kaapo: Hyvää huomenta!   Good morning
kaapo: This is Finish Pairs Final 2009
kaapo: I'll start with English commentary, but we'll likely switch to Finnish at some point
kaapo: We are in Vaasa, Western-Finland
kaapo: At Vasa Bridgeklubb's playing venue Bridge-Center
kaapo: 35 rounds during two days, 3 boards a round
kaapo: There are 36 pairs competing, so they will play once against each opponent
kaapo: Vaasa has two bridge clubs, one is Swedish and the other is Finnish
kaapo: The Swedish one is larger
kaapo: The NS pair here, however, are members of Vaasan Trikki, which is the Finnish one
Walddk3: Good morning to Wiki Wikholm
kaapo: Hei Roland, moi Wiki
Walddk3: Hyvää huomenta, good morning everyone
kaapo: The website is at http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/ . We should get results after each round and we're working on getting the webcam to work
kaapo: A part-score battle here
kaapo: Most players wouldn't double on the West cards
kaapo: Perhaps Leskelä-Kurko are old-fashioned and double almost always with an opening hand. Or maybe double only guarantees spades for them
kaapo: The defense was not a beauty. Perhaps NS are nervous playing on the vugraph for the first time
kaapo: 3-board rounds so we'll have a small break now
kaapo: Hopefully Wiki gets his trouble sorted and is able to join us at round 2
kaapo: Our operators for the weekend are Juho Granström and Pinja Pyykkönen
kaapo: Who'll take turns in operating
kaapo: Perpahs the one not on duty will join us occasionally to give insights from the venue
kaapo: Another pair from Vaasa here, Korsman-Märsylä, this time from Vasa BK
kaapo: Wiki has some strange trouble, but he sends his greetings
kaapo: He says he's about to leave for Malaga soon, so a very pleasant holiday for him :)
kaapo: Noponen-Toivonen from the Helsinki area
kaapo: Noponen-Toivonen play weak multi and constructive 2M openings
kaapo: Ah, Märsylä appears to be Vaasan Trikki's member
kaapo: Over 2M openings, many play Leaping Michaels where a jump to 4m shows the bid minor and the unbid major
kaapo: And 3!S would show something else. Perhaps NS haven't got clear agreements here
kaapo: A heart lead would've worked better here
kaapo: Ah, East got !DK too
kaapo: So would've made no difference. And quite possibly most pairs will play 6!S on that one, after a normal 1!S opening
kaapo: We now have results from round 1
kaapo: They'll apper at http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/results.php
kaapo: Koistinen - Nyberg, the top favourites, have started with 95%
kaapo: Strange that Märsylä couldn't find a double there, with partner opening and him with 2 aces
kaapo: NS might well have played 1NT themselves on this one
kaapo: But it was clearly better to let EW do that
kaapo: Change of round again
kaapo: From now on, we'll see the top pair at this table
kaapo: EW are the leaders
kaapo: Koistinen - Nyberg
kaapo: NS, Mäntylä - Lähteenoja, play strong club with 4-card majors, which explains the 1!S opening
kaapo: And they stole EW's !S fit by doing so
kaapo: Koistinen - Nyberg play Magic Diamond. Here is a CC for them http://www.patana.biz/sm08/cc/4.pdf
kaapo: Slam time
kaapo: Interference may make it harder to find
kaapo: And perhaps it would be easier to find after a natural 1!C opening, when !CAx and !Dx look better
kaapo: North has a very nice 11-count, perhaps she'll open
kaapo: Ah, NS play 2-way club after all, so 1!C is either any strong, or weak NT
kaapo: Koistinen has 7 sure tricks...
kaapo: However, perhaps he'll try the !D finesse to get an 8th
kaapo: Now he has less tricks
kaapo: Remember, this is pairs scoring, where every overtrick counts
kaapo: A kibitzer also points out, that if the finesse is wrong, NS can make some number of hearts
kaapo: Well, they made it after all
kaapo: Well, another small break
Walddk3: Welcome to Markku M. Mäkelä
kaapo: Terve Markku
kaapo: I'll try to check, if we could get the boards in right order
kaapo: The website is at http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/
kaapo: Round 4: Koistinen - Nyberg (NS) vs Uskali - Sundsten (EW)
kaapo: Hi also to Seppo Sauvola
kaapo: Oh dear, it appers there's some problem with ungagging the commentators now
mmmakela: needs trump lead to keep in 4
mmmakela: sry 3
mmmakela: need my wakeup coffee, ignore my comments for next 15 mins.....
