              Marlboro Bermuda and Venice Cup
                       Beijing, China
                  October 8th - 21st, 1995
            Issue 8, Sunday, October 15th, 1995
           Editor: Henry Francis and Brian Senior
*********************************************************
                     Appeals Committee

                           Sunday
                         Jens Auken
                     Jean-Claude Beneix
                       Richard Colker
                        Joan Gerard
                      Barbara Nudelman
                        Becky Rogers

                           Monday
                         Jens Auken
                     Jean-Claude Beneix
                       Richard Colker
                        George Retek
                        John Wignall
********************************************************
                  Canada vs. South Africa

It wasn't South Africa's day for the first 16 deals of
their quarterfinal match against Canada. Almost without
exception, whatever South Africa tried failed and whatever
Canada attempted worked.

It started quietly -- both teams reached 2S, and Canada
picked up an overtrick IMP. The first major swing occurred
on the next deal.

               Board 2. N/S Vul. Dealer East.

                           S KT62
                           H AT42
                           D J95
                           C J5
                 S A4              S 9853
                 H Q9              H 853
                 D KQ8632          D 74
                 C KQ3             C T862
                           S QJ7
                           H KJ76
                           D AT
                           C A974

Closed Room
             West     North     East     South
             Gower   Gitelman  Convery  Mittelman
                                Pass      1NT
              3D       Dbl      Pass       3H
             Pass      3NT     All Pass

West led a diamond, and Mittelman dislodged the SA. Another
diamond cleared the suit, but Mittelman of course got the
hearts right -- he wasn't going to finesse into the hand
that was ready to run diamonds. That was 630 to Canada.

Open Room
               West    North    East   South
               Baran  Mansell  Molson  Cope
                                Pass    1NT
                3D      Dbl     Pass    3H
               Pass      4H   All Pass

Up to a point, Cope handled this board very well. He won
the diamond opening lead and immediately shot back a
diamond. He won the CK switch and fired back a second club.
He ruffed the third club in dummy and led the DJ, and
Molson ruffed with the 8 after considerable thought. Cope
over ruffed and led a spade to West's ace, and Baran
returned a spade to the jack.

Now came the moment of truth -- what would Cope do in the
trump suit? He led to dummy's ace and pondered for a few
moments on the way back, finally finessing and losing to
the queen -- one down and 12 IMPs to Canada. It seems that
Cope had a bit of a hint from Molson's ruff of the DJ. If
Molson really had H Q-8-5-3, would he ruff in? Probably
not, so probably he did not have the queen.

A huge swing depended on a guess on Board 3. If Mansell
guessed right in the heart suit, he would make 180. If he
guessed wrong, he would be down 500.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 3. E/W Vul. Dealer South.

                           S 6
                           H J9643
                           D AT4
                           C K962
                S QT974              S J8
                H Q82                H AT
                D Q7                 D KJ952
                C 873                C AJT4
                           S AK532
                           H K75
                           D 863
                           C Q5

                 West    North     East   South
                Baran   Mansell   Molson   Cope
                                           Pass
                 Pass    Pass       1D      1S
                 Pass    Pass      Dbl     Pass
                 Pass     1NT      Dbl     All Pass

Molson led the SJ, and Mansell led the HK after winning.
Molson continued a second spade to Mansell's king, and
Mansell led a second heart -- low from West. He was at the
crossroads -- it was crucial that he make the right guess.
After some thought he put in the 9, and the hand crashed.
Molson won and led the CJ. Mansell won the queen and led a
heart. Baran won, cashed three spades and led a club so
Molson could take the rest of the tricks. Down three --
minus 500. At the other table the Canadians got all the way
to 2NT, but on a diamond lead they were able to come up
with seven tricks and gain 10 IMPs on the board.

Canada picked up another 3 IMPs on Board 4 when South
Africa went two off in 2D in the Closed Room and made 1NT
in the Open. Board 5 was of interest only because of the
tremendously long auction in the Closed Room -- 23 calls --
to get to 2H undoubled.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 5. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                          S J9
                          H A43
                          D QJ764
                          C J93
                 S 8               S AT743
                 H KQ95            H J62
                 D KT8             D 532
                 C Q7652           C KT
                          S KQ652
                          H T87
                          D A9
                          C A84

            West     North       East     South
           Gower   Gitelman   Convery   Mittelman
                     Pass        Pass       1S
             Dbl     Pass        1NT       Pass
            Pass     Dbl         Pass      Pass
             2C      Pass        Pass      Dbl
            Pass     Pass        Rdbl      Pass
             2H      Pass        Pass      Pass

It was the right contract, making exactly two. But it was
still a loss of 3 IMPs because Mansell's 1NT was beaten two
vulnerable tricks in the Open Room.
---------------------------------------------------------

South Africa got too high in both rooms on the next deal.

               Board 6. E/W Vul. Dealer East.

                           S 5
                           H T72
                           D J97643
                           C 642
                S K62                S AQJ874
                H J93                H 8654
                D Q82                D K
                C QJ98               C 73
                           S T93
                           H AKQ
                           D AT5
                           C AKT5

Open Room
               West     North     East    South
               Baran   Mansell   Molson   Cope
                         2S       Dbl
               Pass     2NT (1)   Pass     3C (2)
               Pass      3D (3)   Pass     3S (4)
               Dbl      Pass      Pass     5D (5)
             All Pass

(1) Lebensohl.
(2) Forced by 2NT.
(3) Signoff in diamonds.
(4) I'm far too strong to pass.
(5) I'm going for the game -- with the hand I've got you
    don't need much.

Cope was almost right -- his hand was almost good enough.
But there was no way to avoid losing a trump, a spade or a
club as the cards were divided -- one down.

Closed Room
               West     North      East    South
               Gower   Gitelman  Convery  Mittelman
                                    1S      Dbl
                2S      Pass       Pass     Dbl
               Rdbl      3D         3S     All Pass

There was no way to avoid losing three hearts, two clubs
and a diamond, so this contract went quietly down two
vulnerable tricks -- 6 more IMPs to Canada.

Canada gained an overtrick IMP on Board 7 and 5 IMPs on 8
by making 1NT in the Open Room and setting 1H in the Closed
Room.
---------------------------------------------------------
However, Board 7 created amazing results in the two matches
involving China.

              Board 7. Game All. Dealer South.

                          S Q6543
                          H 96
                          D 9
                          C J9743
              S AKJ82              S T
              H 742                H QT853
              D 875                D JT63
              C Q8                 C T52
                          S 97
                          H AKJ
                          D AKQ42
                          C AK6

In the Marlboro Bermuda Bowl, China played in 2S doubled
down 1100 in one room and in 5C down 100 in the other for a
loss of 15 IMPs to France. It was the other way around in
the Marlboro Venice Cup. Venezuela went for 800 in 1S
doubled and for 100 in 4S, which amounted to a 14-IMP gain
for China.

