Venice Cup: Germany win on penultimate deal
The 2001 World Championships are over. Planned for Bali, world events forced them to be re-sited in Paris and the organisation managed the entire event without incident. The Venice Cup, the women's event, was won by Germany (Daniela von Arnim / Sabine Auken, Andrea Rauscheid / Pony Nehmert and Katrin Farwig / Barbara Hackett) who overtook France on the penultimate hand of the 96 board final to win by 2.5 IMPs. In the open they play an additional 32 boards and they needed them to separate the teams as USA 2 and Norway were dead level over that distance.
Just as Germany had chased long and hard, so did the United States. When the 'extra' hands were over they had a 21 IMP lead and Rose Meltzer / Kyle Larsen, Chip Martel / Lew Stansby and Alan Sontag / Peter Weichsel had won the Bermuda Bowl. Rose Meltzer was he first woman to even play in an Open final since the adoption of the all-play-all qualifying and subsequent knock-out format.
By some sort of echo, the deciding deal of the Venice Cup was very similar to the one featured in last week's column. Should you lead your long suit or not when the opponents declare no-trumps knowing you have it?
| NS Vul, Dealer South | ♠ K | |||
| ♥ AQ105 | ||||
| ♦ AQ108 | ||||
| ♣ 9843 | ||||
| ♠ AJ8765 | ♠ 103 | |||
| ♥ 8 | ♥ J7632 | |||
| ♦ J97 | ♦ 62 | |||
| ♣ J107 | ♣ AKQ2 | |||
| ♠ Q942 | ||||
| ♥ K94 | ||||
| ♦ K543 | ||||
| ♣ 65 | ||||
Open Room:
| West | North | East | South | |
| Bessis | Auken | D'Ovidio | von Arnim | |
| Pass | ||||
| 2♠ | X | Pass | 3♦* | |
| Pass | 3♠ | Pass | 3NT | |
| Fin | ||||
The auction was the same in the closed room up to 3♦ which didn't show values and got passed, that was worth +130. France held the lead by eight at this point but they had scored but a single IMP in the set. As last week the opener of a weak two bid was on lead and had to choose between that suit or a three card alternative. Then for Italy, Lauria chose a side suit and that was a success. As you can see here, though a club is a winner, even a diamond gives the defence the chance to get it right when in with the spade ace.
West led an unimaginative small spade but this deal wasn't over yet. South cashed all her diamond winners and got to the crunch. East's discards were first a small heart (ouch) then a club. In dummy von Arnim considered her next play. Eventually she called for the five of hearts and inserted the nine. The crowd roared in the Vugraph – supporters of both teams.
Published Saturday 10.Nov.2001