What a day! USA II swept their opponents and are still in 7th place. This is a tough field. You will notice that the competitive teams are starting to ascend to the top of the group. At this point, the bottom half have no chance of qualifying. Today begins the jockeying for seeding in the Knockout Stage. Mind you, there are still four days with 12 matches left so there are no quarantees of qualifying. Every match is important!
USA II got off to a roaring start beating Quadeloupe 69-12 to collect 25 victory points (that’s all you can get from a match). Then game Bulgaria. For those of you who watched this match on BBO, this was a sad match to watch…The match started off slow but then USA II blew open a 23-6 lead until board 30 (10)…when we lost 17 imps in two boards to tie the match going into the last board. USA II picked up one imp on board 32 to win the match. This resulted in a gain of only 15 victory points but still a mental victory. USA II’s last match was a dangerous one – India plays their cards exceptionally which makes up for their crazy bidding style. Luck is a big factor against a team like India. This match was a similar sad ending in that we led 40-9 which is 22 victory points until the last board when Zia and Hamman went down in 6H on a ruff and the other team bid to only 3NT. Lose 13 and win only 19 victory points. Unlucky finish but still above average for the day.
USA II has a touch threesome to play today – Germany, Netherlands, and China – all in the top 9! As a result of the tough matches, USA II will be on BBO for all three matches. If you get a chance, log on and cheer for USA II!
Other Matches
Unfortunately in the Bermuda Bowl, USA I is out of the event. However, in the Venice Cup and Senior Bowl, all four USA teams are still in the hunt! In the Venice Cup, USA I is in second place and USA II is in 4th. In the Senior Bowl, USA II is in fourth position while USA I two victory points back in 5th.
If you don’t have a chance to follow the matches on BBO today, be sure to check the scores for updates at
http://www.worldbridge.org/tourn/SaoPaulo.09/Results.htm.
Enjoy your day!