Both South Africa and Canada got to 4S on Board 9, and both
went down one for a push. But South Africa finally broke
into the scoring column on Board 10, even though it was
only a single IMP for making an overtrick in 2S. Canada got
back in the plus column by making 5S in the Open Room while
South Africa scored up 3NT in the Closed.
---------------------------------------------------------

South Africa earned its only big swing of the opening set
on Board 12, thanks to some unusual action in the Closed
Room.

              Board 12. N/S Vul. Dealer West.

                           S A984
                           H Q4
                           D J73
                           C AJ52
                S QT6                  S J32
                H KJ953                H 76
                D KT92                 D 864
                C 8                    C KQ943
                           S K75
                           H AT82
                           D AQ5
                           C T76
Closed Room
               West    North      East     South
              Gower   Gitelman  Convery  Mittelman
               Pass     Pass       1S       Pass
                4S     All Pass

That's right -- Convery decided it was time to do something
drastic, so he psyched 1S on his miserable collection.
Gower had no idea his partner was fooling around -- he
jumped directly to game. Convery managed to take five
tricks, so Canada was plus 250.

Open Room
               West    North   East    South
               Pass     1C     Pass      1H
               Pass    1NT     Pass     3NT
            All Pass

Normal bidding in this room -- and normal play as well. The
natural opening club lead was a help to declarer. He ducked
a spade and won the spade continuation. Baran rose with the
king when declarer led a heart, and declarer guessed
correctly to rise with the ace when Baran led a third
spade. The diamond finesse lost, but Mansell had nine
tricks and South Africa had 8 IMPs.

Board 13, the first to appear on the Vugraph screen, saw E-
W in both rooms trying to save in 5H -- which goes down one
too many -- but in each case N-S went on to 5S, duly making
for a push.
---------------------------------------------------------

Canada picked up an overtrick IMP on the next deal, but
interest perked up when Board 15 hit the table.

              Board 15. N/S Vul. Dealer South.

                            S 32
                            H QJ
                          D 98542
                           C JT86
                S KQ876                S A9
               H KT3                  H A9865
                D --                   D KQT
                C KQ753                C A42
                           S JT54
                           H 742
                          D AJ763
                            C 9

Open Room
                West    North   East    South
                Baran  Mansell  Molson  Cope
                                        Pass
                 1C     Pass     1H     Pass
                 1S     Pass     2D     Dbl
                 2S     Pass     3C     Pass
                 3H     Pass     3S     Pass
                 4D     Pass     4H     Pass
                 5H     Pass     6C     All Pass

Good bidding to a good contract by the Canadians. The
diamond opening lead set up a parking place for the
possible losing heart, so the only loser was a trump to
North -- plus 920. It was a bit different in the other
room.

Closed Room
               West    North     East    South
               Gower  Gitelman  Convery  Mittelman
                                          Pass
                1S      Pass      2H      Pass
                4H      Pass     4NT      Pass
                6D      Pass      7H     All Pass

Mittelman led a trump to the queen and ace, and Convery
thought he now was going to make a contract that he could
not make with any other lead. At trick two he lead another
trump and finessed the 10. Curtains!! A huge 14 IMPs to
Canada.
---------------------------------------------------------

The last board of the set saw both teams forced to make a
guess at the five level, and at both tables they got it
wrong.

              Board 16. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                            S AT732
                            H K2
                            D 84
                            C T874
                S 6                   S K4
                H AQT864              H J5
                D QJ53                D K9762
                C 96                  C KQJ2
                            S QJ985
                            H 973
                            D AT
                            C A53

The auction was approximately the same at both tables. This
was the Open Room bidding:

               West    North   East   South
               Pass    Pass     1D     1S
                2H      4S     Pass    Pass
                5D     Pass    Pass    Dbl
              All Pass

The only difference in the Closed Room was that North
doubled instead of South. Both declarers suffered two-trick
sets for a push. As you can see, 4S didn't have a chance.

In America we'd say that South Africa had a Bad Hair Day.
After 16 boards of their 96-deal match, they trailed, 58-9.
********************************************************
                     Vugraph vibrations

When the results for Board 9 of Round 11 came up on the
Vugraph, the room reverberated with the cheers of Chinese
fans. Why? Take a look.

              Board 9. E/W Vul. Dealer North.

                           S AJ952
                           H T72
                           D A83
                           C T2
                S K64              S T87
                H A4               H J9
                D 9                D KQT72
                C AK87543          C Q96
                           S Q3
                           H KQ8653
                           D J654
                           C J

The Chinese E-W pair played in 3NT and made it -- plus 600.
But Brazil somehow got to 5NT and were doubled. The Chinese
defenders held declarer to just his seven clubs and HA to
inflict an 800-point set. That was one of the biggest
swings of the tournament -- 16 IMPs to China. Certainly
worth a home-town cheer or two.

*******************************************************
                         Correction

The bidding given in problem 1 in "Facts, not Research" in
Daily Bulletin #7 was incorrect. Here repeat problem 1 with
the correct bidding.

                 1. Dealer North; Vul None.

                            S J965
                            H AKQT6
                            D A5
                            C A6

                            S A7
                            H 74
                            D K73
                            C KJT732

               West    North   East    South
                         1H    Pass      2C
               Pass     3NT    Pass      4C
               Pass      4D    Pass      4S
               Pass      5H    Pass      6C
            All Pass

West leads the D2. What is your basic plan?

This deal was declared by Amalya Kearse, who took full
advantage of the non-spade lead. This was the layout:

                            S J965
                            H AKQT6
                            D A5
                            C A6
                 S K8432             S QT
                 H 9832              H J5
                 D QT42              D J986
                 C --                C Q9854
                            S A7
                            H 974
                            D K73
                            C KJT732

Playing in 6C, Kearse won the first trick in hand with the
DK, played a club to dummy's ace and ran the C6 when East
didn't cover (not that that matters). Now came three top
hearts, East ruffing the last and declarer over ruffing.
Kearse cashed the CK, led a club to East's remaining queen
and claimed. There were two winning hearts in the dummy for
declarer's losing spade and diamond.

