dec2.indd

English 53 One Board – 23 IMPs Ram Soffer Anyone who plays Teams uses the International Match Points (IMP) scale to calculate the various swings. Do you knowwhat is the maximal number of IMPs available for a single board, and what difference in total points does it require? Most players, even the more experienced ones, will have to look this up, because this situation practically never arises at the table. (The answer will be found near the end of this article). Thus numerous BBO spectators were recently amazed to witness such a huge swing at a crucial stage of a very important match – the semi- fi nals of the European Champions' Cup between Allegra (Italy) and Zaleski (France). Let us save that amazing hand for later. Our fi rst exhibit is a somewhat lesser swing from the match between the same teams at the Round- Robin stage. Dealer North, Vul N/S ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ Q32 Q5 AK875 AK6 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ AK975 9843 943 5 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ 4 T62 J6 JT87432 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ JT86 AKJ7 QT2 Q9 West North East South Cronier Bocchi Zaleski Madala 2 ♣ 3 ♣ Dbl Pass 3NT Pass 4NT Pass 6NT Pass Pass Dbl Pass Pass Pass The Italian top pair uses a 2 ♣ opening to show a balanced 18-19 HCP hand without a 5-card major. Bocchi showed a club stopper with 3NT and then accepted his partner's invitation to a slam. Twelve tricks were readily available with diamonds breaking 3-2, but there was a slight problem: West was holding the ♠ AK. Cronier doubled, hoping to persuade his partner to lead his shortest suit. Nevertheless Zaleski put the ♣ 2 on the table and declarer soon claimed. At the other table Thomas and Michel Bessis carefully stopped at 3NT, so +1680 was worth 14 IMPs for the Italians, on the way to a 47:21 rout. It so happened that both teams had to meet again at the semi- fi nal stage which was a 32-board match. Allegra were enjoying a slight lead during the second and fi nal segment when they experienced a series of three disastrous hands, starting with this: Dealer North, Vul N/S ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ K832 T7 KQ8 K654 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ Q94 95 9763 QJT9 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ T75 AKQ86432 - 83 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ AJ6 J AJT542 A72 West North East South Madala Cronier Bocchi Zaleski Pass 4 ♣ 4 ♦ Pass 5 ♦ All Pass