ORBIS WORLD BRIDGE CHAMPIONSHIPS DAILY NEWS JANUARY 7-21 BERMUDA 2000 JEAN PAUL MEYER, CO-ORDINATOR / MARK HORTON, EDITOR BRENT MANLEY & BRIAN SENIOR, ASSISTANT EDITORS YVAN CALAME, TEXT LAYOUT EDITOR ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Issue: 8 Saturday, 15 January 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It's a Knockout! After seven days of play and nearly 400 deals, the Orbis Bermuda Bowl and OrbisVenice Cup move into the quarterfinal rounds today. With the defenders, France, eliminated, a new champion is guaranteed in the former event but there is a chance for a repeat in the latter. Top teams in both qualifying events were allowed to choose their opponents for the quarterfinal knockout phase. The match-ups, with carryover IMPs in parentheses, are: Orbis Bermuda Bowl Indonesia vs. Norway (+5.5) Italy vs. USA 1 (+13.5) Poland (even) vs. USA 2 Brazil (+6) vs. Sweden Orbis Venice Cup Canada (+4) vs. USA 1 China vs. The Netherlands (+16) Austria (+10)vs. Germany France vs. Denmark (+16) There were some disappointed former world champions in both events. France, defending champions in the Orbis Bermuda Bowl, finished 10th out of 20 teams in the round-robin standings, 14 Victory Points out of eighth place, the final qualifying spot. Norway led the Orbis Bermuda Bowl qualifiers with 345 VPs, just ahead of second-place USA 1, with 340. Poland held down the third spot, followed by Brazil, which vaulted from eighth place on the strength of big victories against China and Chinese Taipei. In the Orbis Venice Cup, USA 1, which includes three members of the team which won the event in 1997, led qualifiers into the quarterfinal round, followed by The Netherlands, Austria and Denmark. Members of the winning team from 1997 now in the quarterfinal round are Jill Meyers, Randi Montin and Tobi Sokolow. USA 2, whose lineup includes four previous winners of the event, had a chance to make the cut with a win over Austria and some help from other teams, but it didn't work out. They finished in ninth place. Sue Picus won theVenice Cup in 1991 and 1993 and was non-playing captain of the winning team last year. Lynn Deas and Beth Palmer won in 1987 and 1989, Deas won again in 1991 and Berkowitz won in 1997. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OrbisVenice Cup - Round 15 China v Egypt With two days to go in the round-robin stage, the Chinese women, one of the favourites, were lying eighth, just a point clear of ninth-placed Canada. Round 15 saw them face Egypt, a dangerous team, even if not in contention themselves. China had gained a couple of small swings when an opportunity for something bigger came along. Board 4. Both vul. Dealer West. S J 9 3 H A Q J 8 7 D J 2 C 9 8 3 S K Q T 6 5 S 7 H 5 4 H K 9 6 3 2 D 8 7 6 5 D T 4 3 C T 5 C A Q 7 2 S A 8 4 2 H T D A K Q 9 C K J 6 4 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang Pass Pass Pass 1C Pass 1H Pass 1NT Pass 3NT All Pass One Club was strong and One Heart a natural positive. The One NoTrump rebid was natural -- presumably Hongli Wang likes to have a five-card suit to bid it here. Samia Shatila led the king of spades to declarer's ace. Wang passed the H10, which scored, then played a spade towards the jack. Shatila won her queen and returned a spade. Wang won and led the nine of clubs to the queen and king then ran for home; +600. West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily Pass Pass Pass 1C 1S Dble Pass 1NT All Pass The natural auction did not get to game and made only eight tricks on a passive lead; +120 but 10 IMPs to China. Board 6. E/W vul. Dealer East. S K H A J T 5 4 2 D Q 7 C K T 6 2 S Q J T 5 S A 7 2 H K 8 H 7 6 3 D K J T 9 5 D A 6 4 3 C 9 3 C J 8 4 S 9 8 6 4 3 H Q 9 D 8 2 C A Q 7 5 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang - - Pass 2S All Pass Two Spades was weak and two-suited. These bids can be very effective on the right deal, but this was not the right deal. Shatila led the queen of trumps and Margaret Homsey won and switched to a diamond to the king. A second diamond was won by dummy's queen when Homsey had the misfortune to pull the wrong card, but declarer still lost control on repeated diamond leads and had to go one down; -50. West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily - - Pass Pass Pass 1H Pass 1S Pass 2C Pass 2H All Pass South passed and Lily Khalil and Maud Khouri had a straightforward auction to Two Hearts. Game makes courtesy of the heart finesse and even breaks in the key suits, and the Egyptians must have been mildly worried that +170 would not prove to be sufficient. Not to worry, it was actually a 6 IMP pick-up. Board 8. None vul. Dealer West. S K 9 H J 7 6 3 D Q 7 C J 8 6 5 3 S A 8 7 6 S T 5 4 H A H T 9 4 D A K J 8 4 3 D T 9 6 5 2 C 7 4 C A 9 S Q J 3 2 H K Q 8 5 2 D - - C K Q T 2 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang 1D Pass 3D Dble Rdbl 3H Pass Pass 4D All Pass Three Diamonds was a pre-emptive raise and Shatila first redoubled to show a good hand then bid on to Four Diamonds. With Four Hearts looking to have only three losers on the North/South cards, playing Four Diamonds for +130 looked OK, however: West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily 1C Dble Pass 3H Dble Pass 5D All Pass One Club was strong and Ling Gu did well to jump to game when Yalan Zhang doubled Three Hearts for take-out on the next