              Marlboro Bermuda and Venice Cup
                       Beijing, China
                  October 8th - 21st, 1995
            Issue 9, Monday, October 16th, 1995
           Editor: Henry Francis and Brian Senior
*********************************************************

                      Today's Schedule

                        Bermuda Bowl
                       Sweden v Canada
                       France v USA 1

                         Venice Cup
                       France v Germany
                        China v USA


          1995 Marlboro Bermuda Bowl Quarter Final

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
France       43   13   31   38   38   33   196
China        54   23   24   42   31   19   193

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
South Africa  9   29   25   34   34   56   187
Canada       58   11   46   50   36   71   272

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
Sweden       44   11   50   66   21   35   227
Netherlands  34   47   24   18   15   44   182

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
Indonesia    46   30   53   29   14    5   177
USA II       31   29   39   44   30   43   216
**********************************************************
           1995 Marlboro Venice Cup Quarter Final

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
France       54    7   68   42   32   26   229
South Africa 25   35   18   17   17   13   126

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
USA I        50   18   30   62   70   44   274
USA II       71   18   48   29   18   32   216

Boards       16   32   48   64   80   96  Result
Japan        48    8   40   32   60    5   193
Germany      43   44   46   44   32   20   229

Boards       16   32   48   64  Result  80  96
China        88   48   56   50   242    //  //
Venezuela    11    8   34   30    83    //  //
**********************************************************
                       Appeal Case 7
                     by Richard Colker

Bermuda Bowl: Netherlands (N-S) vs. Sweden (E-W).
              Board 9. E/W Vul. Dealer North.
                      (Westra, Berry)
                           S T
                           H A942
                           D 92
                           C AJT982
          (Fallenius, Bjorn)      (Nilsland, Mats)
             S 8542                    S AKQ93
             H QJT76                   H 3
             D 753                     D AJT6
             C 5                       C K74
                      (Leufkens, Enri)
                           S J76
                           H K85
                           D KQ84
                           C Q63

               West    North   East    South
                        Pass   1C (1)   Pass
               1D  (2)   3C    Pass     Pass
               Dbl (3)  Pass   3S     All Pass

(1) Strong, 17+HCPs.
(2) Negative.
(3) After a hesitation.  Described by West (to South) as
    takeout.

Committee members: Richard Colker (Chair), Rebecca Rogers,
John Wignall, Barbara Nudelman, Mazhar Jafri.

Facts: The Director was called after the completion of the
hand.  N-S complained that West had hesitated unduly before
doubling, and because of this East had bid only 3S.

Director's ruling: Applied to the present case Law 16A2
authorizes the Director to assign an adjusted score
whenever it is determined that, following West's (alleged)
hesitation, East selected from among logical alternatives
an action which could have been suggested by the
hesitation.  The Directors did not feel that 3S met this
criterion, so the result at the table was allowed to stand.
N-S appealed this ruling.

Testimony: N-S stated that West's double took approximately
one minute.  They also stated that E-W were normally a very
aggressive pair, and that stopping short of game on the
East cards opposite a West hand good enough to balance
(East's pass of 3C was not absolutely forcing) was unusual.
They also cited evidence suggesting that people in the
Vugraph room were surprised that East bid only 3S, and that
4S was the final contract at nearly all the other tables.

Finally, they pointed out that West's description of his
double as "takeout" was not correct.  (West confirmed that
it could have been based on a balanced hand in the 5-7 HCPs
range, and should more accurately have been described as
"value showing.")

East stated that he considered three alternative bids after
West's double: 3S, 4C and 4S.  3S was selected because of
its flexibility, including allowing for a possible 3NT
contract.  4C was considered a better bridge bid than 4S
because it allowed for a possible diamond contract.
Finally, East felt that 3S also carried the implication of
being a 5-card suit, since red suits of equal or longer
length would be bid at the 3-level before a 4-card spade
suit.  (West seemed unaware of this inference.)

Committee's decision: This case was quite complex, the
final decision resting on several delicate issues.

First, the testimony, together with East's club holding,
suggested that East had good reason to attribute the
hesitation on the other side of the screen to West.

