              Marlboro Bermuda and Venice Cup
                       Beijing, China
                  October 8th - 21st, 1995
            Issue 7, Saturday, October 14th, 1995
           Editor: Henry Francis and Brian Senior

*********************************************************
               All 4 Far East teams qualify;
                 France tops two divisions

On Vugraph -- Canada vs. South Africa, Bermuda Bowl, for
first segment; France vs. China for second segment; third
and fourth segments to be chosen according to the state of
the matches.

Not only are the Chinese hosting one of the best world
championships ever -- they're also playing great bridge.
Both the Chinese Marlboro Bermuda Bowl team and the Chinese
Marlboro Venice Cup team have qualified for the
quarterfinals, which get under way at 10:30 this morning.

But what is making the Asian contingent positively
delirious with happiness is the fact that Indonesia
qualified in the Bermuda Bowl and Japan made it in the
Venice Cup. All four teams from Zone 6, the Far East, are
in the quarterfinals.

There are several other noteworthy items. France was tops
in their group in both events. Canada's Bermuda Bowl team
made the strongest showing of any team from the American
Contract Bridge League by topping their group. Venezuela,
the only South American team to survive, reached the
knockout stage for the first time in history. South Africa
made a great showing, qualifying in both events.

It is emphatically clear that Europe and North American no
longer completely dominate world bridge. Europe was able to
qualify only five of its eight contestants. North America
still has four of its six entries in the field, but only
one of them looked strong in the quarterfinals. The rest of
the world earned seven of the 16 slots in the
quarterfinals.

The final day of the round-robin was exciting because so
many spots were up for grabs. United States II in the
Bermuda Bowl lost its final match and feared they would
finish fifth behind Brazil, but Canada defeated Brazil by
enough to put the Americans two points ahead of Brazil.
Italy was not able to make the necessary comeback after a
disastrous Thursday.

Venezuela had a head-to-head match against Australia in the
final Venice Cup battle, with the fourth spot at stake --
Venezuela won handily.United States I earned a Venice Cup
spot with a strong 21-9 victory over Argentina in the final
match. The Bermuda Bowl United States I team, which won the
U.S. trials, didn't make it. United States II in the Venice
Cup had by far the second best Victory Point total, but
that earned them only second place in their group -- France
led the way with 269.

The quarterfinal matches will consist of 96 boards -- 64
today and 32 tomorrow. There is no carryover from the
round-robin. Times for the 16-board segments today are as
follows: 1030, 1320, 1610 and 2100.
******************************************************
Bermuda Bowl - Group W 

[STANDINGS AFTER ROUND ROBIN - Top 4 Qualify]
1  France       231     
2  South Africa 228.5   
3  Indonesia    227     
4  Netherlands  222     
----------------------
5  USA I        202     
6  Venezuela    201.5   
7  Argentina    187     
8  Australia    167
------------------------------------------------
Group W - Round 13
Team         VP   IMPs    Team          VP   IMPs
Indonesia    23  (49)    Argentina       7   (12)
USA I        17  (50)    South Africa   13   (39)    
France       19  (55)    Venezuela      11   (37)    
Netherlands  25  (72)    Australia       5   (24)    
------------------------------------------------
Group W - Round 14
USA I        21  (53)    Argentina       9   (22)    
Indonesia    11  (22)    South Africa   19   (39)    
Netherlands  21  (34)    France          9    (7)     
Venezuela    25  (86)    Australia       1   (12)    
-------------------------------------------------
             Surviving Team Rosters

France        Z1, Jean-Paul Meyer (npc), Paul Chemla,
                  Michel Perron, Robert Reiplinger,
                  Philippe Soulet, Michel Lebel,
                  Philippe Cronier

Indonesia     Z6,  Yasin Widjadja (npc), Henky Lasut, Eddy
                   Manoppo, Denny Sakul, Franky Karwur,
                   S. Panelewen, G. Watulingas

Netherlands   Z1, Jaap Trouwborst (npc), Enri Leufkens,
                  Berry Westra, Jan Westerhof, Piet Jansen,
                  Anton Maas, Erik Kirchhoff

South Africa  Z4, Maurice Joffe (npc), Tim Cope, Henry
                  Mansell, Chris Convery, Craig Gower, Leon
                  Boolkin, Bernard Donde
*********************************************************
Bermuda Bowl - Group E

[STANDINGS AFTER ROUND ROBIN - Top 4 Qualify]

1 Canada    240     
2 Sweden    239     
3 China     233.7   
4 USA 2     221     
-----------------
5 Brazil    219           
6 Italy     216.8   
7 Egypt     154.5   
8 Colombia  136.5
------------------------------------------
Group E - Round 13

Team      VP   IMPs    Team     VP    IMPs
USA II    17   (31)    China    13    (19)    
Italy     17   (48)    Sweden   13    (36)    
Canada    25   (71)    Colombia  4    (14)    
Brazil    22   (49)    Egypt     8    (13)   
------------------------------------------
Group E - Round 14
USA II    14   (28)    Italy   16     (32)    
Sweden    16   (33)    China   14     (28)    
Canada    21   (30)    Brazil  9       (3)     
Colombia  15   (37)    Egypt   15     (37)    
------------------------------------------
           Surviving Team Rosters

Canada        Z2, Irving Litvack (npc), Fed Gitelman,
                  George Mittelman, Eric Kokish, Joey
                  Silver, Mark Molson, Boris Baran

China         Z6, Kaijian Pan (npc), Zhong Fu, Xiaojing
                  Wang, Rongchang Chen, Zijian Shao, Ji
                  Hong Hu, Hongjun Xu

Sweden        Z1, Tommy Gullberg (N), Anders Morath, Sven
                  Ake Bjerregard, Johan Bennet, Anders
                  Wirgren, Mats Nilsland, Bjorn Fallenius

USA II        Z2, Edgar Kaplan (npc), Nick Nickell, Richard
                  Freeman, Bob Hamman, Bobby Wolff, Jeff
                  Meckstroth, Eric Rodwell
******************************************************
Venice Cup - Group W

[STANDINGS AFTER ROUND ROBIN - Top 4 Qualify]