round. The lead was a club to the ace. Gu unblocked the heart and proceeded to draw trumps and eliminate the hearts. When at a late stage she played the ace of spades, she found Maud dozing peacefully and failing to unblock the king. A club exit meant that North was endplayed with the king of spades to give a ruff and discard and the contract; +400 and 7 IMPs to China. Board 9. E/W vul. Dealer North. S A K 9 7 5 H K D A K 5 4 C J T 7 S T S J 8 H Q 9 7 5 3 H T 8 4 D 9 3 2 D Q T 8 6 C A 9 5 4 C K 8 6 2 S Q 6 4 3 2 H A J 6 2 D J 7 C Q 3 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang - 1C Pass 1S Pass 2D Pass 2H Pass 2S Pass 2NT Pass 3H Pass 4S Pass 4NT Pass 5C Pass 6S All Pass One Club was strong and One Spade a natural positive. Perhaps there are inferences of which I am unaware in the Chinese auction, but it looks as though Ming Sun just did too much without any real encouragement from her partner. The slam was always hopeless, but Shatila led ace and another club to settle things immediately; -50. West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily - 1S Pass 4S All Pass No danger here of getting too high here. Played by North, a diamond lead meant 12 tricks; +480 and 11 IMPs to Egypt. Board 10. Both vul. Dealer East. S A K 5 4 3 H 8 6 D J 9 6 3 2 C T S Q J 6 S 9 8 H K 9 3 2 H 7 4 D K Q 4 D A T 8 5 C Q 4 3 C K J 9 8 6 S T 7 2 H A Q J T 5 D 7 C A 7 5 2 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang - - Pass 1H Pass 1S Dble Rdbl 1NT Dble 2C 3S Pass 4S All Pass West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily - - Pass 1H Dble 1S 2C 2S Pass 4S All Pass The Egyptian declarer went down after a club lead when she tried to make her small trumps by ruffing and found that the unfavourable heart position left her a trick short; -100. Sun received a heart lead. She finessed and Shatila won the king and switched to a club for the ace. Sun gave up a diamond, ruffed the club return and cashed the top spades. Next she ran the hearts and had a trump left in the dummy to take care of her last diamond; +620 and 12 IMPs to China. Board 13. Both vul. Dealer North. S K 5 4 3 H A 7 D 6 5 2 C A K Q 5 S 8 7 S A Q J T 9 6 2 H K J 5 2 H T 8 6 D Q J 8 7 4 D A 3 C 9 4 C J S - - H Q 9 4 3 D K T 9 C T 8 7 6 3 2 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang - 1NT 4S Pass Pass Dble All Pass West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily - 1NT 3S Pass Pass 4C Pass 6C All Pass Lily and Maud reached the hopeless club slam when Lily competed over the pre-emptive overcall and Maud took her seriously. Six Clubs went three down, which looks to be one more than was compulsory, but -300 proved to be worth 10 IMPs to Egypt! At the other table, Homsey went for a fullblooded overcall of Four Spades and when that got back to Sun she doubled. Wang led a low heart, which was not best for the defense. Homsey played low and Sun won her ace and switched to the ace of clubs. To beat the contract for certain, she needed to switch to a diamond now but, not being sure of the club position after seeing a rather vague three from Wang, continued with the club king. Homsey ruffed with the nine and led a heart to dummy's jack. She ran the eight of spades then led the seven. Now she took time out to decide who was more likely to hold the king of diamonds. If it was North, she wanted to stay in dummy to take the diamond finesse, while if it was South a squeeze would be required and that meant overtaking. After some thought Homsey overtook the spade and continued with ace and another. Sun won her king and switched to a diamond, but Homsey had made up her mind how she intended to play the hand and was not to be dissuaded from that decision. She went up with the ace of diamonds and ran the trumps and Wang had to surrender; +790. Board 15. N/S vul. Dealer South. S 5 3 H K T 8 6 5 2 D K 7 C Q 8 6 S K 8 2 S Q J T 9 6 H 4 H Q J 7 3 D T 9 8 6 4 2 D J 3 C 9 3 2 C T 7 S A 7 4 H A 9 D A Q 5 C A K J 5 4 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang - - - 2D Pass 2S Pass 2NT Pass 3D Pass 3H Pass 4D Pass 4S Pass 5H Pass 6C Pass 6H All Pass West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily - - - 2D Pass 2H Pass 3NT Pass 4H All Pass Wang's Two Diamond opening was a multi, while Lily's was strong and artificial. China outbid their opponents to reach a slam which needed little more than hearts 3-2 or a bare honour, only to find that the trumps were 4-1 offside with no bare honour. That was 13 IMPs to Egypt. Six Hearts is a good contract but Six Clubs would have been better. Did anyone manage to get there in the other matches? Board 17. None vul. Dealer North. S Q T 6 H K 9 D J T 9 4 3 C 9 7 4 S A J 9 7 2 S 8 5 4 3 H 5 4 2 H T 8 7 3 D 8 D Q 7 2 C A T 3 2 C 8 5 S K H A Q J 6 D A K 6 5 C K Q J 6 West North East South Shatila Sun Homsey Wang - Pass Pass 2D Pass 2H Pass 3H Pass 3S Pass 4D Pass 5D All Pass Wang showed a big three-suiter via her multi opening and Sun asked for controls, discovered that her partner held six or seven, and settled for Five Diamonds. It was all about the trump guess and Wang had no reason not to lay down the ace and king; down one for -50. West North East South Zhang Maud Gu Lily - Pass Pass 2C 2S Pass 3S 4H Pass 5D All Pass Maud was also in Five Diamonds, on a heart lead. She had heard sufficient opposition bidding to suspect that there might be some unbalanced distribution about. She won the heart ace, cashed the diamond ace, and crossed to the king of hearts to take the diamond finesse. Well done for +400 and 10 IMPs to Egypt. The final score was 54-37 to Egypt, or 19-11 VPs -- a serious blow to China's hopes of qualification, as they slipped to 9 VPs behind Canada in the battle for eighth place. