World Mind Sports Games — Women’s Round 7, Germany/Netherlands

Round 7 saw two of the heavyweights meeting – Germany and the Netherlands, both teams well stocked with former world champions. Just as in the match I reported yesterday, the fireworks began on Board 1.

North

S 42

H K986

D 10765

C 832

South

S AKJ98

H AJ1074

D AJ

C K

Do you open the South hand 1S, or something stronger? Bep Vriend went for 1S, and got to play there. In the other room, Daniela von Arnim’s forcing 1C opening was overcalled 1D. Two rounds later she got back in with a 3D cuebid, and Sabine Auken jumped to the cold 4H. A very fast 8 IMPs to Germany.

These days, it seems that anything looks like an opening bid, especially in third chair. Perhaps it was this knowledge that led both East-West pairs to miss a makeable game on the next board.

West East

S A1074 S   J653

H 4 H QJ108

D KQ4 D A106

C A6532 C QJ

Both Wests opened 1C in third seat. In the Open Room Auken overcalled 1H and the Dutch East made a negative double. She then rebid a conservative 1NT over her partner’s 1S, and passed when West rebid 2S. In the Closed Room the auction was similar, except for Germany’s Gromann choosing a conservative 2S on the second round as East – perhaps discounting the soft heart values, perhaps allowing for a light opening. In any event, neither declarer came to more than 9 tricks – making more requires guessing North’s doubleton SQ.

West East

S AK765 S QJ2

H QJ107 H A842

D — D AK952

C Q754 C K

No swing there, but IMPs were flying again on Board 3. Gromann bid a simple Jacoby 2NT over Nehmert’s 1S opening, and drove to slam despite hearing her partner describe a diamond void. The HK was onside, and all was well. The Dutch unluckily bid the hand better, in that they located the 4-4 heart fit. Having agreed hearts, they discovered that two keycards were missing and stayed out of slam to lose 13 IMPs.

Board 4 saw the Dutch get on the scoreboard when Sabine Auken made the (for her) rare error of bidding the same cards twice (a sin warned against in Neil Kimelman’s recent book, Improve Your Bidding Judgment). Holding

S J109842 H 10 D AK6 C 842

she made a weak 2S overcall over a 1D opening on her right. LHO doubled, and partner bid 3C, presumably implying some kind of spade fit. When RHO ventured 3H, Auken was right there with 3S. In itself that wasn’t a tragedy, as she duly made 9 tricks for +140. However, in the other room Arnolds passed, and Pony Nehmert was left to languish in 3H, finishing a miserable four down vulnerable for a 6-IMP gain to the Netherlands.

Board 5: another 2 IMPs went to Germany when they played in spades, making 9 tricks, while the Dutch settled in 1NT for +90. Board 6 was a tricky 3NT, played virtually card for card the same way at each table, with neither declarer quite being able to bring it home. Board 7 underlined my earlier point about light openings. Both Wests opened in first chair vulnerable with

S KQ83 H — D 10763 C KQJ104

and partner drove to 3NT in each case, with a balanced 12-count. Having all the 10’s helped, and the very subtle defence to beat this game was not found at either table (Chip Martel in the commentator’s role on BBO did point it out, however). Proving yet again that it pays to bid aggressive games, since defence is so hard.

Boards 8 and 9 were routine games, bid and made at both tables, leaving Germany 16 ahead. On Board 10 both North players ended in 2H after a Multi 2D opening by South. The defense began the same way at both tables, but the Dutch declarer allowed her vital spade entry to hand to be knocked out at Trick1, while Auken didn’t. When Auken’s defenders slipped later in the play, she was able to use that entry to come to eight tricks and pick up 5 more IMPs.

The more aggressive Germans picked up another 5 IMPs on the next deal. The South hand was S K432 H AKQ54 DQ832 C — and the auction started the same way in both rooms: 1H-P-1NT-dbl. Bep Vriend for the Netherlands simply rebid 2D, and they ended in 3D making 9 tricks. Von Arnim, protected by her 1H opening being limited, redoubled. East-West found their 4-4 club fit, but North’s clubs were AKJ64, and 2C doubled went for 300.

Board 14 was interesting.

North

S 7

H 9754

D Q65

C K5432

West East

S 1083 S Q94

H KQ3 H AJ10

D 10 D AJ732

C QJ10987 C A6

South

S AKJ652

H 862

D K984

C —

Both Easts opened 1NT, and effectively both Souths overcalled spades, with the final contract being 3NT. Both Souths started with the ace and king of spades, and then their paths diverged. Bep Vriend continued a third spade, and declarer basically just knocked out the CK to bring home the contract. Von Arnim found the diamond shift at Trick 3, and that was 11 more to Germany, who led by 34 coming in to the last deal.

Board 16 was another partscore battle, and again it was won by Germany, this time in the bidding, East held S 84 H 762 D 987 CAQ974. At both tables West opened 1C and North overcalled 1S. Jet Pasman bid 2C, and von Arnim had no trouble introducing diamonds on S 103 H J95 D AK1063 C J102. North-South competed to 4D, making 10 tricks. Ingrid Gromman, by contrast, chose (or was able) to bid 3C first time round, and that was too rich for Vriend. West had no trouble making 3C, and that added 5 more to the German total, for a comfortable 39-IMP win.