In the 17th round of the European Teams Championship France took on Hungary. Barczy arrived in a doomed doubled three spades contract after overcalling his five card suit rather than his seven card one. He escaped the trump lead as Christian Mari (World Champion) led the queen of clubs. Barczy ruffed and played ace and jack of the diamonds ducked to Volcker who trumped it.

At this point Marc Smith wrote the usual nonsene one would expect from a commentator that a trump would hold declarer to 4 tricks. Three more. Anyway Volcker who should have known at this point South’s distribution continued with two rounds of hearts. Barcy ruffed and carefully played the ten of diamonds (to conceal the diamond position) covered ruffed and…overruffed. The contract was making know. There was nothing poor East could do. He should have remembered the famous Hamman board where he won the selection for his team by not overruffing dummy with a small trump.

This not overruffing theme is in every variation. Even in the Smithian one (trump instead of two rounds of hearts) East should not overruff the next ruff to hold declarer to seven tricks.

Even cashing one heart before the trump allows declarer to escape for one down but I leave this one for you to work out.

You can replay it here: View

The bulletin writers/editors have a much easier run than the BBO commentators as they have time to check, analyze etc… So it’s really surprising when they come up with something like this:

Jos Jacobs wrote down the result from three matches of the 11th round of the European Open Teams. Piekarek went down in six diamonds. The rest played 5 and Kholomeev went down without adverse biddding. Narkiewicz and Haraldson (both heard South overcalling 2 diamonds to show the majors and North cooperating) made on an endplay after eliminating the majors and playing a club to the nine. Paulissen found the endplay with silent opponents while Gold went down. In fact the difference wasn’t in the bidding. Every declarer made the contract where the defence started with ace and another heart as they had sufficient entries for the elimination. Where South (Kotorowicz and Brink) led a spade there was no hope for elimination. While Kholomeev played ace and other club, Gold didn’t. Afther gathering some information (maybe he already knew the distribution) in the heart suit he played the club six from hand. I cannot be sure - of course - but probably he planned an intra finesse. Small to the nine and queen from dummy later. But Brink (if the BBO data is correct) played the jack on the first round and Gold played him for doubleton jack-ten. A pretty rare defence against an intra finesse.

It’s possible that the operator mixed up the tricks and Gold played club ace-club as well.

You can watch the three matches here: View View View