Euro Teams Round 25 Belgium

Board 3 South Deals E-W Vul	♠ 6 4 ♥ A 8 2 ♦ K 7 6 ♣ K 9 8 4 3
♠ K 3 ♥ J 9 7 3 ♦ 10 9 8 4 ♣ A 7 6	N W E S	♠ A J 10 9 5 ♥ Q 5 ♦ Q 5 3 ♣ Q 10 5
	♠ Q 8 7 2 ♥ K 10 6 4 ♦ A J 2 ♣ J 2

S 2♥; NS 1N; NS 2♣; NS 1♠; N 1♥; NS 1♦; Par +110

West	North	East	South
	Hanlon		McGann
			1 ♣
Pass	1 N	All pass

Okay so Round 25 and its Ireland v Belgium ...

Our NS Hanlon McGann declared the normal looking 1 NT but I presume Boland Moran jockeyed their opponents into a strange 3 ♦ contract. One cannot figure anyway they could get there without some persuasion. That was 6 imps to Ireland and we have to hand that gain to Boland Moran.

Board 6 East Deals E-W Vul	♠ A Q J 8 2 ♥ 6 3 ♦ Q 7 2 ♣ 10 8 2
♠ 10 ♥ K Q 8 4 2 ♦ 10 5 ♣ A J 9 6 4	N W E S	♠ K 5 ♥ J 7 5 ♦ A K 8 6 3 ♣ K Q 5
	♠ 9 7 6 4 3 ♥ A 10 9 ♦ J 9 4 ♣ 7 3

EW 5♥; EW 5♣; EW 4♦; EW 2N; Par −650

Contract was 5 ♣ in both rooms .. the room that went down got the ♣ 7 lead ..
I cannot see how to go down .. No big deal
Ireland made 5 ♣ and Belgium went down in 5 ♣ .. 13 imps to Ireland.

Board 8 West Deals None Vul	♠ Q J 10 7 2 ♥ 7 3 2 ♦ 10 9 5 ♣ K 2
♠ 8 6 ♥ K J 4 ♦ Q 7 ♣ Q J 10 7 5 3	N W E S	♠ A K 9 5 ♥ 9 ♦ K J 8 6 4 ♣ A 9 6
	♠ 4 3 ♥ A Q 10 8 6 5 ♦ A 3 2 ♣ 8 4

EW 5N; EW 5♦; EW 5♣; EW 3♠; EW 2♥; Par −460

I dunno ... EW bid 3 NT against Hanlon McGann with 24 hcp and some long suits to add.
3 NT is unbeatable ... In the closed room the Belgians somehow bamboozle the 110 years of life experience playing as East West. Boland Moran own 24 hcp but the Belgians get to declare 3 ♥ down 3 unmolested. I mean I must have opened the bidding in East ...and they probably got in a 2 ♥ overcall and I passed so my partner might double ...then they pushed it to 3 ♥ and maybe we got lost in transit ... We need better or we will get robbed all day .. So they robbed us blind of 7 imps ..
Later on board 10 we lost 5 imps for a making and down 1 1 NT contract ..
That left it 25-12 Ireland ..

Board 11 South Deals None Vul	♠ A Q 10 8 ♥ 10 9 4 3 ♦ J 7 ♣ A 8 7
♠ 9 4 ♥ 7 ♦ K 10 9 8 3 2 ♣ J 4 3 2	N W E S	♠ K J 6 ♥ A K Q 8 5 ♦ 4 ♣ 10 9 6 5
	♠ 7 5 3 2 ♥ J 6 2 ♦ A Q 6 5 ♣ K Q

NS 1N; EW 2♣; NS 1♠; EW 1♥; Par −90

With 12 opposite 11 the Belgian NS got as far as 4 ♠ .. they did have a 4-4 ♠ fit but no singletons. 3 quick ♥ losers and then both finesses lost so down some.
Meanwhile the Belgian EW bought the contract against Hanlon McGann in 3 ♦ and that also went down some .. 5 total undertricks was 250 and 6 imps

Board 12 West Deals N-S Vul	♠ 5 4 ♥ A 6 5 ♦ K 5 4 3 ♣ 7 6 5 3
♠ K Q J 7 ♥ K Q 3 ♦ J 10 7 2 ♣ 8 2	N W E S	♠ 10 8 6 3 ♥ J 9 7 2 ♦ A 6 ♣ J 10 9
	♠ A 9 2 ♥ 10 8 4 ♦ Q 9 8 ♣ A K Q 4

NS 2N; EW 2♠; NS 3♣; NS 2♦; Par +100: EW 3♠×−1

Again the Belgians stole the contract in both rooms in 3 ♦ and 3 ♠ ..
Both were 2 high so 3 undertricks ..2 of them vulnerable ..got us another 6 imps

Board 13 North Deals Both Vul	♠ J 8 3 2 ♥ 10 3 2 ♦ K Q 7 ♣ 8 6 5
♠ 6 5 ♥ 9 6 4 ♦ J 3 2 ♣ A K Q 10 4	N W E S	♠ K Q 10 ♥ K 5 ♦ A 9 8 6 5 4 ♣ J 3
	♠ A 9 7 4 ♥ A Q J 8 7 ♦ 10 ♣ 9 7 2

E 4♦; E 2N; W 3♦; EW 3♣; W 1N; NS 1♠; NS 1♥; Par −130

The Belgian EW declared 2 ♦ making some and our lads tried a 23 hcp 3 NT and failed miserably.
It was only down 1 due to no fast entry in ♦s. 110 and 100 was 5 imps away

Board 16 West Deals E-W Vul	♠ A 8 6 ♥ A K Q 9 7 6 ♦ 9 5 4 2 ♣ —
♠ K J 10 9 5 ♥ 10 4 ♦ K 10 ♣ 10 9 7 4	N W E S	♠ — ♥ 8 5 3 2 ♦ A Q 7 ♣ A K Q 6 5 3
	♠ Q 7 4 3 2 ♥ J ♦ J 8 6 3 ♣ J 8 2

EW 4♣; NS 2♦; NS 1♥; Par −130

The Belgians stopped in 4 ♣ and made it ...
Our poor lads bid a decent 5 ♣ and got done by the normal/expected 2 ♥ losers ..but then came a ♣ J that was promoted from ♣ Jxx ... Shame .. and 6 more imps gone but no blame for this ..

A 37-23 win for Ireland but one feels unlucky about maybe 10 imps so feeling disappointed. 

13.75 VPS but we felt we were worth 15.75 maybe ..