1  China         239     
2  Germany       236     
3  USA I         227.1   
4  South Africa  224     
----------------------
5  Brazil        214     
6  Israel        201.6   
7  Canada        139.5   
8  Colombia      127.8   
-------------------------------------------------
Group W - Round 13
Team          VP   IMPs    Team         VP   IMPs
China         23   (89)    Brazil        7   (48)    
Germany       25   (81)    USA I         5   (28)    
Israel        25   (58)    Canada        5    (8)     
Colombia      20   (50)    South Africa 10   (24) 
-------------------------------------------------
Group W - Round 14
USA I         20   (44)    Brazil       10   (20)    
China         17   (27)    Germany      13   (18)    
South Africa  20   (35)    Canada       10   (13)    
Israel        21   (38)    Colombia      9   (11)    
-------------------------------------------------
                Suriving Team Rosters

China         Z6, Houzou Tang (npc), Ming Sun, Yi Lan
                  Zhang, Yi Quian Liu, Hong Li Wang,
                  Ling Gu, Li Ping Wang

Germany       Z1, Klaus Reps (npc), Sabine Zenkel Auken,
                  Marianne Moegel, Karin Caesar, Beate
                  Nehmert, Andrea Rauschield, Daniela
                  von Arnim

South Africa  Z4, Di Adrain (npc), Merle Modlin, Petra
                  Mansell, Ruth Kaplan, Ghita Livingstone,
                  Bella Axelrod, Ursula Hammerschlag

USA I         Z2, Steve Sandborn (npc), Karen McCallum,
                  Kitty Munson, Rozanne Pollack, Carol
                  Simon, Sue Picus, Kerri Sandborn
*******************************************************
Venice Cup Group E

[STANDINGS AFTER ROUND ROBIN - Top 4 Qualify]
1  France         269     
2  USA II         253.5   
3  Japan          211     
4  Venezuela      209     
-----------------------
5  Great Britain  201     
6  Australia      191     
7  Argentina      169     
8  India          155.5   
-------------------------------------------------
Group E -- Round 13
Team       VP   IMPs    Team           VP   IMPs
France     24   (76)    Great Britain   6   (34)    
USA II     21   (55)    Japan           9   (28)    
Venezuela  18   (43)    Argentina      12   (27)    
India      19   (52)    Australia      11   (34)    
------------------------------------------------
Group E -- Round 14
France     18   (51)    USA II         12   (35)    
Japan      10   (18)    Great Britain  20   (41)    
Venezuela  23   (64)    Australia       7   (25)    
Argentina  10   (26)    India          20   (49)    
--------------------------------------------------
            Surviving Team Rosters

France        Z1, Max Coppolani (npc), Veronique Bessis,
                  Catherine Saul, Sylvie Willard, Benedicte
                  Cronier, Claude Blouquit, Colette Lise

Japan         Z6, Akio Kurokawa (npc), Etsuko Miyaishi,
                  Kyoko Shimamura, Kazuko Banno, Mizuko
                  Tan, Shoko Fukuda, Zenko Shimada

USA II        Z2  Phillip Alder (npc), Mildred Breed,
                  Amalya Kearse, Jacqui Mitchell, Jo Morse,
                  Joyce Lilie, Tobi Deutsch

Venezuela     Z5, Fida Hirshaut (pc), Ivy Smith, Alexandra
                  Pointkowski, M. Pacheco, A. Myakuni,
                  E. Solar
**********************************************************
                      Today's schedule

                   Marlboro Bermuda Bowl

                   France vs. South Africa
                    China vs. Venezuela
          United States I vs. United States II
                    Japan vs. Germany

                    Marlboro Venice Cup

                   France vs. China
             South Africa vs. Canada
                   Sweden vs. Netherlands
                Indonesia vs. United States II

*********************************************************
                       Appeal Case 4
                     by Richard Colker

Bermuda Bowl: Colombia (E-W)vs.  Sweden (N-S).
Board 5. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                      (Morath, Anders)
                         S T54
                         H 53
                         D AKT98653
                         C  --
     (Nuez, Juan Manuel)            (Robledo, Andres)
               S A9863                S 7
               H T4                   H AKQ87
               D ---                  D 54
               C KJ7653               C AT942

                   (Bjerregrd, Sven-Ake)
                         S KQJ2
                         H J962
                         D Q72
                         C Q8

               West    North    East    South
                        3D (1)   3H     Pass
                4H     Dbl (2)  Pass     5D
                Dbl    All Pass

(1) Alerted as showing a good suit (headed by AK or AQ).
(2) Alerted by North as requesting a lead of an unusual
    suit (probably a void).

Committee members: Richard Colker (Chair); Jens Aukem,
Jean-Louis Derivery, John Wignall, Jean-Claude Beineix.

Facts: South explained North's double of 4H as takeout, to
any suit.

Director's ruling: It was determined that N-S's discrepant
explanations constituted an infraction of Law 75.  In
addition, West had been prepared to play 4H, making no
attempt at that stage to bid on, and then claimed he would
have bid 6C (prepared to play 6H as well) had he known that
North's double showed a side black-suit void.

However, he offered no convincing rationale as to how the
correct knowledge would have justified his bidding on.
Since no connection was demonstrated between the infraction
and N-S's bad result, no score adjustment was made.

Testimony: West stated that had he known the correct
meaning of North's double he would have bid 6C over 5D,
since East could then be placed with either club or extra
heart length.  (With side spade rather than club length
East would have doubled the first time.  With extra heart
length he could simply correct 6C to 6H--which would have
good play because of East's long heart suit.)

Committee's decision: The Committee found no validity in
the inferences West claimed could be drawn from the
knowledge that North was void in one of the black suits,
nor could it determine any connection between those
inferences and his contention that the correct slam could
therefore be bid and made.  It was therefore decided that
the result at the table should stand.  The Committee could
reach no consensus regarding the merits of N-S's appeal, so
their deposit was returned.
********************************************************
                       Appeal Case 5
                     by Richard Colker

Bermuda Bowl: Sweden (N-S) vs. China (E-W).
              Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.
                      (Nilsland, Mats)
                           S 83
                           H KJ8
                           D J863
                           C KT72
           (Xu Hong Jun)            (Hu Ji Hong)
             S AKQ92                 S T6
             H --                    H T96532
             D K9742                 D AQ5
             C AQ8                   C J6
                     (Fallenius, Bjorn)
                           S J754
                           H AQ74
                           D T
                           C 9543

               West    North   East     South
                1S     Pass     1NT (1) Pass
                3D     Pass     3H      Pass
               3NT    All Pass

               (1) Forcing.

