July 20th 2013
In today’s competitive bridge, not accepting risks, condemns you to failure, since other competitors will:
The risk of not wanting to take risks.
There are times in the table in which you have to take decisions without having all the information you want to have. It is not entirely clear what the right decision is, but you have to make a decision.
In this uncertainty a good bridge player does not lock himself and make the decision that considers most appropriate, knowing that there is the possibility of not succeeding.
Today ended the 24th European Youth Team Championships and France won in Juniors and Girls. In Juniors, in the Round 20 of 21, France defeated the strong Italian team and this is one of the hands that gave the team 15 IMPs, showing all kibitzers that a victory is the sum of many good choices, but among them there are always some that outperform the others.
Round 20; Board 7: 
Bernard for France (vul vs vul) decided to exert maximum pressure and opened his hand with a 3
bid.
Gandoglia (ITA) showed his hearts and Kilani closed the spade game: 4 . Donati doubled showing some values without heart and West showed his strength and good heart suit declaring 5
. North with five spades cards, three heart cards (his partner had to be short) and without defensive values forced to the 5th level: final contract 5 doubled.
Declarer lost a heart, a diamond and a club. In this table Italy scored 200.
At the other table Zanasi (ITA) more timidly, opened his hand with a 2 bid and Coudert (FRA) chose to double.
Di Franco (ITA) now thought he was responsible to exercise sufficient pressure to hinder the transmission of information in the hope that France will not reach its optimal contract. As he saw that the slam was a possibility almost certain he decided to occupy the 5th level with a 5 bid. Lorenzino (ITA) doubled to show some defense values.
But it was West who exceeded all kibitzers expectations, when he decided that North’s interruption at the 5th level + vulnerable was a clear message and get the 6 card over the table.
After the 
A lead and dummy over the table, declarer must have felt a great satisfaction … similar to when you open a parachute after a free fall… well done by Coudert. In this table Italy scored +1430.
This is what happened in all the Junior Tables with this board:
| Table | Home Team | Visiting Team | Room | Cont. | Decl. | Lead | Tricks | NS | EW | Home | Vis |
| 1 | ISRAEL | AUSTRIA | Open | 4♠x | S | ♥A | 10 | 790 | 10 | ||
| Closed | 6NT | E | ♣Q | 9 | 300 | ||||||
| 2 | ENGLAND | POLAND | Open | 6♠x | S | ♥A | 10 | 500 | 15 | ||
| Closed | 4♠x | S | ♥K | 10 | 790 | ||||||
| 3 | BELGIUM | NORWAY | Open | 6NT | E | ♥9 | 9 | 300 | 8 | ||
| Closed | 4♠ | S | ♥K | 10 | 620 | ||||||
| 4 | SWEDEN | CROATIA | Open | 5♠x | S | ♥A | 10 | 200 | 10 | ||
| Closed | 5♥ | W | ♠8 | 12 | 680 | ||||||
| 5 | TURKEY | ROMANIA | Open | 4♠ | N | ♦4 | 10 | 620 | 19 | ||
| Closed | 6♥ | W | ♦A | 12 | 1430 | ||||||
| 6 | SERBIA | FINLAND | Open | 4♠x | S | ♥K | 9 | 200 | 7 | ||
| Closed | 5♠x | S | ♥10 | 9 | 500 | ||||||
| 7 | GERMANY | CZECH REP | Open | 5♠ | S | ♥A | 9 | 200 | 14 | ||
| Closed | 4♠x | S | ♥A | 10 | 790 | ||||||
| 8 | DENMARK | BULGARIA | Open | 5♠x | S | ♥K | 10 | 200 | 3 | ||
| Closed | 5♠ | S | ♥A | 10 | 100 | ||||||
| 9 | BELARUS | IRELAND | Open | 4♠x | N | ♥6 | 10 | 790 | 19 | ||
| Closed | 6♥ | W | ♣3 | 12 | 1430 | ||||||
| 10 | ITALY | FRANCE | Open | 6♥ | W | ♦A | 12 | 1430 | 15 | ||
| Closed | 5♠x | S | ♥A | 10 | 200 | ||||||
| 11 | NETHERLANDS | HUNGARY | Open | 5♥ | W | ♣6 | 12 | 680 | |||
| Closed | 5♥ | W | ♠4 | 12 | 680 |