In the bidding for the second problem, the footnote should
have read, "at least 5-5 in the black suits."
********************************************************
                     Diamonds both ways

Diamonds were a favorite on Board 1 of 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

This deal was played in diamonds N-S several times, the
declarers taking five, six, seven or nine tricks according
to the defense. But E-W also played in diamonds a couple of
times, always making six tricks. Guess all kinds of
diamonds are popular.
********************************************************

     Deas takes over top spot in world women's rankings

Lynn Deas of the United States, three-time world women's
champion, has moved into the #1 ranking among the World
Bridge Federation's women players.  Bob Hamman of the
United States, a competitor at this tournament with the
United States II team,  maintained his #1 ranking among
open players --- a position he has held since 1985.
Figures released by the WBF show that Deas, who won the
Venice Cup in 1987, 1989 and 1991, has 2356 points to 2223
for Sandra Landy of Great Britain, who ranked second.
Hamman is one of the few players in the world to have won
all three of the major world championship events --- the
Bermuda Bowl, the Olympiad and the Open Pairs.  The new
rankings represent the present strength of players and is
accomplished by subtracting 15% of a player's masterpoints
each year --- excluding points won in that year, which
remain at 100%.  As a result, players who do not play often
will continually lose points. Placement points for overall
placings are retained for life.  The three WBF ranks, in
descending order, are World Grand Master, World Life Master
and World Master.  The rank of World Grand Master is
achieved by accumulating 10 or more WBF placing points
(awarded to winners and very high finishers in WBF
tournaments and zonal team championships) and winning at
least one world title.  The rank of World Life Master is
achieved by winning 5 or more placing points. These titles
are lifetime.  A player who wins 150 WBF masterpoints
becomes a World Master but loses this rank if his total
falls below 150 as a result of the annual percentage cut of
15%. Here are the leaders and their totals:

 Women World Grand Masters
 1  Lynn Deas           USA             2356
 2  Sandra Landy        Great Britain   2223
 3  Kerri Sanborn       USA             2092
 4  Bep Vriend          Netherlands     1951
 5  Beth Palmer         USA             1915
 6  Nicola Smith        Great Britain   1865
 7  Pat Davies          Great Britain   1865
 8  Judi Radin          USA             1834
 9  Kathie Wei-Sender   USA             1719
10  Karen McCallum      USA             1615
11  Sue Picus           USA             1585
12  Carol Sanders       USA             1530
13  Betty Ann Kennedy   USA             1515
14  Sally Horton        Great Britain   1466
15  Jacqui Mitchell     USA             1333
16  Gail Greenberg      USA              920
17  Marisa d'Andrea     Italy            691
18  Luciana Capodanno   Italy            547
19  Dorothy Truscott    USA              441
20  Marisa Bianchi      Italy            246

 Open World Grand Masters
 1  Bob Hamman          USA             5318
 2  Eric Rodwell        USA             4540
 3  Bobby Wolff         USA             4293
 4  Jeff Meckstroth     USA             4010
 5  Chip Martel         USA             3897
 6  Lew Stansby         USA             3887
 7  Gabriel Chagas      Brazil          3480
 8  Piotr Gawrys        Poland          3121
 9  Herv  Mouiel        France          2736
10  Marcelo Branco      Brazil          2571
11  Michel Perron       France          2387
12  Hugh Ross           USA             2309
13  Krzysztof Martens   Poland          2258
14  Paul Chemla         France          2192
15  Michael Rosenberg   USA             2099
16  Peter Weichsel      USA             2069
17  Roberto Mello       Brazil          1886
18  Mike Lawrence       USA             1831
19  Henri Szwarc        France          1484
20  Pedro Paulo Branco  Brazil          1463

********************************************************
                    A PAIN IN THE BUTT?

Early on Saturday morning, some journalists in the Press
Room were being driven crazy. They were quite unable to
think because a person on the roof was hammering with a
zeal likely to wake the dead.

"It's not a human being," observed Alan Truscott sourly.
"It's not even a humanoid. It's a hammeroid.
********************************************************
               USA 11 v Indonesia (Set 3 Open)

Indonesia led USA 11 by 76-60 after 32 boards of their
Marlboro Bermuda Bowl quarter-final clash yesterday. For
set three I sat down to watch Meckstroth /Rodwell face
Lasut/Manoppo and it was all action from the first board to
the last.

             Board 33. Love All. Dealer North.

                           S Q975
                           H 86
                           D 864
                           C K653
                  S AK2              S 84
                  H KT53             H AQJ942
                  D J73              D AK9
                  C A74              C J2
                           S JT63
                           H 7
                           D QT52
                           C QT98

Open Room

               West    North    East    South
              Karwur  Nickell  Sakul   Freeman
                        Pass     1H      Pass
               3NT(i)   Pass     5H      Pass
                6H     All Pass

               (i) Good balanced raise

Closed Room

               West     North   East     South
            Meckstroth  Lasut  Rodwell  Manoppo
                         Pass    1C (1)    1H (2)
               1NT (3)   Pass    2H       Pass
                3H (4)   Pass    4H       Pass
                4S (5)   Dbl    Pass (6)  Pass
               Rdbl (5)  Pass    5H( 7)   Pass
                 5S (8)  Dbl    5NT( 9)   Pass
                 6H     All Pass

                (1) Strong
                (2) Reds or blacks
                (3) 8+ balanced
                (4) 3-4-3-3
                (5) RKCB
                (6) No spade control
                (7) Two plus HQ
                (8) Kings?
                (9) One king

Fast or slow, all roads seemed to lead to the poor and
doomed slam. The respective declarers ran a lot of trumps
at the defenders but both North/Souths discarded
accurately. Sakul went two down, trying for an endplay,
while Rodwell was only one down; 2 IMPs to USA 11.
---------------------------------------------------------

The next two boards were flat then along came another
bidding test for East/West.

              Board 36. Game All. Dealer West.

                           S AT63
                           H Q63
                           D 98743
                           C 8
                  S J974            S KQ82
                  H K7              H A84
                  D AK5             D QT
                  C AKJT            C Q963
                           S 5
                           H JT952
                           D J62
                           C 7542

Open Room

               West    North   East    South
              Karwur  Nickell Sakul   Freeman
                1C     Pas s    1NT     Pass
                2C     Pass     3C      Pass
                3D     Pass     3S      Pass
                4D     Pass     5C     All Pass

Closed Room

               West     North   East    South
            Meckstroth  Lasut   Rodwell Manoppo
               2NT (1)   Pass    3C (2)   Pass
               3D  (3)   Pass    3H (4)   Pass
               3S        Pass    4NT (5)  Pass
               5H (6)    Pass    6H  (7)  Pass
              6NT      All Pass

                (1) 19-21
                (2) Five card majors?
                (3) No
                (4) Asking for four spades
                (5) RKCB
                (6) Two, no SQ
                (7) Choose 6S or 6NT

Karwur's 1C was strong and 1NT showed 8-13 balanced. 2C was
an enquiry and now, I believe, 3C showed a maximum with
four clubs and a second suit. 3D may have asked for the
second suit but, frankly I'm guessing. Whatever was going
on, it didn't get the job done. Nickell led ace and another
spade so that was +600.  Meckstroth's 19-21 2NT opening got
his side to slam.  Now they both did well, first Rodwell
for offering a choice of slams and second Meckstroth for
choosing no trump. The lead was a diamond and Meckstroth
won in hand to lead a spade to the king. Now he carefully
cashed a couple of clubs and found the clue he needed to
get the spades right; +1440 and 13 IMPs to USA 11.
---------------------------------------------------------

              Board 37. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                           S KT7
                           H 96
                           D AJ652
                           C J87
                   S 6             S AJ98532
                   H KQT2          H 875
                   D KT987         D --
                   C 932           C KT6
                           S Q4
                           H AJ43
                           D Q43
                           C AQ54

Open Room

               West    North    East    South
              Karwur  Nickell  Sakul   Freeman
                       Pass      3S      Dbl
               Pass    3NT     All Pass

Closed Room

               West     North   East     South
            Meckstroth  Lasut  Rodwell  Manoppo
                         Pass    1S       Dbl
               Pass       2D     2S       Pass
               Pass       3D    Pass      Pass
               Dbl       Pass    3S     All Pass

Sakul's pre-empt worked out better than Rodwell's shaded
one opening. Though the black suits behaved pretty well,
the 5-0 diamond break left Nickell short of tricks in 3NT
and Sakul's excellent heart lead left the defense always
ahead of the game; -100.

