sarant@village.uunet.lu
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Perusing the hand records from the 2000 Bermuda Bowl Round Robin, several deals caught my eye.
Note that I had no access to the bidding records, nor to the play. Just the hands and the scoreboard.
In almost all cases I ignore the bidding, also the names of the players. These are curiosities rather
than interesting or instructive hands, but you may find some appeal in them. Kudos to Samuel Ieong
who posted the hand records in his webpage.
Nikos Sarantakos
A good steal
Round 1, Board 9
Dealer: N
Vul: EW
9
A8752
A643
AT5
AJ874 KQT5
9 KJ4
KQ2 JT97
KQ73 82
632
QT63
85
J964
EW have 4S but NS of SAfrica (v China) and of France (v Canada) stole the board at 2H and made this (the French with an overtrick).
Am I missing something?
Round 2, Board 2
Dealer: E
Vul: NS
KT
854
A9632
653
J753 942
QJT9 AK732
J7 KQT
KQT 92
AQ86
6
854
AJ874
No less than eight NS teams won the bidding in some diamond contract, from 3D to 5D and all of them made either 11 or 12 tricks. Am I missing something????
19 out of 20
Round 2, Board 15
Dealer: S
Vul: NS
AK954
J
AQ42
764
86 Q32
KT87 63
KJT93 865
Q9 AT832
JT7
AQ9542
7
KJ5
19 out of 20 declarers went minus at this board. For EW, down three at 3D was the most frequent minus score, usually doubled. Only six times did NS declare, and five of them were at 4S, down two. The 20th declarer was the Swedish South who bid 2H and made it with an overtrick.
Licking his chops, but...
Round 2, Board 20
Dealer: W
Vul: Both
QT
AQ875
T9743
4
KJ32 8754
JT9642 3
J8 A62
J QT876
A96
K
KQ5
AK9532
When USA1 played Australia, I presume that the bidding went 2H by the US West, four-card major and all, passed out to South who doubled. North might have been licking his chops, but in the end declarer made it two hearts doubled for 670. Pakistan EW registered 360 for 1H doubled and made with an overtrick -West opened 1H?
The swan
Round 4, Board 1
Dealer: N
Vul: None
KQT42
J
T9876
Q4
J86 5
Q5 T62
KQ52 J43
KT98 A76532
A973
AK98743
A
J
Allegedly 7-4-1-1 hands (whose shape has been described as a swan by Culbertson, I guess) play better in the long suit but this was not the case here. Only 6 out of 20 pairs missed the slam, curiously including both US teams and Canada.
Another way to score 800
Round 4, Board 3
Dealer: S
Vul: EW
KJ7
AK985
AKJ3
T
A8652 QT94
QJ7 642
T8 6
K53 AQ874
3
T3
Q97542
J962
Indonesian NS scored 800 here by making 5D redoubled. It is not obvious why the Australian E or W doubled and I don't have the bidding records, but three of his counterparts also did so. After the redouble, EW might have thought to run to 5S. This would possibly also cost 800, so at least they had found a more original way to concede this score. Chinese bid 6D despite Easley and they made it after the Poles failed to cash their aces.
SuperMoysian
Round 4, Board 8
Dealer: W
Vul: None
Q97
53
K9853
653
854 KJT2
KQT98 AJ6
AJT7 Q
K AQJT7
A63
742
642
9842
13 of the 20 EW pairs bid slam here, but the Brazilians were the odd men out. For some reason they alighted at 6C at their 5-1 fit. No problem, they made it as well and they gained a swing against the 4H+2 recorded by the Bulgarians in the other room.
Super-super Moysian
Round 4, Board 11
Dealer: S
Vul: None
K65
-
T9743
AQJT5
T98 432
T96 87432
KQ86 J5
872 K96
AQJ7
AKQJ5
A2
43
Six clubs is doomed on a diamond lead and presumably this happened all five times it was bid, so it failed unanimously. However, three times NS elected to bid 6NT and twice this attracted a "safe" spade lead (I presume again) so it made. The Bulgarians tried to do one better than their Brazilian opponents had done at board 8 (see above), so they bid the slam in hearts, at their 5-0 fit. No chance however, they went two down.
Yarborough fit
Round 4, Board 16
Dealer: W
Vul: EW
AKT
QT
A65
98754
873 96542
A5 9743
KJ97 43
KJT3 62
QJ
KJ862
QT82
AQ
NS have a boringly easy 3NT and nearly all pairs bid it but in the Nordic derby between Norway and Sweden the Swedish thought it better to double EW at 1S! Declarer (presumably East) added insult to injury by making contact despite the perfect Yarborough he held; actually more than perfect since his combined trump suit was also a Yarborough.
Ten points, ten tricks
Round 5, Board 5
Dealer: N
Vul: NS
K
Q9652
KQ652
T8
876 AQ932
K4 J83
A3 T
QJ7632 K954
JT54
AT7
J9874
A
At three tables, this deal was passed out; at first glance this is reasonable, for each hand has the exact average of 10 high card points. At second glance, at the tables where the bidding was opened, the majority of declarers made 10 tricks, usually in diamonds by NS.
Mystery
Round 6, Board 10
Dealer: E
Vul: Both
4
Q852
KQJ975
Q7
KQ53 J76
KT9 A6
4 T863
KT986 J532
AT982
J743
A2
A4
Almost all NS pairs played in hearts and made 10 tricks; the Taipei EW players managed to steal the board at 2S -and they even made it despite the trump break! (presumably South never led trumps?). Scoring -670 instead of +420 was not a good result, but the mystery is how on earth went the bidding; didn't South open 1S?