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Orbis Bermuda Bowl - Round 15 USA 2 v Italy At this stage of the Championships, every match is important and the clash between two of the pre-tournament favourites in Round 15 of the Orbis Bermuda Bowl was no exception. If you subscribe to the theory that bidding is the key area of the game, this match offered a number of deals to support that view. Board 8. None vul. Dealer West. S K 9 H J 7 6 3 D Q 7 C J 8 6 5 3 S A 8 7 6 S T 5 4 H A H T 9 4 D A K J 8 4 3 D T 9 6 5 2 C 7 4 C A 9 S Q J 3 2 H K Q 8 5 2 D - - C K Q T 2 Closed Room West North East South Mahmood De Falco Rosenberg Ferraro 1D Pass 3D Dble 5D All Pass Zia bid what he hope he could make. We wonder if it crossed his mind to bid 3NT? Notice that despite their lack of aces, North-South can make Four Hearts, but they are hardly likely to bid it. North led the king of spades, a perfectly reasonable choice in view of his partner's take out double. It also meant there was no chance of him being endplayed later, a fate that befell more than one player, some of them have paid the Daily News enough to ensure anonymity! The Italian pair plays odd/even signals and South discouraged with the two of spades. However, North continued with a second spade and now declarer was home. He could cover the nine of spades and after winning the trick with the ace, draw trumps and give up a spade, establishing a parking place for the club loser. +400. Open Room West North East South Duboin Stansby Bocchi Martel 1D Pass 2D Dble 2S Pass 3D All Pass All you can say is that the Italians sort of won the bidding battle, but lost the war. They made ten tricks for +130, but lost 7 IMPs. Board 15. N/S vul. Dealer South. S 5 3 H K T 8 6 5 2 D K 7 C Q 8 6 S K 8 2 S Q J T 9 6 H 4 H Q J 7 3 D T 9 8 6 4 2 D J 3 C 9 3 2 C T 7 S A 7 4 H A 9 D A Q 5 C A K J 5 4 Closed Room West North East South Mahmood De Falco Rosenberg Ferraro - - - 1C 2C 2H Pass 2NT Pass 3H Pass 3S Pass 3NT Pass 4NT All Pass There was nothing to the play, declarer quickly claiming eleven tricks for +660. On a 3-2 heart break, Six Hearts is just about laydown, and so for that matter is Seven Clubs. Could the American pair in the open room avoid the trap of playing in hearts? Open Room West North East South Duboin Stansby Bocchi Martel - - - 2C Pass 2H 2S 2NT 3S 4H Pass 4S Pass 5NT Pass 6C All Pass The key to the auction was North's bid of 5NT, almost certainly inviting South to pick a slam. When South suggested that clubs might be the place to play, North eventually decided to agree. The contract still had to be made, but Martel made no mistake, winning the opening diamond lead in hand and ducking a spade. He could win the return, cash the ace of spades and ruff a spade, +1370 and 12 IMPs. Board 17. None vul. Dealer North. S Q T 6 H K 9 D J T 9 4 3 C 9 7 4 S A J 9 7 2 S 8 5 4 3 H 5 4 2 H T 8 7 3 D 8 D Q 7 2 C A T 3 2 C 8 5 S K H A Q J 6 D A K 6 5 C K Q J 6 Closed Room West North East South Mahmood De Falco Rosenberg Ferraro - Pass Pass 2D Pass 2H Pass 3H Pass 4D Pass 4H Pass 4NT Pass 5C Pass 5D All Pass Two Diamonds showed either 9-12, with at least a six card major, or as here, 4-4-4-1 with 17+. Two Hearts was pass or correct and Three Hearts showed the singleton spade and 21+. Should North now have bid 3NT? With a spade lead a virtual certainty that is not at all clear. On this layout the nine trick game is clearly better, but Five Diamonds was a reasonable spot. Of course, Ferraro had no reason to divine the trump position and he went one down, -50. Open Room West North East South Duboin Stansby Bocchi Martel - Pass Pass 2C Pass 2D Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass Martel's decision to treat his hand as balanced was a winning one. West led a spade that went to declarer's king and Martel cleared the diamonds. East played back a spade to West's ace, but declarer had ten tricks and a matching number of IMPs. USA 2 had put a big dent in the European Champions' hopes of qualifying. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The WBF's Newest National Federations By Patrick Jourdain (Wales) The European Bridge League, at meetings held in Malta last June, accepted applications from the English Bridge Union, Scottish Bridge Union and Welsh Bridge Union to be upgraded to NBO status, to take effect from 1st January 2000. These three had previously been represented within the EBL and WBF by the British Bridge League which therefore lost its NBO status at the same time. At meetings here in Bermuda the World Bridge Federation also accepted the three new National Federations into membership. Thus each of the English Bridge Union, Scottish Bridge Union andWelsh Bridge Union will field teams in WBF events, starting with this year's Olympiad in Maastricht. The new Federations have a longer history than most members of the WBF. The Scottish Bridge Union, founded in 1933, is one of the oldest in the world. The English Bridge Union, formed in 1936, now has 28,000 members and is the fourth largest in