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New Zealand v France in the Semi Final of the Bermuda Bowl.

How exciting is that? Tremendous, whatever the outcome. Matt Brown and Michael Whibley slept in for the first set, as they seemed to have done most days, while the other four did battle. Six sets of 16 boards over two days as per the quarter finals.

Set 1  France 44 New Zealand 5

Right from Board 1, where Ware-Tislevoll overbid to 3NT, it was not going to be easy. The first major swing occurred on Board 6 where it looked like the French had only 8 tricks in 3NT. However, they emerged with an extra trick with a 4-3 fit in 4 being defeated by two tricks at the other table. Then, Cornell- Bach played a level too low on Board 9.

 

They stopped in 3 with the French in the spade game. With the A with South, trumps behaving and two certain entries outside trumps to West’s clubs, the game could not be beaten….10 imps to France.

The Kiwis needed to score some imps. Board 15 offered hope:

 

Ashley Bach played in the very sound 5 contract from the West seat. There was just a club and a heart to lose.

However, the French East, Jerome Rombaut, was declarer in the more dangerous 4NT. Michael Ware led the 10 to the singleton ace. The A was followed by 9 to the queen and then a low heart. Michael scored his king and exited a heart. 7 went to East’s 10 to be followed by Q to the king.

GeO (North) exited a low club to the 8 king and ace but Rombaut had 10 tricks…two tricks in each major, A and five diamonds. An imp to the French when it could have been many more the other way. France led by 39.

Set 2. France 42 New Zealand 25. We needed something good to happen but before it did, two boards cost 32 imps. Ware-Tislevoll defended a making 4 (doubled) when they themselves could make 5 while Board 22 cost New Zealand (and USA2 in the other semi-final) heavily:

 

2 showed spades and diamonds.

Maybe the French would have found their 5-3 club fit had the axe been applied to 2 but Michael thought 4 would be a safe enough contract. Not so and not aided by the foul trump break, GeO was 4 light: -400. Meanwhile:

West          North         East            South

                   Whibley                        Brown

                                       Pass            2

2NT            Pass            3NT            Pass

Pass            x                 All Pass

It was not a good board to mention you had a heart suit. It got GeO into big trouble at one table and Matt Brown defending 3NTx at the other. Michael Whibley led the 10 but with declarer knowing the heart suit lay-out and with no entry to the South hand and diamonds thus protected, Volcker for France made two overtricks for 17 imps to France.

     Finally some significant New Zealand imps:

 

Both tables played 3NT from the North seat. GeO led the K, ducked all round. He then switched to the Q which also was ducked. 9 was then won by Michael Ware’s king.4 went to the 6 and Geo’s 8. That was four tricks to “the good guys” who still had one heart trick to come. Michael Whibley managed 9 tricks after the same initial spade lead..10 imps to New Zealand.

We picked up 10 more on the last board of the set when Brown – Whibley bid and made 5x not bid at the other table. However, we had fallen a further 17 imps behind and now trailed by 56.

Set 3. Oh those Spade Blockages!

France 46 New Zealand 10.

 

Cornell- Bach (East-West) had, without reference to the hand lay-out, a reasonable result in that they played 4 down 1 on the East-West cards. However, the diamond void said that North-South could not make 4 while the spade blockage meant that North-South could not defeat 4. That was the contract in the other room with 13 imps going to France.

On the next board, Cornell- Bach played the wrong suit at the wrong level. Michael Whibley appeared to have found a good trump lead against the game contract in the other room but a fortunate lie of a side-suit allowed the game to make: 14 more to France.

Board 12 was also not good for New Zealand when Ashley Bach (West) failed by a trick after North’s singleton club lead. A diamond lead in the other room proved less troublesome (10 imps to France) but it must have been pure agony for Bulgaria when the USA 2 pair bid to 6, cold after the initial 10 but missing an AK and more:

 

Oh that spade blockage! To make, declarer needs to eliminate all their red cards from both hands with trumps the only entries to the East hand for heart finesses…three of them. As you can see, the miracle lie happens and when declarer exits a s

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