Second, E-W were normally (and undisputedly) a very
aggressive pair, and the 4S game was bid by most E-W pairs
in the event.

Third, East's hand was strong enough (even though minimum
in high cards) to produce a good play for 4S, even opposite
many West hands containing only three spades and values too
modest to raise 3S to four (e.g., SJ8x HQxxxx DQxx Cxx).

And finally, West's (presumed) huddle suggested that
caution by East was more likely to be successful than
aggression.  It was therefore decided that East should be
forced to take the more aggressive action of bidding 4C
over West's double, which would land E-W in a 4S contract.
The most likely result would be down one, so the score for
4S by E-W down one was assigned to both pairs (N-S +100, E-
W -100).
********************************************************
                   110 IMPs on one board

Board 58 of the quarterfinals was a delight or a disaster
to every team in both the Marlboro Bermuda Bowl and the
Marlboro Venice Cup -- a total of 110 IMPs changed hands.
That's an average of almost 14 IMPs per match. This was the
deal:           Board 58. Game All. Dealer East.

                            S 9
                            H AK9
                            D T
                            C AJT96543
                 S Q873                 S AKJT54
                 H JT8                  H 43
                 D KQ9875               D A32
                 C --                   C 87
                            S 62
                            H Q7652
                            D J64
                            C KQ2

The biggest swing occurred in the Canada-South Africa open
match -- 22 IMPs, the biggest turnover of the tournament.
This gain was enough to put the match just about beyond the
reach of the South Africans.

Open Room
               West     North    East    South
              Kokish   Mansell  Silver   Cope
                                  1S     Pass
                2D       3C       3S     5C
                5S       6C      Pass    Pass
                6S     All Pass

Not unnaturally, Cope led the CK, and that was curtains for
South Africa -- Silver made the slam with an overtrick. The
slam can be beaten, of course -- Cope has to find the heart
opening lead. But when he didn't -- and it certainly
doesn't look attractive to lead a heart -- Canada racked up
plus 1460. In the other room:

               West    North   East    South
               Gower   Molson  Convery Baran
                                1S      Pass
                4S      5C     Pass     Pass
                5D     Pass     5S       6C
                Dbl   All Pass

It's clear that this contract can be beaten as well, the
defense has to cash a spade and a spade and a diamond. But
look at the situation from East's point of view -- he sees
a doubleton spade and three diamonds in dummy. After
cashing a spade on opening lead, he has to decide whether
to try to cash a second spade or a diamond. Fearing that
declarer might have a void in diamonds, East tried for a
second spade. And that was the end -- 1540 to Canada..
That's a plus of 3000, good for 22 IMPs.

Sweden gained 17 by making 6S and defeating 6S doubled.
United States gained 11 by stopping in 5S, making seven, in
one room, and going to 6C in the other, doubled and down
one. In the fourth Marlboro Bermuda Bowl match, China
scored 1250 by making 5S doubled with two overtricks -- but
this was a 12-IMP loss.  France was in 6S doubled, making
with an overtrick for 1860.

The smallest exchange occurred in the Marlboro Venice Cup
match between France and South Africa -- 9 IMPs. France
doubled 6S in one room and beat it 200. In the other room
France doubled 6C and beat it 200. South Africa lost 9 IMPs
with the same contracts on which Canada gained 22. China
made 5S doubled --1250 -- and defeated 6C doubled -- 16
IMPs. Both United States teams played in 5S making seven,
but U.S. II was doubled -- 11 IMPs. The same was true in
the Germany-Japan match -- both were in 5S making seven,
but Germany played it doubled.
********************************************************
                     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.
********************************************************
                China v France (Set 5 Open)

China led France by 143-125 overnight in their Marlboro
Bermuda Bowl semi-final. There were 32 boards to go and
they were all to appear on Vugraph as the match remained
tight.  The first three boards were fairly quiet, China
picking up 2 IMPs to extend their lead to 145-125. Then
came something more substantial.
              Board 68. Game All. Dealer West.

