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Daily Bulletin Number 6

Final - Session 2

Two deals dominated the second session of the finals:

Board 7
All Vul
Dealer South

			A 6 5
			A J 10
			A 3
			K J 9 7 3
	10 7 4	N W E S			Q J 8 3 2
	7 3 2				K 8 5
	8 6 5 4 2				Q 10 9 7
	10 8				6
			K 9
			Q 9 6 4
			K J
			A Q 5 4 2

North-South can make 12 tricks in clubs or no-trumps and do not have the values to bid higher. Of course if you bid a grand slam and you luck is in then the king of hearts will be onside.

However this time only a heart lead out of turn and a revoke will be enough. Let's see how our hero's coped:

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Klibi	Modlin	Klibi	Mansell
			1
Pass	1	Pass	1NT
Pass	3	Pass	3NT
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	5NT	Pass	6
Pass	7	All Pass

North would have been well advised to bid Five Diamonds over Four Spades. If partner cannot cue bid the king of hearts you have no reason to want to play in a grand slam.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Guellaty	Swartz	Baccar
			1NT
Pass	2	Dbl	3
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	4NT	Pass	5
Pass	5NT	Pass	6
Pass	7NT	All Pass

Blackwood was not the answer on this deal and Tunisia had missed one of the few chances that they were given.

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Chu	Ahmadi	Covery	Sadek
			1NT
Pass	2	Pass	2
Pass	3	Pass	3
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	5
Pass	5	Pass	5
Pass	5NT	Pass	7
All Pass

There is nothing about this auction that suggests there are thirteen tricks, and in particular South went out of his way not to cue bid in hearts over North's Five Diamonds.
So for the third time justice was served when the heart finesse failed.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Kordi	Mansell	Salib	Gower
			1NT
Pass	2	Pass	2
Pass	3	Pass	3
Pass	4	Pass	4
Pass	6NT	All Pass

Hurrah! When North saw that South could not cue bid Four Hearts he knew a grand salm would be a poor proposition. 17 deserved IMPs for South Africa, the biggest swing of the match so far.

			A J 8 3 2
			-
			K 7 3
			K Q 10 9 8
	-	N W E S			K 10 9 7 6
	A J 10 7 4 2				K Q 8 5 3
	A J 8 6 4				Q
	A 6				J 7
			Q 5 4
			9 6
			10 9 5 2
			5 4 3 2

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Klibi	Modlin	Klibi	Mansell
			Pass
1	2	4	4
6	All Pass

North used a Michaels cue bid but it was easily brushed aside by East-West, the key to the auction being East's splinter bid of Four Diamonds.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Fihrer	Guellaty	Swartz	Baccar
			Pass
1	1	4	All Pass

No points this time.

Closed Room
West	North	East	South
Kordi	Mansell	Salib	Gower
			Pass
1	2	2	Dbl
3	Dbl	4	Pass
6	All Pass

East did not show his shortage here, but West had such a good hand he was always going to try the slam.

Open Room
West	North	East	South
Chu	Ahmadi	Covery	Sadek
			Pass
1	2NT	4	Pass
5	Pass	5	Pass
7	All Pass

Once East admitted to a diamond control, West bid the grand slam. North led the king of clubs and declarer won in hand and crossed to the king of hearts, North discarding the ten of clubs.

Declarer, knowing that North had ten black cards decided to play the hand that was known to hold long diamonds for the king, so he finessed the queen of diamonds. North won and cashed a club, two down, -100 and a massive swing that might have gone the other way.