CNTC Final - 1st Quarter
This entry was posted on 6/1/2007 12:47 PM and is filed under Tournament Report.
The first segment was ugly for Frukacz. Almost everything Waldemar and Piotr did went wrong. Conversely, Nick and Judy bid a couple of lucky thin games and most of their mistakes didn't cost. I'd estimate down about 35. Edit: I was a little harsh, probably 25 was a more accurate estimate. Unfortunately the BBO Vugraph operator didn't seem to know what he was doing and was never able to get the 2nd table up or make comparisons available.
Score is 44-41 Thurston after the first segment. Jeff and Scooter had a great set.
Waldemar/Piotr were E/W.
Board 1 was 3NT by South on 24 high. Waldemar made the normal lead, which gave declarer her 9th trick. Plus position for Thurston.
Board 2 was 2 Spades by South. Waldemar didn't find an inspired (but hardly impossible) defense. +140. Plus position for Thurston.
Board 3 was 4 Hearts by Waldemar in a Moyse. N/S had a spade dive available. Plus position for Frukacz.
Board 4 was 2 Spades by Waldemar. Sloppy auction, but normal contract. +170. Flattish result.
Board 5 was 5 Hearts doubled by Waldemar. Silly auction, but makes if Nick doesn't lead his suit. Luckily he didn't. Plus position for Frukacz.
Board 6 was 1NT by Waldemar. Normal result.
Board 7 was 4 Spades by Piotr. Waldemar bid rather aggressively. Luckily it only makes 2. -200 Small plus position for Thurston.
Board 8 was 4 Spades by Waldemar on 23 high with flattish hands. Makes 5 double dummy once the lead tracked but it was a tough hand. -50 Plus position for Thurston.
Board 9 and 10 were not shown.
Board 11 was 2 Hearts by Nick on 21 high. +110 Small plus position for Thurston.
Board 12 was 2 Spades doubled by Judy. Making 3. +870 Big plus position for Thurston. (I (unlike most Vugraph commentators) have sympathy for the double, but when it's wrong it's very wrong, as it was in this case.)
Board 13 was 4 Spades by Nick on 19 high. Down 1. -100 Plus position for Frukacz
Board 14 was 3NT by Nick on 24 high. +400. Plus position for Thurston.
Board 15 was 4 Spades doubled by Waldemar. -100. It was a dive against 3N, which only had 8 tricks. They also talked Nick and Judy out of their 4-4 heart fit (5-0 break.) Plus position for Thurston.
Board 16 was 3NT by Judy on 25 high after Waldemar opened. +400. Small plus position for Thurston.
Jeff and Scooter were out for the 2nd segment. I believe in leaving the pair with the hot hand in, but surprisingly nobody asked me for my opinion. I'll analyze the boards as I see them played, then add the comparisons later (if they're not up already.)
Board 17 was 2 Clubs by Waldemar in a Moyse on 17 high. -150. Small plus position for Thurston.
Win 1 (all win/loss comparisons will be from Frukacz' perspective.)
Board 18 was 1NT by Waldemar on 20 high. -50. N/S had 9 spades and were cold for +140. Small plus position for Frukacz.
Win 3
Board 19 was 3NT by Piotr, making 6 on a contested claim (he probably would have made 7 if he had played it out.) +690. Flattish result (might make 720 or 660, opening leader had AK fifth of clubs)
Lose 1 (-720)
Board 20 was 1NT by Waldemar, making 2. Flattish result.
Win 1 (-90)
Board 21 was a comedy of errors. 1NT doubled by Nick on 22 high. Waldemar made a very aggressive double, Nick misdeclared, Waldemar misdefended, Nick misdeclared, Waldemar misdefended badly, Nick misdeclared, Piotr misdefended, Nick misdeclared, and 1NT was down 1. -200 Plus position for Frukacz
Win 6 (+50 defending 2 Diamonds)
Board 22 was a flattish 4 Spades by Waldemar. +650
Push
Board 23 was a missed slam by Waldemar. +650 When you hold AKQxx / AQJx / xxxx / - and the auction goes 1 Spade by you, 2 Diamonds on your left, double by pard, 3 Diamonds on your right, how do you not drive to slam (let alone sniff at slam)? (Give pard Kxxxx of hearts and Jx of Spades and it's a brick.) Swing potential either way, but net plus position for Thurston (I expect them to make it on careful play if they're in it.)
Push (Uncontested auction 1 Spade 1NT 2 Hearts 4 Hearts, here the big hand isn't sure the 5 level is safe, tougher auction, in my opinion.)
Board 24 was 6 Spades by Judy. +980 Swing potential either way (if they bid the grand, the wrong lead lets it come home and there's a -800 dive available), but net plus position for Thurston.
Win 1 (Uncontested auction, a bit of Queen ask silliness missing a keycard with a ten card fit, but they landed on their feet and got the 'wrong lead' I mentioned.)
Board 25 was the first opportunity for an instant comparison! Judy bid too much (she had a 10 count opposite a 11-13 NT and should have passed.) -50 Win 5
Board 26 was a bad showing for both N/S pairs. They duplicated an uncontested and hopeless 3NT on 21 high in a misfit. Lose 3 (down 1 and down 2)
Board 27 was a lucky 3NT for Judy when they had 31 high, all the aces, and a 6 card suit in one hand. Push at +460 (other table in 4NT.)
Board 28 was a normal 4 Spades that went down on general unluckiness (3-1 trumps and ace offside) Push
Board 29 was another normal 4 Spades that could have made 5 but declarers were uninspired. Push
Board 30 was a safe 3NT for Waldemar instead of a slightly riskier 4 Spades that makes 6 when everything works. Everything worked. Lose 1
Board 31 was a heart partscore E/W. 140 at one table, 170 at the other. Lose 1
Board 32 was a Push when N/S bid to a 3 level partscore and went down 1. 3 Hearts (by Chatagnier) seemed to be a better spot (cold double dummy) than 3 Clubs (by Nick, no play double dummy) but -50 was the result at both tables.
Segment score 17-6 Frukacz Match score 58-50 Frukacz