                           S QT84
                           H KQ
                           D K96
                           C Q964
               S J75                  S AK92
               H JT3                  H A9864
               D AT8742               D J3
               C K                    C 52
                           S 63
                           H 752
                           D Q5
                           C AJT873
Open Room
                  West    North    East    South
                 Perron   Wang    Chemla    Fu
                 Pass      1D      1H       Pass
                  2D     Pass      2H     All Pass

Closed Room
                  West    North    East    South
                   Xu    Cronier    Hu     Lebel
                  Pass     1C       2C      3C
                   4H     All Pass

Chemla made nine tricks after a diamond lead; +140.
In the other room, Hu's 2C cuebid, showing five plus hearts
and four plus spades, persuaded Xu to try game. The defense
began with two rounds of clubs, forcing declarer to ruff.
He played two rounds of hearts and North switched to a
spade, after which Xu could bring in the spades without
loss; +620.

Best is for North to keep plugging away with clubs, forcing
dummy to ruff and also leaving declarer short of entries to
play spades successfully, but it is possible that he did
not appreciate that declarer had only three trumps. Anyway,
that was 10 IMPs to China; 155-125.
----------------------------------------------------------
Board 5 was flat then France missed an opportunity for a
useful gain.
             Board 70.  E/W Vul.  Dealer East.

                           S 532
                           H 32
                           D A87
                           C A9872
               S J94                 S AKT
               H K7654               H QJT98
               D Q65                 D T43
               C K6                  C JT
                           S Q876
                           H A
                           D KJ92
                           C Q543
Open Room
               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Wang   Chemla    Fu
                                1H      Dbl
               2NT      3C     Pass    Pass
                3H    All Pass

Closed Room
               West    North   East    South
                Xu    Cronier   Hu     Lebel
                                1H      Dbl
                2NT     3C      3H     Pass
               Pass     Dbl    Pass     4C
              All Pass

3H had to lose the obvious six tricks so Chemla was two
down; -200. In the Closed Room, Cronier doubled 3H to show
good values and suggest taking a penalty, but Lebel had too
many clubs and too little defense to want to risk that so
pulled to 4C where the fortunate spade position saw him
home. That was +130 for France but -2 IMPs instead of +7
had they defended 3H doubled.
--------------------------------------------------------
China led 157-125.  Then the tide turned with a vengeance.
             Board 71. Game All. Dealer South.

                           S 643
                           H K7
                           D J872
                           C 8532
               S 9752               S JT8
               H Q4                 H AJ95
               D KQ6                D T54
               C QT76               C KJ4
                           S AKQ
                           H T8632
                           D A93
                           C A9

In the Open Room, Fu opened the South hand with a strong
club and rebid 1NT over the negative response, playing
there. Perron led a spade and Fu won and tried a heart to
the king and ace. Back came a second spade and he played a
H10 to Perron's queen.

Perron found the excellent switch to a low club for the
king and ace and Fu played a third heart, Perron pitching a
diamond. Chemla cashed the CJ then switched to a diamond,
ducked. Perron cashed his clubs and Fu pitched a heart then
a diamond, so was back to two down when a second heart
pitch would have left him only one off; -200.

In the Closed Room, Michel Lebel opened 1H and was left to
play there. This contract is also due to fail by one trick
but East never led a diamond through and Lebel reached a
position where West had nothing but diamonds remaining. A
low diamond from hand now endplayed West to concede the
last two tricks and the contract; +80 and 7 IMPs to France.
---------------------------------------------------------
France gained 2 IMPs on overtricks on the next board, then:
              Board 73. E/W Vul. Dealer North.

                          S AJ8652
                          H Q4
                          D KQ8
                          C 84
              S Q                  S K93
              H AJT862             H K3
              D T943               D A752
              C K2                 C A965
                          S T74
                          H 975
                          D J6
                          C QJT73
Open Room
               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Wang    Chemla   Fu
                        1S     Pass     1NT
                2H      2S     4H       4S
               Pass    Pass    Dbl    All Pass

Closed Room
               West    North   East    South
                Xu    Cronier   Hu     Lebel
                        1S     Pass    1NT
               Pass     2S     Pass    Pass
                3H     Pass     4H     All Pass

The DK was led against 4H in the Closed Room. Xu won and
immediately played HK and a heart to the jack; one down for
-100.  Would Michel Perron have got the hearts right at the
other table? We will never know, of course, but had he
played 4H successfully France would have gained 12 IMPs.
When Fu took the save in 4S, they had those same 12 IMPs
without the pressure. Chemla led king and another heart and
Perron won and switched to a diamond. Wang won the second
diamond and played ace other spade to be three down; -500.
If the defense could arrange to cash their winners then
play a third heart, declarer might well go for 800. China
157-146.
---------------------------------------------------------
              Board 74. Game All. Dealer East.

