The New York Times-20080128-A Lengthy Duel in France- Championship Berth at Stake

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A Lengthy Duel in France, Championship Berth at Stake

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They work their players hard in France. The trial final to decide that country's team for the 49th European Open Team Championship being played in June was over 200 boards, from Dec. 20 to 23.

The team of Marc Bompis, Alain Levy, Herve Mouiel, Franck Multon, Jean-Christophe Quantin and Pierre Zimmermann took the lead on Board 22. Michel Bessis, Thomas Bessis (father and son), Christian Mari, Thierry de Sainte Marie, Philippe Toffier and Herve Vinciguerra kept it close, but they could not recover after the diagramed deal, Board 191.

The auction was the same at both tables, North's one-heart response showing four or more spades.

The play began in identical fashion too. Both Wests, Mari and Mouiel, led the diamond king, the declarers, Quantin and Toffier, each winning with the ace, playing a spade to dummy's queen and leading a club to the jack.

If the Wests had now returned a trump, the bad club break and offside heart ace would have doomed the contract. But neither could resist shifting to the heart jack. The two Easts, Vinciguerra and Levy, took dummy's queen with the ace, reaching the critical juncture.

Vinciguerra, following his partner's lead, returned a heart. But Quantin won on the board with the king, played a club to his king and crossruffed six tricks, ruffing clubs on the board and diamonds in his hand, to make his contract. He took one trick in each suit and those six ruffs.

Levy, though, looking at his powerful club holding, found the killing defense, playing back a trump and leaving Toffier a trick short.

Plus 420 and plus 50 gave the Zimmermann team 10 international match points. That team went on to win by 379 imps to 355 and will play in Pau, France, in June.

There are two sectionals in New Jersey over the Feb. 8-10 weekend. For the one in Woodbridge, go online to njbl.net. For Cherry Hill, visit web2.acbl.org/hosted/districts/d4web/chhillskedfeb.htm.

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