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Swiss Pairs
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Deal of the Week
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The Netherlands may be a tiny country but its stature in terms of bridge considerably exceeds its size on the map. The Dutch Bridge Federation has more than a hundred thousand members and they can count the 1993 Bermuda Bowl among their trophies. The Dutch women's team had high hopes for the Venice Cup of 1999, which was actually staged in Bermuda in January, 2000. After two weeks of play, they faced perennial champions USA in a final that turned out to be a classic. The bridge was not always of the highest standard, but the tension was unmatchable.

The Netherlands built up a lead of 50 IMPs over the first three sessions, but USA won the next three sets to reduce the margin to just 11.5 IMPs (the 0.5 had come from a slow play penalty earned by the USA team earlier in the event). The Dutch team added 4 IMPs to the margin in the penultimate set and with sixteen boards to play they led by 15.5 IMPs. Little did we know how significant that extra 0.5 was to become.

In a packed to overflowing Vugraph room the audience watched the drama of that final session unfold. A series of small swings had reduced the Dutch to the slimmest lead possible, 0.5 IMP. The match balanced on a knife edge. With the match this close, even apparently routine partscore deals were taking on increasing importance.

The last few boards were flat, as the tension rose. Still only half an IMP separated the two teams. The last deal of the event offered chances to both sides.

 

The diamond situation meant that East-West could make a slam in either minor. However, neither pair was to be that ambitious. The auction proved to be identical at both tables: three clubs by West and three notrump by East. In the Closed Room, Van der Pas led a low heart and Montin wrapped up eleven tricks for +660.

It was clear to the Vugraph audience that a spade lead by Seamon-Molson would hold declarer to ten tricks and earn USA the IMP that would give them the title.

Anything else could lead to eleven tricks and a Dutch victory. The audience held its collective breath. The opening lead was ...

 

a heart! The board would be flat.

Pandemonium broke out as the Dutch supporters erupted in wild applause. The final score in the Orbis Venice Cup was still unofficial, but they were confident that the trophy had gone to the Netherlands for the first time. A world title is still a world title, even if the winning margin is almost too small to measure.

Never in the history of the world championships had a title been decided by a margin so small. It must have been especially satisfying for Bep Vriend, Jet Pasman and Marijke van der Pas, who had lost the 1989 Venice Cup final in Perth, Australia to an American team.
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