kaapo: Roud pass, wow
kaapo: Some years back, in the Finnish pairs final, I saw a board which was once passed out. At other tables someone had found a bid
kaapo: The only time it was passed out was at the table where Koistinen - Nyberg play
kaapo: Which is kind of odd, because they play an aggressive bidding system
kaapo: Strong club for EW here
kaapo: EW could make 6!D by taking a ruffing finesse against !HK
mmmakela: 6 dias on S fin working
kaapo: Hmm
kaapo: Yeah, that's an easier way
kaapo: Again I failed to see a King in the East hand :/
kaapo: Easier to pitch a spade on !CK :)
mmmakela: so 6d EW top, this 2nd best
kaapo: Change of rounds again
kaapo: Results after round 3 are there http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/results.php
mmmakela: in pairs scoring I mean, not as a contract
kaapo: So we'll continue with Kauko and Clas
mmmakela: now getting the coffee so hope it'll bring even little sense to my comments
kaapo: We had Juho Granström as an operator for the first 12 boards. And Pinja Pyykkönen takes the charge now, good morning to you too
kaapo: We should continue pretty soon with round 5
cergal: kauko koistinen kibbzing his own play it seems! haha:)
kaapo: Our first longer break is after 7 rounds little before 2 o'clock in the afternoon (Finnish time)
kaapo: Good to see Kauko Koistinen has time to kibitz us, too, while playing at this table at the same time :)
mmmakela: y helps a bit...
mmmakela: parscores only here
kaapo: Ah, we're back
mmmakela: t
kaapo: I don't think we have have the same players again
mmmakela: cl 8
kaapo: Kauko wouldn't open 1!S
kaapo: So NS aren't Koistinen - Nyberg
mmmakela: right too str for Magic
mmmakela: 6 dias by W here
kaapo: 6NT has been suggested by a kib here
kaapo: Any guesses what side would he play it from?
mmmakela: any bet on the lesd
kaapo: Pairs 1 vs 9 as I thought, so EW are Nyberg - Koistinen and NS are Outi Rahi (lady) - Mikko Rahi 
mmmakela: lead*
kaapo: 3rd/5th leaders might lead the !S10 and 4th besters the J :)
mmmakela: better not or N ruffs...
kaapo: Very true
kaapo: Nyberg will likely open the Magic 1!H and NS will not get a chance to bid at all
mmmakela: N could bal now
kaapo: Or perhaps South could've prebalanced
kaapo: 1!H was 8-11 4+!H and 2!H a very wide scale raise, about 0-13 points and 3-4 hearts
kaapo: It's rather difficult for the opponents to judge when to balance and when not after that
mmmakela: good rule of thumb; don't let opps play on 2-level in pairs unless a very good reason to do so
mmmakela: so if in doubt bid
kaapo: South would've done better to switch to clubs
kaapo: Perhaps she thought her partner could hold a singleton !S
mmmakela: S A was a weird play
kaapo: If North had only 2 spades, he'd continue the suit
mmmakela: brb
kaapo: The players also have a small break to switch to the next table
kaapo: The results after round 5 should soon be at http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/results.php
kaapo: Koistinen - Nyberg continue as NS
kaapo: With Vesa Paasivirta - Petri Kuoppala from Tampere as EW
mmmakela: 12-16 any
kaapo: I try to announce the names of the pairs at the beginning of each round. That way we'll have that record on the vugraph archives which will be available after the tournament
mmmakela: wonder why W bid vul
kaapo: East can be held to 4 tricks, a kibitzer tells
kaapo: You can find a Magic Diamond CC for NS at http://patana.biz/trials/nybergkoistinen.pdf
mmmakela: hard to beat this result
mmmakela: 8-11 unbal 4+c
kaapo: NS don't have very good contracts here
kaapo: Except 1NT by East
mmmakela: wow
kaapo: Or any undoubled contract they get to declare
mmmakela: how could W give up
kaapo: 1NT would show some values to me so I'd raise it to 3
mmmakela: surely
kaapo: We'll see one more round after this. Then there's going to be a lunch break
kaapo: Again, 1!C is either 15-17 NT or any 12-16 unbalanced hand
kaapo: 2NT transfer to !Cs
kaapo: NS have a nice fit: no wasted values in !Hs, even though 3NT might make South think that way
kaapo: *!ds
mmmakela: 6 clubs good contract, Claes bid it well imo
kaapo: Short break and then last round before the longer break
mmmakela: Koistinen still in the audience too.....
