The phantom Analyst
The play of the following deal - from the third set of the
Bermuda Bowl quarterfinal match between USA I and Italy - generated
no small amount of comment while Norberto Bocchi was working out his
line of play.
Board 5. Dealer North. N/S Vul.
|
|
ª 8 7 6 3 2 © K 9 6 2 ¨ 2 § K 6 4 |
ª Q © A 7 5 4 ¨ A 9 8 4 § A J 10 3 |
|
ª K 5 © J 10 8 ¨ K Q 10 7 6 3 § Q 9 |
|
ª A J 10 9 4 © Q 3 ¨ J 5 § 8 7 5 2 |
West |
North |
East |
South |
|
Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2§ |
Pass |
2¨ |
Pass |
3¨
(1) |
Pass |
3© |
Pass |
3NT |
Pass |
4© |
Pass |
4NT |
Pass |
5¨ |
All Pass |
(1) Singleton in one major, four cards in the other major.
Bocchi, after discovering his partner had a singleton spade, was
justifiably concerned about a notrump contract with only three
spades between the two hands. His partner, Giorgio Duboin, was
justifiably concerned about the 4-3 fit - 4© was going down. After Eric Rodwell, South,
led the ªA, the Vugraph
analysts speculated at length about whether Rodwell would find the
killing heart switch. Any other play would give Bocchi time to pull
trumps and set up clubs for two heart discards. Rodwell
considered his continuation for some time before finally switching
to the ©3. Jeff Meckstroth,
North, won the ©K and
continued the suit to the 10, queen and ace. It looked as though the
contract was indeed dead, but somewhere in the audience, unheard by
most, came the comment about Bocchi's 5¨ contract: "Now it's cold." That keen analyst
may never be known, but he was correct. Whether declarer should find
the winning line, 11 tricks were available. Here's how Bocchi could
have made it: win the heart ace, play two rounds of diamonds, ending
in hand, cash the ªK, then
run trumps. This will be the end position:
|
ª -- © 9 6 ¨ § K 6 |
ª - © 7 5 ¨ - § A J |
|
ª - © J ¨ 6 § Q 9 |
|
ª J 10 © - ¨ - § 8 7 |
On the last diamond, declarer discards dummy's
§J, and North has no answer.
If he discards a heart, declarer cashes the jack, dropping the 9,
and gets to dummy with the §A. If North pitches a club, declarer plays over
to the §A, dropping the king,
and returns to hand with the ©J to cash the §Q for trick 11. Whether it is advisable to
take this line of play (North might have started with only two
hearts, in which case taking the club finesse will suffice to bring
in the contract), the phantom analyst was definitely correct. The
100% play to defeat 5¨ is to
switch to the heart queen at trick two. Declarer has no answer to
that play. |