Rodwell opened a very light 1S, Manoppo doubled and now
Meckstroth's pass was two way, either normal or possibly a
good hand with short spades. When Lasut took the push to
3D, Meckstroth doubled for penalties but Rodwell could not
be sure of beating that so ran to 3S, ending the auction.
Rodwell ruffed the diamond lead and played two rounds of
trumps.

Manoppo won and led a low heart to dummy's king and Rodwell
led the DK to the ace and ruff, then led a second heart.
Manoppo ducked and Rodwell rose with the queen, ruffed a
diamond and played a third heart.  Manoppo won and played
his other heart and Rodwell discarded, forcing Manoppo to
lead a club; one down for -50 and 4 IMPs to Indonesia.
---------------------------------------------------------

              Board 38. E/W Vul. Dealer East.

                           S 9874
                           H A7
                           D J6
                           C QJ952
                  S AK53             S QJ6
                  H KT98             H QJ6532
                  D Q74              D AK32
                  C AT               C --
                           S T2
                           H 4
                           D T985
                           C K87643

Open Room

               West    North   East    South
              Karwur  Nickell Sakul   Freeman
                                1H     Pass
                1S      Pass    2D     Pass
                3C      Pass    3S     Pass
                5H      Pass    6H    All Pass

Closed Room

               West     North    East     South
            Meckstroth  Lasut   Rodwell  Manoppo
                                  1H      Pass
                2S      Pass      4D      Pass
                4S      Pass      5C      Pass
                5H     All Pass

When Denny Sakul opened 1H, Franky Karwur chose to go
slowly, responding 1S, then using Fourth Suit Forcing.
Hearing Sakul's approximate shape, he next made a general
slam try of 5H, which was accepted. There was nothing to
the play; +1430.  Jeff Meckstroth made game forcing raise
in the Closed Room and Rodwell showed his club void. The
way forward was unclear to Meckstroth and he chose to bid
4S, RKCB. But the one key card response didn't really solve
his problem and he guessed to sign-off in 5H. Wrong; 13
IMPs to Indonesia.
---------------------------------------------------------

             Board 39. Game All. Dealer South.

                           S K7
                           H QT62
                           D K
                           C KQT632
                   S A964            S QT52
                   H A75             H 9
                   D 985             D AQT764
                   C J87             C A4
                           S J83
                           H KJ843
                           D J32
                           C 95

Open Room

               West    North   East    South
              Karwur  Nickell Sakul   Freeman
                                       Pass
               Pass     1C      1D      1H
                1S      2H      3S     Pass
                4S    All Pass

Closed Room

             West     North     East    South
          Meckstroth  Lasut   Rodwell  Manoppo
                                         Pass
             Pass      2C        2D      Pass
              3C       Dbl       3S      Pass
              4S     All Pass

Both East/Wests reached the thin game but could they make
it? Effectively, the defense began the same way, once with
a top club lead from North, once with a club from South to
the jack, queen and ace. Both declarers led a spade to the
ace and a second spade to the king. Both Norths played two
more rounds of clubs to promote the SJ and there was a
diamond to come; one down and no swing.  Declarer has to
lead the S10 and run it. Now he can ruff the third club
with the queen and finesse the S9. It's a plausible play,
given the likely club position, but not obvious.
---------------------------------------------------------

              Board 40. Love All. Dealer West.

                          S Q42
                          H JT98764
                          D T7
                          C Q
                 S AK97            S 83
                 H AK52            H Q
                 D K               D QJ43
                 C AKT5            C J97432
                          S JT65
                          H 3
                          D A98652
                          C 86

In the Open Room, Karwur opened 2NT, 22-23, and Sakul bid
3S, transfer to 3NT, then passed that contract. Karwur made
all thirteen tricks for +520.  In the Closed Room,
Meckstroth opened a strong club and Lasut made a weak jump
overcall of 2H. Rodwell doubled, 8+ balanced or any 6-7,
and Meckstroth passed it out. Rodwell led a spade and
Meckstroth dealt him his ruff but that was with a trump
trick and Lasut's diamond loser went on the fourth spade;
one down for -100 and 9 IMPs to Indonesia.  Neither
East/West pair could be that impressed with their result
with 6C and 6NT cold their way.

              Board 42. Game All. Dealer East.

                           S Q3
                           H 9854
                           D 832
                           C AQJT
               S J9842             S T7
               H Q72               H KT63
               D AK4               D QT76
               C 96                C K75
                           S AK65
                           H AJ
                           D J95
                           C 8432

Open Room

               West    North   East    South
              Karwur  Nickell Sakul   Freeman
                               Pass     1C
               Pass    1H      Pass     1S
               Pass    2C     All Pass

Closed Room

               West      North     East    South
            Meckstroth   Lasut   Rodwell  Manoppo
                                   Pass     1D
               Pass        1H      Pass     1S
               Pass       1NT     All Pass

Freeman's 1C might have been three cards but the 1S rebid
made 2C Nickell's best option anyway. 2C was a comfortable
make; +90.  Manoppo's 1D was Precision and Lasut had no
knowledge of a club fit even had he been able to bid 2C to
play. Rodwell led a diamond against 1NT and Meckstroth
played three rounds of the suit. Now Rodwell found the
killing heart switch without cashing the thirteenth
diamond. Lasut won the ace and took the club finesse and
Rodwell underled his hearts to Meckstroth's queen. A heart
back meant two down; -200 and 7 IMPs to USA 11.
---------------------------------------------------------

             Board 43. Love All. Dealer South.

                          S QJT983
                          H T4
                          D Q
                          C QJ84
                 S --             S K62
                 H QJ9865         H AK2
                 D J5432          D A96
                 C T6             C K752
                          S A754
                          H 73
                          D KT87
                          C A93

Open Room

               West    North   East    South
              Karwur  Nickell Sakul   Freeman
                                        Pass
               Pass      3S     3NT     Dbl
                4H      Pass   Pass      4S
                5D      Pass     5H    All Pass

Closed Room

             West     North    East     South
          Meckstroth  Lasut   Rodwell  Manoppo
                                         Pass
              3D      Pass      4H     All Pass

Do you open the West hand? Meckstroth did, with a transfer
pre-empt, and Rodwell jumped to 4H. Karwur did not open but
now felt obliged to bid twice as the auction developed,
getting his side too high.

