Sweden's Peter Fredin is famous for his doubles and redoubles. When Sweden met Team Ventin in the very first round, Peter was definitely in a doubling mode.
| Round 1 Brd 5: Dealer North. NS Vul. | ||
| ♠ K ♥ K J 5 4 ♦ A 10 5 ♣ 10 9 6 3 2 |
||
♠ Q J 7 5 4 ♥ - ♦ K J 9 8 4 ♣ A 8 5 |
 |
♠ A 10 9 6 ♥ 9 8 3 2 ♦ Q 3 ♣ Q J 7 |
| ♠ 8 3 2 ♥ A Q 10 7 6 ♦ 7 6 2 ♣ K 4 |
||
| West | North | East | South |
Ventin | Fredin | Fernandez | Björnlund
|
| - | Pass | Pass | 1 ♥ |
| 1 ♠ | 2NT (2) | 4 ♠ | Pass |
| Pass | Dbl (2) | Pass | Pass |
| Rdbl | Pass | Pass | Pass |
1) heart fit, invitational
2) the hunting season is opened
Twelve-eighty for the Spaniards. More to come:
| Round 1 Brd 6: Dealer East. EW Vul. | ||
| ♠ J 9 8 6 2 ♥ K 6 ♦ 10 8 7 6 ♣ A 4 |
||
♠ K 3 ♥ A 10 8 4 2 ♦ 9 ♣ K Q J 8 2 |
|
♠ 5 ♥ 9 7 ♦ A K Q J 4 3 2 ♣ 10 7 6 |
| ♠ A Q 10 7 4 ♥ Q J 5 4 ♦ 5 ♣ 9 5 3 |
||
| West | North | East | South |
Ventin |
Fredin |
Fernandez |
Björnlund |
| - | - | 1 ♦ | 1 ♠ |
| 2 ♥ | 4 ♠ | 5 ♦ | Pass |
| Pass | Dbl | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
Holding Queen-Jack-fourth, South could not believe that his partner was begging for a heart lead and he therefore tabled the ♠A. EW +750 and a lot of first blood to Barcelona
Marjo Chorus, chief-editor of BRIDGE, the Dutch Bridge Federation's magazine, reported two exciting deals from round 1. First:
Team Orange versus Team Waterlow:
| Round 1 Brd 4: Dealer West. All Vul. | ||
| ♠ K 3 ♥ 10 ♦ Q 9 8 2 ♣ Q 10 9 5 4 3 |
||
♠ A Q 10 9 2 ♥ A 3 ♦ A 10 3 ♣ A J 8 |
|
♠ J 8 7 4 ♥ K Q J ♦ J 5 ♣ K 7 6 2 |
| ♠ 6 5 ♥ 9 8 7 6 5 4 2 ♦ K 7 6 4 ♣ - |
||
| West | North | East | South |
Silverstone |
De Wijs |
Waterlow |
Muller |
| 2NT | Pass | 3 ♣ | Pass |
| 3 ♠ | Pass | 4 ♣ (1) | Pass |
| 4 ♦ (2) | Pass | 4 ♥ (2) | Pass |
| 4 ♠ (3) | Pass | Pass | Pass |
1) Cue, agreeing spades
2) Cue
3) enough is enough
North led his stiff heart, for dummy's king. In with the trump king, Simon de Wijs switched to the ♣10 and declarer made an obvious claim gesture.
"No, No, us first!," both North and South shouted as one voice. South ruffed and gave his partner the heart ruff. North carefully continued with the ♦Q (a low diamond to his partner's king would have resulted in a minor-suit squeeze on himself). So despite the slam tries, even game ended up down. That was a nine-imp gain, nonetheless, since at the other table 6♠ went for five hundred after a Ligtner double.
Bauke Muller |
Simon de Wijs |
Then:
Team Westra versus Team Gromov
The clash between the winner of the first White House Teams (Gromov) and the winner of the second edition (Westra), produced a lot of action on this one:
| Round 1 Brd 9: Dealer North. EW Vul. | ||
| ♠ J 9 7 4 2 ♥ A 10 ♦ A 5 ♣ A Q 8 2 |
||
♠ - ♥ K Q J 9 5 ♦ K Q 6 2 ♣ J 10 9 6 |
|
♠ A K Q 8 3 ♥ 8 2 ♦ 8 7 ♣ K 7 4 3 |
| ♠ 10 6 5 ♥ 7 6 4 3 ♦ J 10 9 4 3 ♣ 5 |
||
| West | North | East | South |
Nab |
Paulissen |
||
| - | 1 ♠ | Pass | 1NT |
| dbl | Rdbl | Pass | 2 ♠ |
| 3 ♥ | Pass | 3NT | Pass |
| Pass | Dbl | Pass | Pass |
| Rdbl (1) | Pass | Pass | 4 ♠ |
| Pass | Pass | Dbl | Pass |
| Pass | Pass |
NS minus eleven hundred; at the other table EW scored six hundred in 3NT.