Europe. Even the Welsh Bridge Union, created in 1948, now with 2,000 members, is larger than many Federations in Europe. For the purposes of any bridge event under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee the three Federations will, if required, continue to compete as Great Britain. A new body, smaller than the British Bridge League, called Bridge Great Britain has been created for that purpose. BGB will also run the famous British team championship, the Gold Cup, the various British Simultaneous Pairs events (nine each year) and the four Home International series (Open, Ladies, Under 25s and Under 20s) held between the four parts of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, plus the Republic of Ireland). The oldest and best known of these is the Open event for the Camrose Trophy. The Camrose began in 1937, and apart from a break caused by the Second World War, has been staged annually since then, making the current season its 57th. (The European Championships began in 1932, but are now only staged bi-annually, so I believe the Camrose has been held in more years than any other international contest in the world -- if you have a counter-claim please tell the Daily Bulletin.) The Camrose is held over five weekends. Each weekend one country sits out, whilst the others play two head-to-head contests. Until this year only England and Scotland had ever won, but in the year 2000 it now seems almost certain that a new name will appear on the famous Trophy. Wales began the season last month by beating England 57-33, and last weekend beat Scotland 56-34, the first time in the 57 years that Wales had beaten both in the same season. Meanwhile the Republic of Ireland had beaten Northern Ireland by 53-37, and then England 58-30. This leaves Wales on 113 VPs and the Republic on 111, well clear of the others. Two members of the Welsh team, Peter Goodman and Patrick Jourdain, delayed their arrival in Bermuda to compete in the Camrose last weekend, a date set before that of the World Championship. The first deal of last weekend's contest with Scotland was a flat board, but it is still worth reporting as it featured an ending with menaces in every suit!: None vul. Dealer North. S A K Q 6 H J 4 D A 6 5 2 C Q 7 6 S T 7 4 3 2 S J 8 5 H Q 7 H T 9 5 3 D K Q J T D 8 7 C K T C J 9 8 2 S 9 H A K 8 6 2 D 9 4 3 C A 5 4 3 Closed Room West North East South Piper Ratcliff Duncan Jourdain - 1S Pass 2H Pass 3NT All Pass Open Room West North East South Goodman Steel Rees Matheson - 1D Pass 1H Pass 1NT Pass 2D Pass 3NT All Pass In the Open Room, as a rebid of 2NT would be forcing, 3NT showed 15-16 points and no wish to investigate alternative strains. On VuGraph South's Two Diamonds was an artificial enquiry. In both rooms East led a low club to West's king and West switched to DK which held. In the Open Room West, on seeing his partner's signal, now went back to clubs. The declarer, Tony Ratcliff, won with the queen, and ran the heart jack. West took this and returned to diamonds. Declarer ducked the second diamond and won the third, East throwing a spade. With eight top tricks and threats in four suits declarer now had the unusual luxury of choosing between several squeezes, most of which work. West can be squeezed in spades and diamonds, East in hearts and clubs, or you have a variety of double squeezes to think about, though once a heart has been ducked and a spade has been discarded, no suit can be held by both defenders. Declarer actually began by testing the hearts. When West showed out, throwing a spade, he threw a spade from hand, and then squeezed East in hearts and clubs by playing off the winners in spades and diamonds. On VuGraph, West, after winning the club lead and switching to diamonds, continued diamonds, and played the suit again when declarer, Les Steel, ducked. The third diamond was won by North, East being forced to throw a spade. To tighten the ending Steel crossed to dummy with the ace of clubs, and led the nine of spades. When West played low, he let it run to East. As both defenders might guard hearts, his play of crossing with a club was very intelligent. If he crosses with a heart, the double squeeze can be destroyed by a heart switch when East is in with the spade. East exited with a heart to dummy. Steel returned to hand with a club to the queen and when West showed out, he claimed. East had the club guard, West had the diamond guard, so when the spades were played neither would have room to keep the hearts guarded. Actually, only East was squeezed. No swing. The analysts wondered what would have happened if West had covered the nine of spades. There are two points of interest. First the squeeze on East works perfectly well even though the timing seems to be wrong. Declarer can simply play off the top spades, being careful to start by throwing a heart from dummy. East, who has already thrown a spade, and needs to keep clubs, has to ditch a heart on the third spade. Declarer can throw a club from dummy and clear hearts. Alternatively, when the first two top spades are cashed, an eagle-eyed declarer will note the fall of East's jack and eight. He can then cash the top hearts and clubs, ending in hand and throw West in with the last diamond to lead away from the seven of spades. A cornucopia of endings! Deep Finesse confirms that there is no winning