Against 5H, the lead was the DQ and declarer had no problem
picking that suit. With the CA offside, Karwur was one
down; -50.

A trump was led against Rodwell's 4H. He won and drew a
second round then led a low diamond off the dummy to the
queen, ace and eight. Manoppo followed smoothly with the
seven on the next diamond and Rodwell went into the tank.

If the CA was offside, he had to get this right; D K Q with
North was quite possible, making a second round duck
correct. Was he convinced by the echo from South, by
restricted choice considerations, or just by gut feeling?

Whatever the reason, Rodwell put up dummy's jack and made
his game; +420 and 10 IMPs to USA 11.  Meckwell had a
bidding misunderstanding on the next board, playing in a
silly 3-2 fit for five down, but the normal game was one
down at the other table so that was only 5 IMPs away.
********************************************************
The next deal saw a more serious blow to American hopes.
             Board 45. Game All. Dealer North.

                           S A94
                           H 9
                           D JT654
                           C QJT6
                  S K6              S Q872
                  H QJ743           H AKT86
                  D 87              D AQ32
                  C A753            C --
                           S JT53
                           H 52
                           D K9
                           C K9842

Closed Room

               West     North   East    South
            Meckstroth  Lasut   Rodwell Manoppo
                        Pass     1C      1H
                2H      Pass     3H     Pass
                3S      Pass    3NT     Pass
                4C      Pass     4D     Pass
                4S      Pass    4NT     Pass
                6H     All Pass

1C was strong and 1H showed both red suits. Hearts were
quickly agreed and Meckstroth cuebid 3S. Rodwell's 3NT said
he had a serious slam try and, after an exchange of
cuebids, 4S was RKCB. Rodwell showed 0 or 3 key cards and
Meckstroth jumped to slam.

6H needs little more than the diamond finesse but this was
not the Americans' lucky day; -100.  In the other room,
East/West bid 1H - 4H -Pass to gain 13 IMPs for Indonesia.
On the next board, Rodwell opened a 3-3-5-2 10-count and
reached a 23-point 3NT which made when South made his
normal lead. On a double dummy lead it would be beaten. Not
surprisingly, the Indonesians didn't reach that one so USA
11 picked up 7 valuable IMPs.

Board 15 was a flat North/South game and the set ended with
Rodwell again in game while his counterpart played in
partscore.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 48. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                           S A8
                           H 8754
                           D QT43
                           C Q87
                   S T965         S KJ73
                   H Q32          H A
                   D 82           D K976
                   C AT64         C KJ92
                           S Q42
                           H KJT96
                           D AJ5
                           C 53

Open Room

               West    North   East    South
              Karwur  Nickell Sakul   Freeman
               Pass    Pass     1D      1H
               Pass     2H      Dbl    Pass
                2S     All Pass

Closed Room

              West     North    East     South
           Meckstroth  Lasut   Rodwell  Manoppo
              Pass     Pass      1D       1H
              Dbl       2H       4S     All Pass

1D was Precision at both tables. Karwur didn't think he had
enough for a negative double but Sakul was maximum so
doubled 2H for takeout and Karwur declared 2S. He got a
heart lead to dummy's ace and led a low diamond at trick
two. This ran to Nickell's ten and he switched to a club,
solving declarer's problem in that suit. Karwur lost two
spades, two diamonds and a club ruff; +110.

Meckstroth scraped up a negative double in the Closed Room
and Rodwell made the aggressive leap to 4S. I'm sure he
knew this was a stretch before he saw dummy; after he saw
it he was even more certain.

Manoppo led a heart and Rodwell won and led the C9 to
dummy's ten. Lasut switched to a low diamond for the king
and ace and Manoppo returned the DJ, overtaken by Lasut to
play a club. Rodwell won in dummy to run the S10 to the
queen. There was the SA and a club ruff to come.  When the
smoke had cleared , Rodwell was three down; -300 and 9 IMPs
to Indonesia.

The Indonesians won the set by 53-39 to lead 129-99 at the
half-way point. Meckwell had managed one or two good
results, but I suspect they were pleased to be only -14 on
the set.

********************************************************
                  Watching on the Internet
               by Matthew Granovetter, Israel

A typical discarding problem arose in a Venice-Cup match
between China and South Africa.

         Round 8. Board 14. Love All. Dealer East.

                           S A96
                           H AJ943
                           D J9
                           C 432
                   S Q853          S JT2
                   H K862          H 75
                   D KQ2           D T875
                   C Q8            C K965
                           S K74
                           H QT
                           D A643
                           C AJT7

               West    North    East    South
              Mansell  Zhang   Modlin    Gu
                                Pass     1NT
               Pass      2D     Pass     2H
               Pass     3NT   All Pass

The opening lead of the S3 went to the king, and Gu led the
HQ, which held, and she overtook the H10 with the jack.

When she cashed the HA, East had to pitch. Unwilling to
throw a spade, which might block things up there, she threw
a club, and that produced three club tricks for declarer
and her contract.

The only clue East has is the signals by West on the first
two rounds of hearts. It appears that with the 8-6-2 spots
available, West can tell East what to keep. The 8-spot,
however, may be important if declarer holds Q-7-5, so only
the 6 and 2 are truly "available" for signaling. "Switch in
Time" methods are to give suit-preference after trick one
when following suit to declarer's lead.

Thus, West would high-low in hearts to indicate spade
preference or diamond preference if spades are not in the
picture. Even playing Smith Echo, this is a situation where
all the players know the spade position, so Smith Echo
should be "toggled off" and the 6-2 echo should say: "I
have better diamonds (perhaps even "longer" diamonds) than
clubs.
********************************************************
                     2 Israel festivals

Israel will be host to two bridge festivals within the next
few months.

The first will be the Red Sea International Bridge Festival
in Eilat from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3. The schedule: two-session
IMP Pairs, three-session Open Pairs and two-session Open
Teams. Direct inquiries to David Birman, 50 Pinkas St., Tel
Aviv 62261, Israel; Phone 972-3-605-8355; fax
972-3-546-5582.

The second will be the 30th Israel Bridge Festival at the
Ramada Continental Hotel in Tel Aviv Feb. 15-24. A full set
of events in planned, including Mixed Teams, Individual,
Women's Pairs, Men's Pairs, IMP Pairs, Mixed Pairs, Open
Pairs, Swiss Teams and Regional Simultaneous Pairs. The
contact person again is David Birman.
********************************************************

Li Tieying, state councillor of the People's Republic of
China with Vice Premier Minister ranking, was made an
Honorary Member of the World Bridge Federation. The honor
was conferred by Jose Damiani, president of the WBF.
********************************************************
                   Sweden vs. Netherlands

When Boards 33 to 48 of the quarterfinals came into play,
it was Sweden and the Netherlands on the Vugraph screen.
Netherlands carried forward an 81-55 lead from the first 32
boards. But the Dutch were no longer in the lead after
Board 48. Sweden erased 11 points from the lead on the very
first board.