Lavazza versus Hungary.
6♣ was cold for NS on this deal, but it was very hard to bid. In fact, most NS pairs failed to reach the slam. Not Agustin Madala and Guido Ferraro in their match against Hungary. This is how they did it, despite the West's mini-preempt in hearts.
| Round 2 Brd 24: Dealer West. - Vul. | ||
| ♠ - ♥ A 6 3 ♦ A K J 5 4 ♣ K Q 10 8 4 |
||
♠ Q ♥ Q J 7 5 2 ♦ 10 9 8 3 ♣ A 9 7 |
|
♠ A J 10 8 5 3 2 ♥ 9 8 4 ♦ 6 2 ♣ 3 |
| ♠ K 9 7 6 4 ♥ K 10 ♦ Q 7 ♣ J 6 5 2 |
||
| West | North | East | South |
Madala |
Ferraro |
||
| 2 ♥ | 3 ♥ | Pass | 3 ♠ |
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | 4 ♣ |
| Pass | 4 ♥ | Pass | 6 ♣ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass | |
Bocchi-Duboin, holding the EW cards at the other table, were doubled in 3♠ and went only two down.
In another match Zia psyched hearts with the East hand and was very unlucky to find his partner, Andrew Robson, supporting him to the hilt. 5♠-doubled, minus four, was their final resting place.
Guido Ferraro (& Max Abram) |
Zia Mahmood |
Bauke Muller and Simon de Wijs |
When the Amsterdam district of the Dutch Bridge Federation announced a € 100.- prize for the best-played hand, Amsterdam businessman and bridge enthusiast Peter Sisselaar thought he could do one better and offered a € 500.- prize for the first Grand Slam bid and made at this tournament. At 17:55 on Friday afternoon the moment had arrived when De Wijs-Muller, playing Tarzan (get it!?) Precision staked their claim. This was the deal and their auction:
| Round 3 Brd 3: Dealer South. EW Vul. | ||
| ♠ A Q 3 ♥ 7 3 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ J 8 5 4 2 |
||
♠ J 8 7 5 4 ♥ J 10 6 2 ♦ 10 5 3 ♣ Q |
|
♠ 10 9 2 ♥ Q 9 4 ♦ K J 7 4 2 ♣ 10 3 |
| ♠ K 6 ♥ A K 8 5 ♦ Q 8 ♣ A K 9 7 6 |
||
| West | North | East | South |
De Wijs |
Muller |
||
| - | - | - | 1 ♣ (1) |
| Pass | 2♣ (2) | Pass | 2♦ (3) |
| Pass | 2NT (4) | Pass | 3♣ (3) |
| Pass | 3 ♦ (5) | Pass | 3 ♥ (3) |
| Pass | 4♣ (6) | Pass | 4 ♦ (3) |
| Pass | 4 ♥ (7) | Pass | 4 ♠ (3) |
| Pass | 5 ♦ (8) | Dbl | Pass (3) |
| Pass | Rdbl (9) | Pass | 5 ♥ (3) |
| Pass | 5NT (10) | Pass | 7 ♣ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass | |
1) 16+
2) 5+ ♣, 9+ HCP, 2+ controls
3) Relay
4) 1 or 2 hearts
5) 3235
6) 4 controls
7) No ♣ A or K
8) Top honor in ♦ and ♠
9) No ♣ queen
10) 2nd top honor ♠
When the trumps split normally, there was nothing to the play. This slam was also bid and made by Sweden's Fredin-Björnlund, and their bidding surely took less time than that of De Wijs - Muller (the latter being renowned for not bidding and playing hastily). Moreover, Fredin-Björnlund bid and made a grand slam on the very next board as well! Alas, in their match they had started with board 7 rather than board 1, so their efforts were not rewarded.