defence. Editor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Orbis Bermuda Bowl - Round 16 USA 1 v France Out for revenge The last time France and USA 1 faced each other in the Bermuda Bowl, the stakes were as high as they can get. It was the final in Hammamet, Tunisia, in 1997, and the French came away with a convincing victory. On Thursday, the two teams met again, in Round 16 of the Orbis Bermuda Bowl round-robin. This time, USA 1 got the better of France with a 42-20 victory, at least mildly damaging their chances of qualifying for the quarterfinal round of the event. Each team had several chances for major swings, but it was the Americans who capitalized more often, starting with this slam swing. Board 2. N/S vul. Dealer East. S 8 7 2 H Q J 5 2 D Q 7 C A 8 6 2 S K J 9 6 3 S A Q 5 4 H K T 9 7 H A 8 D A K D J 9 3 C Q 7 C K 5 4 3 S T H 6 4 3 D T 8 6 5 4 2 C J T 9 West North East South Freeman Bompis Nickell de Ste Marie - - 1C Pass 1S Pass 2S Pass 3H Pass 4S Pass 4NT Pass 5S Pass 6S All Pass Richard Freeman's 3H could have been a mere game try and when Nick Nickell accepted by leaping to game, Freeman checked to make sure the partnership was not off two aces and bid the slam. There was nothing to the play and Freeman racked up plus 980. At the other table: West North East South Multon Meckstroth Mari Rodwell - - 1C Pass 1S Pass 2S Pass 2NT (1) Pass 4S All Pass (1) Forcing, asking East to clarify his raise. Something happened on the way to the slam. If Christian Mari meant his 4S bid to be encouraging, the message didn't get through to Franck Multon, who appeared to be giving thought to pressing on before finally passing. He made the same 12 tricks as Freeman and lost 11 IMPs in the process. USA 1 gained 2 IMPs on the next board, but it could have been 9. Board 3. E/W vul. Dealer South. S 8 7 3 H K J T 8 5 D Q J C A 8 6 S 4 S Q J T 6 5 H 9 4 3 H Q 2 D T 8 5 4 2 D A 9 C 9 7 3 2 C K T 5 4 S A K 9 2 H A 7 6 D K 7 6 3 C Q J West North East South Freeman Bompis Nickell de Ste Marie - - - 1NT Pass 2D (1) Pass 2H Pass 3NT Pass 4H All Pass (1) Transfer to hearts. Freeman led his singleton spade, and although Thierry de Sainte Marie did not take the heart finesse, the defenders had the timing to hold him to 10 tricks. That was plus 420 to France. At the other table, Jeff Meckstroth and Eric Rodwell had Mari running from 1S redoubled, which probably would have produced two overtricks. West North East South Multon Meckstroth Mari Rodwell - - - 1C (1) Pass 1S (2) Dble Pass Pass Redble (3) Pass Pass 1NT Dble 2C Pass Pass Dble All Pass (1) Precision. (2) Positive, 5+ hearts. (3) Balanced hand. Rodwell led the CQ, ducked by Meckstroth to Mari's king. Mari followed with the S10, taken by Rodwell with the king. The CJ was next, and after that held, Rodwell underled the HA to Meckstroth's king. Meckstroth played a third round of trumps then played the HJ to the queen and ace. Rodwell continued with a third round of hearts, forcing Mari to use his last trump. Mari then played the SQ, ducked by Rodwell, leaving this position: S 7 H 8 5 D Q J C -- S -- S J 6 5 H -- H -- D 10 8 5 4 D A 9 C 9 C -- S A 9 H -- D K 6 3 C-- Mari played a low spade, pitching a diamond from dummy when Rodwell covered with the 9. Had Rodwell exited with a diamond, the defense would have collected plus 800. Rodwell wasn't sure about the diamond position, however, so he played the SA at trick 10. Mari ruffed, played a diamond to his ace and cashed the good SJ for his sixth trick and minus 500, holding the loss on the board to 2 IMPs. On Board 8, 6NT was played from the wrong side at both tables, but neither South found the killing opening lead. Board 8. None vul. Dealer West. S Q T 9 8 7 2 H 9 8 D 5 3 C A T 4 S K 5 S A J 6 H K Q T 4 H A 6 D A K J D Q T 9 6 4 2 C K 9 7 5 C 8 6 S 4 3 H J 7 5 3 2 D 8 7 C Q J 3 2 West North East South Freeman Bompis Nickell de Ste Marie 1C 2S 3NT Pass 6NT All Pass Unable to see through the backs of the cards, in which case he would have led the CQ, de Sainte Marie led the S4 and Nickell wrapped up 13 tricks (de Sainte Marie no doubt discarded one too many hearts). At the other table: West North East South Multon Meckstroth Mari Rodwell 1C 1S 2D Pass 2S Pass (1) 3NT Pass 4D Pass 4H Pass 4NT Pass 5S Pass 6NT All Pass (1) Alerted. Meckstroth explained that if he doubled, it would tell Rodwell not to lead a spade. Considering that Meckstroth did not double 2S, Rodwell was always going to lead a spade. Rodwell held onto his hearts, however and Mari had to settle for for 12 tricks and a 1 IMP loss. Here is a lead problem. As East, you hold: S Q 10 9 7 H Q J 7 3 D K 9 7 C Q, and you hear your right-hand opponent open a Precision 1C. LHO bids 2D (balanced 8-10) and RHO follows with 2NT, raised to 3NT by South. Choose your opening lead. If you picked a spade, write minus 11 IMPs on your scorecard. If your lead was a heart, you win 6 IMPs. The full deal: Board 10. Both vul. Dealer East. S A J 8 2 H K D J 3 C A K J 9 8 4 S 6 5 4 S Q T 9 7 H A T 9 8 2 H Q J 7 3 D K 9 7 D Q 6 5 2 C 6 3 C Q S K 3 H 6 5 4 D A T 8 4 C T 7 5 2 West North East South Freeman Bompis Nickell de Ste Marie - - Pass Pass Pass 1C Pass 1D Pass 1S Pass 2C Pass 2H Pass 3C All Pass Marc Bompis had no trouble taking 11 tricks for plus 150. At the other West North East South Multon Meckstroth Mari Rodwell - - Pass Pass Pass 1C (1) Pass 2D (2) Pass 2NT Pass 3NT All Pass (1) Precision. (2) Ostensibly 8-10 balanced. Considering that he was actually a highcard point below the minimum for the 2D bid, Rodwell's bid of 3NT looks more than a bit aggressive. The contract meets Bob Hamman's criterion for efficacy, however, since it made. A low heart lead, of course, would have allowed the defenders to take the first five tricks for plus 100, but Mari led the S10, which Meckstroth ran to his jack. Declarer got the good news at trick two when his CA felled Mari's singleton queen. From there, Meckstroth unblocked spades and ran clubs. In the end, he played a diamond to the ace and a diamond to Multon's king. Multon surrendered a second overtrick when he underled his HA. Plus 660 and 11 IMPs to USA 1. France responded with an 11-IMP gain on the following deal. Board 11. None vul. Dealer South. S J T 6 5 H K Q T 9 5 2 D K C 7 3 S K Q 7 S 9 8 3 H A J 6 4 3 H 6 D 8 4 D J T 9 7 6 C Q 6 2 C A J T 9 S A 4 2 H 8 D A Q 5 3 2 C K 8 5 4 West North East South Freeman Bompis Nickell de Ste Marie - - - 1D 1H Pass Pass Dble All Pass Freeman took four tricks, suffering a penalty of minus 500. At the other table, Mari came to his partner's rescue. West North East South Multon Meckstroth Mari Rodwell - - - 1D 1H Pass Pass Dble Pass Pass 1NT Dble 2C Pass Pass Dble All Pass Mari didn't fancy putting his hand down as dummy in a doubled heart contract, so he suggested playing in a minor. The 2C contract actually had plays, but it didn't work out for Multon. Meckstroth led the DK, switching to the SJ, Rodwell went up with the ace and returned the suit. Multon won the SK and cashed the SQ. Next he played the D8 to Rodwell's queen, and when Rodwell returned the D2, VuGraph commentators speculated that Multon could actually make his contract by ruffing with the CQ, cashing the HA and playing a club to the ace, followed by a club. He would then lose only one spade, one club and three diamonds. Multon, however, discarded a heart on the trick. Meckstroth ruffed and returned the S10, allowing Rodwell to discard his heart. He later ruffed the HA with a low trump and still had the CK to come. Even at that, minus 100 was still good for a 9-IMP gain for France, trailing by only 11 at that point. On the next deal, France had a chance for a gain if they could reach a game missed in the other room. The fly in the ointment was that Meckstroth and Rodwell stole the deal with one of their super-aggressive opening bids. Not that that was all bad for France, considering the end result. Board 12. N/S vul. Dealer West. S J 9 8 3 2 H A 9 8 7 3 D A C 7 4 S K Q T 4 S A 7 H T 6 H K 4 2 D 8 6 D J 9 5 4 3 C K Q 9 5 3 C A 6 2 S 6 5 H Q J 5 D K Q T 7 2 C J T 8 West North East South Freeman Bompis Nickell de Ste Marie Pass Pass 1D Pass 1S Pass 1NT Pass Pass 2H Pass Pass 2NT All Pass De Sainte Marie led the HQ and Nickell ended up with 10 tricks for plus 180. At the other table East-West never got into the auction. West North East South Multon Meckstroth Mari Rodwell Pass 1S Pass 1NT (1) Pass 2H Pass 2S All Pass (1) One-round force. Ignoring the vulnerability and the threadbare spade suit, Meckstroth was right in there with an opening bid. The play went relatively quickly, but not pleasantly for North-South. Mari started with a low diamond to Meckstroth's ace. He played a low heart from hand at trick two, taken by Mari with the king. Next came the CA and a club to Multon's king, with the CQ after that. Meckstroth ruffed and played a heart to dummy's queen. The DK was next for a heart pitch from the North hand. When Meckstroth played the DQ, Multon ruffed with the SQ and played back the C5, Meckstroth threw away his last heart as Mari ruffed with the 7, but Mari cashed the SA and got out with a diamond as Multon threw his last club. Meckstroth ruffed but had to lead away from his SJ 9 into Multon's SK 10. That was down three, minus 300 and 3 IMPs to France. At that point, France trailed by only 8, 27-19. USA 1 collected 5-IMP gains on three separate boards to increase the lead and end France's comeback hopes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Queen of the Nile Egypt's Lily & Maud are one of the best known pairs in the Middle East and they are no strangers to World Championship competition. When their team faced Australia in Round 14 of the Orbis Venice Cup, Lily was taking a breather, so Maud partnered Josephine Morcos. The new partnership got off to a spectacular start. Board 3. E/W vul. Dealer South. S J 8 7 4 3 H Q 9 7 D J 6 3 C A 9 S A K S Q T 6 2 H T H K J 6 5 D K T 9 5 D 8 4 C K Q J T 8 7 C 6 4 2 S 9 5 H A 8 4 3 2 D A Q 7 2 C 5 3 West North East South Lusk Maud Tully Morcos - - - Pass 1C Pass 1H Pass 2D Pass 2S Pass 3NT All Pass East's Two Spade bid was alerted and described as weak. Three No-Trumps is not destined to make, indeed, North can lead any one of her thirteen cards except the jack of diamonds, and the contract will fail. None the less, North's spectacular opening lead of the queen of hearts made the hand very easy to defend! