August 27th 2012:
There is everything in the Lord’s vineyard: This old proverbial saying, expressing the certainty that in everything there is good and bad, was popularized by a historical anecdote starred by Fray Hortensio de Paravicino, in 1624. This official chapel preacher told Felipe IV, during a visit to Seville, in the so called The Vineyard Homily:
Everything has the vineyard,
Sacred and Royal Majesty,
Everything has the vineyard:
Grapes, ripe and unripe…branches and leaves.
With these words, Fray Hortensio de Paravicino wanted to say to the king that in the same vineyard he could find ripe fruit, branches and leaves, as unripe grapes. In the just finished II WMSG, Lille 2012, this hand from the semi-finals shows that in the bridge-vineyard each player found ripe and unripe grapes in the same hand.
Board 3 Dealer South, E/W Vul
|
Close Room:
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
Ahlesved |
Helness |
Petersson |
Helgemo |
|
|
|
|
Pass |
|
Pass |
1 |
Pass |
1 |
|
Pass |
3 |
Pass |
4 |
|
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
5 |
|
Pass |
6 |
The End |
Helgemo in South, passed his too strong weak hand…West decided to wait and passed too. North opened 1
and Geir showed his heart suit. Helness invited to game with a 3
bid, and Helgemo accepted the invitation with a 4
slam invitational bid (shows shortness) . The partnership didnt stop till they arrived to slam…
Geir Comment: Hi Fernando, good article and I didnt open the hand because of too many soft values and weak suit as well. Over 3, 4 showed shortness and partner did the rest. Lucky with the King and ten of diamonds but a bit unlucky that all our spade honors were useless.
Cheers
Geir
Open Room:
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
Multon |
Nystrom |
Zimmermann |
Upmark |
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
3 |
|
3 |
4 |
Pass |
4 |
|
The End |
|
Upmark from Sweden opened the hand with a 2 weak bid and when his partner asked for more information Upmark didnt encourage him. When Multon continued using some bidding space, Nystrom decided to make a last effort and invited his partner to slam. Upmark didnt accept, he made 12 tricks but lost 11 IMPs..almost 1 IMP/trick.
In the other Open Semi-Final; Ireland-Poland:
Board 3 Dealer South, E/W Vul
|
Open Room:
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
Zak |
Hanlon |
Zaremba |
McGann |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Pass |
2NT |
Pass |
3 |
|
Pass |
3 |
Pass |
3 |
|
Pass |
3NT4 |
Pass |
4 |
|
The End |
|
1 minimum
2 Relay
3 short
4 Serious Slam Try
McGann decided to open his hand at the 1 level…but didnt accept his partner’s slam invitation.
Close Room:
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
Carroll |
Narkiewicz |
Garvey |
Buras |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
3 |
4 |
Pass |
5 |
|
The End |
|
Buras opened the hand but didnt accept his partner’s slam invitation.
What about the ladies? In the Russia-Poland semi-final:
Board 3 Dealer South, E/W Vul
|
Open Room:
|
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
Kazmucha |
Gromova |
Zakowska |
Ponomareva |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
Pass |
2 |
Pass |
2 |
|
Pass |
3 |
Pass |
4 |
|
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
5 |
|
Pass |
6 |
The End |
Ponomareva opened the hand with a 1 bid. Gromova found a FG answer and afterwards invited her partner to slam. When Ponomareva showed her club control, Gromova asked for keycards and declared the 6 slam. In the other room the girls from Poland also opened the hand with a 1 bid, but South accepted a game invitation with a 4 bid and her partner didnt made any effort to continue to slam.
In the England-France semi-final: Both tables played a 4 game.