continued the suit. Now only needing either minor to come in, declarer combined his chances, first crossing to the ♣K and then returning to the ♣A. With the ♣Q still at large, Cope now put his remaining eggs in the diamond basket and, when the king was onside, he could claim his nine tricks. E/W +400.  

Jan Jansma started with a Precision-style, natural 2♣ opening, and then showed a six-card suit in an unbalanced hand at his second turn. After finding out that his partner held a singleton spade, Willenken moved forward with ‘Optional RKCB’, which Jansma accepted, showing two key cards without the ♣Q. Having found out that they were missing an ace and the ♣Q, Willenken could have settled for a modest 5♣, but he still had loftier ambitions. It was possible that Jansma’s hand would be 1-3-2-7 shape, but the odds were high that he had at least three diamonds, so Willenken backed his judgment and leaped to slam in his own five-card suit. Well bid! 

North led the ♥A and continued the suit. Willenken won in dummy, ran the ♦9, then played a second trump. Having drawn trumps, it was then a simple matter to set up the clubs for spade discards and claim twelve tricks. E/W +920 and 11 IMPs to ROSENTHAL. 

You have probably noticed a theme already, and it continued on Board 8: 

The first decision for Emil Jepsen was whether to open 1♠ or 2NT. The young Dane opted for the one-level and, after Simon Cope’ 1NT response, he continued with 2♣. Although not alerted or explained, this was presumably Gazilli (either natural clubs or any 17+) and Cope’s artificial 2♦ continuation thus showed 8+ and established a game-force opposite the strong variant. When Jepsen rebid 2NT, confirming the strong hand, it seems clear for Cope to introduce his good six-card suit. The seemingly rather lazy raise to 3NT simply did not get the job done. 

Declarer won the diamond opening and crossed to dummy twice in clubs to lead spades towards his K-Q and was soon claiming eleven tricks: E/W +460.  

The vagaries of system meant not only that slam was reached at this table, but that it was played from the safe side. Chris Willenken started with a Polish-style 1♣ (clubs, a weak notrump or any 17+). After North’s pre-emptive jump to 2♥, Jan Jansma advanced with a 2NT transfer, showing clubs. Willenken now jumped to 4♣, both agreeing clubs and showing the strong hand type. Although Jansma did nothing more encouraging than raise to game, Willenken still awarded himself a sixth. 

With West as declarer, the defence cannot get their heart trick set up. Willenken won the trump lead and duly established a spade winner for a discard of dummy’s second heart. E/W +920 and 10 IMPs to ROSENTHAL. 

Even the flat boards in this set created excitement. On Board 10, the question was whether 4♠ or 5♣ was the better game for E/W. At both table, West seemed headed for 4♠, which was potentially in danger with trumps 4-1, but both South players took the premature and expensive save in 5♥ for -800. Then came another possible slam deal, on which one North player had to decide on a course of action with this week’s second bidding problem.

Morten Bilde passed at his first opportunity and then had to evaluate his hand facing a balanced 20-21. He started with a transfer to hearts and then made a quantitative jump to 4NT. It was universally agreed amongst those commentating on BBO VuGraph that 4NT was too much on this North hand. Indeed, Vinita Gupta judged well to bid only 5♥ despite holding a hand packed with prime cards, although she was, of course, facing a partner who had been unable to open the bidding. 

Once trumps split 4-1, even the five-level contract was in jeopardy, as declarer then had to avoid losing a second club trick. After drawing trumps and ruffing her diamond loser in dummy, Gupta led the ♣8, presumably intending to run it. Jansma saved declarer that decision by covering with the ♣9 (as he must if his partner holds ♣Q-7-x). N/S +650. 

At the other table, there was no stopping Aaron Silverstein once Andrew Rosenthal had opened the bidding: 

The 4-1 trump break put paid to declarer’s chances of making the contract. When declarer then started clubs by playing the ♣6 and putting in the ♣10 from his hand, he had also to lose a second club trick to East’s remaining ♣K-9. N/S -200 and 13 IMPs to GUPTA. 

After an exhilarating first 15-board stanza, GUPTA had inched ahead, literally, 41-40.  

We will be back next week with the best of the action from the remainder of the final.