             Board 33. Love All. Dealer North.

                           S Q975
                           H 86
                           D 864
                           C K653
                   S AK2           S 84
                   H KT53          H AQJ942
                   D J73           D AK9
                   C A74           C J2
                           S JT63
                           H 7
                           D QT52
                           C QT98

Closed Room
               West     North   East    South
             Kirchoff  Morath   Maas  Bjerregard
                        Pass     1H      Pass
                2C      Pass    2NT      Pass
                3C      Pass     3S      Pass
                4C      Pass     4D      Pass
               4NT      Pass     5S      Pass
                6H     All Pass

Kirchoff and Maas got a trifle too high on this one, losing
a diamond and a club. Fallenius and Nilsland had a more
restrained auction.

             West      North    East     South
           Fallenius  Westra  Nilsland  Leufkens
                       Pass      1H      Pass
              2NT      Pass      3C      Pass
               3D      Pass      3H      Pass
               4H     All Pass

Nilsland took the same 11 tricks to pick up a quick 11
IMPs. But 9 went back to the Dutch on the very next deal.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 34. N/S Vul. Dealer East.

                           S A32
                           H A3
                           D 98
                           C AJ8764
                S 954                   S KT86
                H Q52                   H J764
                D AKT7543               D J
                C --                    C Q952
                           S QJ7
                           H KT98
                           D Q62
                           C KT3

In the Open Room Fallenius preempted 3D in third seat and
was allowed to play it there. The defense made short work
of this. Westra started by cashing the HA and continuing
a heart to the king. He got his ruff and switched to the
CA, ruffed. Fallenius cashed his top trumps and still had
to lose a trump and the SA -- down 2.

At the other table Bjerregard opened 1C as South, and after
Kirchoff jumped to 3D, Morath leaped to game in clubs. This
suffered a two-trick defeat.

Board 4 was a major swing in every match -- perhaps the
wildest deal of the tournament to date.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 36. Game All. Dealer West.

                           S AT63
                           H Q63
                           D 98743
                           C 8
                  S J974           S KQ82
                  H K7             H A84
                  D AK5            D QT
                  C AKJT           C Q963
                           S 5
                           H JT952
                           D J62
                           C 7542

Open Room
             West     North    East     South
          Fallenius  Westra  Nilsland  Leufkens
              1C      Pass      1H      Pass
             1NT      Pass     2NT      Pass
              3C      Pass      3D      Pass
              3?      Pass     3NT      Pass
              4D      Pass     4NT      Pass
              6C     All Pass

As was pointed out by the Vugraph commentators, 6C was
played from the right side. It would have been easy for
South to find the singleton lead, but it isn't so easy for
North to find the SA lead. As a matter of fact Westra
didn't -- he led a diamond.  That was it -- Fallenius drew
trumps , guessed spades and claimed his contract.

Closed Room
               West    North   East     South
            Kirchoff  Morath   Maas   Bjerregard
                1C     Pass     1S       Pass
               2NT     Pass     3C       Pass
                4C     Pass    4NT       Pass
                5H     Dbl      6S     All Pass

South led the HJ, and declarer immediately went after
trumps. He led the queen, and when this was ducked, he
followed up with the king. One down and 16 IMPs to Sweden.

The other swings on this deal were 13, 16 and 13 in the
Marlboro Bermuda Bowl and 13,13, 17 and 12 in the Marlboro
Venice Cup.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 37. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                          S KT7
                          H 96
                          D AJ652
                          C J87
                 S 6              S AJ98532
                 H KQT2           H 875
                 D KT987          D --
                 C 932            C KT6
                          S Q4
                          H AJ43
                          D Q43
                          C AQ54

The Swedes played in game at both tables, going down each
time. In the Open room Nilsland preempted 4S and failed by
two tricks. In the Closed Room Maas bid only 3S, and Morath
came in with 3NT in the passout seat. He suffered a one-
trick setback, so 5 IMPs went to the Netherlands.

Board 38 was a push at 6H, but Westra thought long and hard
about saving in 7C. It would have been a worthwhile save --
down 1100 would have been an 8-IMP gain. There was a very
strange push in the Venezuela-China match -- 7H doubled
down one. The setting trick was the ace of trumps!
---------------------------------------------------------
It appeared that Morath had set up a big gain for Sweden on
Board 39, but it didn't work out that way.

             Board 39. Game All. Dealer South.

                          S K7
                          H QT62
                          D K
                          C KQT632
                  S A964            S QT52
                  H A75             H 9
                  D 985             D AQT764
                  C J87             C A4
                          S J83
                          H KJ843
                          D J32
                          C 95

In the Closed Room Morath bid 2C in third seat and bought
the hand, making exactly two. It's clear that E-W can make
some spades, and Fallenius and Nilsland actually got to
game.

            West    North     East     South
         Fallenius  Westra  Nilsland  Leufkens
                                       Pass
            Pass      1C       1D       1H
            Dbl       2H       3S      Pass
             4S     All Pass

Leufkens got off to the best opening lead -- the C9 to the
10 and ace. Now Nilsland had to play the spades the right
way or he was going down. He played them wrong for the lie,
going to the ace and leading a second to North's king.
Westra cashed the CK and gave his partner a ruff for the
setting trick.

If Nilsland had led to the HA and led a spade toward his
queen, not too likely a play, he would have succeeded. As
it was, the board was a push.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 40. Love All. Dealer West.

                           S Q42
                           H JT98764
                           D T7
                           C Q
                   S AK97         S 83
                   H AK52         H Q
                   D K            D QJ43
                   C AKT5         C J97432
                           S JT65
                           H 3
                           D A98652
                           C 86

Both teams missed the slam here, stopping in 3NT and making
six. But a surprising thing happened in the Canada-South
Africa match. Canada did well to get to 6C -- but they lost
13 IMPs despite making the slam! In the other room, Canada
played in 4S doubled N-S and suffered a 1700-point set! In
the China-France Marlboro Bermuda Bowl match, both teams
did well -- they pushed the board with 920 each at 6C.

The Dutch got too high on Board 41 and suffered a two-trick
set at 4S. Sweden stopped in 3S and made it when the
defense slipped for an 8-IMP gain.
---------------------------------------------------------
Board 43 was a milestone for Sweden -- they finally pulled
into the lead.

             Board 43. Love All. Dealer South.

