New Zealand in Korea  Day 1

Our Open Team Lead the Way

Both New Zealand teams started the first day meaning business. Both are playing 14 board matches with the Open team playing four and the Ladies three matches a day. Our Open Team started with a 38-18 win (15.26) over Kuwait, the biggest win in Round 1 Open.

Michael Cornell (North) was grateful to receive a low heart lead in 6NT on Board 14.

 

It was important to play a high diamond before playing clubs. Michael still needed the spade finesse to work with two spade tricks, four in hearts, one in diamonds along with 5 in clubs giving him his 12. Of course, there was a right and a wrong finesse to take for one’s 12^th trick but Michael chose well. A smooth duck by West of that K could lead a declarer astray. Only two out of nine Open declarers made this contract while in the Ladies’ field, 5 out of 5 succeeded!

Our Ladies started with a huge 56-18 (18.17) win over Thailand. The above board was flat in their match as Jenny Wilkinson failed in 5 while the Thai’s 6 slam also went down. However, an anti-percentage slam failing, a couple of good penalty doubles and much more saw most of the imps flow one way.

Even Better News in Match 2

Match 2 was even better for our two teams. The Ladies did not conceded an imp in beating Korea 2 by 33 imps (17.04) while the Open Team thrashed Indonesia 45-5 (18.41). New Zealand Open picked up three double figure swings when Michael Cornell, Ashley Bach and Matthew Brown all made 3NT which was defeated at the other table. Here is Ashley’s:

 

He was fortunate to receive a low diamond lead from West but prospects were poor for 9 tricks. He went for the tried and true approach of running his long suit. Which suit? Well, clubs was longer and better than most! West threw first a heart and then fatefully a small diamond (a small spade would have been safer for the defence) and Ashley attacked diamonds, setting up dummy’s 8 for his 9^th trick.

The board was flat in our Ladies’ match, with Steph Jacob making 3NT for New Zealand.

Australia win the first Trans Tasman Clash

The only sad news on Day 1 was in the Ladies’ Trans Tasman clash in Match 3 where Australia won 48-13 (2.23). Two 4 contracts made only by the Australians, one despite a foul trump break (a defender holding  KJ974 and an ace..yes, it was doubled) and a thin 3NT game bid only by the Australians caused most of the damage.  

Our Open team marched on with a 38.20 (14.85) win over China Hong Kong helped when Newell-Reid stayed out of a non-making 50% slam. Their toughest match, though, was their last, the Open field’s extra match of the day against China. 25-21 (11.28) gave New Zealand their 4^th win of the day.

This time it was New Zealand’s turn to fail in two 3NT contracts made at the other table but enough came the other way with Matt Brown (West) finding his way to 9 tricks in 3NT when the Chinese stayed in part-score:

 

At the end of the Day

At the end of Day 1, in the Open competition, New Zealand led the way with 59.80, ahead of India 57.57 (who had suffered a 2vp penalty) with Singapore 3^rd on 50.65.

It is no surprise that China have already opened up a huge lead in the Ladies’ field. They are on 55.34, 14.60 ahead of second placed Japan. New Zealand are 5^th on 36.43, “temporarily” 1.04 vps behind Australia.

Malaysia, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and China Macau await our Open team on Day 2 while our Ladies face Chinese Taipei, China and Japan. See you all tomorrow morning.

Richard Solomon

 

 

 

 

 

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