The 18th World Youth Teams Championships is taking place this week in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. The Non-playing captain for the Under 26 team, Michael Byrne, has written the below from from the team's first day:
The England Junior team have arrived in Veldhoven and are raring to go. With 3 pairs that have been practicing hard and getting into shape we are totally up for the challenge of finishing in the top 8 out of 24 teams.
Every day we will be playing 4 or 5 matches of 12 boards, starting at 9.30am (8.30am English time) and ending at 9.30pm, followed by a long bus journey home. This will be exhausting and we will need to have 3 pairs fighting fit.
Match 1 vs Australia
The Australians took an early lead when they chose an eccentric call on this hand after partner opens 1S:
KQ10982
543
Q109
J
They chose 4C, and now it was hard for the next hand to make a take out double.
At the other table we chose a more mainstream 4S and the next hand holding 0535 14 count bid 4NT, and the final contract was 5SX one down, for 11 imps to Australia when ten tricks were the limit.
An eccentric pre-empt meant they gained another swing and we were soon 21-0 down after 3 boards. We fought back strongly by bidding a good slam which we pre-empted them out of at the other table, and the final result was a loss by 7 imps.
Match 2 vs Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)
We scored a comfortably victory here, but one hand proved rather difficult:
A98
82
KQJ
A9843
Both tables opened this a 15-17 no trump, and partner's bid of 2C was doubled to show clubs. Both tables redoubled, and this was passed out!
Partner had
KJ64
A3
105432
52
The final contract was touch and go, and with England defending made 7 tricks. At the other table sadly we didn't handle the play so well and went for our first (and hopefully last) penalty of -1000.
Match 3 vs France
A traditional battle against our old Channel Trophy enemies saw the match remain close throughout the first 9 boards, but the final 3 saw us lose concentration and conceded three swings to lose by 33 imps.
This was an interesting hand:
643
985
AKQJ64
K
You are at green (nv vs vul) and you open 1D, you see one of these two auctions:
1D (1H) 2D P
?
1D (X) 3D P
?
In the first auction our hero tried 2S, in an effort to keep the opponents out of their cold game in spades. It worked, although partner wasn't on the same wavelength and we played in 5DX minus 2.
On the second auction the French player tried 3NT, and although he ran to 4D when he was doubled, the damage had been done and we passed that out. Although we beat it two, that was still 5 imps away.
Match 4 vs Estonia
We played well at both tables to win comfortably, although a precision 2C opener kept us out of an auction on which we needed to save at the 6 level.
This was one of the most interesting play hands:
♠ K Q J 4
♥ 9 3
♦ A K J 6
♣ A 9 4
[ ]
♠ T 9 8
♥ A K J T 8
♦ Q 3
♣ K J T
You reach 6NT by South with no opposition bidding, how do you play it?
As usual general techniques comes to the rescue. After knocking out the AS and cashing the diamond and spade winners you should play for the drop on your combined longest suit (hearts, where you have 7 cards) before finessing in your shorter suit (clubs).
Since you can finesse either way, you must watch the discards carefully and try to gauge where you think the club length is.
In any event the diamonds are 2-5 (The opening leader has a doubleton) the spades are 5-1 (the opening leader has 5) and both follow to 2 hearts, but the opening leader pitches one on the 4th diamond.
You now know the opening leader had 5 spades, 3+ hearts, 2 diamonds, and the other hand had 1S, between 2 and 3 hearts, 5D and some clubs. It seems clear to play the non opening leader for the QC and if so you will be a happy player since you make 12 tricks and 990.
This was how the Estonia player played it, but of course it was a flat board, as you would expect at this level. (The English declarer had a much tougher time in the bidding but easier in the play, since the opponents had opened 2NT to show the minors)
Match 5 vs Sweden
Sweden are one of the longest standing teams in this event, having had the same foursome since they won the World Championships in 2018.
This was a well played and low scoring encounter in which they narrowly pipped us by 8 imps.
The unusual feature of this match was that at one table we passed out two of the twelve boards. At the other table we passed out neither, and made a partscore to gain two lots of 3 imps.
This was a well played hand by Daniel:
Q102 A54
J54 K1092
KJ982 A543
A8 97
You reach a dicey 2NT by West (no-one plays in diamonds anymore) and the opponents attack in clubs. When you try the AK diamonds the queen falls and you cash 5 rounds. The opponents don't discard any club winner but North throws a discouraging heart and two spades, and South throws 2 spades and a club.
Dan led the JH from hand and rose with the King when North played low smoothly. Right he was, as North held the Ah and not the queen.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) We face a much tougher day with Israel, Croatia (who are leading) Turkey, Singapore and Italy, who are underperforming at the moment, but we take nothing for granted!
By Michael Byrne