                           S QJT983
                           H T4
                           D Q
                           C QJ84
                  S --             S K62
                  H QJ9865         H AK2
                  D J5432          D A96
                  C T6             C K752
                           S A754
                           H 73
                           D KT87
                           C A93

               West    North     East     South
            Fallenius  Westra  Nilsland  Leufkens
                                           Pass
                3H      Pass      3NT      Pass
                4H     All Pass

The opening lead of the DQ went to the ace and Fallenius
drew trumps. A diamond now brought the king from South and
Fallenius had his game. But did you notice the N-S cards?
With the SK and the CK onside and the C10 doubleton, 4S
looks like a make.  That's where Morath and Bjerregard
arrived, and they made the game for a huge 13-IMP swing to
Sweden. China in the Marlboro Bermuda Bowl also achieved a
double-game swing on this deal against France.
---------------------------------------------------------
The Dutch got all 13 back on Board 47 (this result was
already in the books when Sweden went ahead because Board
13-16 are played early).

              Board 47. N/S Vul. Dealer South.

                           S K6
                           H KT97
                           D AT93
                           C Q87
                 S AJ9732          S 854
                 H 54              H QJ8
                 D K8              D QJ7652
                 C 964             C 2
                           S QT
                           H A632
                           D 4
                           C AKJT53

Open Room
               West    North     East     South
            Fallenius  Westra  Nilsland  Leufkens
                                           1C
                2S      Dbl       3S       4H
             All Pass

The play was routine, declarer making 11 tricks, losing
only a trump and the SA. But this was the auction in the
Closed Room:

Closed Room
               West    North   East    South
                                        2C
                2S      Dbl    3D       4H
                4S      5D     Dbl     Pass
               Pass     5H     Pass     6H
              All Pass

Clearly declarer had to lose the same two tricks, so that
was 13 for the Dutch.

On the final board of the set, the Dutch got too high and
went down three tricks in a spade game. At the other table
the Dutch bought the hand for 2, making, but that was
another 5 IMPs for Sweden.

So at the halfway mark of the match, Sweden had taken over
the lead, 110-105.
********************************************************
                Chinese women in semifinal;
               three matches are still close

One quarterfinal match is over -- the Chinese women have
advanced to the semifinal of the Marlboro Venice Cup as a
result of the withdrawal by Venezuela. China skyrocketed
ahead by 77 in the first 16-board segment and added 40 in
the second. They made further gains in the third and fourth
and had outdistanced the South Americans by 159 IMPs by the
end of the day.

Two Marlboro Bermuda Bowl matches and one Marlboro Venice
Cup battle still are very much in doubt. The closest match
is in the women's championship -- the clash between the two
American teams. Going into the last two boards, U.S. II had
a 35-point lead, but U.S. I closed out the set with two
major swings, reducing the margin to only six, 166-159.

The United States, down 30 to Indonesia after 48 boards,
staged a mild comeback to close to within 15 IMPs, 158-143.
And the match that transfixes the Vugraph audience -- China
vs. France -- is a real dogfight. China got off to an 11-
point lead over the first 16 and added 10 in the second.
France picked up seven in the third, but China added four
in the fourth in a see-saw battle of IMPs. Going into
today's final 32 deals, China leads, 143-125.

Canada came out with guns blazing against South Africa.
Canada scored 50 IMPs before South Africa got on the
scoreboard -- and then they scored only a single IMP. South
Africa made a mild comeback, but all the swings at the end
of the fourth session went to Canada. The Canadians are
solid favorites with a 70-IMP lead.

Netherlands vs. Sweden was very close for most of the day.
Sweden took the lead at the beginning, then Netherlands
surged ahead. At the halfway mark Sweden was out front by
five, but the Dutch closed in again in the fourth segment.
The late boards all went to Sweden, however, making the
Swedes odds-on with a 176-123 lead.

Germany and France appear comfortable in their Marlboro
Venice Cup matches. Germany, down five after the opening
set, came back with a 44-8 set and continued strong, taking
a 49-IMP lead. France and South Africa were virtually even
for the first 32 boards, but the roof fell in on the South
Africans in the third segment -- France gained 50 IMPs.
France now holds an almost insurmountable 76-IMP lead.

********************************************************
                France v China (Set 2 Open)

China led 54-43 after the first set and 77-56 after the
second. The boards were not very lively and there was also
some excellent tight bridge, hence the low IMP turnover.
China had tacked on 4 IMPs in bits and pieces when the
first lively deal came along.

              Board 21. N/S Vul. Dealer North.

                            S T3
                           H KJ5
                           D KQ4
                          C A9632
               S K98654                 S AJ7
              H AQ97                   H T8632
              D 752                    D T963
                C --                     C 4
                            S Q2
                            H 4
                           D AJ8
                         C KQJT875

Open Room

               West    North    East   South
               Wang    Perron    Fu    Chemla
                         1C     Pass    1D
                1S      Pass     2S     3S
                4S      4NT     Pass    6C
              All Pass

Closed Room

               West    North    East     South
              Soulet    Hu    Reiplinger  Xu
                        1C      Pass      2C
                2S      3C       3S       5C
              All Pass

It is unrealistic to expect South to stop short of game
once he hears his partner open the bidding, especially when
that opening is 1C, albeit a possible short suit in a weak
no trump type. Hu/Xu had the advantage of an inverted club
raise so South did not have to distort his hand with his
first response. Xu made the obvious bid on the second round
and the defense quickly took their three winners for one
down; -100.

Chemla did not have a forcing club raise so invented a
diamond response then cuebid on the next round.  The
winning action for Perron was to double 4S but that was
difficult.  He had a diamond fit and Chemla sounded to be
shapely as a more balanced type could just have doubled 2S.
4NT offered a choice of minor suit games but, despite his
bad spade holding, Chemla's mind was in bigger things.

Fu Zong led the SA against 6C and Wang Xiao was taking no
chances that declarer might be 1-3-4-5. He dropped th
e SK under the ace, clearly demanding a heart switch, which
duly came. An intelligent way to avoid gaining 3 IMPs,
don't you agree? No swing.
--------------------------------------------------------
The biggest Chinese gain came on Board 26.

              Board 26. Game All. Dealer East.

                           S 953
                           H KT65
                           D Q62
                           C 752
                  S KT6           S 874
                  H AJ982         H Q
                  D A93           D KJ7
                  C K8            C AT9643
                           S AQJ2
                           H 743
                           D T854
                           C QJ


Both Wests opened 1H in third seat and the respective Easts
bid 1NT. Reiplinger's 1NT was natural and non-forcing while
Fu's was forcing, Precision style. Soulet passed while Wang
made the aggressive 2NT rebid, promptly raised to game by
Fu.

I can't actually see why a passed hand cannot afford to
make a 2C response as partner can hardly expect more than
this, but perhaps both pairs play some form of Drury?

Reiplinger made eleven tricks in 1NT; +210. in 3NT, Fu
received the lead of the CQ from Chemla, not that it made
much difference. He won the CK and led low to the ace,
cashed the C10 then took the heart finesse. Perron won and
played back a diamond to the ten and ace. Fu cashed the
heart winners then played a diamond to the king: ten tricks
and +630. 9 IMPs to China.

