Neighbour Challenge is a tournament between the countries of Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands designed to provide top level practice for the open and women’s teams of each country. The Danish Bridge Federation has made the initiative for the first Neighbour Challenge in 2013. It was not possible to find a date for the open teams due to their professional engagements, however a date for 2014 is already negotiated. The ambition is to make this event yearly and serve as warm up for the European and World Team Championships.
Main Event: 4 teams – Double Round Robin, 20 board-matches. Please note the use of the new VP-scale.
| 1 |
2 |
Sum |
3 |
Sum | 4 |
Sum | 5 | Sum | 6 | Total | |
| 1 Netherlands | 14,39 | 9,18 | 23,57 | 14,39 | 37,96 | ||||||
| 2 Germany | 8,92 | 10,82 | 19,74 | 1,67 | 21,41 | ||||||
| 3 Sweden | 11,08 | 5,80 | 16,88 | 5,61 | 22,49 | ||||||
| 4 Denmark | 5,61 | 14,20 | 19,81 | 18,33 | 38,14 | ||||||
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In the last match of the first day, BBO broadcasted the Denmark-Germany Match. The match ended:
Denmark 64 – Germany 17
Lets see some of the boards… The match was even till board 3, which produced the first two digit´s swing:
In one of the tables the German pair made a 3NT contract. Only two leads defeats the contract, a club lead or a heart by South, North has to win the lead with the ace and immediately switch to club. It must be removed the club stopper before the declarer can play diamond.
The lead was a heart, but her partner ducked. Hackett, the declarer, won the trick and begun to play diamonds … until Bilde won the trick with her ace …there was nothing to do, and Germany made 3NT.
In the other table the bidding was more fun, they played the same contract but redoubled … The BBO operator commented that the player who redoubled, had devoted her redouble to all BBO kibitzers … a little salt to a match that was proceeding too peacefully.South’s lead was a heart, her partner’s suit. Weber took a lengthy pause, and after she played the 
A and switched to her fourth club. Her partner won the trick and played her 
5. Declarer won the trick…but at the end she was 1 down…A very nice defense and 14 IMPs for Germany…
A and switched to her fourth club. Her partner won the trick and played her 5. Declarer won the trick…but at the end she was 1 down…A very nice defense and 14 IMPs for Germany…
Till Board 8, Denmark had managed to recover 10 IMPs when a German defensive error allowed Denmark to come forward: In one table Germany played 3 hearts. Declarer after a spade lead, lost the first 5 tricks: 3 spades, 1 diamond and 1 club.
In the other table Denmark played 4
: After a trump lead, declarer won the first trick and played two more rounds of trumps and switched to Q. South won with her K.
Q. South won with her K.Gladiator returned her 2, North won with the A…but some kind of signaling problems made her switch to a diamond, allowing declarer to win the trick and to pitch all her loser in his clubs…11 tricks and another 9 IMPs for Denmark.
2, North won with the A…but some kind of signaling problems made her switch to a diamond, allowing declarer to win the trick and to pitch all her loser in his clubs…11 tricks and another 9 IMPs for Denmark.
In the next board Denmark continued to add more IMPs. In one table Germany played and made an easy 5
contract.
In the other room Denmark defended to 5 and North perhaps believing that one of her opps was void in diamonds and the other was void in clubs…declared 6… Only one down…good bridge… they say…but this time was a very expensive decision: 10 IMPs…
Board 12 was another swing for Denmark, where an ambushed 2 … helped declarer of being attacked in clubs and gave her the time to get to 9 tricks:
… helped declarer of being attacked in clubs and gave her the time to get to 9 tricks:
In one room Germany played 2NT …easily done…
In the other room, Denmark, with the same aggressive style developed throughout all the match arrived to a 3NT contract.
Houlberg opened her hand with a 1 call, Christina Lund Madsen, answered with a 2 call, and after hearing her partner’s club support declared 3NT.
call, Christina Lund Madsen, answered with a 2 call, and after hearing her partner’s club support declared 3NT. The defense has 3 clubs tricks, one spade and one diamond…but lost one trick on the way, let’s see …
Gladiator lead her fourth heart…declarer won the trick in her hand to continue with a spade to the Q. Now a diamond, North ducked her A and the K won the trick. Christina continued with another spade to the A and more spade. South won the trick and played a heart, dummy’s high hearts won the trick. Declarer now played her two high spades, and J. Gladiator won with her Q, to play another heart, Christina won with the J and played club… Weber while declarer played spades, pitched clubs so her only cards were A and A x…so she had to give the ninth trick to declarer…Lund Madsen’s 2…had achieved the miracle …
Q. Now a diamond, North ducked her A and the K won the trick. Christina continued with another spade to the A and more spade. South won the trick and played a heart, dummy’s high hearts won the trick. Declarer now played her two high spades, and J. Gladiator won with her Q, to play another heart, Christina won with the J and played club… Weber while declarer played spades, pitched clubs so her only cards were A and A x…so she had to give the ninth trick to declarer…Lund Madsen’s 2…had achieved the miracle …