Quarterfinals Part 2 - Game On: A Four-Way Warzone

On this extraordinary board, a multitude of player choices led to wildly different outcomes. Although North-South were effectively cold for 6♣, a promising slam, the contract became intangible once South chose a practical 3♥ preempt. 

Israel Blue vs SPS Construction:

Open Room

West	North	East	South
Sliwowicz	Araszkiewicz	Sabbah	Kotorwicz
			3♥
P	4♥	AP

Konrad Araszkiewicz faced two choices over his partner’s preempt: bid 3NT or raise to 4♥. He opted for the safer 4♥, which proved cold for 10 tricks, earning +620. Yonatan Sliwowicz refrained from entering the auction, despite holding 7♠ and 4♦.

Photo credit: European Bridge League (Facebook)

Meanwhile, in the closed room:

West	North	East	South
Buras	Msika	Strzemecki	Moskovitz
			3♥
3♠	X	AP

Krzysztof Buras

Unlike in the Open Room, Krzysztof Buras chose to compete to 3♠, leveraging his distributional hand. Hoping to strike big, Daniel Msika attempted to squash Buras’ overcall, effectively ending the auction. For Israel Blue to earn a positive score, the defense needed to establish a cross-ruff in the red suits, starting with a heart lead from North. However, Msika led his normal ace of clubs, which West ruffed, leaving the contract no longer defeatable. Minus 730 was a major setback for the Israelites, giving SPS Construction 16 IMPs in one fell swoop. 

However, it is worth noting that Msika was not alone. In the Bianchi vs Knottenbelt match, both tables defended 3♠ doubled and, like him, ended up letting the contract make. 

Conversely, in the Dyson vs Eler match, Tom Townsend chose to bid 4♥ sitting North on the same auction, while Ekrem Serdar initially responded 3NT but retreated to 4♣ after his LHO doubled, which is where they ultimately stopped.

This careful navigation earned Dyson 10 IMPs, as +620 far outscored the +170 from the other room.