                          S 3
                          H 9863
                          D AK984
                          C K65
             S AJ542                S T
             H QT542                H KJ7
             D T7                   D QJ652
             C J                    C AQT4
                          S KQ9876
                          H A
                          D 3
                          C 98732

Both Easts opened 1D, both Souths overcalled 1S and both
Norths responded 1NT. Fu rebid 2S on the South hand, Lebel
preferred 2C. Both bids ended the auction.  2C scrambled
home after a diamond lead, dummy's trump pips proving to be
invaluable to Lebel; +90.  Perron also led a diamond
against 2S. Fu won and played a spade to the queen, ducked.
Now he led a club, ducking when Perron's jack came up.
Perron led a heart to the king and ace and Fu played a
second club. Chemla won and cashed the rest of his clubs,
enabling Perron to pitch his remaining diamond. On the
diamond switch, Fu threw his last club so Perron ruffed
cheaply and still had two trumps to come; -200 and 7 IMPs
to France, trailing only 153-157.
---------------------------------------------------------
             Board 75. Love All. Dealer South.

                           S 63
                           H QJ952
                           D J94
                           C QT3
              S K92                   S QJT85
              H 4                     H 73
              D AKQT876               D 3
              C J7                    C K9852
                           S A74
                           H AKT86
                           D 52
                           C A64
Open Room
               West    North    East    South
              Perron   Wang    Chemla    Fu
                                         1C
                1D     Dbl       1S      2H
                4H     Dbl       4S     Pass
               Pass    5H     All Pass

Closed Room
               West    North   East   South
                Xu    Cronier   Hu    Lebel
                                       1H
                2D      3H     Dbl     4H
                5D     Pass    Pass    Dbl
             All Pass

Fu's strong club opening, I really don't see how any
5-3-3-2 hand can be worth upgrading, however good the
controls, made it easy for the French to get spades into
the auction in the Open Room.

Neither North nor South could be confident of beating 4S,
indeed, it takes two rounds of hearts to shorten West's
trumps followed by a diamond switch to cut off dummy to do
so, by no means automatic, and when his partner could not
double, it was understandable for Wang to save in 5H. No-
one had a double of that but three down ( declarer
misguessed the club layout) was satisfactory enough for the
French; -150.

In the Closed Room, the natural opening allowed North/South
to get their hands off their chests without any temptation
of going to the five level. Meanwhile, Hu's competitive
double put temptation the way of Xu and he succumbed. At
this table there was a double and it netted 300 for France
who suddenly found themselves in the lead.  These 10 IMPs
made the score 163-157 in their favor.
--------------------------------------------------------
Momentum is a strange thing and just when it seemed
everything was going the way of France it turned, though it
looked at one point as though the French were going to
build on their new-found lead.
              Board 76. N/S Vul. Dealer West.

                          S KQ753
                          H J4
                          D A42
                          C QJ2
                S T92             S 86
                H A987            H K
                D Q9              D KJT63
                C A743            C T9865
                          S AJ4
                          H QT6532
                          D 875
                          C K
Open Room
               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Wang    Chemla   Fu
               Pass     1S     Pass     2S
               Pass    Pass    2NT      3H
               Pass     3S   All Pass

Closed Room
               West    North   East    South
                Xu    Cronier   Hu     Lebel
               Pass     1S     Pass     2H
               Pass     2S     Pass     4S
              All Pass

3S was comfortable after a club lead to the ace. Wang won
the diamond switch and pitched two diamonds on the clubs.
Now he played a heart to the king and Chemla forced dummy
to ruff a diamond. Wang played a second heart next and
Perron ducked, forcing Chemla to ruff. He led another
diamond and dummy ruffed, cashed the SA  and ruffed a heart
low; +170.

