By Ana Roth -28th September 2018
09/27/2018
Open Teams Quaterfinals
The Lavazza-Chagas match was dramatic until the last board. Finally Lavazza won by 6 IMPs on his rival and paved his way to the semifinals. At one of the tables the Italian team was represented by Bilde-Duboin in North-South while the Chagas team sat Thoma in West and Ravenna in East.
Board 24 saw an excellent defense developed by Ravenna that managed to deceive the declarer to lose a cold contract.
Board 24
The bidding:
| Thoma | Bilde | Ravenna | Duboin |
1
|
1
|
X | Pass |
4
|
4
|
Pass | Pass |
| X | All Pass |
Lead: A
After winning the first trick, Ravenna decided to continue with a trump to stop Bilde’s possible heart ruffs. Watching 9 8 he decided to play his 2, so declarer could not develop an entry to the table with the 9.
Bilde played the 8, Thoma the Q and the declarer won with his trump ace.
Pablo Ravenna
These were the BBO comments at this point:
CopeyJ: has to be a precise defence, A lead, diamond to partner, back ruffed and a trump shift I think, in fact even that isn’t enough as declarer can win, ruff a and throw last on K, adding up to ten tricks. So this looks like 590 – but could easily be duplicated.
CopeyJ: 3 next door – and that was 200 so this will be 7 imps to Lavazza who will retake the lead by 6
CopeyJ: sorry 9 to Lavazza, who will lead by 8
ritong: playing aright now is the most elegant solution, but…
CopeyJ: It’s true – easy from up here…and I have been precipitous. Bilde has a real problem now…
And Bilde continued with a club… Ravenna throwed a heart (8, very fast). He was still thinking in denying declarer the 9 as an entry to those beautifull dummy’s clubs…Declarer won the trick with the K …
These was the commentators reaction to Ravenna’s discard:
CopeyJ: wow…bravo
ritong: 9 would have been an entry
Bilde at this point in time, thinking Thoma had all the trumps…played another club …and after this move he couldnt win the hand…
Bilde played dummy’s6, Thoma played hisQ, Bilde ruffed with the7 and Ravenna discarded another heart!!!. Declarer continued with A, ruffed a heart in dummy, and played a club, Thoma ruffed with his 4, and Bilde threw his last heart loser, no play would have changed history at this moment, it was an imposible to stop trump promotion. Ravenna played his last heart too.
Thoma returned the K, Bilde ruffed with the 6, but Ravenna now over-ruffed for one down and a world-class defense…
Bravo!!!