              Board 30. Love All. Dealer East.

                           S QJ85
                           H 832
                           D AK
                           C A972
                 S 72               S A963
                 H 94               H AK7
                 D QJ8764           D T9
                 C QJ5              C T864
                           S KT4
                           H QJT65
                           D 532
                           C K3

In the Closed Room, the Chinese North/South pair were given
a free run and stopped safely in 2H. Soulet led his
doubleton spade and Reiplinger defended accurately to give
him his ruff; +140.  In the Open Room, Wang opened 3D in
third seat. This was passed round to Chemla (South), who
protected with 3H, raised to game by Perron. Here, the lead
was more critical and Wang did not disappoint the large
home contingent in the Vugraph theatre.  He also led a
spade and shortly afterwards Chemla was one down; -50 and 5
IMPs to China.
---------------------------------------------------------
The one significant French gain came on the final board of
the set.

              Board 32. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                           S T7
                           H KT7
                           D AQT32
                           C JT2
                   S KJ84          S AQ32
                   H A65           H QJ
                   D J84           D 97
                   C AQ9           C 87543
                           S 965
                           H 98432
                           D K65
                           C K6

In the Open Room, Wang opened 1NT, 13-15, and played there,
making exactly; +90.  Soulet also opened 1NT, but there was
an important difference. His range was 15-18 so it was
normal for Reiplinger to move. He used Stayman and raised
the 2S response to game. A diamond lead and heart switch
through the ace would defeat 4S but that is a real double
dummy lead. In practice, Hu led CJ and Soulet could
establish the clubs for heart pitches so lost just one club
and two diamonds; +620 and 11 IMPs to France - and all
because of differing no trump ranges.
********************************************************
                      That's Teamwork

Eric Kokish is not only a man with a specific convention
for every situation, he makes sure his teammates are
similarly prepared. So when Canada met USA 11 in Round 11,
Boris Baran and Marc Molson were primed for action.

              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

Most East/Wests had real problems after 4D - 4H - 5D. Many
pairs defended 5D doubled for +200, while USA 11 did
reasonably well to record +440 in 5C.  But for Canada:

               West    North    East    South
               Baran           Molson
                        3S (1)  4C (2)   Pass
               4NT (3)  Pass    5C(4)    Pass
                6C     All Pass

(1) Pre-empt in a minor
(2) Hearts and a minor
(3) Slam try
(4) Minimum with clubs

Baran had no way to investigate his partner's precise
holding and settled for the small slam. Although thirteen
tricks were available, it was still 11 IMPs to Canada.

********************************************************
                    Semi-final Pairings

There have been some questions as to how to interpret part
5.1 of the supplemental conditions of contest. Let me try
to how it should be understood.  Using the Venice Cup as an
example. The winners of China v Venezuela  and France v
South Africa cannot meet each other. If both the winners of
these matches could meet opponents they did not play in the
round-robin stage in the semi-finals then they will do so.
If that is not possible, or still leaves a choice but there
is only one group winner  left, that team may choose its
semi-final opponent. If even that is not possible, which
means that both group winners plus two other teams from the
same group have survived, then there will be a draw to
decide which group winner will play which of the other two
teams.  Ton Kooijman

********************************************************
      USA 11 v Italy - The Final Round by Barry Rigal

Italy needed a big win in their final qualifying match if
they were to have a chance of making the knockout stages.
Board 2 was just the tonic they needed.

               Board 2. N/S Vul. Dealer East.

                            S J5
                            H AK862
                            D AQ98
                            C A9
                  S KQT9            S A64
                  H Q9              H T75
                  D J762            D K3
                  C K74             C QJ865
                            S 8732
                            H J43
                            D T54
                            C T32


            West       North     East     South
          Lanzarotti  Meckstroth  Buratti  Rodwell
                                 Pass      Pass
            1NT         Dbl      Pass      Pass
           Rdbl       All Pass

A top heart lead will produce +600 for the defense while a
low heart lead, as Meckstroth discovered, generates -560.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 8. Love All. Dealer West.

                           S AKQ8
                           H KQJT6
                           D QT2
                           C 6
                  S J952          S T63
                  H 42            H 83
                  D KJ93          D A75
                  C 974           C AKJT8
                           S 74
                           H A975
                           D 864
                           C Q532

Board 8 was an exciting push. In the Closed Room, Versace
played 4H from the South seat on a club lead. Hamman did
his best by winning and leading a low diamond to the king
but Versace could guess the layout of the suit when Wolff
continued it.  By contrast, Lanzarotti did very well to
give himself a chance when Meckstroth was declarer from
North.

             West       North      East    South
          Lanzarotti  Meckstroth  Buratti  Rodwell
             Pass        1C        Pass     1D
             Pass        1H         2C      3H
             Pass        4H     All Pass

Lanzarotti led a top club and also found the low diamond
switch. Now, when Buratti continued diamonds, Meckstroth
got it right. Perhaps he thought that with the ace and king
Buratti would have cashed them both?  Board 13 was critical
for USA 11's chances. Without a pick-up on this hand, the
USA team was heading for an 11-19 or 12-18 loss, and Brazil
would be heading for the quarter-finals.
---------------------------------------------------------
             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
          Lanzarotti  Meckstroth  Buratti  Rodwell
                         1D        Pass     1H
              1S         2C        Dbl      2D
              Dbl       Pass       2S      Pass
              3S      All Pass

Closed Room

               West    North    East    South
              Wolff   Lauria   Hamman  Versace
                       2NT (1)  Pass     3D (2)
                3S     Pass      4S     All Pass

              (1) Majors or minors
              (2) For correction

Doubtless Lanzarotti's poor spades led to his only offering
an invitation - perhaps Buratti should have acvcepted
because of the strength of his trumps.  Anyway, 10 IMPs to
the USA, plus a partscore swing on the last board on
vugraph saw them recover to a 14-16 loss and a place in the
final stages.

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

1995 Marlboro Bermuda Bowl Quarter Final after 64 boards

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
France        43   13   31   38   125
China         54   23   24   42   143
        
Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
South Africa   9   29   28   34   100
Canada        58   11   51   50   170

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
Sweden        44   11   55   66   176
Netherlands   34   47   24   18   123

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
Indonesia     46   30   53   29   158
USA II        31   29   39   44   143

**********************************************************
1995 Marlboro Venice Cup Quarter Final  - After 64 Boards

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
France        54    7   68   42   171
South Africa  25   35   18   17    95

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
China         88   48   56   50   242
Venezuela     11    8   34   30    83

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
USA I         49   18   30   62   159
USA II        71   18   48   29   166

Boards        16   32   48   64   Cum   80   96
Japan         48    8   40   32   128
Germany       43   44   46   44   177
*********************************************
   Surviving Team Rosters Bermuda Bowl

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

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
******************************************************
         Suriving Team Rosters - Venice Cup

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

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