The lead in the Closed Room was also a club.  Cronier also
won the diamond switch and cashed his clubs, throwing the
diamond losers. Now he ruffed a diamond and led a low heart
off the table. There were groans from the Vugraph audience
when Xu was seen to rise with the ace, crashing his
partner's king. Xu cashed the DQ and gave Hu a heart ruff.
Now the DK return was ruffed and Cronier cashed the SA
before leading a heart. Everybody could see that all he had
to do was to ruff low and claim, but how was he to know
that the remaining trumps were not 1-1?  Cronier ruffed
high and the Chinese had escaped their defensive error, Xu
making a trump trick for one down; -100 and 7 IMPs to
China, back in the lead at 164-163.
---------------------------------------------------------
             Board 77. Game All. Dealer North.

                         S 98
                         H 6
                         D 862
                         C AQ98754
               S QT76                S AJ42
               H AQJ3                H 842
               D AQ3                 D JT75
               C J6                  C K2
                         S K53
                         H KT975
                         D K94
                         C T3

The respective Norths each opened 3C and the Wests doubled
in fourth seat. Hu jumped to 4S as East while Chemla gave
Perron some leeway in case his balancing double was shaded,
bidding only 3S. Both these bids ended the auction and the
favorable lie meant that careful play, spurning the trump
finesse, led to eleven tricks. +200 for Chemla but -650 for
Hu; 10 IMPs to China; 174-163.
----------------------------------------------------------
Board 14 was a flat game and Board 15 was also flat, but it
need not have been.
              Board 79. N/S Vul. Dealer South.

                            S AQT762
                            H K864
                            D AK
                            C Q
                   S KJ54             S --
                   H QT5              H 932
                   D 75               D 9643
                   C J873             C KT9642
                            S 983
                            H AJ7
                            D QJT82
                            C A5
Open Room
               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Wang    Chemla   Fu
                                        1D
               Pass     1S     Pass    1NT
               Pass     2C     Dbl      2S
                3C     4NT     Pass     5H
               Pass     6S   All Pass

Closed Room
               West    North   East   South
                Xu    Cronier   Hu    Lebel
                                        1D
               Pass     1S     Pass    1NT
               Pass     2C     Dbl    Pass
               Pass     3H     Pass     3S
               Pass     4C     Pass     4S
               Pass    4NT     Pass     5H
               Pass     6S    All Pass

All around the room, people were going down in 6S. A
popular line was that followed by Cronier. He received a
diamond lead, which he won and laid down the SA to guard
against any bare honors in the East hand. But now he found
himself short of entries to dummy. He crossed to the CA to
lead a second trump but Xu took his king and led a club,
ruffed. Cronier was forced to fall back on the heart
finesse now and when it failed he was one down; -100. This
was Philippe's first board of the day and no doubt he
wished at this point that he had stayed in bed.

The auction in the Open Room led to a different opening
lead, the C10. With one dummy entry already gone, the play
of cashing the SA is no longer so attractive. Wang
preferred a spade to the queen at trick two. He continued
by cashing his top diamonds then he too had to rely on the
heart finesse and was one down; no swing.  But is Wang's
play correct after the club lead?

The only declarer to make the slam in either event was Sue
Picus of USA1 in the Venice Cup. She won the club lead and
ran the S9 at trick two, after which she had no problem
negotiating the rest of the play. Relative to the finesse
of the queen, this line loses to bare jack offside but
gains against bare king, equally likely, and also against
the actual 4-0 break. So I suggest, that not for the first
time in these championships, one of the women has shown the
men how to play.

The last board of the set was a dull game; no swing. With
16 boards to play, China still led but only by 174-163. It
was still anybody's match.
********************************************************
                         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 overruffing.
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.
********************************************************
                      China vs. France
                        Boards 81-96

China went into the final 16 boards with a 174-163 lead
over France. The Vugraph was jam packed, mostly with
Chinese fans, as the final segment got underway. The crowd,
numbering in many hundreds, was to be on the edge of their
chairs for the next two-plus hours.

Because the match was on Vugraph, play started with Board
93 instead of 81. China gained an overtrick IMP at 4H, and
the next two deals also provided little action. But China
got a reaction from the crowd when they got to game on
Board 96 while France rested in 3S.