Committee members: Jos  Damiani (Chair), Richard Colker,
     Jens Auken, Rebecca Rogers, John Wignall.

Facts: On the North-East side of the screen East's 3H bid
was described as "5+ good" (E-W considered a 6-card suit
the same as a good 5-card suit).  The C5 was won with the
ace, a diamond was led to the queen, and the S10 (not
covered) overtaken with the ace.  Another diamond was then
led to the ace, followed by another spade to the king.  The
SQ was then cashed (North discarding the H8), and a fourth
spade led to South's jack (on which North pitched the HJ).
The hand was now cold.  North claimed he was damaged by the
incomplete explanation of E-W's suit requirements for the
3H bid.

Director's ruling: The score stands.  N-S appealed.

Testimony: North said that he understood East's explanation
of his 3H bid to mean that the suit had to be at least 5-
cards in length, but must always be a good one.  He
therefore decided that East must hold at least H QT9xx, and
decided to discard his hearts to make as many tricks in the
off suits on defense as possible, rather than playing for
an "impossible" set.

Committee's decision: The Committee felt that, although
East's explanation did fall short of full-disclosure, North
should have asked and/or worked out for himself how to
defend the hand correctly.  The hand could always be beaten
if South held either the CJ or H ATxx(x) by pitching a
diamond on the fourth spade.  The score at the table was
allowed to stand, and the N-S players were cautioned to be
more precise in their explanations of their agreements in
the future.  After some discussion, E-W's deposit was
returned.
********************************************************
                  Indonesia vs. Argentina

This Round 13 Vugraph match was almost all Indonesia. They
held Argentina to only 12 IMPs to score a 23-7 victory to
move into second place in Marlboro Bermuda Bowl Group W and
guarantee themselves a spot in the quarterfinals.  Board 1
was a push, but what a strange push!
        Round 13.  Board 1. Love All. Dealer North.

                            S Q2
                            H A9
                            D J6532
                            C K432
                  S AJT3             S K764
                  H J842             H 763
                  D Q                D AKT94
                  C JT87             C 5
                           S 985
                           H KQT5
                           D 87
                           C AQ96


Open Room
               West    North    East    South
              Monsegur  Sakul   Mooney  Karwur
                        Pass     1D     Pass
                1H      Pass     1S     Pass
                2S       2NT     3D     Pass
                4S     All Pass

This went down two tricks when declarer misguessed the SQ.
The Argentines climbed a bit too high. But the contract in
the other room was weird.

Open Room
             West    North      East      South
            Lasut   Lambardi   Manoppo   Lucena
                      Pass      Pass       1H
             Pass      1NT       2D     All Pass !!

There was Manoppo in a 5-1 trump suit. The defense took the
HK, HA, CQ and HQ in rapid succession. The A was ruffed,
and declarer took the trump queen. He ruffed a heart and
cashed out his winners for down two and a push.

The Argentines took more tricks on Board 2 -- 11 -- but
lost 9 IMPs when they failed to get to the notrump game
reached by Indonesia.  Board 3 was interesting only because
of the phenomenally long time it took to complete it on
Vugraph.

After Lambardi made the opening lead, Lasut thought and
thought. He wound himself up so that he almost looked like
a pretzel. Commented Edgar Kaplan, "If it weren't for that
finger going, I'd think he was asleep." Eventually the
other players got up to wander a bit and they were gone for
quite a while. Finally there were four people at the table
and the play continued. Lasut made 2S with an overtrick
when Argentina played 1NT in the Closed Room and made
exactly seven tricks.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 4. Game All. Dealer West.

                            S AJT64
                            H T643
                            D 65
                            C A5
                    S K982         S --
                    H J72          H A98
                    D A7           D T9843
                    C J64          C KQT92
                           S Q53
                           H KQ5
                           D KQJ2
                           C 873

Lasut was in a difficult 3C contract here, but he brought
it home with an excellent play. Lambardi started the
defense with the trump ace and another trump. Lasut called
for a diamond, and when Lucena played low, he inserted the
7 to hold the trick.  Lasut cashed the DA, ruffed a spade
and ruffed a diamond. He got back to hand with a heart and
drew the last trump. Then he led a diamond to South's king,
conceded two hearts, and made his contract. This turned out
to be a 6-IMP gain because Indonesia made 3S at the other
table.
-------------------------------------------------------
Mooney made a normal overcall on Board 7, but it cost his
side 5 IMPs.
        Round 13.  Board 7. Game All. Dealer South.

                           S Q96
                           H 53
                           D AKJ964
                           C Q9
               S T754                 S J2
               H 87                   H AKQT2
               D Q2                   D T8753
               C 86432                C T
                           S AK83
                           H J964
                           D --
                           C AKJ75

               West    North    East    South
              Monsegur  Sakul   Mooney  Karwur
                                          1C
               Pass      2D      2H      Pass
               Pass     Dbl    All Pass

This did not fare at all well Mooney took only three tricks
to suffer an 800-point set. This represented a loss of 5
IMPs because Argentina made 3NT with an overtrick at the
other table.
---------------------------------------------------------
Argentina ran into serious trouble in the Closed Room on
Board 12.
         Round 13.  Board 12. N/S Vul. Dealer West.

                          S T642
                          H J3
                          D 3
                          C AT7653
              S 3                     S AKJ9875
              H K87542                H A
              D K65                   D QT972
              C 942                   C --
                           S Q
                           H QT96
                           D AJ84
                           C KQJ8

               West    North    East    South
              Monsegur  Sakul   Mooney  Karwur
               Pass     Pass     1S      Dbl
                2H      Pass     4S      Pass
                5C      Pass     5D     All Pass

Of course Monsegur preferred diamonds, he had three of
those and only one spade. But diamonds turned out very
badly with the 4-1 split. Repeated club forces meant that
declarer lost control and suddenly he found that he had
taken only six tricks, down 25-0. This was the bidding at
the other table:

             West     North      East     South
            Lasut    Lambardi   Manoppo   Lucena
              2D (1)  Pass        2NT      Pass
              3H      Pass         4S     All Pass

Manoppo ruffed the opening club lead, and his only problem
was trumps. He elected to cash from the top, and when the
queen fell he had his game for a 12-IMP pickup.
-------------------------------------------------------
Board 13 made an otherwise dull set of boards worthwhile.
Manoppo found an excellent defense against 1NT, but
Lambardi found an excellent counter to score up his
partial.

