U.S. World Championship Teams Decided in Orlando Valerie Westheimer, Disa Eythorsdottir, Jill Levin and Jenny Wolpert will be on the USA-2 team in the Venice Cup world championship in Bali, Indonesia, in September. A third pair will be added to the team. On Thursday in Orlando, they defeated Lynn Baker, Karen McCallum, Cindy Bernstein, Sally Wheeler, Pam Granovetter and JoAnna Stansby by 221 international match points to 217 over 120 boards. Richie Schwartz, Allan Graves, Neil Chambers, John Schermer, Bob Hamman and Sam Lev will be the USA-1 team in the d'Orsi Senior Trophy. The USA-2 team will be decided on Saturday. In the 90-board final on Wednesday, they won against Carolyn Lynch, Mike Passell, Roger Bates, Marc Jacobus, Garey Hayden and Eddie Wold by 215 imps to 122.5. The Lynch team conceded with 15 boards to be played. The senior match was close over four sessions, but Schwartz won the fifth segment by 61 imps to 5. The diagramed deal was Board 41. When you have a five-card major, a balanced hand and the values to open one no-trump, would you prefer to start with one of the major or with one no-trump? The modern style is to bid one no-trump, describing the strength and nature of the hand. But I have always felt that one should try to find an excuse to open in the major; if the hand is seriously flawed for no-trump, bid the major and hope it all works out well. This South hand has 14 high-card points, but the two ace-king holdings and the five-card suit make it worth 15. With those two weak pointed suits, though, if the best contract is three no-trump, surely partner should be playing it. Not that one example proves anything, but Hayden (South) opened one no-trump, showing 14 to 16 points. Bates (North) raised to three no-trump. Graves (West) led his fourth-highest spade and the defenders took the first five tricks. Lev (South) might have also opened one no-trump, indicating 14++ to 17 points, but preferred to start with one heart. After Jacobus (West) overcalled one spade, Hamman (North) cue-bid two spades to show at least game-invitational values in hearts. Passell (East) doubled to indicate his spade support. And Lev jumped to four hearts. You can see that the contract was in no danger, but Lev showed good card-play technique. West led the spade ace, under which East dropped the queen to promise the jack. West continued with a low spade. East won with his jack and shifted to a low club. South won with his ace, drew trumps ending in his hand (East discarded a club on the third round) and played a diamond to dummy's nine. East took the trick with his jack and led his last spade. Declarer ruffed, played a diamond to dummy's ace, led a club to the king and cashed his last trump, which would have squeezed East if he had started with the queen-jack in both minors and 3=2=4=4 distribution. Here, though, the diamond queen appeared at Trick 12 and Lev claimed. Plus 50 and plus 420 gave the Schwartz team 10 imps on the board. If you like to open one no-trump with a five-card major, consider using Puppet Stayman, which first asks opener to show a five-card major. Or just accept that some superior 5-3 major-suit fits will be missed. You will gain when three no-trump and four of the major have only nine winners and when you make the defense harder by hiding your five-card major.