              Board 96. E/W Vul. Dealer West.

                           S JT43
                           H J
                           D J962
                           C A875
                 S A76              S Q2
                 H 83               H QT942
                 D KT543            D --
                 C T94              C KQJ632
                           S K985
                           H AK765
                           D AQ87
                           C --

               West    North    East    South
              Perron   Rong    Chemla   Shao
               Pass    Pass      1C      Dbl
                1D      1S      Pass     3C
               Pass     4S     All Pass

Chemla led the CK to the ace, and Ron led and passed the SJ
to the ace. He ruffed the club return in dummy and tried to
cash the DA, but Chemla ruffed. Rong ruffed another club
and led the DQ, giving up a trick to Perron's king. Perron
got out with a trump, but declarer had the rest for a 6-IMP
pickup.
----------------------------------------------------------
France picked up 4 IMPs on Board 82 by making 3C while the
Chinese declarer went down one at the same contract. Then
came the first explosion of excitement.

              Board 83. E/W Vul. Dealer South.

                           S J7
                           H KT8642
                           D AT8
                           C T3
                S T832                  S AKQ654
                H 953                   H AJ
                D KJ7                   D 96
                C J54                   C AQ6
                           S 9
                           H Q7
                           D Q5432
                           C K9872

               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Rong    Chemla  Shao
                                       Pass
               Pass    2D (1)  Pass     2H
               Pass    Pass     Dbl    Pass
                2S     Pass     3H     Pass
                3S     Pass     4S    All Pass

           (1) Multi.

Rong led the C10, Chemla rose with the ace, cashed a trump,
then led the HA and a second heart to the queen. Shao took
the CK and led a diamond. Chemla already had pinpointed
that Rong had only the king in hearts, so he thought it
likely he had the DA as well. He put in the jack and scored
up his game. The Chinese were in the same contract in the
other room, but declarer guessed the diamond wrong, rising
with the king.
---------------------------------------------------------
That was 12 IMPs to France, and the match now was exactly
tied -- 181 all. But two boards later China leaped back
into the lead.
             Board 85.  N/S Vul.  Dealer North.

                           S A743
                           H AT62
                           D Q75
                           C K4
                S K98              S QT652
                H 975              H KQ
                D JT32             D 9
                C 865              C AQJ93
                           S J
                           H J843
                           D AK864
                           C T72

               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Rong    Chemla  Shao
                        1D      1S     Dbl
               Pass     2H      3C      4H
                4S     Dbl     All Pass

The contract the other table had been 3S, down one, so the
Vugraph crowd could smell blood on this one -- there was a
cheer that shook the rafters when Rong applied the double.

Shao got off to the best lead -- the DA -- and continued
with a diamond to the queen, ruffed. Chemla drove out the
HA with the king, but a second heart came back to his
queen. Stuck for a lead, he cashed the CA and led the
queen, losing to Rong's king.

Rong continued the forcing game, leading a heart for Chemla
to ruff. Chemla finally went after trumps, covering the
jack with the king and losing to Rong's ace.

Rong found the spade return to the 10, and he ruffed in
when Chemla played the CJ. Now finally Rong led a third
diamond, and Chemla was caught -- he had to lose another
trick for down three -- minus 500. That was 10 IMPs to
China -- they now led 191-181.
----------------------------------------------------------
Perron and Chemla defended 2H accurately on Board 84 while
the Chinese defenders slipped and allowed two overtricks --
2 IMPs to France.
             Board 87. Game All. Dealer South.

                           S AJ862
                           H 8732
                           D AK6
                           C 6
                  S 54               S KQ973
                  H J96              H A54
                  D QJ8              D T73
                  C KJT85            C A4
                           S T
                           H KQT
                           D 9542
                           C Q9732

               West    North   East    South
              Perron   Rong    Chemla  Shao
                                       Pass
               Pass     1S     Pass    1NT
             All Pass

A tough hand. Perron led the CJ to Chemla's ace, and Chemla
continued with the 4. Shao put up the queen, and Perron
won. Shao discarded a heart from dummy. Perron recognized
the situation and switched to a heart. Chemla took his ace
and returned a heart Shao went after diamonds successfully,
leading the ace, king and another. Perron led a spade and
Shao cashed out for down one, winning a spade, two hearts
and three diamonds. This turned out to be a push because
France was in 2H at the other table, down one.