        Round 13.  Board 13. Game All. Dealer North.

                          S A2
                          H K9843
                          D A65
                          C Q32
                S K864             S QT7
                H 62               H QJT7
                D T987             D KQ4
                C K54              C A86
                          S J953
                          H A5
                          D J32
                          C JT97

The auction was simple -- 1H by Lambardi, 1S by Lucena and
1NT by Lambardi. On this hand the play's the thing.

Manoppo led the HQ to the ace, and Lambardi immediately
went after clubs, the queen holding. A second club went to
Lasut's king, and he accurately shifted to a diamond,
Manoppo winning the queen. Manoppo cashed the CA, then made
the brilliant shift to the SQ, the play that gives declarer
the greatest problem.  But Lambardi won the ace and led a
second spade, guessing correctly to put in the 9 from dummy
to drive out the king.

Lasut made the best return, a diamond, but Lambardi rose
with the ace and fired back the 10, putting Manoppo on
lead. He got out with a heart to the king, but Lambardi put
right back in with the H10. And Manoppo was endplayed, he
either had to lead a spade, in which case dummy would take
the last two tricks with the two black jacks, or he could
lead a heart into declarer's tenace.

Nicely done by both defenders, but especially by Lambardi,
the declarer.  Indonesia picked up a game swing on Board 15
when the Argentine declarer took an inferior line in 3NT.
-------------------------------------------------------
Lasut attempted to throw a little sand in his opponents'
eyes on Board 17.
        Round 13.  Board 17. Love All. Dealer North.

                           S AQ
                           H K98
                           D QJ98
                           C AKT6
                 S 976              S KT852
                 H AT6              H J4
                 D K65432           D A7
                 C 7                C J852
                           S J43
                           H Q7532
                           D T
                           C Q943


Lambardi opened a strong club and Manoppo bid 1H, showing a
two-suiter of the same color. Lasut was quite sure his
partner's suits were black, but he passed to try to confuse
the issue. But Lambardi reopened with 1NT and Argentina
would up in 2NT when Lambardi passed his partner's
invitational bid.
-=----------------------------------------------------
Board 18 was bizarre, there is no other adjective to
describe it.
              Board 18. N/S Vul. Dealer East.
                           S AK6
                           H T8
                           D T763
                           C A974
               S Q75                S J832
               H J72                H K654
               Q 52                 D K
               C J532               C KQT8
                           S T94
                           H AQ93
                           D AJ984
                           C 6

Would you care to guess where this hand was played at each
table? First the Closed Room.

               West     North    East    South
              Monsegur  Sakul   Mooney  Karwur
                                 1D      Pass
               Pass      Dbl     Pass    2H
             All Pass

That's right -- Indonesia was playing in their 4-2 fit. But
cards were favorable and Mooney was able to scramble home
with eight tricks. Now what about the Open Room?

             West    North      East      South
            Lasut   Lambardi   Manoppo   Lucena
                                Pass       1D
             Pass      1S       Pass       2S
             Pass     2NT       Pass       3D
             Pass     3S !    All Pass

Now here was Argentina playing a 3-3 fit! The opening lead
was the CK, taken by the ace, and declarer immediately took
the heart finesse. He cashed the HA, ruffed a heart, ruffed
a club, cashed the DA just in case, ruffed a heart and
ruffed a club.  He scored his ninth trick with the trump
ace to gain an IMP on a board where both sides played in a
suit with a combined holding of six cards.
********************************************************
          Australia v Venezuela (Round 14 Ladies)

Going into the final round of the qualifying stage, only
Bermuda Bowl Group W seemed settled. In all the other three
groups there were some crucial match-ups to decide who
would qualify and who would be flying home early. We chose
our main from the one group we have not featured at all to
date, Venice Cup Group E.

The position was that France and USA 2 were safely
qualified, looking a class above the other teams in the
group. Japan was safe so long as they did not get blitzed
by Great Britain, while the Brits needed either the
aforementioned blitz or a good win over Japan coupled with
a very suitable result between the two teams just above
them, Australia and Venezuela.

As it turned out, Great Britain beat Japan but only 20-10,
so Japan was safe and GB needed a 16-14 Australian win over
Venezuela, or possibly a draw when IMP quotient would come
into play.  Australia needed to beat Venezuela 17-13, i.e.
by 9 IMPs.
---------------------------------------------------------
The boards in the first half of this match were very dull
but there were still a few small swings.  Australia gained
1 IMP on Board 1 then the respective Wests had a decision
on the second board. You are vulnerable against not and
have to decide whether to open in third seat holding:

                S KQT9  H Q9  D J762  C K74.

Ayako Myakuni, for Venezuela, opened 1D and her partner
played 2C+1 for +110. Australia's Margaret Bourke passed
and passed again when LHO's 1H opening came round to her.
1H also made nine tricks for +140 and 6 IMPs to Venezuela.
But Australia had the better of the early running. On Board
3, the Venezuelan North/South pair played 2D on a 4-4 fit,
only to find that because they were both 3-3-4-3 there were
only the same seven tricks available as the Australian
declarer had in 1NT in the other room. 4 IMPs to Australia.
---------------------------------------------------------
Then came:
              Board 4. Game All. Dealer West.

                           S Q87
                           H AJ83
                           D KQ76
                           C A5
                  S T             S KJ9432
                  H T942          H K7
                  D T832          D A5
                  C Q972          C K86
                           S A65
                           H Q65
                           D J94
                           C JT43

Open Room

              West     North     East    South
             Bourke  Hirschaut   Beech   Smith
              Pass      1NT       2H      2NT
              Pass       3C      Pass     3NT
           All Pass

Closed Room

              West     North     East    South
             Myakuni   Lusk    Pacheco   Clark
              Pass      1H        1S      2H
              Pass    Pass        2S     All Pass

In the Open Room, Fida Hirschaut of Venezuela, opened a
strong no trump and, after the transfer overcall, heard
that her partner had a spade stopper but not four hearts.
Obviously, she chose to play 3NT. But East simply had too
many entries and Hirschaut had no good source of tricks so
this contract drifted two down; 200.  In the Closed Room,
Sue Lusk opened 1H and with her essentially balanced hand
was happy to defend 2S despite finding a fit. Right she was
as 2S had to go one down whatever declarer did; -100 and 7
IMPs to Australia, ahead 12-6.
--------------------------------------------------------
              Board 5. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                           S AJ5
                           H AJT
                           D Q6
                           C 97642
                S 874               S KQ2
                H KQ9765            H 84
                D J84               D 9752
                C 5                 C AQJT
                           S T963
                           H 32
                           D AKT3
                           C K83

The Venezuelan North/South pair bid 1C - 1D -1NT - Pass.
Margaret Bourke balanced with 2H and was left to play
there. Hirschaut led DQ, a great start for the defense, but
switched to a low club at trick two. Bourke took dummy's
ace and played the CQ, pitching a diamond when Smith
ducked. The defense had lost its sixth winner so Bourke
chalked up +110.

