Marc Smith visits the KO stages at the first Major Alt Invitational

Last week, we saw the conclusion of the Swiss teams qualifier at the first Major Alt Invitational. 36 star-studded teams began the journey, but now only eight survive. Those already eliminated include the all-star SWISS TEAM, perennial contenders DE BOTTON, and powerful national squads from NETHERLANDS and DENMARK.

The quarter-finalists include five quasi-American outfits (all peppered with overseas stars), two top Italian teams, and the Irish national squad. The winners of the Swiss, GOLDBERG, selected SELIGMAN as their quarter-final opponents, and they will start with a 10.1-IMP carry-forward advantage. Second-placed BIANCHI chose to play IRELAND, against whom they start with a 6.1-IMP lead. GUPTA opted to take on NICKELL with a lead of 3.1 IMPs, leaving STREET to play the opponents no one else wanted, LAVAZZA, with a 0.1-IMP head start.

As usual, we begin with a couple of problems for you to consider. Firstly, a high-level decision on a balanced pile of junk. With only the opponents vulnerable, you hold as South:

Do you pass or take the save in Six Hearts?

Only two problems this week, and the second is an opening lead. With both sides vulnerable, your hand as East is:

North’s 2NT bid shows at least 5-5 in spades and diamonds. What do you lead?

While you mull those over, let’s plunge into the action in the first stanza of the quarter-finals. Two early disasters in the slam zone left one of the pre-tournament favorites with too much to do:

Both Vul – Dealer South

Huub Bertens began with a Jacoby game-forcing spade raise, and Naren Gupta’s Three Club continuation showed any minimum hand. Three Diamonds was a relay, and Three Spades revealed a singleton club. Four Diamonds was a serious slam try and Gupta admitted to a heart control. Quite reasonably, Bertens now decided that he had shown sufficient slam interest, and gave his partner a chance to stop in game. Gupta probably couldn’t pass quickly enough.

Declarer played safely for ten tricks, ruffing two hearts in dummy: N/S +620.

West – De Wisj  North – Nickell  East – Muller  South – Katz

After the same start, Ralph Katz’s Three Clubs said nothing about strength, but merely showed a shortage. Nick Nickell self-alerted Three Spades, describing it as ‘my strongest bid’. After an exchange of four-level cue-bids, Nickell rolled out RKCB, found all of the key-cards were accounted for, and bid the grand slam. Simon de Wijs led the ♦K. When he got the chance to overruff the third round of clubs with the ♥J he took it, quite understandably, and cashed his ♦Q for two down: N/S -200 and 13 IMPs to GUPTA.

The only good news is that even had Nickell continued with 5NT over Five Hearts, looking for partner to hold the ♦K, he would already have been too high in Six Spades. Bidding the grand effectively cost only one extra IMP.

Five of the eight pairs stopped safely at the four-level. The Irish climbed to Five Spades, but John Carroll guessed the clubs (taking the double ruffing finesse on the third round) to make his eleven tricks. Only one other team lost a large swing:

West – Karhulahti  North – Sauvola  East – Nyberg  South – Seligman

After the same start as the Bertens/Gupta auction (Three Clubs showing a minimum and Three Spades short clubs), Finland’s Seppo Sauvola decided that he had enough for Blackwood. Although he then stopped at the six-level, the result was the same: N/S -200 and 13 IMPs to GOLDBERG.

Just two deals later, came another huge nail in the NICKELL coffin:

E/W Vul – Dealer North

A quick but explosive auction saw the Dutch world champions overcome Nick Nickell’s four-level opening to reach their cold slam. Faced with the bidding problem posed at the top of this article, Ralph Katz took out the insurance, and Simon de Wijs doubled to end the auction in the par contract. The defenders had two spades and a trick in each of the other suits, and duly took them all: E/W +800.

West – Hampson  North – Bertens  East – Greco  South – Gupta

Huub Bertens preferred to start with a one-level opening which, you might have thought, would make things easier for the opponents. That is not how things turned out, though, At the first table, Bauke Muller had introduced his diamonds at the five-level. Here, Eric Greco quite reasonably began with a takeout double of One Heart, but then found himself having to bid his diamonds for the first time at the six-level. The West players at both tables thought their hand was worth a raise, although Huub Bertens was quick to disillusion Geoff Hampson of that evaluation. Hoping that Bertens was doubling for a spade ruff, Hampson tried his luck in notrumps, but to no avail.

Leading the ♥K would have given his team a pair of matching +800s, but it is hard to criticize Huub Bertens for banging down his ace at trick one: E/W -200 and another massive 14 IMPs to GUPTA.

As an illustration of how hard it is to judge how well you are doing in a match, note that N/S -800 by Nickell/Katz was worth -14 IMPs. In the match between STREET and LAVAZZA, that same score was worth +11 IMPs when STREET’s Canadian contingent, faced with the same problem as Katz, allowed Bocchi/Lauria to play in Six Diamonds for N/S -1370.