There was a lot of bidding action on Board 88, but the
upshot of it all was a push. Both N-S pairs competed to 5D,
but both E-W pairs took the push and bid 5S, just making.
At many other tables 5S was doubled, but the defenders at
both tables here cautiously passed.
-----------------------------------------------------------
After a 3NT push on Board 89, both teams had a chance for a
major swing on Board 90. But neither team found the club
slam, so the deal was another push. This was the hand:
              Board 90. Game All. Dealer East.

                          S QJ7652
                          H QJ
                          D Q865
                          C J
               S AT                 S K984
               H AK732              H 84
               D 7                  D AJT9
               C KQT42              C A93
                           S 3
                           H T965
                           D K432
                           C 8765

The bidding at both tables was similar, and no move was
made toward slam. Both teams got to 3NT, making six.

And then came the crucial board -- not that it looked all
that crucial when it came up on the screen -- but it
decided the match.
             Board 91. Love All. Dealer South.

                           S QJ6
                           H 853
                           D Q2
                           C K8653
                  S 7543            S AK8
                  H JT              H AQ942
                  D 87654           D 93
                  C T9              C Q74
                           S T92
                           H K76
                           D AKJT
                           C AJ2

The auction in both rooms was simple. Lebel opened 1NT in
the Closed Room and Cronier jumped to game. Shao also
opened 1NT, but Rong raised only to 2NT. Shao was on a
minimum, so he passed.

Lebel  won the HJ lead with the king and immediately went
after clubs. When he found the queen-third onside, he had
10 tricks -- plus 430. But since this was a non-vul deal,
even not being in game didn't appear as if it was going to
cost enough to be serious. If Shao matched Lebel's play,
China would lose 6 IMPs but still be in the lead by three.

But that's not the way it worked out. Perron also got off
to the HJ lead and Chemla ducked, allowing Shao to score
his king. Shao considered his alternatives. If he took the
club finesse and it failed, he was going down -- the French
would take a club, three hearts (if the suit was 4-3) and
two spades.

But if the hearts were 4-3, he could guarantee his contract
by setting up a spade trick. In this scenario he would lose
three hearts and two spades, scoring plus 120. Hearts 4-3
seemed more likely to him than the 50-50 club finesse, so
he led a spade.

Curtains!!! Chemla was able to take five tricks in the
majors to set the contract and put France in the lead by a
single IMP, 194-193.

That was the match!! France went on to the semifinals by
defeated China by just 3 IMPs, 196-193. The Chinese were
happy and unhappy at the same time. They were sad they had
lost, but they were glad that they had proved to the world
that China has come of age in world bridge.
********************************************************
            International Popular Bridge Monthly
Why not read about these championships in IPBM, the world's
premier international bridge magazine?  For visitors to
these championships we are are offering a special
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                     24 issues only $80
Interested? See Brian Senior in the Bulletin Room on the
third floor of the Convention Center.

********************************************************
                     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.
********************************************************
                     Board 33 Revisited

If you read our report on USA 11 v Indonesia in Sunday's
bulletin, you will have seen that Eric Rodwell and Denny
Sakul both played Board 33 in 6H and found that they could
not make it after spade and heart leads respectively. The
story was rather different in the Venice Cup match between
the two American teams. The contract was again 6H at both
tables but here the slam could not be beaten after the
opening lead!

              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

At some point in the auction, North got to double West's
club bid so the opening lead was the C10, ducked to the
king. Now it doesn't matter what North returns. On a major
suit return, declarer wins and rattles off the trumps. This
is what happened at Kitty Munson's table. On the hearts,
North showed that she was guarding spades so South gave up
control of that suit and also discarded the C9, telling
North that she had that suit covered but also pinpointing
for declarer the fact that she held the sole club guard.
Now it was plain sailing. The size of declarer's diamond
intermediates became irrelevant because the hand played as
a double squeeze - with each defender forced to guard one
black suit, nobody could keep three diamonds, so Munson
pitched diamonds from dummy on the fifth and sixth hearts..
At the other table, the hand played as a simple minor-suit
squeeze against South.  On a non-club lead, declarer might
get home by leading a low club off dummy at trick two.
North will have to duck or else the minor suit squeeze will
again be set up.