In the Closed Room, Sue Lusk opened a weak no trump as
North and Pacheco made a rather obscure natural overcall of
2C. Myakuni might have converted to 2H but she didn't,
perhaps fearing that this would be taken as constructive.
2C was not a success, going two down after a top diamond
lead and spade switch to the ace; -100 and 5 IMPs to
Australia.  Australia gained an overtrick IMP on Board 6
and, after three flat boards, led 18-6 going into Board 10.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 10. Game All. Dealer East.

                           S J843
                           H A4
                           D T94
                           C KT52
                  S T9              S AK7
                  H KQT2            H J953
                  D AJ862           D 73
                  C 86              C AQ94
                           S Q652
                           H 876
                           D KQ5
                           C J73

Lydia Beech, for Australia, opened the East hand a weak no
trump and played there, making +150. There was more action
in the other room.  Morella Pacheco opened 1C, possibly two
cards, and rebid 1H over the 1D response. Myakuni raised to
3H and now Pacheco had to decide if she had something extra
to justify going for the vulnerable game bonus. She decided
she had but, rather than bid 4H, tried 3NT. With two weak
doubletons, Myakuni might have gone back to 4H but, a
little surprisingly, she passed. 4H is a lot better than
3NT and Pacheco didn't look very enthusiastic when dummy
went down. Clark led the S2 to the jack and king and Pachec
o attacked hearts. Lusk won the second round and
appreciated that with spades breaking something else was
needed. She switched to a low club. Declarer now has to go
in with the queen and play for the D K Q onside, but she
ducked. Clark won the jack and had to switch back to spades
to break the contract. But she took the club switch too
seriously and returned the suit, after all, if this was the
layout why was declarer playing this way? Now Pacheco
played on diamonds and emerged with ten tricks and a
decidedly lucky 10 IMPs to Venezuela; 16-18.

             Board 11. Love All. Dealer South.

                           S JT532
                           H AKQJ
                           D -
                           C KJ72
                S Q4                S K76
                H 74                H 9853
                D KQJ8732           D T54
                C 64                C AT8
                           S A98
                           H T62
                           D A96
                           C Q953

Open Room
              West     North     East    South
             Bourke  Hirschaut   Beech   Smith
                                          Pass
               3D       Dbl      Pass      4D
              Pass       4S     All Pass

Closed Room
              West     North     East    South
             Myakuni   Lusk    Pacheco   Clark
                                          Pass
               3D       Dbl       3NT     Dbl
              Pass     Pass        4D     Pass
              Pass      4S     All Pass

Beech passed over 3D doubled and Ivy Smith cuebid, leading
to an easy 4S bid for Hirschaut. She ruffed the diamond
lead, took a spade finesse, won the heart switch and took a
second finesse. That should have led to an overtrick but
the record states that she made only ten; +420.

Pacheco decided to get cute over the double, bidding 3NT.
She ran, of course, when doubled and Clark passed 4D round
to Lusk. She bid 4S, reasoning that partner had not done
anything over 4D so would be fairly balanced with not too
much wastage.  Lusk took the same line of two trump
finesses and made her overtrick for +450 and 1 IMP to
Australia.
----------------------------------------------------------
Australia picked up another overtrick IMP on the next board
to lead 20-16; still wide open.

             Board 13. Game All. Dealer North.

                          S A
                          H Q8
                          D Q9843
                          C AQT83
               S T97643            S KJ8
               H A64               H K52
               D AK7               D 52
               C J                 C K9754
                          S Q52
                          H JT973
                          D JT6
                          C 62

Open Room
              West     North     East    South
             Bourke  Hirschaut   Beech   Smith
                        1D       Pass    Pass
               1S       2C        3C     Pass
               3S     All Pass

Closed Room
              West     North     East    South
             Myakuni   Lusk    Pacheco   Clark
                         1D      Pass    Pass
               1S        2C       3S     Pass
               4S     All Pass

After identical starts, Pacheco raised to 3S while Beech
cuebid 3C. I confess that I would only have cuebid 2D as I
don't see the East hand as a raise to the three level. But
the swing came from the decisions of the respective Wests.
Myakuni raised herself to 4S while Bourke settled for 3S.
When you consider how much weaker a protective 1S overcall
might be, it seems that Myakuni's action was more normal.
More to the point, it was also more successful. Both
players made ten tricks so Venezuela gained 10 IMPs and the
lead; 26-20.
---------------------------------------------------------
The Venezuelans gained 2 more IMPs on the next board then
something rather more substantial.

              Board 15. N/S Vul. Dealer South.

                            S QT9875
                            H A4
                            D Q
                            C AT87
                    S K3             S A64
                    H 8762           H Q95
                    D 6532           D A98
                    C 964            C QJ32
                            S J2
                            H KJT3
                            D KJT74
                            C K5

Both North/South auctions began 1D - 1S - 2D. Hirschaut now
bid 3C and Smith had an easy 3NT call. The defense never
got their DA so that made +660.  Lusk rebid 3S over 2D. The
post-mortem made it clear that she intended her bid to be
forcing but Clark did not read it that way. She took a long
time but finally passed it. Lusk made ten tricks; +170 but
10 IMPs to Venezuela. The lead was up to 38-20.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                           S 83
                           H KJ8
                           D J863
                           C KT72
                 S AKQ92            S T6
                 H -                H T96532
                 D K9742            D AQ5
                 C AQ8              C J6
                           S J754
                           H AQ74
                           D T
                           C 9543

This time it was East/West's turn. Both pairs began 1S -
1NT - 3D. Lydia Beech bid 3H and Margaret Bourke converted
to 3NT. At the other table, Pacheco gave preference to 3S
and Myakuni raised to game.  Smith led a club against 3NT.
Beech rose with the ace and played a diamond to the ace
then the DQ, getting the bad news. On the second and third
diamonds, Smith pitched hearts. The play record suggests a
comedy of errors here so I apologize to the players
concerned if we have our facts wrong. It seems that
declarer gave up a diamond, though the spade finesse looks
indicated to me, and North switched to the HK, overtaken.
South played a club and now declarer had nine tricks; +400.

