Day 3 from the World Youth Teams Championships in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. Under 16 NPC Paul Barden has written the below update following the team's progress:
We've had an up and down ride so far - after three days' play we're 15 Victory Points below average, with each match scoring between 0 and 20. We'd need a very strong run to get into the top eight by the end of the Round Robin on Friday, which is where we need to be to play in the knockout rounds.
But all the players have done some good things: I was particularly impressed today by the defence to 3NT which Thomas and Harriet found on the first board against Chinese Taipei [see the diagram above]. Harriet, North, opened 1D - I thoroughly approve of opening 11-counts at love all - East overcalled 1NT, then West transferred to spades and bid 3NT, which became the final contract. Thomas naturally led his partner's suit, and intelligently chose the nine, which had the effect of taking an "intra-finesse" - the defence can now establish the diamonds for only one loser. Declarer won the first trick and tried the spade finesse, which lost, and Harriet played her part by returning the queen of diamonds to the king and ace, pinning dummy's ten. Thomas cashed the eight of diamonds then continued the fine defence by switching to a club, rather than leading a fourth diamond which his partner would have had to win. Declarer had to take dummy's ace to avoid going off at once, but with the spades blocked he could take only two tricks in the suit, and despite the friendly lie of the hearts could come to only eight in all.
At the other table, the three of diamonds lead went to the queen and ace (North could have brought off the same intra-finesse by playing the seven, but couldn't possibly know to do that). Will took the spade finesse, the defence played more diamonds, and so declarer made eleven tricks. That was eleven IMPs to England, and an eventual narrow win in the match.