kaapo: Perhaps we could invite him to commentate
mmmakela: Don't they have any restrictions watching BBO while playing...
mmmakela: hi Eija! (assuming)
kaapo: A kib wonders what the 4!D bid by Koistinen meant
mmmakela: Last train type slam interest
kaapo: Hmm, perhaps it was an RKC response
kaapo: NS usually play 4m bids as ace asking
kaapo: So 4!D could be 0 or 3
mmmakela: doubt it if u think about following bids
kaapo: That's right, 4!H would then ask for the !CQ
mmmakela: ok I believe u Kari
kaapo: And I believe you, Markku :)
kaapo: Asking for the !CQ is rather silly, when you hold the card yourself :)
mmmakela: but it could've been Last Train To Clarkesville invented by Meckwell
kaapo: Elsinens took the lead after 5 rounds
mmmakela: cheapest bid on 4-level showing slam interest in forcing action not promising cue
kaapo: Results are at http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/results.php
kaapo: So we have Antti Elsinen (N) - Tiina Elsinen (S) vs Pia Nurmi (W) - Hulda Ahonen (E)
mmmakela: 3 ladies here
mmmakela: N not
kaapo: And they all very in the team winnig the silver medaille in the Nordics in Turku this summer
kaapo: *were
kaapo: In the ladies series
mmmakela: 4 spades has 2 little flaws here; spades 5-0 and CK wrong
kaapo: 3!H is apparently a transfer to spades. Transfer responses to NT openings start to be the standard way in Finland too, these days
mmmakela: wonder why Antti didn't bid 4 !C
mmmakela: easy now to play dias?
kaapo: You would think so
mmmakela: wd
kaapo: Took some time to count the points but the she goes
mmmakela: !HQ was too revealing
kaapo: Koistinen - Nyberg have reclaimed the lead http://bridgefinland.com/sm/pari09/results.php
mmmakela: will be duplicated in many tables I suppose
kaapo: 3NT or 6!C?
mmmakela: is there a chance in 6 clubs?
kaapo: 2!S is fourth suit forcing to game
mmmakela: 11 is easy but 12?
kaapo: 1!S would be natural here
mmmakela: 1 more bef lunchbreak
mmmakela: what would you all bid now?
kaapo: Is there chance NS would get overboard now?
mmmakela: 4 spades? 6 clubs? else? 6 spades?
kaapo: Lots of choices. I'm not quite sure I'd double as North even though partner should have good cards for her double in that position
mmmakela: so what u bid Kaapo instead of dbl?
kaapo: A kib offers his oppinion that it often looks like Antti has one of Tiina's high cards in the bidding :)
mmmakela: close your eyes and guess which major to bid?
kaapo: Well, I might pass but dunno :)
mmmakela: NO WAY can pass imo
mmmakela: I think dbl is perfect
kaapo: Anyhow, we're off to lunch break
mmmakela: cont time?
kaapo: And will continue at 14:50 local time
mmmakela: 13.50 Paris that is
kaapo: Thanks Juho and Pinja for operating, and Vasa BK for organising, and Markku for comments and kibs for lots of input
mmmakela: ty all and see ya
kaapo: We also have some sponsors for the BBO broadcasts
kaapo: their logos are at the web site
kaapo: Thanks to the sponsors too