Heart leads would cause serious problems in 4S, threatening
declarer's trump control, but Lusk guessed to lead a club.
Now it was easy for declarer who could win and play ace and
ruff a club, play off the top trumps and give up a diamond;
+450 and 2 IMPs to Venezuela.
----------------------------------------------------------
             Board 17. Love All. Dealer North.

                           S JT9653
                           H K4
                           D K73
                           C 54
                  S AKQ42         S 87
                  H Q986          H AJ2
                  D T             D A9852
                  C 976           C K32
                           S -
                           H T753
                           D QJ64
                           C AQJT8

Open Room
              West     North     East    South
             Bourke  Hirschaut   Beech   Smith
                        Pass      1NT     Pass
               2H       Pass       2S     Pass
               3H       Pass       3S    All Pass

Closed Room
              West     North     East    South
             Myakuni   Lusk    Pacheco   Clark
                        2S        Dbl   All Pass

The Australians declared both contracts in the same
denomination - rarely a recipe for success. In the Open
Room, Fida Hirschaut passed as North and Beech/Bourke had a
standard transfer auction to 3S, where the foul trump split
doomed Beech to a one trick defeat; -50.

In the Closed Room, Sue Lusk opened 2S as North, described
as weak with a five card suit or possibly six poor spades.
Pacheco did well to find a double and Myakuni was not hard-
pressed to pass. Ace and another diamond was a good start
for the defense and Lusk was held to five tricks, three
trumps and two clubs; -500 and another 11 IMPs to Venezuela
who were coasting.  Australia pulled back 6 IMPs on the
next board when Smith responded 1S to her partner's 1H
opening on:

                S KT652  H T  D T8765  C 42

Partner's rebid was 3H, which had to fail by one trick. At
the other table, Clark passed and Lusk was allowed to make
an unnecessary ninth trick in 1H.  There was no swing on
Board 19, and the match finished on a low note for
Australia when Lusk uncharacteristically put a cold 4H on
the floor to give Venezuela a further 12 IMPs. All that
meant that Venezuela had won by 63-26 IMPs, 23-7 VPs. It
looked easy at the end but remember that half-way through
the match it was Australia who were qualifying so the
Venezuelans could not relax at either table.

********************************************************
                      China vs. Italy
                       By Barry Rigal

China had some early lucky escapes in their 12th-round
Vugraph match against Italy.

               Board 2. N/S Vul. Dealer East.

                           S K865
                           H AKJT7
                           D K
                           C J83
                   S QJ3            S T742
                   H 42             H Q96
                   D A43            D QJT976
                   C KQ962          C --
                            S A9
                           H 853
                           D 852
                           C AT754

Italy bid the pretty fair heart game given that West had
opened a weak notrump -- 11-14). However, with the HQ and
the C K-Q wrong, they lost 8 IMPs instead of winning 10.
They were beaten two vulnerable tricks while China played
in a heart partial, making three.
--------------------------------------------------
On Board 4 China misplayed in 2H to go down a trick.

              Board 4. Game All. Dealer West.

                           S J5432
                           H AQ4
                           D KJT3
                           C 6
                  S KT8              S AQ6
                  H 86               H KJ952
                  D AQ42             D 96
                  C 9832             C KQ7
                           S 97
                           H T73
                           D 875
                           C AJT54

Once again Italy got to game, and this time they had a real
chance to make 3NT. The opening lead of the C10 to the
queen was helpful. However, Buratti took a wrong view in
hearts, leading the 8 and letting it ride to the 10. He
could have picked up four heart tricks if he had inserted
the jack. That would have been enough for the game. He
actually wound up going down two for a 3-IMP loss.
------------------------------------------------------
              Board 5. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                           S KT543
                           H J
                           D A765
                           C Q62
                  S A82             S Q97
                  H 62              H AQT985
                  D QT82            D 43
                  C T873            C J4
                           S J6
                           H K743
                           D KJ9
                           C AK95

Here China again misplayed, this time in 2S to go down one
-- some declarers were making 10 tricks in spade contracts
on a heart lead and a minor suit squeeze on West.

Once again the Italians got to 3NT on the N-S cards, and
the opening lead was a heart to the jack and queen, and
Lauria ducked. The H10 also was allowed to hold, and Wang
switched to diamonds -- a very good action. As a result
Italy suffered another two-trick defeat.
------------------------------------------------------
              Board 8. Love All. Dealer West.

                           S J93
                           H K
                           D AQ5432
                           C AT6
                   S T752           S --
                   H A92            H QJ543
                   D J96            D KT7
                   C Q85            C 97432
                           S AKQ864
                           H T876
                           D 8
                           C KJ

6S is a reasonable slam, and the Italians were there.
Versace got the helpful opening lead of the HA followed by
a club to his jack. He ruffed a heart and then had to
decide what to do next. Leading the CK then ruffing a heart
goes down when the clubs are 6-2. Playing a low spade to
his queen works whenever trumps are not 4-0. And even when
they are, as here, you can still make if you can guess what
to do next.

Versace followed the latter route and then played for the
diamond finesse rather than 3-3 diamonds -- rightly, I
thin.  A very unlucky minus 11 instead of a plus 11.
-----------------------------------------------------
              Board 10. Game All. Dealer East.

                           S Q543
                           H K93
                           D T52
                           C T43
                   S 92            S J86
                   H A874          H T52
                   D K43           D AJ986
                   C J872          C 95
                           S AKT7
                           H QJ6
                           D Q7
                           C AKQ6

With that board preying on his mind, Versace had a chance
to create a swing. Both tables reached 3NT by South, with
4S much easier. Lanzarotti led a diamond and beat the
contract at once. Fu led a low heart and Versace won the
queen, crossed to the SQ and led a diamond to the queen and
king!! Can you blame him for continuing with a low heart?
13 IMPs to Italy.
-------------------------------------------------------
             Board 13. Game All. Dealer North.

