The final of the European Winter Open Teams – Set 1

And Then There Were Two

BRIAN SENIOR

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Brian R. Senior (born 1953) is a British bridge writer and professional player, but his most enduring impact on the game comes from his long career as an author and editor. With early titles such as Clever Bridge Tricks (1988) and Master Counting (1989), marking the start of a prolific writing life that has continued for more than three decades. 

The final of the European Winter Open Teams would feature the Anglo-Dutch team Knottenbelt, and the Anglo-Norwegian team de Botton. The match would be played over 4 x 14-board sessions. The match began with a routine 4︎ for the N/S pairs, flat at +420. We did not, however, have to wait long for our first swing.

Board 2. Dealer East. N/S Vul.

Differing methods saw the same contract reached but from different sides of the table. For de Botton, Nicolai -Evenstad opened 1︎ then raised Geir Helgemo’s 1NT response to game.

With diamonds bid against him, Michael Byrne tried a heart lead, Maggie Knottenbelt winning the queen and continuing with two more rounds of the suit. Helgemo played ace and another club, hoping that the king was not in the same hand as the long heart. Alas, Byrne held both cards, so the contract was down one for -50.

For Knottenbelt, Tim van de Paverd had a 1︎ opening and Oscar Nijssen raised to 3︎, pre-emptive, converted to 3NT by van de Paverd. Espen Erichsen led the two of spades to the three, jack and ace. Van de Paverd played ace and another club and Malinowski, in desperation, tried the queen of diamonds. That, of course, worried declarer not in the slightest. He won the ace and cashed the king before leading a spade towards the queen. Erichsen won the king and returned his last diamond, which resurrected declarer’s jack for the overtrick; +430 and 10 IMPs to Knottenbelt.

Board 3. Dealer South. E/W Vul.

Helgemo promised at least three clubs, Nijssen only two. In their different ways, the two East players showed their weakish but long club raise.

The North players took differing views of their hand. While Byrne was content to repeat his long diamond suit and was left to play in 3︎, Malinowski offered spades as an alternative, the only problem with that being that when Erichsen preferred diamonds he had to go to the four level to do so.

Heiberg-Evenstad led the ace of clubs against 3︎, then switched to the two of hearts. Helgemo won the king and ace then switched back to clubs. Byrne ruffed and cashed the top diamonds, liking what he saw as the queen and jack fell. A third diamond put him in dummy. If the play record is accurate, he next led the queen of spades off the table and, when that was not covered, unblocked the jack from hand before continuing with the eight of spades and running it. That seems an over-complicated way of going about things, as opposed to running the nine on the first round, but it was just as effective and led to 10 tricks for +130.

Van de Paverd also cashed one club then switched to a heart. Nijssen won two of those then switched back to clubs, and Malinowski ruffed and laid down the ace of diamonds. However, when Nijssen followed with the jack, Malinowski convinced himself that he couldn’t be lucky enough to find diamonds two-two, so gave up a diamond, thereby ensuring an entry to take the spade finesse. That resulted in down one in a ‘cold’ contract, so -50 and 5 IMPs to Knottenbelt.

(Article would continue in the magazine…)