III Copenhagen Bridge Invitational – CBI Main Event, Sunday January 18 2015
The CBI Main Event is an invitational pairs event played in a cross IMP format through 19 Rounds, 8 boards in each round, 7 rounds played this friday, 6 rounds this saturday and 6 rounds on sunday.
Versace-Tokay with a very good last round added 183 IMPs, thus finishing an excelente three days job, and winning the event with 880 IMPs, 145 IMPs over the second pair John Carroll – Tommy Garvey that finished with 635 IMPs. Geir Helgemo and Tor Helness stayed in their third position.
These are some of the last day boards that helped to confirm the victory of a pair who took the lead on the second day to never let it go:
Board 23
Helgemo, the dealer, opened 1 and Versace doubled. Helness tried to occupy all the possible bidding space with a 3 bid, but Tokay short in spades and with a six diamond suit, said 4. After South pass, Versace showed his strong hand with good diamond support with a 4 cue-bid.
After Tokay’s 4NT (pick up slam), Versace with three keycards closed the bidding at the six level…
Mustafa explaind me: «We never play RKCB in competition»
Declarer won the K lead with the A, to continue with the K, South won the trick but Tokay claimed the rest.
The board gave the partnership 125 IMPs…These is what happened in the other tables results:
Board 29
Tokay opened 1NT and Versace transfered to hearts (4 or more for them), Tokay’s 2 denied 4 heart cards. Versace continued with 3, showing his second suit= clubs. Tokay showed his three hearts and Versace closed the heart game.
After a club lead, Tokay lost two clubs and a diamond making 10 tricks.
The same contract was played in only 6 of the 10 tables, V-T added 45 IMPs.
These are two boards from the second day:
Board 30:
Nisland opened 1NT, his partner asked for 4 card majors, Nisland showed hearts, Christians showed his 4 spades and South told his partner about his fifth heart, after that his partner closed the 3NT game.
Versace had to lead, and he chose one of the only two cards that defeat the contract…the K…the other one was the A…
Versace won the first two club tricks, Tokay playing J and 10. Versace continued with his 8…Tokay won the trick with his 9 and returned a heart for two down. The 3NT contract scored +400 in 4 tabless, the rest of thyem were down.
This is how Mark Horton described what happened in Board 3.
Board 3
2 Game forcing relay
2 4+
2 Relay
2 Minimum
2NT Relay
3 Not superminimum
3 Relay
3 Short clubs
Rdbl First round club control
West led the two of clubs and declarer won with dummy’s ace, crossed to the king of hearts and played a heart. It appeared that East was long in clubs, so declarer put in dummy’s ten for a dramatic +1510.