                           S 2
                           H Q9763
                           D A64
                           C 9752
                   S A64           S QJ983
                   H AJT4          H 5
                   D KJ2           D Q873
                   C QT8           C A63
                           S KT75
                           H K82
                           D T95
                           C KJ4

The Italians reached 4S by East, and Shao found the
excellent low heart lead. This set up a force and
eventually led to a one-trick set. The Chinese played 3NT
by West after a Stayman sequence, with Lauria leading a low
diamond to the 9 and jack. The SA and a second spade
disclosed the bad break -- perhaps Fu should play the S9 on
the second round -- but he played the queen and Versace
ducked. Now a diamond to the king and ace, a club to the
king and a second club followed.  Declarer could now make b
y cashing the top diamond, but he played for the 4-2 break
by finessing the 8. Versace simply switched to a heart to
the jack and queen, and a club back locked declarer in
dummy for down two.
------------------------------------------------------
              Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                           S T
                           H Q872
                           D 98762
                           C T62
                 S A54              S KQ98762
                 H A3               H KJ954
                 D AKQJT3           D 5
                 C K8               C --
                           S J3
                           H T6
                           D 4
                           C AQJ97543


This was wild!

               West    North   East    South
                1C      1D !    1S      5C
               6NT     Pass    ???

Wang took 10 minutes, it seemed, to finally bid 7S. This
was a big swing inasmuch as 6D was played at the other
table.

This final 13 IMPs led to a 22-8 win for China, moving
Italy into fifth place and leaving China in second.
********************************************************
                        Super Coach!

Who is the best bridge coach in the world?  Canada's Eric
Kokish must have some claim on this title. He has coached
six of the teams taking part in these championships and
five have made it through to the knockouts - Canada, China,
Indonesia and Netherlands in the Open and China in the
ladies.  The one team to spoil Eric's perfect record are
the Canadian ladies - but watch out for them next year.

********************************************************
   Life in the fast lane isn't always a bowl of cherries

Joey Silver of Canada has been turning in "Life in the Fast
Lane" articles to the ACBL Daily Bulletins for more than 20
years. Sometimes the gambits work, sometimes they don't.
He's tried a couple here in Beijing en route to Canada's
first-place finish in its group in the Marlboro Bermuda
Bowl. The first deal comes from Round 8.

          Round 8. Board 6. E/W Vul. Dealer East.

                           S T87642
                           H 64
                           D 65
                           C K97
                   S AQ5           S 9
                   H QT53          H KJ972
                   D KQT           D J742
                   C AT3           C J65
                           S KJ3
                           H A8
                           D A983
                           C Q842

             West      North      East    South
           Fallenius   Silver   Nilsland  Kokish
                                  Pass    1NT  (12-14)
              Dbl       3H !!   All Pass

No, that's not a misprint -- it's part of Life in the Fast
Lane, Joey Silver style. He decided to steal the opponent's
suit, figuring they probably had a game in the suit he bid.
He did quite well in his 2-2 fit -- down only five. At the
other table Canada got plus 50 for beating 2S, so Canada
lost only 5 IMPs.
---------------------------------------------------------
Here's another example.

          Round 9.Board 8. Love All. Dealer West.

                           S Q
                           H AK963
                           D K862
                           C 984
                   S J873           S AK9542
                   H J754           H Q8
                   D T9             D AQJ
                   C A32            C 65
                           S T6
                           H T2
                           D 7543
                           C KQJT7


               West    North    East    South
               Wang    Silver    Fu     Kokish
               Pass    Pass      1C (1)   2C (2)
                Dbl     2S !!  All Pass

(1) Strong, artificial and forcing.
(2) Natural.

Once again Silver attempted to steal the opponents' suit,
and once again he succeeded. This time he managed to go
down only four. Since his teammates bought the hand for a
spade partial and made four, the Canadians lost only 1 IMP
this time.

Truly, Life in the Fast Lane isn't always a bowl of
cherries.

********************************************************
                     Pummel the Preempt

                      by Phillip Alder

Most pairs, given a free run, reach the right contract the
majority of the time. Enter the preempt, stage right. It's
primary aim, of course, is to disrupt the opponents'
bidding. However, it is a two-edged sword. Sometimes it
interferes with partner's auction; occasionally it bounces
the opponents into a good contract they wouldn't have
reached under their own steam.  So, we all spend time
devising countermeasures to this insidious weapon. And,
every now and then, the preparation pays great dividends,
as in Round 11 at these championships.  This was board
five:

Dlr: North                 S T54
Vul: N-S                   H 53
                           D AKT98653
                           C --
                 S A9863               S 7
                 H T4                  H AKQ87
                 D --                  D J4
                 C KJ7653              C AT942
                           S KQJ2
                           H J962
                           D Q72
                           C Q8

If you fail to reach 7C, you might expect to lose imps. If
you don't even get to 6C, surely you have a loss. And
stopping in 5C must cost a bundle. But not, for example, in
the Venice Cup match between France and Venezuela. There,
the French made 5C plus two in one room and 4D doubled in
the other to gain 15 imps!  Actually, only one pair in the
whole tournament reached 7C, Walid El-Ahmady and Ashraf
Sadek from Egypt.  This was their sequence:

             West      North     East     South
             Walid              Ashraf
                        3NT (a)   4C (b)   Dbl (c)
             Rdbl        4D       4H       Pass
              4NT (d)   Pass      5C (e)   Pass
              7C        Pass     Pass      Pass

(a) A four-bid in a minor
(b) Any major-minor two-suiter
(c) Pass or correct
(d) Roman Key Card Blackwood in hearts
(e) Three key cards

This was an instant claimer for plus 1440. In the other
room, this was the auction, with China sitting East-West:

               West    North   East    South
                        3NT    Pass     4C
                Dbl      4D     5D     Pass
                5S      Pass    6C    All Pass

Egypt gained 11 imps.

Phillip Alder is selling copies of his new book, 'Get
Smarter at Bridge', for US $13 or 110 Yuans. To order, find
him as he perambulates nervously around the building (he is
the non-playing captain of the USA II Venice Cup team) or
drop into the Press Room.