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Three Bermuda Bowls in Bermuda -- and they've been to all three! By Henry Francis Two Bermudians are especially excited about the 2000 Bermuda Bowl -- it's the THIRD time they have watched a Bermuda Bowl championship in Bermuda. That's right - Peter Willcocks and Graham Rosser, both of whom trace their bridge interest back to the Thirties and Forties, were spectators at the very first Bermuda Bowl back in 1950. When the Silver Anniversary Bermuda Bowl was held here in the Southampton Princess in 1975, once again they were on hand to cheer the American team. And now they're here for the Golden Anniversary! Rosser is taking an active part in the Championships -- yesterday he was busy stuffing the gift bags that will be given to members of the Transnational Teams. Willcocks was the first Bermudian ever to win a regional event in Bermuda -- the Men's Pairs way back in the Sixties. Both Rosser and Willcocks still play, but not very often these days. "We could give some of these teams a good run for their money if we put one of our old teams together," said Willcocks. "Just put Rosser with me and David Ezekiel, Bill Tucker and Tony Saunders and you'll see a team that can hold their own against the best." Most of you already know Ezekiel -- he was the master of ceremonies who did such a great job at the opening ceremony. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Truscott, let's not kill Bridge! By Carlo Mosca - NPC of the Italian Open Team Bridge is tactics, strategy, technique, psychology. It is about intelligence and not a battle of regulations. A system or convention affirms itself if effective and will inevitably disappear when it becomes obsolete and a losing one; all this at the games table and not at the judging one. In recent years the most prevalent systems have been those of the natural type, those which are quick to specify fit situations and, more generally, the hand par before the opponents. Delay systems (strong clubs, relay systems, strong pass) have become le are ambiguous in showing the suit (such as 2D multi). Also, purely destructive bidding, easily penalized, has practically disappeared. Throughout the years the 1NT opening has decreased its range of points from previously 16 - 18 to 12 - 14, and then to the current 9 - 12. This is for two good reasons: all interventions on level 1 (obstruction) are avoided and the probability of opening is increased (from 10 to 30% approx.). This is a natural evolution and in the future things will continue to change. Therefore oppressive intervention by the rule-maker is completely useless. A related matter is that of POINTS! What do they have to do with Bridge, which is a game of tricks? What counts is the suits, the distribution, the high value cards; POINTS are of lesser importance in our game. Do we allow the person with a driving licence to drive or the one who has filled up the gas tank? Fear of unusual conventions is only mental laziness: a participant in a World Championship must study and work. Did Fischer challenge Spassky after only a few games with friends? A good example is that which refers to the intervention of 3 - 4 cards with a longer side suit. I can talk about this since I invented it twenty-five years ago and have been playing it ever since in the European Championships. It is easy to demonstrate that it gives more information than that of the natural intervention. In fact, instead of showing five or six cards, it immediately shows eight or nine, with only "relative" ambiguity about the longer. This is the case for all participants, so there is no intent to cheat or deceive. The truth is that with knowing two suits there is more chance of intervention, both in the constructive and in the defence phase. It is therefore much more effective than the natural intervention. However, instead of being encouraged it has been forbidden! Bridge has now been imprisoned and only the desire for freedom can liberate it. If perhaps there is someone here in Bermuda who shares my way of thinking, please let me know and maybe we can play together in heaven! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Hong Kong Ladies Team Ashley Lung, the Hong Kong Ladies Team Captain is a watch trader dealing in prestigious brands, who runs a shop in the centre of Hong Kong Island. He is a Hong Kong Grand Master and has won numerous championships both locally and overseas. He was a member of the Hong Kong Team who came second in the 1992 Olympiad Swiss Plate in Salsomaggiore. Since the 1988 Olympiad in Venice, Ashley has captained and participated in many WBF major events including the 1990 and 1994 World Team/Pair Championships in Geneva and Albuquerque and the 1992 and 1996 Olympiads in Salsomaggiore and Rhodes respectively. Bermuda 2000 is his first appearance in a Venice Cup. Ashley's wife, Ellen, is a nurse with radio-diagnostic speciality. His two boys, Alexander and Alfred are university students in the UK and Hong Kong. Ella Graca, born in Shanghai, China and became interested in the game in 1945 -- hardly knew the basics when she started playing rubber bridge and paid through the nose in the early years. Came to Hong Kong in 1963 and played for the HK Ladies Team that very year. Continued playing for HK nearly every year since then in the Far East Championships but unfortunately no firsts. Played in the Olympiad in Venice and in Rhodes, Greece 1996. Last year in Hangchow finally managed to attain berth three to qualify for the Venice Cup 2000 at the age of 81! A dream realised! Had been thinking of retiring from bridge ten years ago but could not resist the lure of the game when asked to play. Enjoys playing with different partners and using various systems - Blue Club, Precision, Standard etc. Thanks to the Senior Events she may still play for another year or two. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, like bridge to keep the mind alert, and where else can one meet and know so many nice people. Christine Booth, is a solicitor, currently a professor at the University of Hong Kong's Faculty of Law. She learnt to play bridge in 1991 and made her international debut in Perth in 1995 at the Far East Championships. Since then she has played for Hong Kong in a number of regional competitions. She was also a member of the team that came second in the Amazing Thailand Bridge Competition last year and the ladies team that won the Hong Kong Intercity Championships in August 1999. In addition she played for Hong Kong in the World Bridge Teams Olympiad in 1996. Bermuda 2000 is her first appearance in the Venice Cup. Shirley Chang, having retired from the bridge scene for nearly a decade, I was only recently enticed back to the the challenge of the game, and thus I have nothing to my name except some wins ten years ago. In 1989 I came first in the Club Med series in Hong Kong featuring Omar Shariff. I was a member of the Hong Kong Intercity Championship in 1990. I hope to be able to add to these honours in the near future. Shirley Leong, calls herself a bridge and tennis bum. Originally from South Africa, she has lived in Hong Kong since 1972 and now considers it home. She has represented Hong Kong in the PABF (in Perth), the Olympiad (Rhodes), Far East Congress (Thailand) and numerous intercity tournaments in Hong Kong. This is the first time she has ever played in a Venice Cup tournament. Irene Ho, started enjoying the fun of bridge during her high school days, taking up duplicate in 1986. She is a frequent participant in national matches around the Pacific zone. She also serves on the council of the Hong Kong Contract Bridge Association to promote the game of bridge. Bermuda 2000 marks her first appearance in a World Championship. Nancy Neuman, is the founder and managing director of an executive search firm based in Hong Kong SAR, serving the Asia Pacific market with emphasis on Greater China. Relatively new to the international bridge circuit, she partners Shirley Chang, playin ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ORBIS INVESTING IS OUR STRONG SUIT A daily column on investing by Orbis Investment Management Limited You may meet a senior representative from Orbis Investment Management Limited at the hotel. To make an appointment please contact the hospitality desk or call the Churchill Suite, room phone: 7554. Investing in mutual funds Orbis offers its investment management services in the form of mutual funds. It's worth spending some time considering why we do this. We used to manage portfolios individually for our clients and felt that we could offer a better service with funds. First a brief explanation of what a mutual fund is: simply put, a mutual fund is a pool of investments collectively made on behalf of a large group of people. Here is how it works: when you buy a mutual fund, like the Orbis funds, you are actually buying shares of an investment company. You are pooling your money together with that of many other people who like the same sorts of investments as you. A profession a portfolio manager, invests it as one portfolio for the whole group. You participate in proportion to your shareholding in all profits and losses of the portfolio. Why buy a mutual fund when you could have your own portfolio? Access to professional management. If you do not have a very substantial amount to invest you are very unlikely to be able to have your account professionally managed by a top class investment professional. Even if you have a very substantial amount to invest it is very difficult to ensure that the best money managers are personally making the investment decisions on your account. By investing in a mutual fund you know who is making these decisions and that you are getting the same attention as all the other investors in the fund. Efficient investment management. It is far more efficient for a manager to concentrate on one portfolio than hundreds. The most precious resource in the investment management profession is the time of those who make effective investment management decisions. Having fewer portfolios results in your manager spending more time thinking about how to invest your money. Of course, this does not but it should help. Convenience. Buying or selling a mutual fund can be simple, quick and inexpensive. You can track the value of your portfolio frequently. Reporting by funds is comprehensive and accounting for your investment is greatly simplified. By comparison, operating More likely alignment of interest. One favourable sign for an equity is if the company's management has a significant long term ownership interest. This helps to ensure that they care about the long-term interests of shareholders. Similarly, it is preferable to have your manager's financial wealth co-invested with yours. This can be seen in the well-known hedge funds in which the manager is often the largest individual investor. Not all managers invest in their own funds but if they do it is reassuring to know that they are "eating their own cooking". ======================================================================