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An unheralded team from Russia defeated a highly favored United States team in a 96-deal match to win the 2004 World Women’s Bridge Olympiad. Throughout the course of the event, the Russians -- Olga Galaktionova, Victoria Gromova, Natalia Karpenko, Maria Lebedeva, Tatiana Ponomareva and Irina Vasilkova -- established a pattern in their matches of falling behind early and then storming back to win.
It was no different in the final. After the Americans -- Marinesa Letizia, Jill Meyers, Randi Montin, Janice Seamon-Molson, Tobi Sokolow and Carlyn Steiner -- had assumed a 57-IMP lead over the first 32 boards, the Russians staged another rally to take the lead. Today’s deal occurred shortly after the Russians had moved in front for good.
When a U.S. pair sat East-West, the bidding went as shown. After East’s opening three-spade bid, Gromova-Ponomareva reached the laydown game in diamonds to score +400.
At the other table, the Russian East opened with two diamonds, indicating a weak two-bid in either major. Montin, South, could have passed to await developments, but she bid two notrump to show her point count and at the same time make it more difficult for West to find out what East’s real suit was. Meyers then raised to three notrump.
Galaktionova, West, could tell from her own hand that hearts was not her partner’s suit. So she led the A-Q of spades, East overtaking the queen and running her spades to defeat the contract three tricks. This, plus the 400 points gained at the other table, gave the Russians an 11-IMP pickup to move them even further ahead in the match.
Tomorrow: A matter of probabilities.
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