********************************************************
                       SELF-PROMOTION
                    By Patrick Jourdain

Pony Nehmert of Germany was one of the few to find the
killing defense against this slam from round 11. The match
was Germany v. Israel

              Board 10. Game All. Dealer East.

                           S 83
                           H T87
                           D QJT82
                           C A52
                S T2                S AK97
                H AK95432           H J6
                D A64               D 9
                C T                 C KQJ987
                           S QJ654
                           H Q
                           D K753
                           C 643


           West      North       East      South
        Porat-Levy   Nehmert    TzurAlbu   Rauscheid
                                  1C        Pass
            1H        Pass        1S        Pass
            2D        Dbl         3C        Pass
            3H        Pass        4D        Pass
           4NT        Pass        5D        Dbl
            6H        Pass       Pass       Pass

              West      North    East    South
             von Arnim           Auken
                                  1S     Pass
               2D        Pass     3C     Pass
               3H        Pass     4H     All pass


In the German auction Sabine Auken's opening was canape,
and the response of 2D was at least invitational in hearts.
North led a spade. Daniela von Arnim won, led a low trump
finding the bare queen, unblocked the jack, and led a club.
North won and led a second spade. Declarer made 12 tricks
by throwing the losing diamonds on the clubs and returning
with DA to draw the last trump.

Against Ruth Porat-Levy's 6H Pony Nehmert led DQ. Declarer
won and at once led a club. Nehmert won, and found the one
deadly continuation, a second diamond. Declarer had to ruff
this in dummy, and North's ten of trumps was promoted to
the setting trick.

********************************************************
                    Surprise! Surprise!
                       By Mark Horton

Bill Pencharz had a simple rule for all the teams which he
captained. "It is essential at all times to be lucky!" Do
you think this hand for the German women is what he had in
mind?

              Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                          S J
                          H 76
                          D QT863
                          C KQ972
                 S T8643             S KQ975
                 H 83                H AKQJT92
                 D KJ74              D --
                 C J3                C A
                          S A2
                          H 54
                          D A952
                          C T8654

              West      North   East    South
            Von Arnim           Auken
              Pass       Pass    4NT     Pass
               5D        Pass     6H     Pass
              Pass       Pass

Sabine: "Wow, what a hand. If partner has the SA 7H should
be cold. Time to ask for  specific aces."

Dany:   "Sabine has both minors. This hasn't come up for a
long time so I hope she has  remembered!"

Sabine: "What a pity, Dani has the wrong ace. Still I'm not
going to stop short of slam - perhaps  she will have
something useful in spades."

Dany: "Whoops! She did forget and she thinks I've got the
DA."

South:  "Let's lead the SA and have a look at dummy."

Sabine: "Looks like I forgot the system. I'd better drop
the SK and hope for the best. How am I going to explain
this one to the team?"

North:  "Well done partner, now just give me my ruff."

South:  "So, East thought West had the DA. (Playing the
diamond ace). Have I got a surprise for  you!"

Sabine:  "And have I got a surprise for you!"

(In the other room the contract was also 6H. Andrea
Rauscheid also led the SA but she made no mistake at trick
two and gave her partner a ruff.)
********************************************************
                       Grand Bidding
                       By Mark Horton

This was one of the most talked about hands of the 11th
round.

              Board 5. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                           S T54
                           H 53
                           D AKT98653
                           C --
                 S A9863              S 7
                 H T4                 H AKQ87
                 D --                 D J4
                 C KJ7653             C AT942
                           S KQJ2
                           H J962
                           D Q72
                           C Q8

Of the 32 pairs who held the East/West cards, only Ashraf
Sadek and Walid El-Ahmady of Egypt bid to 7C. This was
their auction:

               West    North   East    South
               El-Ahmady       Sadek
                        3NT     4C      Dbl
               Rdbl      4D     4H      Pass
                4NT     Pass    5C      Pass
                7C      Pass   Pass     Pass

And here is the translation:

4C     A major/minor two suiter, at least 5-5
Rdbl   I have clubs
4H     My shortage is in spades
4NT    Roman Key Card Blackwood for hearts
5C     Three key cards
7C     I can count them

********************************************************

              STRIPED-TAILED APE STRIKES AGAIN
                      By Alan Truscott

The computer played a small joke that was generally
overlooked. On board 16 of round 11, East held five spades
and seven hearts and could make 6S, on a 5-5 fit, against
any lead, and 6H if the defense failed to find a spade lead
and ruff.

In the next round, on Board 16, East held seven spades and
five hearts.

              Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                          S J
                          H 76
                          D QT863
                          C KQ972
                S T8643             S KQ975
                H 83                H AKQJT92
                D KJ74              D --
                C J3                C A
                          S A2
                          H 54
                          D A952
                          C T8654

It can be seen that East-West are laydown for 7S or 7D, but
only four pairs out of 32 got there. Mario Onorati and
Alejandro Bianchedi for Venezuela, Bjorn Fallenius and Mats
Nilsland for Sweden, and Jorge Barrera and Anton Cahn-
Speyer for Colombia got to the obvious 7S. Mark Molson and
Boris Baran for Canada got to the less obvious 7D.

Some either-or bids can confuse their users. It might seem
unlikely that East would fail to bid spades on this deal,
but it happened at one table:

               West     North     East     South
                2D (1)   Pass      2H (2)    5C
                5D (3)   Dbl (4)  Pass (5)  Pass
               Pass

(1)  A two-way bid: either a weak two-bid in hearts, or an
     Acol two-bid in an unspecified suit.
(2)  A waiting bid to find out what West is up to. The weak
     two-bid seems unlikely.
(3)  This suggested a very long diamond suit, and a double
     to show general strength would no doubt have been
     better.
(4)  North knows that the opposition can make a slam
     somewhere, so she produces the Striped-Tailed Ape
     double.  If they redouble, you beat a retreat.
(5)  What should East do? Bid spades in the face of a
     likely misfit?  Redouble?  She passed and the bidding
     ended.

That was 1150 to East-West, which was worth 7 IMPs and
might have been much more. In the replay East-West reached
6NT.

Mercifully, I will reveal only one name. The Striped-Tailed
Ape doubler was Jo Morse of the U.S.A. II team that
qualified in the Venice Cup.
********************************************************