IRELAND also lost 13 IMPs on the deal, when they bid to Five Diamonds after a One Heart opening. Note that at the two tables where North opened only One Heart, North/South gained 14 IMPs and 13 IMPs. The other six North players all opened Four Hearts. Hardly a large enough sample to be statistically significant, but an interesting outcome all the same, perhaps.

At the midway point of each match, of the teams that had finished in the top four of the Swiss and thus started their quarter-final with a carry-forward advantage, three were still ahead. GUPTA was the closest to a semi-final place, leading NICKELL 53.1-14 whilst GOLDBERG headed SELIGMAN 49.1-26. The closest match was between IRELAND and BIANCHI: the Italians had begun 6.1 IMPs ahead and had added only 1 IMP to that advantage in the first stanza. The only match in which the theoretical underdogs were ahead was STREET vs LAVAZZA: the Italians won the first half to lead 36-10.1 at the midway point.

The very first deal of the second half created a major swing in all four matches,

N/S Vul – Dealer South

The ‘normal’ result was achieved at one table in each of the four matches via an auction such as:

West – Lair  North – Fagerlund  East – Passell  South – Koistinen

Kauko ruffed the ♣A opening, drew trumps, tried to split the hearts and, when that failed, took a diamond finesse. When the ♦K failed to drop under the ace, declarer had to concede a trick. A fairly routine-looking N/S +1430. Whether it would be enough to gain or to lose IMPs, though, was a different matter.

At the other table in GOLDBERG vs SELIGMAN:

West – Karhulahti  North – Sauvola  East – Byberg  South – Seligman

The first four bids were the same, but Martin Seligman opted for a Six Club cue-bid at his second turn, rather than just showing his second suit. Perhaps this was intended as some sort of ‘choice-of-slam’ cue bid, but I would guess that Seppo Sauvola read it as a grand slam try agreeing hearts. He turned down the try, but now had the problem of making twelve tricks against a 4-1 trump break.

East led the ♦3 and the first hurdle was overcome when the ♥Q held. Now declarer played the ♥A, ♥4 from West and ♥J from East. When West then followed with the ♥7 on the second round of trumps, should declarer put in the ♦8? With both the ♥10 and ♥9 missing, this is not a standard restricted choice position, since East might have played the ♥J not only from ♥J-10 doubleton but also from ♥J-10-9. Sauvola rose with the ♥K and, when East discarded, he was in dire trouble. He tried a diamond to the jack, but West ruffed and the defenders cashed three club winners. N/S -300 and 17 IMPs to GOLDBERG, pulling further away.

Note that Arttu Karhulahti did well not to split his ♥10-9 on the second round of trumps, even though doing so appears to guarantee him a trump trick. If he does, then declarer can succeed by playing winning spades through him. If West ruffs in at any point, declarer overruffs and draws the last trump before crossing back to dummy. If he doesn’t ruff, declarer eventually disposes of all of his minor-suit losers on the spades and concedes a trump trick.

In IRELAND vs BIANCHI:

West – McGann  North – Giubilo  East – Hanlon  South – Versace

The Italians had the auction to themselves. Having gotten spade agreement, Alfredo Versace opted for Exclusion Blackwood (with hearts at the agreed suit, which makes sense). Finding the ♠A and the ♥K-Q opposite, it seems quite reasonable to take a shot at the grand slam in your almost-solid suit. Alas, Hugh McGann led an unhelpful trump. Declarer drew trumps and played on hearts. Of course, McGann did put the ♥10 in on the second round of the suit here. When hearts failed to split, declarer needed to find the doubleton ♦K onside. When that also failed, he was a trick short: N/S -100 and, again, the +1430 from the other room was worth 17 IMPs to IRELAND, inching ahead for the first time in the match.

In STREET vs LAVAZZA:

West – Bilde  North – L’Ecuyer  East – Madala  South – Street

Once again, the uncontested auction ended at the seven-level. Perhaps leading a singleton against a freely-bid grand slam is rather insulting to your opponents, so I suppose Danish international Dennis Bilde must shoulder some responsibility for this disaster. Even so, Augustin Madala could have gained 17 IMPs for his team simply by withholding his ♦K. When the Italian star fell from grace, Paul Street had an easy 13 tricks: N/S a massive +2210 and 13 IMPs to STREET, halving the deficit.

At only one table, in the match between GUPTA and NICKELL, was absolute par contract reached:

West – Lorenzini  North – Rodwell  East – Bessis  South – Meckstroth

Jeff Meckstroth began with an artificial Strong Club and Eric Rodwell’s Two Hearts was game forcing with 5+♥. The Americans quickly reached the top spot and French protégé Thomas Bessis accurately judged to sake the high-level save. Theoretically, the sacrifice in Seven Clubs-Doubled should gain only 1 IMP against N/S +1430 at the other table, but taking the maximum in these circumstances is not always easy.