********************************************************
When are 13 high card points not really 13 high card
points? That's easy -- when they're really low card points.
Look at North's in the quarterfinals.

              Board 56. Love All. Dealer West.

                           S QJT
                           H QJ2
                           D QJ72
                           C KJ6
               S 876543            S 92
               H 3                 H KT8
               D T63               D 9854
               C T85               C A943
                           S AK
                           H A97654
                           D AK
                           C Q72

That's 13 points all right, but is it an opening bid? Weak
notrumpers have no problem -- they bid 1NT. But is that
hand really worth an opening suit bid?

Bobby Wolff thought it was, but he wasn't too happy when
Bob Hamman went slamming. This was the bidding:

               West    North   East    South
               Lasut   Wolff   Manoppo Hamman
                1D     Pass     2H      Pass
               2NT     Pass    5NT      Pass
                6H     Pass    6NT     All Pass

After winning the opening diamond lead, Wolff stopped to
consider his options. He finally decided he didn't have
many. He cashed out dummy's spade and diamonds, then led a
club to the jack and ace. He won the club return in hand
and led the H10.  Manoppo covered and Wolff won with the
ace. Then the big moment had arrived -- if the hearts were
2-2 he was going to make his slam. But when Lasut, West,
showed out, Wolff had to concede down one. Indonesia
stopped in 5H making in the other room for an 11-IMP
pickup.
********************************************************
                  France nips China by 2;
                    U.S.  tops Indonesia

China has come a long, long way in bridge in just a few
short years. The Chinese women have advanced to the
semifinals of the Marlboro Venice Cup by devastating an
experienced Venezuela team. And the Chinese Open team came
within three IMPs of defeating a powerful French squad in
the quarterfinals of the Marlboro Bermuda Bowl.

The Chinese were leading right up to the last few boards,
but one misguess on a two notrump contract put an end to
China's hopes for two world championships. However, the
Chinese women have the talent and the experience necessary
to go all the way.  However, their semifinal opponent,
United States I,  is no pushover -- far from it. United
States I came from far behind to win going away against
United States II, 274-216.

At the halfway mark, US II had a 39-IMP lead. Three boards
before the end of the fourth segment, they still were down
39. But when the fourth segment was over they were only six
in arrears. Yesterday's fifth segment was the killer, US I
outscored their American counterparts, 70-18.

The other Marlboro Venice Cup match will see two of
Europe's finest teams, France and Germany, fighting it out.
France won the European women's championship this year and
Germany was runner-up in the Venice Cup in Chile two years
ago. France defeated South Africa, 229-126, and Germany
toppled Japan, 229-193.

There were two close matches in the Marlboro Bermuda Bowl.
One, of course, was China vs. France. The other paired
United States against Indonesia. Indonesia led most of the
way, finally falling behind -- by a single IMP -- after 80
boards. But the final segment was all United States -- the
Americans prevailed 43-5 to win, 216-177.

The Americans' semifinal opponent is France, and Bob Hamman
for one is looking forward to it. He wants to turn the
tables on the French -- the memories of the 1980 and 1992
Olympiads are still fresh in his mind. Both France and the
United States already have had one tough match, and now
they've got another.

The other Marlboro Bermuda Bowl semifinal will pit Canada
against Sweden. Canada got off to a fast start against
South Africa and never let up, winning 272-187. Sweden had
a much tougher time with the Netherlands -- they were in a
dead tie after 48 deals. But Sweden blew the match wide
open with a 66-18 set in the fourth segment, and the
defending champion Dutch never could effect a comeback.

Canada has been impressive throughout this tournament. They
had the best record in the round-robin, and they were most
convincing in their defeat of South Africa. This marks the
furthest Canada has ever gone in a Bermuda Bowl.

*************************************************
                    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.)
********************************************************
              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 accepted
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.
********************************************************