Either seven, or eleven
Round 7, Board 1
Dealer: N
Vul: None
T984
-
T64
QJT643
763 J2
AK2 T9875
J8753 KQ9
52 K87
AKQ5
QJ643
A2
A9
NS won the auction at all 20 tables and usually declarer made either 7 or 11 tricks. It all comes down to North's call after South opens 1H. If he passes, then South plays 1H in his 5-0 fit, hence the 7 tricks (eight were also made in a couple of tables). If he responds 1S, he is raised to game and makes 11 tricks. Indonesians and Canadians contrived to also make 7 tricks -but in 3NT.
How do you score 980?
Round 7, Board 4
Dealer: W
Vul: Both
QJ93
Q3
862
AK84
KT5 A8742
K542 AJ98
943 KT7
J62 3
6
T76
AQJ5
QT975
How do you score 980 with the NS cards? Not by bidding a slam (you are vulnerable in any case) -against New Zealand the South Africans managed it by making 11 tricks in one notrump doubled! Five clubs, four diamonds, and perhaps two spades? Alas, we don't have the play records.
As a pancake
Round 7, Board 7
Dealer: S
Vul: Both
KT652
6
82
KJT94
J4 A73
Q9532 AJT74
AJ6 QT54
Q87 A
Q98
K8
K973
6532
The only interest of this board is that it perhaps is the only board in the BB where contract and score were identical at all 20 tables: 4H by EW making 650.
Bidding challenge
Round 7, Board 16
Dealer: W
Vul: EW
K7653
9
K42
QJ94
J8 Q92
Q875 KT
JT987 AQ65
52 A873
AT4
AJ6432
3
KT6
After East opens 1NT how can NS play in spades? Not so easy and in fact 16 out of 20 declarers played in 2H and all but four of them went down. Spades play much better. Four NS pairs did reach spades -against weak notrumpers, I guess. They made 8, 9, or 10 tricks (this by the Australians against USA2, and they had even bid 4S! Apparently such exercices did not fare well in the long term, for Australians lost their match by 95 to 27 IMPs).
Two, three, four or five?
Round 7, Board 20
Dealer: W
Vul: Both
T954
A72
T4
A863
AK7 QJ632
Q854 JT93
972 KJ3
Q42 5
8
K6
AQ865
KJT97
Final contracts in this board were 2C, 3C, 4C and 5C by NS. All made 11 tricks at least. Only odd men out the Italians (3NT down 1) and the USA-2 (same but doubled).
Points, schmoints
Round 8, Board 1
Dealer: N
Vul: None
K94
KQT
Q9
AKT92
JT8 A63
96543 -
AT765 KJ842
- QJ653
Q752
AJ872
3
874
NS have 24 points and two eight-card fits, but no game is possible because of the breaks. In contrast, EW with their 16 points can make ten tricks in diamonds and in fact it takes a trump lead to beat 5D. There were a lot of -550s in the scorecard along with a couple of -610s.
Wires crossed
Round 8, Board 12
Dealer: W
Vul: NS
5
T76
Q9754
AQ43
KQ9 JT632
A8 9542
JT8 K3
T9876 K5
A874
KQJ3
A62
J2
NS can make a low partial in hearts or one notrump, but in practice EW will find their spades and go down in 2S or higher. When USA-1 played Bulgaria, however, Nickell and Freeman (I guess) got their wires crossed over some obscure enemy call and finished in 6C. It went down 6 doubled for 1700.Seven tricks of difference
Round 8, Board 19
Dealer: S
Vul: EW
KJ73
A43
K92
T43
Q86 A954
86 JT95
QT A84
KQ9652 A8
T2
KQ72
J7653
J7
Several NS played this in 1NT, but their fortunes were diverse: the US-2 made it, while the Taiwanese went down three. But there extremes too: the French made but two tricks, five down -and the Italians made two overtricks, i.e. seven more than the French. Apparently the defence did not follow the same line!Disappointment
Round 10, Board 8
Dealer: W
Vul: None
JT92
KT54
K54
63
83 AQ764
AQ762 -
73 QJT2
JT98 KQ42
K5
J983
A986
A75
Partner opens 1S, opponents go to 2H after a t/o double, you have AQ762 in their suit, so you double, right? Now you have to beat it, though -and four out of six defenders did not manage it. The score is 470.Minor slam
Round 10, Board 14
Dealer: E
Vul: None
9643
T52
J2
9742
AJT8 KQ7
Q9 AK87
K76543 Q98
A 863
52
J643
AT
KQJT5
Six diamonds is on as cards lie, but three pairs who played at 3NT went down. The majority were in a sensible 5D.
Yet another minor slam
Round 11, Board 16
Dealer: W
Vul: EW
8
AQJ9732
4
AQ96
QT97532 J6
T6 K84
A97 KQT63
J 742
AK4
5
J852
KT853
Another swan here (see round 4 above) and again it proved more advantageous to play in the 4-card suit. Given that West will probably open 3S it becomes devilishly difficult to find the cold 6C. No wonder that 18 out of 20 NS pairs played at 4 (or 5) hearts. Kudos to USA-2 and South Africa who found the club slam.
Go to the second part of the report
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© 2000 Nikos Sarantakos
sarant@village.uunet.lu
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