Rodwell led the ♠A and continued the suit at trick two. Jeff Meckstroth then played a third high spades, both West and North pitching a diamond. Meckstroth cashed the ♥A and, had he then continued with a second heart, the defenders would have collected the maximum. When, instead, Meckstroth reverted to spades, declarer was in with a chance. Cedric Lorenzini ruffed in his hand, North declining to overruff, instead pitching a second diamond.

Declarer now led the 7, and ran it when North did not cover. Then came two more rounds of trumps, picking up North’s queen. A diamond ruff back to hand and the ♥10, dummy discarding a diamond when North covered, then left Rodwell endplayed to concede declarer’s ninth trick, restricting the penalty to N/S +1100. 9 IMP to GUPTA, getting closer to the semi-final.

Our final deal also created a swing in all four matches. We’ll concentrate on the action in the two matches that were still close. At one of those tables, East was tasked with solving the opening lead problem posed earlier:

Both Vul – Dealer West

Nicolas L’Ecuyer’s double of the 1NT opening was described as ‘good hand, may be unbalanced) so, effectively, an old-fashioned penalty double. When that was passed back to Dennis Bilde, the Dane chose to retreat into his five-card major. L’Ecuyer now bid his major. When Auguin Madala raised to game in hearts, the Frenchman doubled to end the auction in the par contract.

The defense began with three rounds of spades and Bilde ruffed with dummy’s ♣Q. Trumps broke 3-2, so there had been no trump promotion, but declarer still had to lose the two minor-suit aces. N/S +200 was the absolute par score on the deal.

West – Patchmann North – Di Franco East – Zatorski South – Manno

Ron Patchmann opened One Heart, which allowed Massimiliano di Franco to show both of his suits with a Michaels variant. Piotr Zatorski competed to Three Hearts but, when Di Franco backed in at the three-level, Andrea Manno decided that he had enough to raise to game.

Now the spotlight fell on Zatorski to find the winning opening lead or, more to the point, to avoid the disastrous one. When you were presented with the problem earlier, I would guess your decision was between leading a heart or a club. I suspect that a high club would have been the most popular choice, and that was also the lead chosen by Zatorski at the table, with disastrous result. Not only was declarer able to dispose of a heart loser on dummy’s §A, but he had reached an otherwise entryless dummy to pick up West’s trumps. With the spade finesse winning and trumps breaking 3-2, declarer was able to lose just one heart and two diamonds to score up an unlikely ten tricks. N/S +620 and 9 IMPs to LAVAZZA.

West – Donati North – Fitzgibbon East – Gandoglia South – Mesbur

Nick Fitzgibbon’s double of 1NT showed either a 4-5 Major-minor hand or a strong hand with a major. Allessandro Gandoglia redoubled to show values and Adam Mesbur escaped to Two Clubs, expressing a wish to play in his partner’s minor. West’s double apparently showed two or three clubs and North now showed 7+ tricks with at least a six-card spade suit. Again, East’s double showed 2/3 cards in the opponent’s suit, and West now introduced his major at the three-level.

It is not clear which of the Irishmen is supposed to compete further but, when they both passed, they had sold out a level too low. The defenders could come to only four tricks, so the Italians recorded the only East/West plus score on the deal: N/S -140.

West – McGann North – Giubilo East – Hanlon South – Versace

Hugh McGann started with a 14-16 notrump and Valerio Giubiko’s Two Diamonds showed either a single-suited hand with a major or a strong hand with at least 5-5 in a major and a minor. Tom Hanlon adopted a marginally conservative approach when he used Lebensohl to get his partnership to Three Clubs rather than heading for game, so it was perhaps a little unlucky to run into a double and such a bad break. North’s double showed the strong 5-5 variation and Alfredo Versace had no problem deciding what to do.

The defense began with three rounds of spades. Declarer discarded a diamond from dummy (nothing else is better) and Versace scored a low trump. The Italians still had the ♦A and two trump tricks to come: N/S +500 and 12 IMPs to BIANCHI.

Two of matches had been decided early, if not by halftime then once the first deal of the second half was played. Swiss winners GOLDBERG duly saw off SELIGMAN 105.1-41 and GUPTA dispatched NICKELL 96.1-46. IRELAND had taken the lead on the first board of the second half, but BIANCHI won a high-scoring second half 63-38 to win the match by a relatively comfortable 91.1-59. There was a reason why none of the top three teams in the Swiss selected LAVAZZA as their quarter-final opponents. Despite only scraping into the knockout stage at the last moment, they were a dangerous team to play, as STREET found out in their quarter-final. The Italians prevailed 66-57.1 to claim their place in the semi-finals.

Each match would be USA vs Italy: it was GOLDBERG vs LAVAZZA in one semi-final and GUPTA vs BIANCHI in the other.

We will be back next week with the best of the action from the semi-finals and the final.